Category: Digital Cameras

Purchasing Digital Camera Batteries

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The advent of digital technology has greatly changed the way consumers use products. Digital cameras are one product that has shifted behavior and production. Digital camera batteries vary by brand and model, and also by the type of battery.

There are literally dozens of digital camera brands. Before finding the right digital camera battery and adapter for your camera, you need to be sure of the brand and model digital camera you are using. Once you select the brand, there are numerous model numbers to choose from and these batteries are typically not compatible across model numbers. Manufacturers design a specific battery technology for each model that provides optimum functionality for that specific digital camera.

Digital camera batteries can vary greatly by price depending on the type of battery you purchase. Traditional alkaline batteries are far less expensive than newer technology batteries, but do not last as long and do not have as much power. In order to keep up with the fast pace of digital cameras, manufacturers have created Lithium batteries. Lithium batteries last up to 10 times longer than alkaline batteries, and therefore can take many more pictures. Though lithium batteries last so much longer, they weigh much less than alkaline batteries. For the convenience however, lithium batteries are much more expensive than alkaline batteries. Another inexpensive alternative to lithium batteries is oxy-nickel batteries. There are specifically designed for digital cameras and last up to four times longer than alkaline batteries.

There are lots of things to take into consideration when purchasing a digital camera, but batteries aren’t usually one of those things, though they should be. Batteries are one of the only supplies for a digital camera that will need to be bought on a regular basis. Unlike conventional cameras, you never need film for a digital camera. But if you want to store these photos without a computer, you will need memory cards that can store large files like the images taken with a digital camera.

Buying the best digital camera battery is the best way to get the most out of a digital camera. By buying quality batteries, you will be able to take more pictures without delays and also save money in the long run.

How to repair the E18 error on Canon digital cameras

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There seems to be a relatively large population of Canon owners who are affected by the E18 error. In this article I will teach you a few simple methods you can try to repair the error yourself.

This article is intended for people whose cameras are out of warranty. If your camera is still under warranty, go to your nearest Canon repair shop and let them fix it. If it’s not, you can either choose to pay around 150$ for the repair or try one of these simple techniques.

First I should explain what exactly an E18 is. According to Canon’s web site, it is an error that involves the lens unit or lens cover. The lens gets stuck in the extended position, and refuses to move either to focus the lens or to retract when powered off. It can happen if you apply pressure to the area surrounding the lens while it is in the recording mode (this includes dropping the camera), or if sand or dirt get into the lens area. The lens gets stuck, you get a black screen with a small “E18” sign in the lower-left corner, the camera beeps a few times and turns off.

Lately, I noticed a number of people online who are having troubles with this error. It happened to my Power Shot A520 as well a couple of weeks ago, but fortunately, the camera was still under warranty so Canon fixed it free of charge. In order to help the unlucky ones whose cameras are out of warranty, I decided to write this article.

Basically, there are a couple of simple things you can try. I can’t guarantee they will work for you, but I know these methods have helped some people get rid of their E18 problems:

1) One method is to tap the padded USB cover part on a hard surface, for example, a desk. I know it sounds to simple to work, but this can get some of the dirt out of the lens.

2) Try compressed air. With a fine tip blow off gun and dry compressed air set the tip between the lens turret and the camera body and turn on the air while moving the tip around the lens. It should remove all of the dust and sand. Turn the camera on and it should function fine.

3) Another solution is to try and push the lens back into place. This is the least preferable method. Try it only if the camera is out of warranty and DON’T apply too much pressure! If the lens can be set back into place with a light push, great! If not, don’t force it!

4) If nothing else works, there are a couple of online guides in different languages for dismantling the camera and cleaning the lens thoroughly. Try this only if your camera is out of warranty! Some of them are:

– http://www.ixus-world.de/tips/repair_guide/e18_01en.htm – a guide in English
– http://menthol.hit.bg/E18.html – a guide in Bulgarian
– http://www.artecdesign.ee/~jan/Kaamerad/PowerShotA70/index.html – Estonian guide

The last two are not in English, but they have a lot of pictures which should help with the whole process.

