Photo FAQ's

Advantages of 35mm Point & Shoot Cameras:

• Compact size
• Easy to operate
• Light weight
• Less expensive
• 35mm film format

Disadvantages:

• Very little aperture and shutter speed control
• The image is not viewed through the lens, but through a separate viewfinder
• Few accessories are available
• No additional lenses can be used

Advantages of APS Point & Shoot cameras:

• Compact size
• Negative remains in cassette
• Drop-in film loading
• Film cassette and index print storage system
• 3 print formats
• Information exchange
• Date and title imprinting ON THE BACK OF THE PHOTO!!!

Disadvantages:

• Smaller film format
• Very little aperture and shutter speed control
• Few accessories are available
• No additional lenses can be used
• Fewer film choices available

Advantages of SLR cameras:

• Wide range of lenses
• Complete aperture & shutter speed control
• Wide range of accessories
• Through-the-lens image viewing
• More versatile and creative

Disadvantages:

• Larger size
• Slightly heavier weight
• Generally more expensive
• Can be more difficult to operate

1. Always read the owner's manual before using.
2. Keep your equipment in a case when not in use, and store in a cool dry place.
3. Ensure that the power switch is turned off before storing.
4. Do not store around household chemicals or liquids..
5. Do not use equipment in excessively dirty or dusty, wet or moist, or sandy and windy environments.
6. Do not subject your equipment to strong vibration or pressure.
7. Do not place photographic equipment on areas where food and drinks are present.
8. Periodically clean your equipment by removing dust and dirt with a blower brush and a lens cleaning cloth.
9. Check batteries regularly for leakage, before loading film. Always keep a fresh set of batteries on hand.
10. When replacing batteries, replace all batteries at the same time and ensure that they are inserted correctly. Do not mix brands of batteries.
11. Remember that battery performance may be hindered in low temperatures.
12. Periodically ensure that equipment straps are secure.
13. Never touch the shutter curtain, mirror or lens surface.
14. Never disassemble your equipment.
15. Use a UV or Skylight filter to protect the front lens elements on 35mm SLR lenses.
16. Depending on the amount of use, have your equipment checked and cleaned by an authorized Service Center every 2-4 years.
17. And remember to practice using the features before an important event.

• Impact Damage:
Impact damage is often the most difficult to detect. The plastic covers used on today's cameras do not dent like the older style metal covers. They are much more resilient and will compress, which causes damage to internal components, then return to their original form. Look for cracks, abrasions, and gouges on the outside covers. If the covers are separated at the seams, it has been impacted or compressed, which causes the covers to pop apart.

With zoom compact cameras, if the zoom lens is sluggish in its operation or stuck in any position, it has been impacted or compressed, which jams the zoom mechanism. Also, if you hear a clicking noise when zooming the camera , the viewfinder doesn't zoom, or the viewfinder is jumpy when zooming, this also means that the camera has been impacted.

Symptoms and/or Failure:
Impact damage can cause any type of malfunction, either mechanical or electrical or both.

• Water Damage:
Water damage is often difficult to detect with an exterior examination because the water may have been wiped away or the moisture may have evaporated. However, because it is detectable on any material that oxidizes or rusts, check the screw heads on the exterior of the camera for any discoloration or visible rust. Also, check for any water spots inside the film chamber of the camera, on lens surfaces, behind viewfinder cover windows, etc. Oxidation and/or rust may also be found on the battery contacts inside the battery chamber.

Fresh water damage is more difficult to detect because it can take up to two months to oxidize components before failure in operation occurs. However, any severe water damage will usually immediately render the camera completely inoperable. Salt water is much more damaging and creates much faster oxidation and rust.

Symptoms and/or Failure:
Water can cause any type of malfunction, either mechanical or electrical. However, electrical malfunctions are usually the first symptoms to show up.

•Liquid Damage:
Liquid damage is differentiated from water damage because the substances that cause this type of damage can be many, including oil, milk, soda pop, juice, etc. Any sugar-based product will leave moving components sluggish or stuck in a given position. Check all switches, levers, buttons, hinges, or covers for any remnants of dried liquid. With zoom compact cameras, check the automatic lens covers.

Symptoms and/or Failure:
Liquid can cause any type of malfunction, either mechanical or electrical.

• Battery Leakage:
Damage caused by battery leakage is fairly easy to detect because it is visible. Check inside the battery chamber for corrosion on the battery contacts. If corrosion is evident, this may interrupt the power supply. Fresh leakage may leave a sticky wet residue inside the battery chamber, which may ultimately damage circuitry.

Symptoms and/or Failure:
Like any liquid damage, battery leakage may cause mechanical or electrical malfunctions.

• Sand/Dirt Damage:
Sand/dirt damage is usually the easiest to detect because it is the most visible. Check for grains of sand or dirt in exterior seams, covers or around switches. Also check inside the back cover of the camera in the film chamber area and around the seals of the back cover. With zoom compact cameras, check inside the zoom lens assembly by opening the back cover and looking inside the zoom lens assembly itself. If possible, zoom the lens to its full extension. Check for any sand/dirt particles.

Symptoms and/or Failure:
Sand/dirt can cause jamming of the shutter, film transport mechanism, and/or zoom mechanism. Any moving operation of a product can be affected by sand/dirt damage and this causes specifically mechanical failures.

So what's the redeye feature for? As you know, most compact cameras incorporate some form of "red eye reduction circuitry", but notice that this is only redeye REDUCTION, not elimination. The redeye reduction feature works by flashing a small light immediately before opening the shutter, in order to cause the pupil to contract and prevent light from reaching the blood vessels. However, the only way to completely eliminate redeye would be to move the flash much further away from the axis of the lens, which is not possible in the design of a small, compact camera. To perhaps further reduce the occurrence of red eyes, we recommend:

• The use of a faster speed film such as ISO 400 or faster,
• Turning on additional room lights to brighten a scene, and
• Shooting at shorter focal lengths (between 35mm-50mm) and moving closer to your subject.