If I were an engineer, I would use normal language.

Wait. I am an engineer. and I do use normal language.

But I am unique in that, it seems. Alas, the camera makers tend not to. Take this example. If I had a focus mode that does continuous focusing, I would call it “continuous focus”. D’oh. But if I am a Canon engineer, I call it “AI Servo”, because I assume that everyone knows that “AI” means “Artificial Intelligence”, and a servo-motor is an accurately controlled electrical motor with built-in negative feedback loop and positional awareness. Sigh. And we wonder why 90% of SLR users haven’t a clue how the SLR works or what it does?

So when your manual makes no sense, do not despair. It is not you. It is the manual.

What you can do is, of course, take one of my courses and read my e-books (see learning.photography, my new e-store; and yes, I would love feedback on that store please!). Or you can learn by reading this blog back to front. Or by figuring it all out yourself. Just remember: it’s not that complicated. It is often enough the jargon and the assumptions that “of course you know that” that makes this stuff complicated. Bear with it: you can learn pro skills!