So you’ve learned how you can try and rescue your camera. Try out the methods for yourself, and contact me with good news.

If you want more information about the E18 error, or would like to read other people’s experiences with it, stop by my site at http://www.e18error.com. Feel free to drop me an email.

Fujifilm FinePix A303 Digital Camera

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Two years ago I purchased my first digital camera. At that time, prices for a 3.0 and higher mega pixel camera were around $350. Since then, as with all electronic gadgets, prices have dropped significantly while the mega pixels have gone up. I chose the Fujifilm’s A303 digital camera, which has fared well for me, so permit me the opportunity to tell you why.

I desperately needed a digital camera when my web business took off. On many different occasions I found myself wanting to take a picture of a person, place or thing and having to rely on a 35mm camera. Trouble was I wasn’t very good at taking pictures. Usually my subject came out blurry or the picture needed cropping. Yes, getting pictures developed on disk would have resolved the <i>latter</i> problem, but it was the <i>former</i> problem — blurry pictures — that was causing me the most grief. If only I could see “on the spot” how my picture turned out. If it turned out poorly, I could reshoot. Naturally, a digital camera presented to me something that no 35mm camera could offer; I made the purchase of a 3.2 mega pixel camera by Fujifilm after considerable shopping around and reading product reviews online.

Packed within a tough grey shell, the A303 is lightweight and can fit easily into your pant pockets. The camera’s controls are simple to figure out and include a Menu/OK button, Back button, viewfinder, viewfinder lamp, a display buttion and LCD monitor to <i>preview</i> pictures without looking through the viewfinder or to <i>review</i> pictures already taken. A round dial in the back of the camera features a self timer mode where you can set the camera and ten seconds later have the picture go off. Great for when you want to get the entire family’s picture and no one is around to take it. There are also close up modes, still image, playback and movie modes. The movie mode results in a fairly choppy and short film, but it is a neat feature to have nevertheless.

The standard camera comes equipped with a 16mb picture card. Most people will find that inadequate, so I paid a little bit extra and bought the 64mb upgrade. I also purchased rechargeable AA batteries — it takes two — and a recharger. You will sap your batteries quickly if you take 30-40 or more pictures at a time, so the recharger makes sense. I purchased the accompanying Fujifilm carrying case to house my other supplies.

Pictures come out clear and in two years of picture taking I have not experienced a single problem with the camera. At 3.2 mega pixels the pictures are more than adequate as virtually everything I do gets posted to the internet. Supposedly you do not need more mega pixels when posting/viewing pictures online. With the included USB cable and HP software, you will be uploading pictures to the internet in no time.

If there are any drawbacks with the A303 there is just one and it is a <u>glaring</u> problem: the time between shots can seem endless! I suppose the elapsed time is only about ten seconds, but it seems like an eternity especially compared to 35mm cameras. Technological improvements have closed the gap considerably with newer models, but if you need this camera to take a group of shots quickly you will be disappointed.

All in all, the A303 is a very good camera. I give it a 4-star rating for ease of use, price, and dependability.

Digital Cameras: Another Kickin’ New Feature: Video Capture

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Digital cameras have come a long ways in the past few years. They are now more affordable and feature rich than ever. A comprehensive list of features and advice for choosing a digital camera is beyond the scope of this article, but this article will highlight one of the most popular features, video capture capability.

With a video capture feature on your camera, you can take low to medium quality video footage using your digital camera. All cameras with video capture are not created equal, though. Here are some things to check on before buying a camera with video capture:

1 – Sound

Does the camera support sound? If so, does it capture it through a built in microphone, or does it have an input for you to plug in an external microphone?

2- Video Quality

There are two main factors that determine video quality – resolution and frames per second. The higher the resolution, and the higher the number of frames per second, the higher quality the video.

