With the welcome return of summer comes vacations, beaches, pools, and campfires. We know you’re ready, but is your camera? All too often we hear the dreaded stories of past vacations where a camera suddenly stops working. Avoid the disappointment by following this camera checklist:
1. Turn your camera on – It’s a simple step, but sometimes it reveals a serious issue.
- If your camera turns on – Great! Step one passed.
- If your camera does not turn on – Don’t panic. Try charging you battery. Camera batteries can go dead after months of sitting on a shelf. If your camera still does not turn on after charging your battery, bring your camera in and we’ll figure out what’s wrong. Your battery could have stopped holding a charge, or it could be something worse. We’re here to help!
2. Spend some time taking sporadic photos throughout your day – Make sure you use your flash for a few photos.
- If your camera takes photos – Great! Step two passed.
- If your camera takes photos but the battery dies quickly – Often camera batteries will stop holding a charge or hold less of a charge after a few years of use. If your battery life diminishes quickly it’s time for a replacement battery.
- The camera won’t take photos or has given an error screen – Try a different memory card. It could be a bad memory card causing the problem. If it’s still not taking photos, bring the camera in. It could be a quick fix, it could be worse. Either way, we’re here to help!
- The flash isn’t working – Check which mode your camera currently is in. In Auto mode your camera will automatically raise and fire your flash. In Program on more manual modes, you must tell the camera to use the flash. Check which mode your camera is currently in. If it’s still having issues, bring it in. Could be something simple, could need to be fixed. We’ll figure it out for you.
3. Download your photos to your computer –
- Everything downloaded quickly and looks correct – Great! You’ve got a working camera and memory card. We still recommend taking an extra battery and memory card with you this summer, because it’s always better to be safe then to miss an important moment.
- It’s been downloading for hours, does it usually take this long? – No, sometimes your memory cards have corruption issues and sometimes your memory card readers stop working right. Bring in the memory card and we’ll figure out which is not working. You can try formatting the card, but this will lose the photos currently saved on your memory card. Better losing those meaningless photos then important once in a lifetime photos.
- The computer gave me a corruption message – You can try formatting your memory card, this will delete all the photos currently on your memory card. You may need a new memory card. Remember all Promaster memory cards and rechargeable lithium ion camera batteries have lifetime guarantees.
Recommended summer vacation accessories:
- Optech Rain Sleeves – Now available in several different sizes, these plastic sleeves will allow you to take photos safely in the rain. Also great for protection from sand damage. Place your camera in the sleeve and take those great beach photos without having to worry about wind blown sand ending up inside your camera.
- Polarized lens filter – Great vacation spots always include some form of water and polarizers make a huge difference when photographing water.
- Back Up Promaster Battery – Keep taking photos with a back up battery. All Promaster batteries come with a lifetime guarantee.
- Back Up Promaster SD Card – Take more photos and don’t worry about corruption. Have multiple memory cards to save your photos to.
- Comfortable Camera Bag – The more comfortable you can make having your camera with you, the less likely you’ll be to leave it behind.
- Comfortable Neck Strap – Walking around with a camera on your neck can be irritating. Purchasing a comfortable neck strap or shoulder strap for your camera can change your photo experience.
Still not feeling confident with your camera or think there is an issue? Visit Bergen County Camera and we’ll check your camera and lenses, and give you recommendations for what accessories you’ll need for your vacation.