Zoom In to Check Sharpness

Here's a sad fact of digital photographyeverything looks sharp and in focus when you first look at the tiny LCD screen on the back of your digital camera. When your photo is displayed at that small size, it just about always looks sharp. However, you'll soon learn (once you open your photo on your computer) that you absolutely can't trust that tiny little screenyou've got to zoom in and check the sharpness. On the back of your camera there's a zoom button that lets you zoom in close and see if the photo is really in focus. Do this right on the spotright after you take the shot, so you still have a chance to retake the photo if you zoom in and find out it's blurry. The pros always check for sharpness this way, because they've been burned one too many times.

Custom Quick Zoom Settings

Some of today's digital SLR cameras have a quick zoom option, where you can set a particular amount you want your zoom to zoom in to. Check your owner's manual to see if your digital camera has a custom quick zoom setting.