3- Video format

What format is the video in? Ideally, it will be in a standard, easy to edit format, such as MPEG. Some cameras use proprietary video formats, which means that you can’t edit your videos with most editors. Windows Movie Maker, which comes free with Windows, is a great editor to use for most generic video formats.

4- Video length

Some cameras limit the length of video clips you can take, often to 30 seconds. This can be a great aggravation. The better cameras allow you to take as long of a video clip as your camera’s memory can hold. Of course, you can add a larger memory stick to take a longer video clip. You can now get memory sticks up to 2 GB or larger.

5- Zoom

On most digital cameras, you can use the zoom when taking video footage. However, you can generally only use your optical zoom, not your digital zoom.

Digital Cameras – A Guide To Buying

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Digital camera sales are going through the roof. As the quality of images from digital cameras improve they are becoming much more affordable and the sales are simply not surprising. Consumers are also becoming more comfortable with the whole idea of taking of photographs digitally.

In choosing a digital camera take into account your basic needs and what you plan to use the camera for.

Digital camera types

It doesn’t matter whether you’re shooting film or digital images there are basically three types of cameras. There are point and shoot cameras, prosumer cameras and professional quality cameras.

1. Point and shoot cameras operate automatically. They do everything for you except for framing the subject. Exposure is decided by the camera as well as whether a flash is needed or not. All you need to do is to point and shoot.

2. Prosumer Cameras. This camera is a step up from your typical point and shoot because it allows the photographer not only to shoot in a fully automatic mode but also to have control over various aspects of the exposure. They typically have various modes including portrait mode, a close-up mode, action mode, and landscape mode.

Resolution

It doesn’t matter what sort of camera you decide to get you will have several decisions to make regarding resolution of the camera.

The salespeople of most electronics superstores are quick to tell you that the most important thing to consider when buying a digital camera is how many pixels there are. Now while it is important it is not the end all of digital image quality. Pixels are tiny squares and in some new models they’re starting to use other shapes as well. The more pixels you have in your image the sharper the detail of the image will be.

Most current digital cameras on the market today will produce an image with more than 4 million pixels. That’s enough resolution to easily print images up to 8 x 10 with good image quality. Is not likely that you will print images larger than 8 x 10 and so most of these camera should meet your needs.

Try various digital cameras before you purchase

There is a wide selection of digital cameras on the market with various image qualities even though they may have the same number of pixels. There are different kinds and sizes of image sensors, which is the chip that actually records the picture. It is recommended that you take a memory card into the store with you so that you can put it in each camera and take sample photographs that you can then take home to view on your computer to compare.

The technology is constantly improving and digital cameras will be constantly changing. Don’t be surprised if several months after you purchase one there is one that is new and better with more pixels. If you take the time to choose a good quality digital camera which makes good photographs you’ll be able to enjoy digital photography for a long time in the future.

If you do make the move into digital photography remember this. Many people using digital cameras simply put their photos on their computers and never actually make prints anymore. It is easy for these photos to get lost and therefore it’s recommended that you print special photographs for generations to enjoy.

Digital Cameras – Quality Vs. Size

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When looking to purchase a new digital camera there is always the debate between size and quality within the range of your budget. No matter what the budget, the choice will have to be made between a smaller size, more portable camera and a higher resolution camera with more features. Making the choice between the two is simply a matter off considering what the camera’s purpose.

Digital camera users who plan to use a camera for simple point-and-shoot purposes will want to focus their budget on a small, portable camera. These individuals are most likely using their camera to document travels, family events, and personal experiences for their own memory. The photos don’t need to be or a super high resolution because they will not be blown up to poster size, but will remain 4 x 6 or 5 x 7 in a frame on the mantel. It is important to consider that when size is traded for quality, while the photos will be higher quality, users may be less inclined to take photos as the size of the camera becomes a hindrance to taking it along for the fun.

Photographers who are more interested in the end product will want to sacrifice size for a higher resolution camera or one with more features and/or accessories. The bulkier high-resolution cameras or digital SLRs will be the better choice for users who are taking artistic or professional photographs. Even the amateur artist, will want to invest in quality over size to produce the kind of photos that can be enlarged to show detail. Cameras used for professional shots, whether to be displayed in a portfolio, brochure or website, will also need to be of higher quality, and it will be worth hefting the extra weight to get the higher-end photos.

