Digital Photography: Things you Need to Get Started

Continued from Digital Photography: Picking a Camera.

Once you have picked out the digital camera you want, and you are sure that it has all of the features you will need now and for atleast two or more years, you will want to rush to the store and pick up your new toy, but you need to consider the other things you will need to pick up while you are there.

There are things you will absolutely need, and a few you can do without if you so choose. Some things you have to purchase when you get a new digital camera include a set or two of rechargable batteries and a battery charger, as digital cameras use up battery power very quickly, as everything a digital camera does uses power, even using the smaller viewfinder.

Batteries
I recommend getting two sets of batteries so that you can rotate through them or have both charged up and with you, so you have a spare set on hand because as luck would have it, most digital cameras seem to lose power just when you least want them to. Different batteries have different power ratings listed in milliampere hours. While it is not the most precise listing of power, it can be great for comparing batteries from the same manufacturer. Batteries that have a rating of 2500mAh, will likely last longer than those with a 2100mAh rating. I’d also make sure that I bought a recharger that fit my needs, as you can get chargers now that can charge a battery back to 80% of capacity in fifteen minutes or so, which is great if you are going to head out, and forgot to put them in the charger the night before.

Memory Card
Another thing you have to get is a memory card. There are many different types of memory card formats being used by different digital camera makers. You have to find out what type of memory card your camera accepts before buying a larger capacity version. The easiest way to figure out what your camera can support is to read the product manual, but if you don’t have that, your camera will usually come with a small memory card that can hold a dozen or so pictures. Since most memory card types are very distinct and different, it should be easy to visually identify what type of memory card you need to get.

The size of the memory card you need really depends on what you want to do with the digital camera, and how long you want to go without deleting pictures from the card. At this point and time I would say buy atleast 256 megabytes for anyone buying a new 5 megapixel or higher digital camera. You could probably get away with only having 128 megabytes, but with the prices of memory being so low that you can grab a 256 megabyte memory card for as little as $15, there really isn’t much of a reason to go smaller.

Going larger is a different story though. With digital cameras also able to capture video and sound, getting larger cards will allow you to take more high quality, full resolution pictures, as well as more videos, and most likely that will provide you with a better user experience.

Carrying/Storage Case
If you are going to bring your camera out into the world, you are going to want to protect it from the dust, dirt and just the occassional carelessness while you are out there, and the best way to do that is to have a carrying case. While you do not really need to purchase one the same day you are picking up your camera, it won’t take long to see the usefulness of having one, and so while you are at the store, see if you can get a deal by purchasing everything at once.

The carying case should be slightly padded, and allow room for your camera to fit without moving too much, your extra set of batteries, and your memory cards. The case should be easy to use, especially if you are expecting to be in situations where you might have to be fast on the draw with your camera.

This is also where your camera can stay when storing it away so that it does not get damaged or even just dirty.

Camera Care Kit
The last stop on your run around for your new digital camera, should include a look at camera care kits. These include brushes and other cleaning tools to help keep your camera in tip top shape. If you are going to put down hundreds of dollars on a camera, you will probably want it to work well for a long time, and simple maintenance and cleaning can go a long way to extending the life and usefulness of your camera, and honestly, there is nothing worse than a dirty lens messing up an image.

You might not need it right away, but again, like the case, you might be able to convince the store to give you a discount on the price by buying everything at once, and you never know when you might need it, and then it would be a shame to use a shirt or coat, and accidentally scratch your lense, which is worse than a dirty lens as you probably won’t be able to remove the scratch.

June 1st, 2006 Posted by David in Uncategorized at 9:30 am 2 Comments »
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2 Comments »

  1. [...] you Need to Get Started May 26th, 2006 Posted by David in Tips at 3:45 pm Comment Now! » Related Posts: DxO Optics Pro V3.5 Software Now AvailableCanon PowerShot G-Series DeadRumor:Leica Digital M Announcement for PMAOpenings Still Available For Sixth Digital Photography Workshop CruiseCanon to Discontinue EOS 20Da [...]

    Pingback by Digital Photography Series 2006 Edition - Digital Cameras Blog — June 1, 2006 @ 10:06 am

  2. Heya David! Great tips! It’s great that some brands / retailers bundle in accessories with their cameras. But most just give you the bare necessities.

    Comment by jangelo — June 2, 2006 @ 3:24 am

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