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Module 1 · Meet Your Camera
TechniqueLesson 5 of 8 · 20 min · 5 reading, 15 doing
The short version
Charge two batteries, use a fast enough card, and change lenses with the camera off and facing down.
Batteries
- Charge fully before every outing. Cold weather drains batteries faster.
- Carry a spare from the camera's own maker or a well-reviewed brand. Cheap copies can swell or fail.
- Mirrorless cameras use more power than DSLRs because the screens are always on.
Memory cards
- Most cameras take SD cards. Some take microSD, CFexpress or XQD. Check the card door or the manual.
- For photos, a card marked U3 or V30 is fast enough for almost everything in Start.
- 32GB to 128GB is a sensible size. Two smaller cards are safer than one huge one.
- Wait for the card light to go off before you open the door.
Changing lenses
- Switch the camera off.
- Point the camera body down, so dust falls away from the sensor.
- Hold the lens release button and twist the lens off.
- Line up the dots (or marks) on the new lens and body, then twist until it clicks.
- Put the rear cap on the lens you removed straight away.
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How many photos fit on a card?
It depends on your camera's resolution and file type. For a typical 24-megapixel camera, roughly:
| Card | Fine JPEG only | RAW only | RAW + JPEG |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32GB | about 3,000 | about 1,100 | about 800 |
| 64GB | about 6,000 | about 2,200 | about 1,600 |
| 128GB | about 12,000 | about 4,400 | about 3,200 |
Your camera shows the real number on the screen (item 8 in the screen diagram in Lesson 2). Higher-resolution cameras fit fewer.
Keeping the lens clean
A smudge on the front of the lens makes photos look hazy or soft, especially against the light. Phone lenses get fingerprints all the time.
- Blow off dust first with a rubber blower. Wiping grit grinds it into the glass.
- Wipe gently in circles from the centre outwards with a clean microfibre cloth.
- For stubborn marks, breathe lightly on the glass, then wipe again. Never use tissues, clothing or household glass cleaner.
For a phone, a quick wipe with a soft cloth before you shoot is the single easiest way to get sharper photos.
Storage, travel and weather
- Store the camera with a cap on the lens and the body, somewhere dry. Humid cupboards can grow fungus inside lenses.
- Carry it in a padded bag, not loose in a backpack.
- Coming from cold air into a warm room, keep it zipped in the bag for half an hour so condensation forms on the bag, not inside the lens.
- Light rain is fine for many cameras for a short time, but "weather-sealed" doesn't mean waterproof. Dry it off afterwards.
- Take batteries in your carry-on when you fly. Airlines don't allow spare lithium batteries in checked luggage.
Quick checkThere's a dark spot in the same place in every sky photo, whichever lens you use. Is it the lens or the sensor?
The sensor. A spot that stays put across different lenses is dust on the sensor. Try the blower with the camera's built-in sensor-cleaning function first, then get a professional clean if it stays.
Where this goes wrong
- Changing lenses in wind or sand. Turn your back to the wind, or wait.
- Leaving the body without a cap. Dust on the sensor shows as dark spots in every sky.
What to pack: the beginner kit
You don't need much. Everything below fits in a small shoulder bag.
| Item | Why | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Spare battery | The camera dies at the best moment otherwise | Essential |
| Second memory card | Cards fail; a spare saves the day | Essential |
| Microfibre cloth and blower | Clean lens, sharper photos | Essential |
| Padded bag or insert | Protects against knocks | Essential |
| Small tripod | Night, low light and self-portraits (Module 2) | Later |
| New lens | Only once you know what your kit lens can't do (Module 13) | Later |
Try it now · 15 minutes
- Charge every battery you have. Label spares with a number so you know which is flat.
- Check your card's speed and size markings against the list above.
- Practise a lens change three times at a table, following the five steps. If your camera has a fixed lens, practise swapping the battery and card instead.
- Clean your lens (or phone lens) with the three-step method. Take a photo against a bright window before and after. Compare.
- Pack your bag with the essentials and leave it by the door, ready.