Knowing the type of photographer you are, will help you make the right choice in cameras. When you have an idea of what characteristics are most important to you, take the time to shop, read the reviews, and compare the various cameras in your price range.

Digital Cameras

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Sales of digital cameras seem to be exploding. This is not surprising as the quality of images from digital cameras improves and they become more affordable. In addition, consumers are becoming more comfortable with the idea of digital photography.

There are so many different types of digital cameras available choosing one which is best for your needs can become a very confusing decision. There are several things to consider when choosing a digital camera.

Types of Digital Camera.

There are basically three types of cameras whether you care shooting film or digital. Point and Shoot cameras, Prosumer cameras and professional quality cameras.

1. Point and Shoot cameras are fully automatic. They do everything for you. The camera choosing the correct exposure and whether a flash is needed. The photographer only needs to point and shoot.

2. Prosumer Cameras. These cameras are a step up from point and shoot cameras and allow the user to either shoot in fully automatic mode or to have some control over the exposure by using specific exposure modes. For example, there might be a portrait mode, an action mode, and a close up mode.

3. Professional Cameras. These cameras allow the photographer to actually look through the lens. This means that what you see is what you get. These cameras also provide complete control over the exposure. They have fully automatic mode, specific exposure modes as well as a fully manual mode.

Resolution

Regardless of what type of camera you decide to get you will also have to make the decision about the resolution of the camera.

If you have shopped at one of those electronics superstores you will be lead to believe that the most important thing to consider when purchasing digital cameras is the number of pixels. Although it is important there is much more to deciding on a digital camera than pixels. Pixels are tiny squares, and in new models other shapes, that make up the image. Obviously the more pixels the sharper the image. The more pixels there are the more detailed the image.

Almost all of the digital cameras on the market today produce images with at least 4 million pixels. With this resolution you can print images up to 8×10 which will look very good. Since most people do not print images larger than this a camera with 4 million pixels or more should meet all of your needs.

Try Different Cameras Before you Buy

Different cameras can have very different image qualities even though they may have the same number of pixels. This is due to different types and sizes of sensors on which the images are recorded and the various qualities of lens used. It is recommended that you purchase a memory card and take it in with you to the camera store. Then you can try out various cameras by taking photographs on your memory card. You can then take the pictures home and view them on your computer or better yet have them printed at a local lab to compare the results. Make sure to take notes so that you remember which image was taken on which camera.

Digital cameras are constantly changing and being improved upon. Every few months it seems there is a new model out with more pixels and better features at a more affordable price. Do not let this bother you. Take the time to choose a good digital camera which makes quality photographs and enjoy the benefits of digital photography for years to come.

And one last piece of advice. Digital photography has created a new problem. People are not printing their photos anymore. They download them to their computer and then they eventually get lost or deleted. Print those special photographs. Your children will thank you.

Digital Camera Care

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After spending money on a quality digital camera, it is important to take the time to maintain it properly. Your camera will last much longer if you take preventative measures to keep it in the best condition.

The most important, and delicate, component of your digital camera is the camera lens. This serves as your window to the world, and once scratched it will require professional intervention to fix. For this reason, it is imperative that you protect the lens. First of all, when you are not taking photos your lens cap should always be on to keep the lens clean. Do not touch the lens directly with your finger. The oils left behind by your skin will be difficult to remove, making the view blurry at best. If your lens should get dusty or dirty, use a cleaner and cloth made specifically for cleaning camera lenses.

The body of your camera should also be kept clean and free of debris. Keep the camera in a case or pouch when not in use. If it should get dirty, wipe it down with a soft dry cloth. If you camera has an LCD panel, it is acceptable to breath lightly on it to add slight bit of moisture before wiping it down with a soft cloth.

