For a lot of people, the manual that comes with your camera or other equipment might be something you read once — if at all —and put it away.
But with today's cameras being essentially computers with a lens, it doesn't hurt to keep the manual handy, especially when you need to remember how to use a feature that you've only operated occasionally.
The obvious answer is to keep the camera manual in your bag, but that puts additional wear and tear on a cheaply made paperback. Heck, even the cover's paper, so it's not going to last too long in your bag.
Or you might be like me, and there's no room in your bag for all the gear you carry.
(For the record, I've never regretted having something in there and not using it. On the other hand, I've kicked myself plenty of times because I didn't have a piece of gear I realized I needed.)
But there's a high tech way to carry the manual for every piece of kit you have without it taking up any additional room, or getting chewed to pieces in your bag.
Every manufacturer has downloadable PDFs for their manuals on their websites. All you need to do is log in with your phone/tablet and download the file, where you can read it using a PDF reader on your phone.
Personally, I also upload the books on to Play Books, Google's e-book reader, which can also handle PDFs. It allows me to access the books from my phone or any computer. You can do the same with the Books app on the iPhone.
Since there's also a local copy on my phone, I can access the files on my phone even if there's no service.
In addition to my camera manuals, I also have the instructions for my digital recorder and my speedlight on the virtual bookshelf.
