Got a new digital camera? Here’s some tips!

Learn your menus. One of the big differences between film and digital cameras is that tiny screen on the back of the camera body. This screen not only displays the photos you take, but is also home to the menus through which you control the many features of your digital camera. Sit down with your owner’s manual and look at all the various menu options. Don’t change them yet – just get familiar with what they do, and where they’re located amidst the many sub-menus. However, one of the first settings you’ll want to change is image resolution.

Try to always shoot at the highest resolution your camera and memory card can support. Here’s why. If you choose a lower resolution setting to squeeze more photos onto your memory card, you may regret it later when you try to create a decent-sized high-quality print. You’ll also run into trouble cropping and enlarging photos – you’ll find the resulting print to be grainy and blurred. Find yourself running out of space on your memory card? Get more memory. It’s inexpensive.

Learn how to kill your flash. Many cameras have a button or setting on the mode wheel to disable the flash. A camera’s built-in flash can produce a flat and unflattering light (as well as that old bug-a-boo, “red eye”). Natural lighting is warmer, kinder, and gentler. If you want to take good, sharp photos in natural light, consider a tripod, or a “uni-pod” – basically a cane you can mount the camera on to steady it. You can also steady the camera on a nearby stationary object, like a wall or tree.

Take advantage of ISO settings. Remember your old film days? If you were going to take outdoor action shots at the sunny beach, you would purchase ISO 100 film. For candlelight birthday shots, you would use ISO 400 film. You can get better quality shots with your digital camera by adjusting the ISO settings to reflect your shooting environment. One caution: as with film, higher ISO settings can make the resulting photos grainy. However, you may prefer a slightly grainy image taken in natural light to a harshly lit flash photo. If you start tinkering with the ISO settings, remember to check them before each session to make sure they match your intentions.

Shutter lag. With all but the most expensive digital cameras, shooting a moving subject requires some forethought and practice. When you push the shutter button down, the computer inside the camera must focus and calculate the proper exposure settings. Although this may take but fractions of a second, it may be time enough for your subject to move out of the frame. How do you “beat the clock”? Try pressing the shutter button halfway down. This causes the camera to lock in the current scene and prepare to take the shot. Get the subject where you want them, then press the button all the way down to take the picture.

Importing your photos. Learn how (and where) your computer software imports your photos. Consider disabling “Erase camera contents after transfer” in your software’s preferences. It’s always better to ensure that your photos are imported completely and correctly before erasing the memory card. Although your software may have automatic importing features, you may want to do it manually, at least until you’re comfortable with the automatic settings.

Finally, experiment! Don’t like the shot you just took? Delete it on the spot. Take multiple shots – it won’t cost you a thing in film developing costs, and your chances of capturing a memorable moment increase exponentially.

Happy shooting!

© 2004 Peter F. Zimowski