Digital Camera Basics

Get to know the digital camera basics, digital camera tips

So it's time for lesson one, digital camera basics and digital camera tips. Most people will only need to visit this page once. When you have explored all the links on this page and ,camera in hand, gone through all the instructions, you wont need to come back here again. Except, of course, to show your friend who needs the same information as you!

Here we will get familiar with the digital memory card. Every digital camera has its own memory card. This is the equivalent of the film in a traditional camera. You will need to know how to find this card on your camera, learn how to remove it and re insert it.

We will also look at the basic features of your camera. These include the digital and optical zoom. As you stand a distance from the subject of your photo, you will sometimes need to zoom in and "get closer" without having to actually, physically moving closer.

Every digital camera has a flash. Many people do not explore the different settings that are offered by the camera. These will give you better photos when used correctly and will also save on battery consumption.

We will look at the playback and record button on your camera. This is a very basic function but there are people who simply point and shoot and then hand over the camera to the person in their family who takes care of the rest.

Digital camera flash

On a camera you have a number of digital camera flash settings which will dictate how your camera will light the subject when you take a photo. Ensure that the camera is set to record (ready to take photos), not playback.

         

First you need to locate the digital camera flash button on your camera. The universal symbol for flash is shown on the right of this paragraph. The location of this button varies from camera. Above are two examples.

When you find this button on your camera press, it repeatedly and watch the display screen. The symbols below will appear in rotation. They will usually retreat to the corner of the display after a few seconds. The icon in the corner indicates the current flash setting. You may not have all of these options or you may even have more than these ones.

The main settings are:
Auto flash                         
This setting tell the camera to use its inbuilt technology to decide if it should flash or not, depending on the surrounding light. This is the best setting for the novice camera user.
Red eye reduction         
This setting tells the camera that the subject is in a darkened area and that the iris of the eye is likely to be wide open. A flash will reflect off the eye giving the red eye effect. To avoid this the camera will give a multiple burst of light which will cause the iris to close thus reducing or eliminating the red eye effect. Be careful to warn your subjects to wait until all the flashing is finished. Otherwise, they may turn away after the initial flash and not be facing the camera for the flash which coincides with the taking of the photo.

Forced Flash

        
This is where the camera will flash every time, regardless of light. This is useful in areas of medium to poor light
no flash                      
This is where regardless of lighting the camera will not flash. It is useful in places where flash photography is not allowed

Digital camera playback and record functions

 

Digital camera playback and digital camera record are the two basic functions of any digital camera. When you turn on your digital camera it will be ready to do one of two things
1. Playback. This is where the camera displays on its screen the photos you have taken.
2. Record. This is where the camera is ready to take photos and on the screen is the image it "sees" through the camera lens. If you move the camera and the image on screen moves also, then you are in record/shooting mode.
Locate these functions on your camera and try them out. They may appear on the dial of your camera like below
   
or they may have their own stand alone button

It is important to be comfortable swapping between these mode as different menu options are available in each mode.

 Your digital camera zoom function

Digital and optical camera zoom functions are offered on most cameras, except the very low end budget type. This allows you to use the digital camera zoom to get closer to the subject without having to physically move closer. Sports photographers use zoom to get closer to the action while remaining on the sidelines.
Your camera has a zoom option if you see this symbol on the camera
There are three main locations where this function can be found, depending on your brand of camera.
1. At the button you use for taking photos as below

2. On the toggle wheel or buttons at the rear of the camera as below

3. Your camera may have a dedicated button for zooming in and out as below

Look out for the letters "W" and "T" which are also indicators of a zoom function. They stand for "wide angle" and "telephoto" and basically mean "zoom in" and zoom out". You may also see these symbols
wide angle telephoto