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	CAMERA SETUP My screen goes black, why? A) Camera may have shut down to save battery. B) Camera has put the screen in sleep mode to save battery. It will come back on as soon as you touch a button or control. How do I know when to change batteries? Your battery indicator may start blinking or turn red. What Batteries should I get? If your camera takes AA then rechargeables are generally most cost effective. You will have to buy a charger but it’s worth it. Having a spare set is a good idea so you don’t have to worry about running out. If you don’t want to buy rechargeables then look for the Titanium or Lithium (Alkaline type) single use batteries (Warning Do Not attempt to Recharge they may explode!) More expensive but worth it. If your camera takes Lithium Ion (LIon), buy a spare for peace of mind. My rechargeable batteries don’t last long, why? Your batteries may be at the end of their life especially if left discharged for a long time. Also, they may be of a low capacity. Buy the highest mAh rating possible. How do I erase the memory card? In the playback / review menu press on the trash can button and a message will ask ‘single’ or ‘all’. Highlight all by pressing the 4 way controller then press OK or Set. Using the Format function in the Menu will delete all and this is more efficient. I accidentally erased all my pictures how do I get them back? There are some camera shops / processing outlets that do have ‘Recovery software’. It may be possible to rescue them. I have taken my memory card out but I can still take pictures, why? Your camera has some internal memory built in. The sounds on this camera are annoying me, how do I turn them off? Look for the sounds or beep menu. It may be in set up. My camera will not play back on TV, why? Your camera may not be set to your correct TV format eg USA set to NTSC, UK & Australia set to PAL. How do I play my pictures on my DVD with my TV screen? Generally, most DVD players will not play digital camera pictures straight off a disk. The pictures need to be converted into a different format for the DVD player. If you use Nero (or similar) as CD/DVD burning software you need to choose video/ pictures in the Nero window. If you use Adobe Elements look for the Create shortcut button and select Slide Show. Then select the pictures you want to show. There are different numbers appear in the Video setting. What is best? As with the picture size, the higher the numbers the better. This will mean less amount of video will fit on your card. It’s your choice.

	CAMERA MODES & OPERATION My camera has ‘Aspect Ratio 3:2, 4:3 & 16:9’. What does that mean? This is the shape of the picture. Most Compact and EVF cameras have a sensor in the 4:3 ratio. Some cameras have an alternate setting of 3:2 so that your photo will fit a (6x4)” print perfectly. The 16x9 is to fit a widescreen TV. Be careful as some cameras don’t allow large image size in this setting. My zoom goes too fast. How do I get it to stop where I want it to? By jabbing / flicking the zoom lever or button you can move it in steps. My camera will not fire, why? A)Your memory card may be full. B)The camera cannot focus properly in the present situation. C)Your memory card cover / door may be open. D)The camera may be busy recording a just taken sequence of pictures. E)Your memory card may be corrupted. My camera will not function / start, why? A)Batteries may be exhausted. B)Camera may have turned itself off. Switch it off then on again. What does the P setting do? P is an automatic mode that allows you to have some overriding control, for example lightening or darkening the picture. What is Av on the mode dial? This is short for Aperture Priority (Aperture value). This means you can set the aperture number and the camera will automatically determine the shutter speed. What is Tv on the mode dial? This is short for Shutter Priority (Time value). This means you can set the shutter speed and the camera will automatically determine the aperture number. What is A on the mode dial? This is short for Aperture Priority. This means you can set the aperture number and the camera will automatically determine the shutter speed. What is S on the mode dial? This is short for Shutter Priority. This means you can set the shutter speed and the camera will automatically determine the aperture number. What is M on the mode dial? This means that the camera is fully manual and you can set any combination of aperture and shutter speed. What is the point of a 2 sec timer? This can be used to trigger camera eg when using a tripod to avoid vibration and loss of picture clarity. What does ‘Minimum focusing distance’ mean? This is the closest distance from the camera to subject that the camera can focus clearly. My camera says there is an error, why? This may be because of a processor malfunction inside the camera or possibly the memory card has been corrupted. Formatting the memory card may correct this. Why does my camera keep turning off? This is a battery saving feature. It may be changed in the menu, depending on the camera. My camera resets itself why? Some cameras have auto reset when you switch off each time. This may be possible to change in the menu. My lens is smudged with finger prints, how do I clean it? A)You can have a camera repairer clean it correctly. B)You can buy cleaning kits from a camera shop. Be sure to remove grit before wiping with cleaning fluid and cloth. Always apply fluid to cloth not lens. Do not be tempted to clean with a handkerchief! This can be too harsh and create fine scratching. My viewfinder is fuzzy when I have my spectacles on. What can I do? Your camera may have an adjustment wheel or knob next to the viewfinder. By moving or rotating this, the focus will change. Try to focus on the rectangle / brackets you see in the viewfinder. Have a white piece of paper in the background so it’s easier for you to see when they are clearly in focus. My screen / monitor is smudged with finger prints, what do I clean it with? The screen is fairly robust so you can use a handkerchief or a soft cloth. Cleaning chemicals are not generally recommended. Are cameras affected by heat or cold? Very high temperatures (say 40+ degrees Celsius) can damage a cameras sensor and other parts. Do not leave your camera in a hot car! Extreme cold (snow conditions) can reduce the capacity of your battery so best keep the camera inside your jacket. Do the Auto settings like the sports / action settings really work? Generally they do a good job. A good place to start.

