Everything you need to know about your digital camera isn’t in the manual

I find it fascinating how much technology manufacturers assume their users will know about their products. Take a digital camera for instance. Most of them come with a user manual of some kind. But how many of them address real-world questions like these that noobies have asked me over the past few years?

  • Why can't I tell what size this memory card is? [Answer: Because you are looking at your battery.]

  • Why are all of my pictures grainy? [Answer: Because you are using digital zoom.]

  • How do I know when I am digital zooming? [Answer: Your camera may have a visual indicator but if you can't hear your lens moving you are digital zooming.]

  • Is it safe to take the memory card out of the camera without exposing the pictures? [Answer: Yes, there's nothing to "expose" with a memory card.]

  • When I'm done previewing my pictures, do I have to go to the last picture to make sure the next picture I take doesn't overwrite the pictures I've already taken? [Answer: No.]

  • What happens when I run out of room to take more pictures? [Answer: Transfer your pictures to a computer and then delete them from the camera. Or just buy a new memory card.]

Now be honest, did you just learn something?

3 comments for this blog post so far...

  • #1
    July 27, 2010 at 8:44 am

    asudduth

    I think your example topic of digital cameras is something you could write an entire book on with noobie Q & A.
    I think it even extends in to advanced noobies. (you know people who know how to connect it to their computer, swap batteries, memory cards, and know what digital zoom is).
    Maybe they want to play with some manual settings, or want to know how to copy files from the memory card without plugging the camera in to the PC.
    then you get to the point-and-shoot experts who want to venture in to digital SLR’s but they are complete SLR noobies… have no idea about different lenses, f-stops, ISO speeds, etc.

    so, I’ll be waiting for the ebook “The complete Noobie guide to digital cameras” ;)

  • #2
    July 27, 2010 at 8:47 am

    Patric Welch

    @asudduth - Darn, I was hoping your last sentence was going to be “… and I’ll write it for you if you want.” :)

  • #3
    July 27, 2010 at 8:59 am

    asudduth

    @patric I thought you might be thinking that.  I’m not sure I’m much of a writer and I certainly couldn’t write the last few chapters.  I hate to admit that I am a Noobie (but we all are at something) but I certainly am a digital SLR noobie

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