It doesn't get any more boring that this! But after trying to figure out how to remove the eyepiece on my Canon XSi to put on the new rainsleeve for the Alaska trip (somehow we planned a trip to Alaska in the rainiest month of the year, go figure!), as a last resort, I finally opened the camera manual.
I remember a friend years ago telling me not to bother with a DSLR class at the local community college. Literally all they did was read their camera manuals for weeks in class. She was disgusted. However, I'm beginning to think it's not a bad idea to read the camera manual from cover to cover and then keep it along as a reference.
While learning to remove the eyepiece and fit the rainsleeve over it and replace it, therefore keeping it mildly water resistant, I got sidetracked and read bits & pieces. I think I read the manual when I first bought the camera, but now that I've used it for awhile, I had many more "ah-ha"! moments when reading the manual. Hmmm..
If you're curious, this thing is like an oversized baggie, designed to accommodate my long 120-400 lens as well as my everyday lens. The only two parts that are open are the eyepiece and the lens, but it's easy to work all the controls through the baggie. It's an OP/TECH USA Rainsleeve and comes in a packet of 2 for $5.83 on Amazon. It should work equally well on my tripod or handheld, although it's a bit bulky to accommodate the longer lens when I'm using it with my regular 18-200 everyday lens.
Meantime, look what I downloaded onto the IPad -- a copy of the owners manual so I won't have to take the book separately. It's not big, but every ounce counts when you're trying to fit everything for a monthlong trip in a backpack!