	PICTURE TAKING How do I review / playback my pictures? Pressing the ‘arrow in the rectangle’ or selecting it on the Mode dial will get you there. Why are there black spots in my picture? If you have a SLR type camera dust has gotten inside the camera onto the sensor. It is a common complaint and needs to be cleaned by a camera repairer. DIY is possible but not for the feint hearted! Spots are also possible with compact cameras but very rare. I see funny white spots in my pictures, why? Light from the flash may be reflected of insects or dust particles in the air. Tends to occur when shooting the widest view and / or high apertures. The screen blacks out when I take a picture, is that normal? Yes. My photos are all blue, why? You may have the white balance set to ‘tungsten’ or the ‘light globe’ symbol. Go to the AWB or WB setting in Function, ADJ or menu and set to Auto or AWB. A tulip flower symbol is on my screen, why? You have the close-up setting switched on. Look for this button and press until it disappears from the screen. My pictures are all too dark, why? A)Your camera may not be able to record the picture because of very low light conditions. You may need to switch on the flash. B)In Program Mode your camera may have exposure compensation (Plus / Minus symbol) set with a negative value. This needs to be set to zero for general shooting. C)The subject may be standing in front of a window fooling the cameras automatic exposure My pictures are all washed out, why? A)You may have direct sunlight hitting the lens (called lens flare) spoiling the image. B)In Program Mode your camera may have exposure compensation (Plus / Minus symbol) set with a positive value. This needs to be set to zero for general shooting. My camera says Flash On. What does that mean? Flash On (the single thunderbolt symbol) means ‘Forced flash” and that the flash fires every time, even in bright sunlight. The flash fills in shadows, eg lightening them when taking a portrait. This has limited effective subject distance of approx. 2 metres in bright sunshine depending on the camera. My red eye flash setting isn’t working, why? Red eye flash setting may not eliminate red eye every time depending on conditions. My pictures are fuzzy, is it the lens? A)Your camera could be set in manual focus mode (M). This button is usually on the side of the camera or lens with settings such as (CF) and (MF). B)Your lens may have finger prints on it and needs cleaning immediately. The picture is half black – why? You may have put your finger or camera strap partly over the flash while holding the camera. I use the flash but the pictures are still too black, why? The flash has a limited range (distance). The further your subject from the camera, the more the flash diminishes. Depending on the camera and settings, 4 to 5 metres is about maximum range. The camera always makes blurry pictures even with the flash on? You may have the flash set on “Slow flash” ie “S” with the thunderbolt symbol or the “Man with star / moon” night portrait setting. This means the shutter stays open longer for the existing light in the picture plus the flash fires. The longer shutter speed may give a blurred result. If you steady the camera on a tripod or a table this will give a sharper result as long as the subject doesn’t move! My daytime pictures are blurry, why? You may be shaking or moving the camera when you press the shutter button too quickly. Try pressing the shutter halfway, hold, then gently follow through. Also zooming in all the way, say at 12x when handholding, may be another reason. You may need a tripod. Why is there a delay when pressing the button? This is called shutter lag. The lens mechanism needs to set the focus on the subject and set the exposure value also before the shutter can fire. If I use continuous drive mode, the flash doesn’t fire, why? On most cameras the flash cannot recharge itself quick enough to match the rate of shutter opening many times.

