Other Uses for Cameras
Capturing a moment in time is the essential function of a camera, but there are many other uses for cameras as well, especially digital cameras. For example, have you ever thought of using the LCD screen on your digital camera as a flashlight? How about letting your camera act like binoculars by zooming in on a far-away object? Here are some other uses for cameras that you may not have considered.
Geography
Digital cameras can help keep you from getting lost. One of the greatest things about digital cameras is the LCD screen, where you can instantly replay the picture you just snapped. Next time you're trying to remember the bus-route map, the street map posted in a hotel lobby or airport or even the map at the mall, snap a quick picture with your camera. Then, when you're on your route and trying to remember just where you're supposed to turn, pull up the picture on the LCD screen and use it to help guide you.
Time Frame
When it comes time to remember where the car is parked (or other important information like what street your hotel is on or even the license plate on your car), you can easily pull up the information on the camera's screen if you've snapped a quick picture. You can also use the camera to remember the time. Did you say you'd meet your friends in an hour, but can't remember what time it was when you agreed to do so? Snap a quick picture of your watch or a clock whenever you want to track a starting time, and then you don't have to worry about remembering what the starting time was.
Potential
Traveling somewhere you don't speak the language? A digital camera makes a great "translator." Take pictures of common items beforehand, such as a bathroom, police officer or certain food items you want to be able to find. You might also want to find pictures of landmarks and important places at your destination and snap photos of them as well. When you arrive, take a picture of the exterior of your hotel, or of a bar or restaurant you really enjoyed. If you get lost or need to find something and have trouble communicating, you can pull up a picture of what you want to communicate what you're looking for. You can also take a picture of a sign or menu that you don't understand and then ask someone to translate it for you.
Prevention/Solution
Losing your camera (and all the memories you have captured on it) can be heartbreaking. Use your digital camera to help ensure its own return by letting it store its own reward poster. Create a sign with contact and reward information for the return of the camera. Snap a clear photo of the sign and then use the features on the camera to lock it on the memory card so it can't be easily erased. If a person finds your camera and looks at the stored pictures, they'll find the reward information and hopefully return the camera. One good way to help ensure the return of the camera is to find out what a pawn shop will pay for the model and then set the reward about $20 higher. If the person who finds the camera thinks about pawning it instead of returning it, the reward might provide enough incentive for you to get your camera back.
Size
"It's not the size of the camera, it's the size of the print." Another great use for a camera is to resize objects or papers to a manageable, printable size. Want a copy of a newspaper article, but by the time you reduce it to a standard 8 1/2 x 11 inches it's unreadable? Or is there a small photo you want to enlarge without losing quality? The easiest way to accomplish either of these is to take a picture of the item with a digital camera and then use your photo software to create the document size you want. You can also use your camera to enlarge the details on small objects that you might have trouble seeing. Set it to the highest photo size and quality settings and then take a picture of the object. View the picture at full size and you'll see the small objects magnified.
Tags: your camera, digital camera, take picture, quick picture, return camera, ensure return, have trouble
