What To Do

Now you have your new camera and are ready to shoot up the world, so to speak. Most digicams have at least two resolution settings usually called normal resolution and high resolution. We think these should be referred to as poor resolution and better resolution. Usually you will want to shoot at the highest resolution possible! You don't want to be looking at your photos 20 years from now wishing that you had 10 good shots instead of 40 lousy ones. It does make a difference.

As mentioned on the previous page, use the optical viewfinder to compose your photos, not the LCD. This will extend the life of your batteries considerably, enabling you to photograph that fantastic sunset you weren't expecting earlier in the day. Exceptions to this are when you are taking an extreme close-up of say, flowers, when you want to be sure they are in focus, or when you're taking a photo of your eight children and 17 grand children and you want to be sure everyone is in the picture.

Always have spare batteries, just in case. Digital cameras consume batteries so fast you should consider getting rechargeables. (Rechargeable nickel metal hydride batteries and chargers will save you tons of money in the long run.) If you have an AC adapter for your camera, use it when downloading your photos to your computer or displaying them on your TV.

Getting Used To It

Most digicams, unlike film cameras suffer a momentary delay from the time you push the button until the photo is captured, and an even longer delay until you can take the next photo due to the memory write process. Keep this in mind if the action is fast and furious. You don't want to miss anything, so be prepared. Some digicams have a buffer that allows you to shoot several pictures in rapid succession. Consider this if you are into action photography like skiing or car racing.

You may want to keep that old film camera for backup. There can be drawbacks to current consumer digicams. However, we find that the instant gratification of not having to wait for the film processor to finish your photos, and the savings of not having to pay that film processor, make digital photography very inviting. Look for it to continue getting even better.

We hope you found this tip helpful in consideration of your digital photography interest level. You may share your thoughts with the email icon. Just for fun, click on the orange thumbnail above to see the full size image of what you can do with a digital camera.

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