Re: 5 Digital Camera Questions

Judy,
I'm assuming you have one of the "cheaper" consumer model digital cameras.
Though you don't mention which one. A lot of these cheaper models have some
very frustrating "quirks."

All digital equipment eats batteries for breakfast. If your battery is dying
off faster than you should expect, it might be an old battery. The fun
little LCD screens are the biggest power hogs onboard. Some cameras have a
way to turn off the LCD screen. If you find yourself running out of juice,
this may save your skin.
Also, make sure you run your battery all the way down to zero before you
recharge it. this helps keep the battery toned.

One trick I learned by accident: download your user's manual and save it to
CD. Then, when you're looking for the button that controls the who-haw
settings when you're shooting in Yamaguchi mode, you can just do a key word
search... BTW - don't throw away your manual. It's still way easier to use
out in the field when you suddenly have to figure out why your camera says
it's locked or something equally stupid....

Best of luck!

Barry

Barry Kleider
Photographer. Arts Educator.
612.722.9701
email: bkleider@sihope.com
Web: www.barryphotography.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Judy Seigel" <jseigel@panix.com>
To: <alt-photo-process-l@skyway.usask.ca>
Sent: Wednesday, June 09, 2004 11:35 PM
Subject: 5 Digital Camera Questions

>
> Several folks have asked how I like my digital camera:
>
> I like the camera fine personally; but our relationship needs work: It
> tends to be difficult and temperamental when operating, likely to do
> things not in the manual (or not discoverable in the manual, a very
> secretive document). So I appeal to known (and unknown) experts on this
> list for help:
>
> 1. The camera is set on Av (Aperture priority, aperture 5.6; ASA 200,
> flash off, auto focus). Why is every shot taken in the sun totally washed
> out, monumentally overexposed ? What can I do? (Shade is fine, VG in
> fact.)
>
> 2. The manual says that with my current settings and image size (highest
> resolution, normal compression), with the monitor on I should get 450
> images on one battery charge. Why does the manual lie? I get about 60 at
> most.
>
> 3. The low battery warning doesn't appear until the battery is about to
> die, catching me at a bad moment. Is there any way to read remaining
> battery life earlier?
>
> 4. How do settings change themselves? I've had the same settings (above)
> for a couple of weeks, but today, after several (unrepeatable) shots,
> realized that the flash was flashing (even in sunlight, the idiot --
> though ALL shots in sun are overexposed) and aperture was now f/8. Did I
> press some of those (too many) buttons without meaning to? Could
> downloading images to the computer have set something off?
>
> 5. And from the sublime to the ridiculous: Do folks really attach the lens
> cap cord to the strap as instructed by the manual? Doesn't it dangle
> deliriously? I taped it to the bottom of the camera, but that's not
> terrific either....
>
> I hope this doesn't seem too off topic -- Actually, I begin to suspect
> that this is an alternative camera... Either way, thanks in advance for
> help or advice.
>
> Judy
>
>
Received on Wed Jun 9 23:34:07 2004