How To-61: "How to Increase the Life of a Digital Camera"

How to Increase the Life of a Digital Camera

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Technology moves at a pretty fast pace. You can buy a brand new computer or camera, and it is, almost instantly, outdated. However, you can increase its lifespan by taking proper care of your camera.

Steps

Lens Care

1. The lens of your digital camera is its eye or window to the outside world. It is easily the most important component in any camera. To take care of the lens, make sure that you never, ever touch directly with your fingers. Also, make sure that you put on the lens cap when not shooting pictures.
2. If you really need to clean the lens, use good lens cleaning equipment. Investing in such equipment is really important. Always use a good lens brush, lens blower and lens cloth to do the job.

Temperature

1. The other thing to look out for is the temperature under which the camera is stored. You should always keep the camera out of sun. One mistake that newbies always make is to store the digital camera in the extremely hot temperatures (e.g. the car boot [trunk]). Don’t ever do that. It’s also important not to store the camera in extremely cold temperatures either.

Storage

1. When storing your digital camera, you need to keep it away from magnets of any form. Magnets will affect the circuitry of your digital camera and should not be placed near it.
2. Another point to note is to use silica gel to combat condensation. Many electronic products come with silica gel capsules. Keep these and put them in your digital camera storage box. It will prevent condensation.
3. The batteries of the camera should also be removed if you intend to store the camera away for a long time. The reason is that batteries can have corrosive leaks over time.

Protect Delicate Components

1. You also need to protect those delicate components. In particular, watch out for the
memory card (whether it is a CompactFlash, SD or MMC card). Handle them with care
because they are small and delicate.

2. Camera panels are also very delicate. In my Canon PowerShot S500, the panel for the USB
connect and the battery is a tad flimsy. Make sure to handle it with care whenever you
open it.

Conclusion

Your digital camera cost a lot of money and it pays to take care of it. Remember to apply the above tips to preserve your camera and it’ll last you a long, long time. Good luck!

Learn to Take Beautiful Photos

1. If you want to improve your digital photography skills, you may want to take a look at Digital Photography Success. This e-book package includes excellent step-by-step instructions on how to take pictures of beautiful landscapes, people, nature, fireworks, night scenes, etc. Learn how to shoot professional photos – just like those you see in glossy magazine covers.
2. You can also look around. Search on Google or your favorite search engine. One web site, with a lot of free, helpful tutorials[1] is very informative.

Warnings

. Do not drop it.

• Do not get food all over it.
• Do not ever touch the Lens.
• Do not get sand in it.
• Do not get it near a magnet.
• Do not get it wet.

Sources and Citations

↑ http://www.geofflawrence.com/

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Increase the Life of a Digital Camera. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-59: "How to Transfer Digital Photos from Your Digital Camera to Your Computer"

How to Transfer Digital Photos from Your Digital Camera to Your Computer

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

It can be a hassle and can take a lot of time for an inexperienced user to transfer digital photos from digital camera to a personal computer. However, once learned, it will take only a matter of minutes to transfer your photos from your digital camera to your computer. This lesson will help you achieve quick and easy photo transfer from a digital camera to a computer.

Steps

1. Plug the USB cable into your camera.
2. Plug the other end of the USB cable into the USB spot on your computer. On most laptops the USB spot is located on the back, for desktop computers it is usually on the front.
3. A screen will then pop up asking what action you wish to take. Choose the option “Copy pictures to a folder on my computer using Microsoft Scanner and Camera Wizard.” Another screen will then pop up indicating that the pictures are being copied.
4. Click NEXT on the screen that pops up.
5. Check off which pictures you’d like to have copied. If you want them all copied to the computer then keep all of the boxes checked. If you’d rather select only certain pictures, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click “CLEAR ALL.” You can then go through and check the pictures you wish to have copied.
6. This is the trickies step. The screen will ask you to type a name for this particular group of pictures. Label it however you wish. For example “Beach Trip 2006.” It will aslo ask you where you’d like the pictures to be saved. As a default, My Pictures should already be in the box.
7. On the bottom of the page there is a box that suggests deleting pictures from the camera after copying is completed. If you wish for your pictures to be deleted from your camera click this box. If not, leave it blank.
8. The following screen shows that the copying is in progress and long until it is completed.
9. The next page to pop up will ask you what you’d like to do next. There are three different options to choose from. However, selecting the last option “Nothing. I’m finished working with these pictures.” is the best option. You can then view your pictures and decide what to do from there.
10. The last page to pop up will state that the Camera Wizard is done. Click FINISH at the bottom of the screen.
11. Your pictures will then appear in the folder that you selected earlier in the process and you can then view them.

