A5: Canon Digital Camera

A. INTRODUCTION

In this activity you will familiarize yourself with the Canon PowerShot 350 digital camera. You will use the camera to take pictures in a number of settings, and then transfer those digital images to a computer with the use of Adobe PhotoShop. The images will subsequently be saved as JPEG files, and one picture will be printed using the Phaser 350 color printer.

B. PROCEDURE

1. Ask your course instructor to familiarize you with the use of the Canon PowerShot 350 digital camera and associated hardware and software.

2. Following the above orientation, again familiarize yourself with the digital camera by reading the PowerShot 350 user's manual (hardware and software) in its entirety.

3. Take two or three pictures using the digital camera. As this is a course designed for physics educators, the pictures should be related in some way to physics teaching or the physics teacher education program here at ISU.

4. Download your pictures using Photoshop on the designated computer in MLT 307-B as shown by your course instructor. Save your best picture to the desktop of the computer you are working on. Connect the PowerShot 350 to the computer and transfer the pictures from camera to computer using the steps below. (Note that the PhotoShop program in MLT 307-B has already been given a Plug-in that allows Photoshop to work with the PowerShot 350.)

• Plug in the PowerShot 350 to its AC adapter power supply if the battery appears low.
• Attach the serial cable provided to the "Digital" output of the camera.
• Attach the other end of the serial cable to either the computer's printer or modem port.
• Double-click on the Photoshop 4.0 icon to start that application.
• From the File menu, select "Import" and then choose the PowerShot 350 from the selection list. Wait a moment as the transfer program loads.
• Click the "Camera" button in the image source selection of the window.
• Select the port (printer or modem) to which the camera is connected.
• Select the image that you want to import by clicking on it, then click the "Acquire" button. You may shift-click if you intend to download more than one image.
• Click on the "Exit" button after you have finished transferring your image(s).
• Reduce the size of each picture to 250 KB or less by reducing the image size using the PhotoShop program.
• Print one of the pictures in color using the Phaser 350 color printer in MLT 310.
• Select "Save As" from the File menu, and save each image as a JPEG file to a "clean" 1.4 MB diskette.
• Select "Quit" from the File menu to exit Photoshop.
• Turn off both camera and computer and then disconnect the two, returning the camera to your course instructor.

5. Use "Chooser:AppleShare" to upload your best picture to the G3 Macintosh computer in Moulton Hall room 308. Save the file in the desktop folder entitled "Shared Folder Emptied Fridays." If you are unfamiliar with Chooser and AppleShare controls, contact your course instructor for details.

6. Once your image file has been uploaded, send an e-mail message to your instructor informing him that the file has been placed on the G3. Also be certain to inform him of the name of the file. Be certain to use the proper extension when naming the file: e.g. image.jpg to designate a JPEG file.

C. EVALUATION

The student will, using the PowerShot 350, acquire, import, and save one JPEG image file of subject matter relevant to either physics teaching or the ISU Physics Teacher Education program. This file will be placed on the G3 Macintosh in MLT 310, and the corresponding color picture will be printed out on the Phaser 350 color printer and handed to the instructor. Evaluation will be based upon the indicated electronic and hard copies.

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