	GLOSSARY Action Mode: The camera attempts to freeze the movement in the picture with a faster shutter speed AE: Auto Exposure AF: Auto Focus Auto Flash: Cameras computer calculates when to fire the flash eg when light levels are low Auto Focus: Cameras focus system looks for contrast in picture to set focus zone when shutter button half or fully pressed Auto Play / Slide show: In Review / Playback mode camera displays images as a slideshow with approx 3 sec intervals Battery: Power supply to operate camera. May be rechargeable Beep: Camera makes an audible beep to confirm focus or camera setting Blue Symbols: Denotes buttons function when in Review / Playback mode Buffer: Temporary memory storage inside the camera which holds picture (data) before being recorded to memory card Busy Messages: After pressing the shutter button the camera may take some time to process the picture and record to the memory card, particularly after a continuous sequence of shots. Camera Menu: The method of accessing and changing settings Camera Shake: When camera movement blurs the photo to make it unacceptable Card Reader: A device which connects to the computer for downloading images from the memory card Card Types: There are several types of memory cards. Basically they all store images. Some can record faster and are built for extreme temperature conditions. CCD: This is a type of sensor inside the camera that takes the picture. CD: Compact Disc Checker Board: This is a symbol for the small (thumbnail) size images when in Review / Playback Children + Pets Mode: Generally this mode increases the shutter speed to try and freeze the action in your picture Close Up: This setting allows the camera to focus closer than normal. CMOS: This is a type of sensor inside the camera that takes the picture. Compact camera: Type of camera that has an optical viewfinder or none at all except for the LCD screen. Has generally a lower range zoom Connect to computer: Most cameras have a USB cable to download to computer Continuous: Camera takes a series of pictures when you keep your finger on the shutter button Continuous Focus: Camera continuously focuses as you move the camera around without you touching the shutter button CF: Short for Compact Flash. Is a type of memory card. Popular in Pro cameras Contrast – Focus: Camera needs contrast like a line, edge or texture to focus correctly Corrupt Card: A memory card which has been affected by a break in the flow of data or other possible causes making the card unusable. Formatting may correct this condition Crop (cropping): To cut out an area of picture Data: Your picture in a digital form Default: Factory settings that your camera may reset to, when switched off or selecting Reset in the menu. Delay: The delay between pressing the shutter button and when the shutter actually fires Delete: To erase an image from your memory card Digital Close Up: An electronic form of magnification that may be of lower image quality Digital Zoom: An electronic form of magnification that may be of lower quality DISP: Abbreviation of Display meaning LCD screen Download: To transfer pictures from camera to computer Drive Modes: Different settings for self timer and continuous shooting DVD: Video disc Email Size: Small size image suitable for email and viewing on screen. Not suitable for printing Erase: To delete Error Mode: Camera error message on screen indicates possible corrupt card, mechanical or internal processor malfunction EVF: Electronic View Finder type of camera similar to video camera with internal miniature screen. Viewed through optical peep hole which magnifies image Face Recognition Technology: This is a new feature on latest model cameras. This means the camera detects faces in the picture and aims to focus on them no matter where they are in the picture. Fill Flash: Forced flash (single thunderbolt symbol) means flash fires every time even in bright sunlight. Flash fills in shadows, eg lightening them when taking a portrait. Limited effective subject distance of approx. 2 metres in bright sunshine. Fine: Generally used term for highest image quality (compression) setting Flash Off: Flash is switched off and will not fire under any circumstances Flash on: See fill flash Flat Battery: Battery is exhausted. Camera will not operate at all. Possible cause of corrupt card Focus Minimum Distance: Minimum distance mechanically possible for focused / sharp pictures. Varies from camera to camera. User may need to switch to close-up mode (Tulip symbol) Forced Flash: See fill flash Format Card: Resets card and erases all pictures. Recovery of images may be possible with special software used by camera / processing shops Format Mode: Setting for resetting card and erasing all pictures Four (4) Way Controller: By pressing edges or buttons enables user to navigate around camera menus and functions FUNC: Short for Function. A button or mode to allow for quick change of some settings for general picture