A620 - Cheat Sheet??

[stewart]

Is anyone aware of a cheat sheet for the A620? As you may know, a cheat sheet is a small, often laminated, card with an overview of the camera's major functions, designed as a quick reference (to carry in the camera bag instead of the owners manual, for example).

[nwyman]

I gave it a try with a google search and didn't come up with anything for the A620.
Sorry.

Nancy

[Jon]

You might consider downloading the manuals and putting together your own by printing the important (to you) pages.

[ba15ck]

best cheat sheet is practice--then it is in your head--

it is digital, the film is free--if you want to understand the basic, and fundemental concepts, then do two things: buy "Understanding Exposure" and set your camera to manual--and leave it there--no matter what.

other than that, I stuck a couple of those colored adhesive tabs on the pages of the manual I thought were important--that way I can quickly open up to that page.

[stewart]

Nancy, I didn't find anything using a search engine either. Of course, since it may be listed using a obscure name (a name impossible to guess for entry into a search engine), I'm hoping someone else has had more luck (perhaps stumbling across one while searching for something else, for example).

Jon, I purchased a small, lightweight, camera to carry in a small, lightweight, case. Carrying a dozen or so pages printed from a manual negates that effort somewhat. Before I would do that, I would just carry the already small manual. But I was really hoping to save it from the everyday wear & tear.

ba15ck, this is the 20th or so camera I've owned (exact counts stopped long ago). As such, it is now fairly easy for me to confuse the procedures from older cameras, and the other cameras we own (I have two others and my wife has two as well), with the procedures of a newly purchased one. Of course, I will obviously learn this new camera in time. But, in the meantime, I was hoping for a quick reminder every so often (again, as I mentioned to Jon, without beating up the poor owners manual in the process).

By the way, ba15ck, I disagree with your suggestion to use the manual mode exclusively (to learn or otherwise). In my own case, unless a paticular shot truly requires something else, I tend to leave the camera on the "P" mode (not full "auto") and adjust or tweak the individual pre-programmed settings as needed. Most modern cameras have automated those older manual procedures (exposure and so on), which is very convenient. Since that is the reality of cameras today, I now instead tell beginners to learn those automated features well, including when and how to override them. In a nutshell, I would no more tell a beginner to start with a manual camera than I would tell another to start with a manual typewriter before using a computer.

stewart

[Jon]

In Windows at least, and with PDFs, you can print several non-consecutive manual pages on one sheet of paper. My ancient Laserjet IIIP (1990ish) will print 2-4 pages/sheet easily. Give it a whirl.

[ba15ck]

Nancy, I didn't find anything using a search engine either. Of course, since it may be listed using a obscure name (a name impossible to guess for entry into a search engine), I'm hoping someone else has had more luck (perhaps stumbling across one while searching for something else, for example).

Jon, I purchased a small, lightweight, camera to carry in a small, lightweight, case. Carrying a dozen or so pages printed from a manual negates that effort somewhat. Before I would do that, I would just carry the already small manual. But I was really hoping to save it from the everyday wear & tear.

ba15ck, this is the 20th or so camera I've owned (exact counts stopped long ago). As such, it is now fairly easy for me to confuse the procedures from older cameras, and the other cameras we own (I have two others and my wife has two as well), with the procedures of a newly purchased one. Of course, I will obviously learn this new camera in time. But, in the meantime, I was hoping for a quick reminder every so often (again, as I mentioned to Jon, without beating up the poor owners manual in the process).

By the way, ba15ck, I disagree with your suggestion to use the manual mode exclusively (to learn or otherwise). In my own case, unless a paticular shot truly requires something else, I tend to leave the camera on the "P" mode (not full "auto") and adjust or tweak the individual pre-programmed settings as needed. Most modern cameras have automated those older manual procedures (exposure and so on), which is very convenient. Since that is the reality of cameras today, I now instead tell beginners to learn those automated features well, including when and how to override them. In a nutshell, I would no more tell a beginner to start with a manual camera than I would tell another to start with a manual typewriter before using a computer.

stewart

we may have to agree to disagree here, and that is quite alright, because: "to each his own." I just feel that this takes aesthetics out of photography, and that may be okay with you--and okay for people who just want snap shots--for creative photography as an art, I suggest learning manual control.

But you are right, cameras have come along way and one can get properly exposed pictures quite often when shooting in P mode or full auto--I just think this negates the aesthetics of the art.