I received my new camera today and while it’s beautiful and sleek and probably takes wonderful pictures, I’m pulling my hair out just trying to learn the basic functions. Too many numbers and settings and I know it’s going to take some time but for the love of God, can someone tell me whether or not I can use the screen in the back instead of the tiny viewfinder when taking pictures? If so, how?
Because I can make wonderful soup, I can write, I can sing, and I can spell all kinds of words, but for some reason, I cannot hold one eye closed while the other is open without holding it shut with my finger; and there’s nothing in any of the materials that came with this freaking camera that says how to use the LCD screen as a viewfinder. And if I cannot do that, then I don’t want this camera.
Bleeeaaahhhh!!
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UPDATE: Apparently, you can’t use the LCD screen as a viewfinder. You can review pictures on it, etc., but I’m going to have to learn to use that tiny eye cup and viewfinder like a regular person. *sob*
Turn the camera on, the hit each round button on the back of the camera until one of them causes the rear screen to light up. It may say “review” on it.
yes, but get your reading glasses ready…
go shoot anything and everything…remember, you’re not wasting film or developing costs.
We recently got a digital SLR camera, too…..same story at my house. It freaked me out for a few days because I had had my previous camera for four years and didn’t have to think about how to use it. I agree with Virginia; take the new camera and just play, play, play, and then play some more. You can’t break it (well, I suppose you could) and manuals are not always helpful. I can’t use my LCD as a viewfinder either, but I found that advantageous because I feel like a “real” photographer again. I’m not sure what kind of camera you bought, but we have a Canon…..if you have any questions, I’ll be happy to try to confuse you some more. And maybe you’re not using your dominant eye to look through the viewfinder which is why you find it difficult. Try using the other eye and see if it begins to feel comfortable or if you can close the other eyelid.
i never ever use the viewfinder, i know exactly what i’m getting, and you’ve seen my photos…
you’ll get used to it soon. i don’t know what you got, but you’ll realize before you know it that it’s much better to put your up to the camera the old fashioned way. it’s what all the Big Kids do. :-)
that was your EYE up to the camera…how did i skip a whole word?
Mary… I have the same camera you have. I turn it on and then place my eye up to the viewfinder… this activates the viewfinder. Then depress the button that snaps the photo, but only partially, then press the set button on the back and you will see on the large viewfinder what you are pointing the camera at.
This camera is not meant to act as a point and shoot. It’s a bit more of a professional camera. I didn’t like it at first either that I could not used the large viewfinder as on my point and shoot, but in time this new camera will feel very familiar to you. Use it daily… play with it. Sorry to hear you are experiencing disappointment.
Change can be frustrating but the end results being fabulous photos makes it worth the initial frustration.
Using the viewfinder really reduces camera shake. I’m so old fashioned that I have a hard time framing shots on the screen.
All my sympathies about the learning curve. It’s a hassle. My advice would be to set it to as much auto as you can while you learn its features and then take a notebook and try taking two photos of the same thing, one on auto and one on some other setting, make a note of the other setting and see what the difference is.
You can do it – in a short while you will be looking back on this and laughing.
AAAAAAGGGGGGGRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHH…a friend just sent me this blog because I got my new fancy smancy camera and my brain is falling over and I’m such a big baby about it and will I never learn and what kind of camera do you have and i’m not looking back and laughing and I haven’t even used a point and shoot for a long time and now I have all these knobs and I do I do want to take those pictures…oh, wait…I think I lost control there.
ugh. i’m so jealous that you can sing.
I’m still learning how all the settings my camera and I’ve been using it for almost a year. It’s really fun to shoot the same thing in different settings to see the differences. Sometimes it helps to keep notes so you remember the setting you used to get that “amazing shot”. Have fun!