Tips

• Make sure to follow all of the steps correctly!
• Just follow the directions and you will have no problems!

Warnings

• Make sure that you do not choose to erase your pictures off of your camera if you are not 100% sure you want them gone. There is no way to get them back on!

Things You’ll Need

• Digital Camera
• USB cable for the camera (usually a universal one will work)
• A computer (laptop or desktop)
• Camera Wizard on the computer (most computers come equipped with it)

Sources and Citations

• http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/dig … otography/takeit/transfer.mspx
• http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/usb_minicables.html

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Transfer Digital Photos from Your Digital Camera to Your Computer. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-58: "How to Take a Picture with a Digital Camera"

How to Take a Picture with a Digital Camera

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

A simple guide to taking pictures with sometimes complex digital cameras.

Steps

1. Find the “on” button (usually on top of the camera) and press it. Wait for it to turn on and load.
2. Adjust settings if necessary (refer to users manual).
3. Look into LCD screen on back of camera to aim the camera at whatever your target is. Zoom in or out if necessary.
4. Find the photo button (always on top right of the camera).
5. Once target is in the screen how you want it, hold the camera still, press and hold in the button until the camera flashes.
6. View your picture by using the playback button on the back of the camera.
7. Insert your memory card or attach your USB cord to your computer and upload your pictures onto your computer to print or save.

Tips

• On most digital cameras, if you press the photo button (the on that takes the pictures) halfway, it will focus the picture so the image will look nicer.
• If you are taking pictures in a dark environment you can turn on the flash so it is easier to see the picture. Most digital cameras have a mode to do this automatically.

Related wikiHows

• How to Buy a Digital Camera
• How to Replace a Worn out Digital Camera Battery
• How to Use a Waterproof Digital Camera
• How to Choose a Camera
• How to Change a Digital Picture from Color to Black and White
• How to Transfer Images from a Digital Camera to a Computer

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Take a Picture with a Digital Camera. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-57: "How to Make the Most of Your Digital Camera"

How to Make the Most of Your Digital Camera

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Digital cameras are extremely versatile. More softwares and features are being designed for them every day. Whether you have a top-of-the-range model or a low-end solution, digital cameras can do one-million-and-one things. Here are the most fun, easy, and effective things that anyone can do.

Steps

1. Shooting a video
2. Plug the cable into the USB port.
3. Open Windows Movie Maker (WMM) or another form of video software. There are many other packages such as PCCam, Quicktime, but I will demonstrate with WMM.
4. Select Capture from video device on the left panel and follow the on-screen instructions. Then press Start Capture and record! Of course, press Stop Capture to end your session.
5. To copy to DVD for playback on your television, access My Documents > My Videos and press Copy all items to CD after inserting a blank disc in the drive.
6. Set up a webcam.
7. Again, establish a connection from your digital camera to your PC.
8. Open up MSN 6.0+ and click Options > Webcam Settings. Adjust the brightness, contrast, etc.
9. Set up a conversation with one of your contacts and press the webcam icon below your display picture. This will initiate an invitation to view your webcam.

Tips

• Explore! There’s so much out there on the Internet, you may even unlock a whole new world to your digital camera.
• Don’t be afraid to try out new things, as long as it’s approved of and you’re using a quality accessory. For example, if you have a Bluetooth phone, install the hardware on your computer and access your photos on the PC!
• Always read the manual that is packaged with your camera. They have lots of handy tips and tricks that you never thought you could possibly do with a gadget.

Warnings

• Make sure with any software you use that it is safe for your PC and your camera. It is highly recommended that you virus-check everything you download or install.

Things You’ll Need

• A digital camera
• Windows Movie Maker
• MSN Messenger 6.0 +
• Windows preferably

Related wikiHows

• How to Choose a Digital Video Camera
• How to Select the Right Digital Camera
• How to Buy a Digital Camera

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make the Most of Your Digital Camera. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.