Kodak, the company that took cameras out of the hands of professionals and put them into the hands of everyday consumers, is in financial trouble. Why? Because people -- everyday people -- are turning to digital cameras, leaving film-based cameras gathering dust in the closet. As the largest producer of film-based cameras, and photographic film, Kodak finds itself losing great gobs of money.
But a digital camera won't save you any money if you don't know how to use it. So here are some pointers on how to use your camera, and take advantage of your Mac, too.
You need a computer
While there are some cameras which allow you to view your photos on a TV, in practice a digital camera is pretty worthless without a computer. The best computer to have is a Macintosh with a USB port, which covers everything Apple has made since the iMac.
It also helps if the camera you purchased comes with Macintosh-compatible software. Mac OS X 10.1, by the way, comes with software capable of downloading pictures directly from some cameras; you may not need to load a thing.
Learn the basics
Yes, you will probably need to read the cameras manual. Please note that some cameras don't come with a printed manual, you must read an Acrobat file from the CD-ROM that came with the camera. Take your time and find all the controls and learn how to use them. Make sure you understand how to load batteries, plug it into your computer, and turn it on and off.
You will also want to be aware of buttons you don't want to push. (I recently watched someone wonder aloud what one button did, so they pushed it -- and watched their rechargeable battery fall into the Pacific Ocean.)
Typically speaking, the better the camera, the harder it will be to operate. Inexpensive digital cameras rarely support more than "point and shoot" technology. You point the camera, push the button, it takes a picture. The camera will try to auto-focus the image and adjust the exposure according to available light.
The more costly digital cameras allow you to manually adjust focus, focal length, lighting, and many other settings which will help you turn a good picture into a really bad picture -- if you don't read the manual first.
About the Author:
FREE Book: Reveals Professional, "Insider" Tips And Tricks For Taking Amazing Digital Photos With Your Digital Camera... (Even If You're A Complete Newbie To Photography!) Click here to access "How To Take Photos Like The Pros" We coach digital photography and suggest you get started with the free report, and then Watch this Youtube video channel "Free Digital Photo Tips"