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If you think photography is a thoughtful and intelligent pursuit, you obviously haven’t been reading your camera manuals. While the camera makers believe we have the capacity to set white balance on a digital camera and use second-curtain sync on an SLR, their lawyers are convinced that we’re the most accident-prone dunderheads this side of Wile E. Coyote. How else can we explain this entry in the Fujifilm FinePix S7000 owner’s manual: “Never attempt to take pictures while in motion....This can result in you falling down or being involved in a traffic accident.”
It’s a sad commentary on the state of our culture and our product-liability laws that manufacturers have to go on record with such warnings. Obviously, a simple “use common sense” or “don’t do anything that’s far off the stupidity scale” isn’t enough. Instead, the manuals have to anticipate—and advise against—all possible ways of screwing up with the camera.
Virtually every camera manual has pages of dangers, warnings, and cautions. What’s the difference? To quote the Samsung Digimax V4 manual:
DANGER! “indicates an imminently hazardous situation, which, if not avoided, will result in death or serious injury.” (Using the camera near explosive gases merits a DANGER.)
WARNING! “indicates a potentially hazardous situation, which, if not avoided, could result in death or serious injury.” (Sounds a lot like a DANGER, but it’s more along the lines of overheating the camera and batteries.)
CAUTION! “indicates a potentially hazardous situation, which, if not avoided, may result in a minor or moderate injury.” (For example, touching the flash after using it continuously: “It may cause burns.”)
Olympus publishes a 74-page “Digital Camera Safety Precautions” book in six languages; the English section alone is 11 pages.
Many of us are so inured to inane advisories that we skip past the precautions. This means we miss such important points as “Never try to recharge an alkaline battery or toss one into a fire.” Other common caveats (and consequences) include: don’t point the lens directly at the sun (blindness); don’t flash people or animals in the eyes at less than one meter (more blindness); don’t let kids or animals play with the camera (choking on batteries and small parts); and watch out for those explosive gases.
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