Digital Cameras: Guide to Getting Set Up

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Digital cameras have been a huge trend lately and for good reason. If you are wanting a quick rundown of what you need to get your camera all set up, look no further.

What drew me in about digital cameras was the process of taking photos on a device solely meant for taking pictures and videos. Similar to polaroids and film cameras, the experience and different appearance of the photos is a fun way to capture memories. I started using my digital camera back in February and haven't been able to put it down!

The camera I have been using is a Canon PowerShot SX210, which is now discontinued but available on other resale sites such as eBay for as low as $70. There are also so many other great options for digital cameras that can be purchased in a variety of colors and styles. Check out places like Best Buy, Amazon, Target, and Walmart to explore some different options.

This camera already came with the battery and battery charger, so if you decide to buy off a resale site its a good idea to check if those are included or if you will need to purchase them separately.

Besides those basics, an additional item you will need is a memory card.

*Memory card I use! SanDisk 128GB Ultra SDXC UHS-I Memory Card (paid link)

The great thing about the way the digital camera and the memory card work is that it is not going to fill up quickly, especially if you are quick to download the pictures onto your device.

Never run out of storage on your memory card?!

When you start using the camera and begin taking pictures, the storage on the memory card begins to fill up.

Here is the great part though. Once you are done taking pictures, you can download them onto your phone, laptop, or other device and then delete them from the memory card. So as long as you don't exceed the amount of storage your memory card holds in one photo session, you will never run out of storage when taking pictures.

*Be sure to only delete pictures after they are stored onto your device so you don't lose any pictures!

In other words, after downloading the pictures to your device, you can delete the photos from the memory card, making it have 100% of its storage capacity again. A nice, fresh start.

The memory card I chose to use is the SanDisk 128GB Ultra SDXC UHS-I Memory Card. It comes in several different capacity options to choose from and I went with the 128 GB.

You may be wondering how to actually get the photos from the memory card to your device and this is a surprisingly simple and quick process.

You can download the photos by using an SD Card Reader. I chose to buy the USB C SD Card Reader by FUFAXHX (paid link) on Amazon that can plug into my laptop. It is a small and simple adapter with one side for the memory card and one side to connect to your device.

Note: I bought this adapter which works for an iPadPro, Mac, and Android, but there are also other options that allow you choose different types of adapters as well.

When you are ready to download your pictures, you can plug the adapter into your chosen device and insert the memory card.

If you are on a Mac, you can go into Finder (where you access files) and there should be a new section that shows up as "untitled."

Once you access the photos you will want to save them to your camera roll!

Also, keep in mind these are all great products for basic use. They are no hassle, easy to use products with no extra bells and whistles for a stress free transition into using your camera!

Picture Taking Tip

My additional tip for improving picture quality is to use flash. My experience with digital cameras is limited to my personal camera, so I cannot speak for all cameras, but in my experience it has significantly improved the photo quality. If you aren't loving the look of your digital camera pictures, definitely give flash a try!

Wrap-Up

Overall, the two main takeaways are that you will need a memory card to store pictures and an SD card reader to transfer the pictures from the memory card to your device.

I hope that this was helpful if you are just starting to take pictures on a digital camera. Digital cameras are fun to use and I have been loving using it to take pictures over the past few months. I would also love to hear any other tips and accessories that you use for your digital camera. Feel free to connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest, both at valgastinellblog!

Thank you for the support, have an amazing week! :)

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