PCA103.

faq 7/1/02 3:49 pm Page 26

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Digital cameras
Having problems with your digital camera? Paul Townsend is on hand with some
useful tips and advice for the sharpest shots

THIS MONTH
Paul Townsend
shows you how to...
Fix exposure problems

Install USB support

t he great thing about using a
digital camera is the speed and
convenience it brings to
photography. Theres no need to
send a film off to the processing labs,
you just hook up your camera to your
PC and view your snaps on screen.
Extend battery life
With most colour printers offering
photo-quality output you can select
which pictures you want and print
them yourself. If youre thinking of
buying a digital camera, there are a few
features to look out for. Resolution is
very important. The higher the pixel
resolution, the larger the print size of
your images. Something else to take in
to consideration is the cameras
memory. Obviously, the more you have,
the more photos youll be able to store Installation and If the picture you've taken is a little too
before you have to delete some or Configuration Problems flat, then use an image editor to improve
transfer them to your PC. Finally, an Im having trouble installing my the lighting.
LCD always comes in handy, enabling
Q Nikon Coolpix camera to the
It's always going to be difficult to match you to preview shots before you take USB port on my PC. Each time I try it I copied from your Windows 98 CD, so
the quality given by a regular camera, them. You can also use this to review get an error message saying, Cant find make sure its in the drive and enter the
but can you tell the difference? the photos youve already taken. file Usbscan.sys. Im running Windows path, D:\win98 (where D is the letter
98. Can you help, please? of your CD-ROM drive). Save the file in
C:\Windows\System32\Drivers.
The file it cant find is a When the process is complete, restart
A Windows system file used for all your PC and install your camera again.
types of USB devices. After this file has
been used in conjunction with one My camera appears to be
particular piece of hardware, other
Q working okay as Ive taken
devices sometimes cant find it, in this several pictures without any problems.
instance, your digital camera. Youll I want to edit some of the pictures on
need to copy this file to your system my PC so I installed all the software
again using System File Checker. Click and connected the camera to the USB
the Start button, select Run, type sfc port on my PC, but Windows doesnt
and click OK. Select the option to seem to recognise it at all.
Extract one file from installation
disk, enter usbscan.sys in the box You need to make sure that the
and click Start. The file should be A USB ports on your PC are

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PCA103.faq 7/1/02 3:49 pm Page 27
working correctly. Right-click My
Computer and choose Properties.
Select the Device Manager tab and
check the items listed under
Computer. One of these should read
Universal Serial Bus controllers.
If it doesnt, then restart your PC and
enter your BIOS. Find the section that
relates to your USB ports and make
sure they are turned on. Then Exit and
Save any changes. When Windows
restarts you should see a message,
Building a driver information database,
as Windows installs USB support. Try
the camera again.
Common Problems
My batteries seem to run down
Q really quickly. Is there any way
of extending their lives?
Unfortunately, theres not much
A you can do about it. If your
digital camera has an LCD, then avoid
using this as much as possible as it can
be a big power drain. Other than that
make sure youre using rechargeable
Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries.
They are more expensive than regular
batteries, but youll save yourself a
great deal of money in the long term.
I have an Olympus C-420L. Can
Q you tell me how I can erase all of
its pictures please? At the moment I
only seem to be able to do them one at
a time.
The instructions in the manual
A can be a little confusing as they
say to press the Erase mode button and
Flash button simultaneously. However,
the correct method is to press the
Erase button first, hold it down and
then press the Flash button. This will
enable you to remove all the pictures.
intro
I have a Polaroid Fun 320 digital
Q
camera. Some of the pictures I
take seem to come out blurred.
Theres no simple answer to this
A problem. It could be happening
for a number of reasons. Your subject
may have moved while you were taking
the picture or you may have moved the
camera while you were taking the
picture. You could try increasing the
amount of light on your subject, which
will shorten the exposure time and
reduce the effects of camera shake.
Also, make sure you havent over-sized
your pictures in the software you use
to edit your shots.
Miscellaneous Queries
I use my colour inkjet to print
Q photos from my digital camera,
but can you tell if theres any way I can
get regular photographic prints instead?
There are many companies
A online that provide photo-
processing facilities. Once youve
registered, its just a case of uploading
your pictures via a Web site. Normally,
you pay per print so its worth shopping
around to find the best deal as it can
work out quite expensive compared
with the cost of processing from a roll
of film. Check last months feature on
the subject for more information.
When I take a picture using my
Q Kodak DC280, the Pictures
Remaining number on the Status
Display doesnt always change.
This is due to the compression
A of the picture youve taken. If it
uses up less memory than expected,
then the amount of room left available
for storage will remain the same.
news support solutions windows
Support
If youre having problems with your digital camera, your first stop
should be the user manual. It may be obvious, but most are pretty
good at giving advice on taking photos and getting the most from
your camera. After youve consulted the manual and you still havent
been able to resolve your problem, check what support your camera
manufacturer offers. They may offer support over the phone
a technician may be able to help you out. Alternatively, you may be
able to find guidance online. The level of support on the Internet
varies greatly between manufacturers. Some sites are extremely
comprehensive while others are quite sparse. Heres a list of support
Web sites for some of the popular makes of digital camera:
Kodak www.kodak.com
Fuji www.fujifilm.co.uk/technical/index.html
Olympus www.olympus.co.uk/service.cfm
Nikon www.nikon-euro.com
Praktica www.praktica-uk.com
Samsung www.samsungelectronics.com
/support_index.html
Pentax www.pentax.co.uk/active_photo.htm
Canon www.canon.co.uk
Minolta www.minoltaeurope.com
Polaroid www.polaroid.com/service/index.html
Check your manufacturers Web site for help and advice.
Im using Adobe PhotoDeluxe and your digital camera and images. All you
Q my camera is connected to my need to do is select the file or files you
PC via the USB port. When I use the want to use.
program, the camera doesnt appear
under the cameras/scanners section. I have a Nikon digital camera.
How can I get the program to recognise
Q Some of the pictures I have
the device? taken have what can only be described
as speckles that cover the image. How
With this kind of program, the do I prevent this from happening?
A cameras/scanners section usually
refers to Twain drivers and serial This kind of distortion is
connections. Your camera is a USB A common to all types of camera
device and as such its treated and is referred to as noise. It can occur
differently by the program. In if theres a long exposure and the
PhotoDeluxe, click Get and Fix Photo, lighting of the subject is particularly
Get Photo, Open File. In the look in dark. You can try changing the
drop-down box double-click exposure time and lighting, if possible.
removable disk and you should see Alternatively, you could use a program
such as Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop,
If you use Windows XP, the Scanner and both of which come with tools
Camera Wizard will start when you designed to remove noise from
connect your camera. an image.
FEBRUARY 2002 PC ANSWERS.CO.UK 27