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Begin an adventure with a digital camera.

1. Get to know your camera

2006-12-10

Everyone who buys a camera wish to take with it such beautiful photos he will be proud showing them to his friends. To protect ourselves against the sour faces of audience watching our favourite pictures we should learn what are the basic functions of our camera and learn on which features of pictures they have an influence. In addition it can help us take a pleasure in photographing what is as important as a quality of our photos.

In order to know the camera better the very beginning is to read an instruction manual. I am aware it is long, but I think it's better to spend few hours on it than later guessing for what purpose are designed some buttons or particular items in the camera's menu.

We often buy the camera with the awareness it is an automatic camera and we start taking our first photos just after the batteries have been inserted. Usually in a few seconds we get to know about the first functions of camera such as:

• photo review,
• deleting photos,
• macro function,
• flash.

There are the most frequently being used functions which are marked intuitively on a buttons of the back side of the camera. Thus, we start using it quickly. Although there aren't the only functions of the camera and what is more important - there are not the main functions of the camera. But, I have to agree they are the most frequently used.

In order to use the camera to the proper purposes, which it was designed for, we should know about it as much is it possible. Because it's hard to read theoretically without immediate testing I suggest read a part of the description and, at once, test the particular function on your own camera. Such way of behaviour will assure us the lack of the monotony and we go through the instruction relatively quickly. And what is more important the practical testing make the fresh knowledge deeper. The big advantage is that we don't put the camera on the shelf to do something other (e.g. Reading the manual instruction) and we enjoy our new purchase during learning its possibilities.

Personally I think that reading of the obvious things is pointless. It depends on the level of our current knowledge. A lot of functions are available in every camera. The question is either such functions is available in this model and where it is "hidden" in the rich menu of the compact camera. If we know the action it make it will be enough if we get to know how to use it and go to the further chapter. In this way we save our time and we can spend it on taking a pleasure in the photographing and practising all of the functions of our new camera.

However, one more time I will stress it will be better to read the instruction and we get to know how to use our camera if we don't know the camera's functions. It will have the effects on our satisfaction and on the photos quality. It's much more pleasant to hear the positive voices about our photos then "hearing" only the silence and see the hesitant looks to the others of the people watching the photos. It's worthy to be able to present basic knowledge about the camera. It's really good for the photographer's reputation when he asked can tell about the camera a little more then just the number of pixels in the image sensor and the capacity of the memory card and the power of the zoom.

If this is the limits of your knowledge about the acquired camera, you probably paid too much. You don't need such a camera you have and probably the camera in a mobile phone will be enough for you. You can be of a different opinion, so as soon as possible you should get to know with the abilities of your camera and you will see how much it can do.

Everyone who I know learnt quite much about his camera after reading of the manual instruction and this knowledge he's became use practically. Until these days they take advantage of the discovered abilities and are happy they change their opinion.

Remember the knowledge of the manual instruction don't make you just the master of the photography.

It's necessary to learn the rules of photographing and to practise constantly and to improve your skills.

If you know the abilities of your camera see on the next pages what more should you know.