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Mistakes digicam users make
Here are some of the most common mistakes new digital camera users make:
- They don't read the manual - it doesn't have to be read all at one time. Honestly. But do read and refer to it often until you become familiar with your camera. It contains lots of good information and tips about using the camera correctly.
- They keep the camera on full automatic mode - if your camera has a program mode (often called P Mode) switch to it. It is fully automatic but provides options such as using a preset white balance or exposure compensation.
- They set the camera to take low resolution/highly compressed photos - sure you'll be able to fit more images on a memory card but if you ever want to print or enlarge a photo, the image quality may be degraded. Set your camera the best quality and resolution.
- They shoot with the digital zoom - a digital zoom simply pre-crops the central portion of an image and reduces its resolution giving an appearance of zooming in. Image quality is degraded and contains increased noise. For the best possible images, use the optical zoom. [Types of zooms]
- They don't reduce the size of photos before sending by email - it shouldn't take forever for family and friends to download your favorite photo. It's easier than you think to reduce the size of digital images. Many photo editing programs will resize them automatically.
- They edit original image files - Always edit copies of original image files, rather than the original itself. If you make a mistake that can not be undone, you can work on another copy of the original. Back up favorite photos in case your hard drive ever fails.
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