Tech support for tech newbies

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

When in doubt, don’t click—wise advice to those unfamiliar with any product. 

My Christmas gift this year is a Canon EOS Rebel 76i or 750 D camera courtesy of my hubby Ronnie Dennis.  

I opened the gift expecting to see a camera because he asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I told him I wanted a camera.  I didn’t know what brand it was nor that it was the Canon EOS camera that would turn out to be my gift. 

My other camera, the Nikon 3100 which he gifted me five years ago was left to my daughter Tejane Mejorada when I visited the Philippines last June. Somehow I didn't know that an event isn't complete without a camera. 

The camera has sort of become my buddy in my travels.  But I'm no technology buff so I don't know how to transfer my photos to my laptop. Laptops and cameras have a symbiotic relationship which I'm not too familiar with.

Anyway here's my story. When I opened the camera I was in a hurry to use it. I just read the manual one time thinking it would be the same like my Nikon camera.  

True there were similarities between the Nikon and Canon cameras but my overconfidence nearly caused me embarrassment because of photos I took that could not be uploaded.  

I used my Canon camera last Dec. 7 and managed to upload the pictures to Facebook. A week after I used it again and was surprised when I failed to upload my photos.

Two days before that Sunday I screwed up big-time (just like Miss Universe pageant host Steve Harvey? Lol) when I changed something in the menu settings.

Through palliative solutions we thought we could upload the photos because the laptop couldn't read the memory card since it still carries Windows 7 software. 

How would I know about JPEG, PNG or TIFF or that warning about not being able to upload the photos because the camera isn't synched with the laptop? I'm no technology expert.

I don't know about downloading a converter much less about Windows 7 being outdated. So I had to call the Canon office for support through 1-800-OK-Canon (1-800-652-2666). A certain Nichole answered and helped me. 

It was found out that I enabled the Wi-Fi/NFC which I thought would automatically connect to the WiFi. 

I also clicked raw instead of JPEG. After so many hours, I uploaded the photos to my laptop. 

In order to spare others the same fate, here are my suggestions on what to do with a brand new camera.


1. Register the camera immediately upon receiving the product before going further. In the case of Canon- visit www.registercanon.com and register your new EOS camera.

In doing so you would receive automatic notification of firmware and software updates, priority telephone support, exclusive priority e-mail support address and exclusive savings on select products, classes and workshops.

2. Download the EOS Digital solution disk or depending in your brand which would have its equivalent.

3. Download camera instructional manual

4.  Watch the instructional video which I think is available in other brands. 

5. Read and study instruction manual and take time to study and re-read and follow the instruction.

6. While doing the menu settings- don’t click set when in doubt. 

Thanks Nichole for making my day.

(Susan Palmes-Dennis is a veteran journalist from Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental, Northern Mindanao in the Philippines who worked as a nanny and is now employed as a sub-teacher and a part-time teacher assistant in one of the school systems in the Carolinas.
Read her blogs on susanpalmesstraightfrom the Carolinas.com and at http://www.blogher.com/myprofile/spdennis54. These and other articles also appear at http://www.sunstar.com.ph/author/2582/susan-palmes-dennis.
You can also connect with her through her email susanap.dennis@yahoo.com as well as her Pinterest account at http://www.pinterest.com/pin/41025046580074350/) and https://www.facebook.com/pages/Straight-from-the-Carolinas-/494156950678063)