taking Good Better Best: Terms for combination of picture size and quality settings. ‘Best’ being the most desirable option Half Press: Half pressing the shutter button generally holds focus zone and sets exposure reading inside camera, making it ready to fire High Quality: A general term for low compression producing the highest possible quality picture Holding: Holding your camera correctly will help produce sharper pictures Holding Tank: Another description for the Buffer memory. See Buffer Horizontal: The orientation of the camera so that it gives the widest view and the height of the picture is less than the width. Also be called Landscape Image Size: Relates to the number of pixels, sometimes as a numeric dimension of width and height. The higher the number the more information (detail) a picture should have. M is sometimes used as an abbreviation eg 5M is 5 megapixels Info – Screen: Information about the camera settings that are visible on your LCD screen or EVF screen JPEG: Pronounced “jaypeg”. An acronym for the most commonly used compressed type of picture file which can be viewed by most computer software Landscape: The orientation of the camera so that it gives the widest view and the height of the picture is less than the width. Also called Horizontal. Also a term for the general wide view of terrain LCD Screen: The Liquid Crystal Display screen on the back of the camera L, M1, M2, M3, S: Picture size settings generally used by Canon cameras. L being for large, M for medium progressing downwards in size to the S for small LIon: Short for Lithium Ion. This is a type of rechargeable battery which is popular in a lot of digital cameras Macro: This setting allows the camera to focus closer than normal Magnetic Fields: These can corrupt memory cards. CRT Monitors, audio speakers and non LCD TV’s are all sources to be avoided Manual: Denoted by M on the camera dial. This generally means that the camera can be adjusted in any combination of shutter and aperture settings. Generally for the more advanced user. Not to be confused with the ”M plus camera symbol” which actually is a program setting on some compact cameras Manual Focus: Focus has to be adjusted manually. Can be used if auto focus fails to set focus zone. Warning: if using you must switch back when finished as all pictures taken thereafter could be out of focus (blurry) Megapixel (M): Short for millions of Pixels. Pixels being tiny blocks of colours. The higher the number the more information (detail) a picture should have Memory Card: A storage device for pictures in a digital form. Available in different types. Memory Card – Lock: A small button on the memory card when set to the lock position means that no pictures can be erased or recorded to the card. A message may appear on camera screen saying “no card access” or similar when locked Memory Card – Eject: Cameras using Compact Flash (CF) memory cards have a small button next to the card. Push this button inwards to eject the card Memory Stick: a type of memory card Menu: The method of accessing and changing settings on the camera Multi: Generally relates to how the camera measures the brightness of a scene to get the correct exposure. It does this by measuring multiple areas simultaneously Multi Press: By pressing a button on the camera multiple times it may give different settings. If continuing, returns the user back to where they started from NIMH: Short for Nickel Metal Hydride. This is a type of rechargeable battery which is popular in a lot of digital cameras. Available in “AA” and “AAA” sizes. OK: This button confirms your choice of setting selected in the Menu Optical Viewfinder: This is a series of optics built into the camera peep hole to simulate the view of the lens. This may be inaccurate especially when close eg cutting off the top of someone’s head. See Parallax Error. Handy particularly for landscapes, when you cannot see the screen because of bright sunlight Optical Zoom: Using the lens mechanism to create a magnified image by physically moving the glass optics Parallax Error: This is the difference in viewpoint because of the physical position of the lens in relation to the optical viewfinder. See Optical Viewfinder Pixel: Short for Picture Element. Consider it to be a tiny block of colour. The higher the number of Pixels the more information (detail) a picture should have Playback / Review: Mode for reviewing pictures stored on memory card. Generally denoted by triangle symbol in blue / green colour Portrait Mode: This mode sets the camera so as to throw the background out of focus as much as possible. Making it fuzzy. Standing back and zooming in will make the effect even more pronounced Portrait Orientation: The orientation of the camera so that it gives the highest view, so the height of the picture is more than the width. Also called Vertical. Prefocus: By half pressing the shutter button the camera sets the focus zone making it ready to go. Responding