When things go awry with your camera

Occasionally things go awry with your camera. Not faulty, just unexpected or strange.

It’s possible that you fiddled around with one too many settings. Or you changed things and can’t seem to reset them. But what if you are trying to do something and just can’t figure it out?

I had a problem with bracketing

I don’t really use bracketing. I know the theory but have never really used it on my current camera.  So I recently flipped on the Sony and went to the drive mode … oops! Things suddenly went pear-shaped! NOTHING worked. In fact, bracketing was greyed out. So now what?

So where do you go for help?

Well, a good place to start is your camera manual.  There is also Google. But what if you have something a little more unusual?

First, make sure the latest software/firmware loaded. I checked Sony’s website on the Q&A page — no help there for this issue. I was about to reset my camera to factory default and reload my settings and update the software again (another good place to start if you have fiddled with far too many things). Then I had an epiphany …

Another great option is Facebook — yes, Facebook. Is there a Facebook group for your camera manufacturer locally? Often there are quite a few knowledgeable people in there. I am a member of Sony Alpha Melbourne and posed the question. Sure there was some head-scratching as the usual questions were posed. Then someone asked to see what came up when I tried to select bracketing.

He suggested I Googled “Picture Profile.” Apparently it is a video setting within my camera — I honestly don’t even remember turning it on. I then had to Google how to turn it off. Once I had done that, my bracketing was miraculously restored. Yay!

The moral is, someone will usually always help! You just have to ask.