Digital cameras should be kept dry. Most cameras are not waterproof, and should not be in situations where they could be submerged in liquid or even splashed. If your camera should get wet, it is a good idea to turn it off, remove the battery, and remove the memory card. Leave the camera out to air dry for one to two days. At that time if the camera is not functioning properly you will need to contact a professional repair company or the manufacturer for advice.

In general, your camera will do best if stored in mild, dry conditions. Extreme temperatures can be damaging so try not to leave your camera in your car or any super sunny locations. Another good idea is to save the silica gel packets that come with many purchases to prevent moisture damage, and place them in the drawer or container where your camera is stored. If you plan to store your camera for a long period of time without use, you should first remove the battery from the camera. This precaution will prevent damage in case the battery should leak.

Finally, if you are planning to take photos in a location where you believe there will be a higher risk of damage from water or soil or other conditions purchase a disposable camera and leave your digital at home. Better safe than sorry.

Digital Camcorder

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A camcorder is no longer just a camcorder. In fact, most models are now known as digital camcorders and are capable of not only capturing audio and video, but still images as well. A digital camcorder is popular, in part, because of it’s versatility in being able to capture audio and video while doubling as a digital camera. Conceivably, owners could use these products to capture family moments on film and use the digital camera aspect to photograph products for placement on eBay. While this is merely an example, the versatility of a digital camcorder is undeniable.

A digital camcorder delivers improved audio and video quality as opposed to older models, which recorded video in analog form. This earlier form of video storage, while effective, proved to lose quality with age and begin to show a grainy texture. These deteriorating effects do not occur with a digital camcorder because, with these devices, it is literally an ‘all or nothing’ effect. Either the entire data, or none of it, is readable.

The earlier camcorder featured a VHS-compatible videotape whereas the digital camcorder often is accompanied by a connector, which is used to transfer the data to a computer or television. If the data is placed on a computer, it can be edited, converted and/or copied with the proper software. Many amateur filmmakers, in fact, use their computers and a ditigal camcorder to create their latest film.

A digital camcorder can be used in a number of ways, including home or business use. Home videos may include a wedding, graduation, family vacation, birthday, anniversary, family reunion or capturing special childhood moments. Members of the media may use a digital camcorder to record an unfolding news story or to conduct interviews. As mentioned previously, a digital camcorder may also be used in the production of an amateur film. Because of their many features, these are ideal for low-budget films.

When it comes to options and price, the digital camcorder offers a broad range of both. A basic unit will be less expensive and may provide the perfect way to capture all of those special home memories. A more complex unit, which provides upgraded features, may cost anywhere from $600.00 and up. When shopping for a digital camcorder, consumers are urged to consider several factors, including the warranty, preferred options and features. It is best to select a unit that will be well suited for it’s intended use for at least several years. If additional accessories are needed, including batteries, carrying cases or tripods, these can either be purchased with the unit or directly from the manufacturer at a later date.

 

Digital Body Worn Cameras

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What is small than a credit card, takes up to eighty quality digital photos, can be used as a web cam and carries your keys, as well? This is simply one of the best body worn cameras available on the market today. It is a keychain digital camera. When you leave the house, do you ever go anywhere without your keys?

Probably not, so why not take along a great little body worn camera with you and use it to catch all of the action and memories that you would have lost had you not had this digital camera keychain with you? It has sixteen megabytes of memory and operates on a “AAA” battery. Then when you are ready, just download your photos and you are ready to roll.

Want to know about another great little digital body worn camera? This little gem looks just like a cigarette lighter, a great innovation for all of you smokers. But not only does it take great digital photos, it can also be used to send live video across the Internet. Imagine using a lighter to talk face to face with your friends while you are online.

And it works with most windows based programs. You will get great pictures every time with this camera’s automatic exposure and white balance features. So that regardless if you are a professional photographer or a rank novice, you will get the kinds of photos that you desire. These are perfect body worn cameras for private investigators, too. The lighter camera is capable of take up to 104 VGA pictures or 30 SXGA pictures.