instantly without delay when the shutter is pressed all the way down. An example of use may be when photographing a horse jumping, you prefocus on the jump structure Processor: The cameras computer component which converts the sensors electrical charge into a digital form of a picture Processor Speed: The speed of the cameras computer component with which it can process the picture once the shutter has been pressed Program: An Automatic mode on your camera that has lots of override control. Not recommended for the beginner Quality Setting: Relates to the amount of quality lost due to compression of the image. The higher the quality setting eg Fine, the least compression. This gives the best clarity in an image Rechargeable Batteries: Recommended over standard batteries because of economy and higher storage capacity Red-eye Flash: Flash setting to prevent eyes appearing red in the picture Red-eye Removal: Software based in camera or computer to remove the appearance of red eyes Remove: to delete picture Removing Card: It is recommend that you switch off camera before removing to reduce possibility of corrupting memory card. See Corrupt Card Review / Playback: Mode for reviewing pictures stored on memory card. Generally denoted by triangle symbol in blue / green colour Saving Battery Power: LCD screen can be switched off to save battery power if running low. Cannot view screen info Screen: LCD monitor Screen Size: Large size is an advantage particularly if user wears spectacles Scroll: to move up or down in camera menu or multi press button settings Self Timer – Start: Press shutter button down all the way for 1 second Self Timer – 2 Seconds: Can be used to trigger camera when using a tripod to avoid vibration and loss of picture clarity Self Timer – 10 Seconds: As for 2 sec or for user to be in picture themsleves Sensitivity Range: The range from light to dark conditions that the camera can operate in to give a correct exposure Sensor: The electronic component inside the camera that takes the picture Sensor Quality: Some sensors render better quality than others due to technological advances Set: This button confirms your choice of setting selected in the Menu or Function list SD Card: A popular type of memory card Shutter lag: The delay between pressing the shutter button and when the shutter actually fires Shutter Response Time: see Shutter lag SHQ, HQ, SQ: Image size settings. SHQ being the highest Single Focus Point: A single point / rectangle in the image area where the camera sets the correct focus zone Single Shot: Camera only fires once when shutter button is pressed down Slide Show on TV: Camera can be connected to TV for a continuous showing of images, flipping over at approx 3 sec intervals SLR: Short for Single lens reflex. Cameras have a very wide range of interchangeable lenses and accessories, through the lens viewing and generally bigger sensors than other types of cameras SLR Benefits: see above Sport Mode: See Action Spot: Generally relates to how the camera measures the brightness of a scene to get the correct exposure. It does this by measuring a single spot area in the centre of the viewfinder / screen Stabilizer: Device built into camera or lens to reduce chance of blurred pictures Stars: Symbols used as a image quality rating. 3 stars being the highest quality Super Close Up: A close up mode allowing very close camera to subject range. Good for jewellery and very small objects Super Fine: The highest quality setting on a Canon camera Super Zoom: A camera with a high magnification range eg 10x or more, generally with an electronic viewfinder (EVF) T: Short for Telephoto, indicates to zoom in for a closer view Tea & Biscuits Hold: A way of holding a compact camera with thumb and fingers so that all that moves when you push the shutter button is the index finger Thumbnails: Small size images generally in a grid of 4 or 9 on the screen at one time, for viewing when in Review / Playback Tools Menu: A menu with settings such as Format and camera sounds Trash: A Review / Playback button to erase pictures from the memory card Tulip / Macro: This setting allows the camera to focus closer than normal USB Cable: Most cameras have a USB cable to download to computer Variable Focus: Focus zone can be moved around viewfinder area. Button sometimes denoted by dots in a cross formation View Finder: The part of the camera for viewing the image area to be photographed W: Short for Wide angle, indicates to zoom out for a wider view Zoom: A type of lens which is capable of variable magnification producing a wide field of view (zoomed out) to a narrow field of view (zoomed in). Compact cameras generally go up to 6x magnification while EVF Superzoom cameras can go up to 18x magnification Zoom Button / Lever: Allows user to select field of view while looking at screen or viewfinder Zoom Range (x): The greater the number, the greater the magnification

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