Digital cameras and shutter lag time...

lemonade_lifestyle

OK, so i'm not to techinical minded, but I do know that when I buy a new camera I want to be able to take pictures at the time I want to take them, not five minutes later...so after some research i have discovered that I need a camera with a low shutter lag time. However the research I have done seems to be alittle out of date and doesn't show current camera models and they're shutter lags.... (Do I sound like I know what i'm talking about??:D )

So can anyone give me any suggestions for current on the market compact digital camera's (not slr's or dslr's???? is that correct, hahaha) with low shutter lag times?????:undecided

MX5huggy

I this what you are looking for?

http://www.cameras.co.uk/html/shutter-lag-comparisons.cfm?sort=ShutterLag

You are right to worry about shutter lag it is the main reason I would always have a dslr.

totalsolutions

Dslr have near instant on time and no lag + will fire off six shots off in one second.

lemonade_lifestyle

MX5huggy, that's the one I managed to find, thanks. But when I took a look at some the models, a few apppeared to be over a year old (i.e manufactured last year some time). Does this matter in todays climate of ever changing technology???

DSLR would seem like the ideal solution, totalsolutions, but not really practical for carrying in a pocket or bag....

Need something compact.

balloo_2

lemonade_lifestyle
would this be any good to you??

FinePix S1000fd

Number of effective pixels
10.0 million pixels
CCD sensor1/ 2.3-inch CCD
Storage mediaInternal memory (approx. 24MB) /xD-Picture Card TM ( 16MB - 2 GB ) / SD and SDHC compatible
File formatStill image: JPEG (Exif Ver 2.2 )
LensFujinon 12 X Optical zoom lens , F2.8 (Wide) - F5.0 (Telephoto)
Lens focal lengthf=5.9mm - 70.8mm, Equivalent to 33-396mm on a 35mm camera
FocusAuto focus (Area, Multi, Centre)/Continuous AF
Focus distanceNormal: Wide angle: Approx. 40cm / 1.3 ft to infinity Telephoto: Approx. 1.5m / 4.9 ft to infinity Macro: Wide Angle: Approx. 5cm / 2.0 in to 3m / 9.8 ft Telephoto: Approx. 80cm/2.6 ft. To 3m/9.8 ft Super Macro: Approx. 2cm / 0.8 in. to 1m / 3.3 ft.
Shutter speedAUTO mode: 1/4 sec to 1/2000 sec., All other mode): 8 sec. to 1/2000 sec. (depends on shooting mode)
ApertureF2.8 - F6.4 (Wide) / F 5.0 - F 8.0 (Telephoto)
SensitivityAuto / Auto(800) / Auto(400) / Equivalent to 64/100/200/400/800/1600/3200 (Standard Output Sensitivity). *ISO 3200: 3M pixels (Number of recorded pixels) (Standard Output Sensitivity)
Exposure modesProgrammed AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual
White balanceAutomatic scene recognition. Preset (Fine, Shade, Fluorescent light (Daylight), Fluorescent light (Warm White), Fluorescent light (Cool White), Incandescent light), Custom
Viewfinder0.2-inch, approx. 230,000 dots FLCD monitor (R/G/B colours are displayed in a single dot) approx. 97% coverage
LCD Monitor2.7-inch, approx. 230,000 pixels, Amorphous Silicon TFT colour LCD monitor, Approx. 100% coverage
Self-timerApprox. 10 sec./ 2 sec. delay
Video OutputNTSC / PAL selectable
Digital InterfaceUSB2.0 High-Speed
Power source4xAA type alkaline batteries(included), Ni-MH rechargeable batteries(optional) or Lithium batteries(optional). DC Coupler CP-04 with AC power adapter AC-5VX (optional)
Dimensions102.5(W)× 73(H)× 67.8(D) mm/4.0(W)× 2.9(H)× 2.7(D) in.(excluding accessories and attachments)
WeightApprox. 325 g/11.5 oz.(excluding accessories, batteries and memory card)
Digital ZoomApprox. 5.7x (max.)
Shooting modesMode dial: Auto, Natural Light, SP1, SP2, P, A, S, M, Panorama, Movie. SP1/SP2: Portrait, Landscape, Sport, Night, Fireworks, Sunset, Snow, Beach, Museum, Party, Flower, Text, PS(Anti-Blur)
Colour modesSTANDARD/ CHROME / B&W
Movie recording640 x 480 / 320 x 240 pixels, 30 frames/sec., with monaural sound. AVI format (Motion JPEG )
PlaybackFace Detection (with red-eye removal), Dynamic range, Slide show, Trimming, Single frame, Multi-frame playback including Micro thumbnail mode, Sorting by date, Image rotate, Voice memo
Voice memoUp to 30 sec. WAV format

[Deleted User]

Shutter lag isn't so much a problem on most new big brand compact cameras. I have a panasonic FX33 and it's pretty quick.

Choose your camera based on what you want to use it for. I have an FX33 for putting in my pocket (it's quite slim) and taking on evenings out. I also have a chunky Panasonic L10 DSLR for days out/more complex photography.

My little camera trumps my expensive DSLR in the way it can record video clips.. but my DSLR can take extra lenses and filters, making it better for detailed photography.

So.. forget shutter lag for now, what do you want your camera for? If you are looking at sports photography (in which you'd want extremely low shutter lag) you should really look at the DSLR option.

Want something for casual photography of family and evenings out? Try a small compact camera

Fancy something a bit more complex but don't want the cost of an DSLR (and want a big zoom)? Try a 'bridge camera' e.g. Panny FZ28

London50

One other point I have been thinking after reading this thread. While I agree that practical or not DSLR is the best idea all round the memory card speeds do have some bearing on how fast you can take your photos. A standard card is {by definition} much slower at transfering the shot therefore I wonder if {even with the older models of compact camera} with the faster reading cards would help in this instance??

moneysaver

Fuji camera's have a very short shutter lag, virtually non existent. I would recommend them.( I have 2 of them)



Moneysaver

[Deleted User]

London50 wrote: »

One other point I have been thinking after reading this thread. While I agree that practical or not DSLR is the best idea all round the memory card speeds do have some bearing on how fast you can take your photos. A standard card is {by definition} much slower at transfering the shot therefore I wonder if {even with the older models of compact camera} with the faster reading cards would help in this instance??

For a one off shot, it's unlikely to make a great deal of difference.. the technology has moved on an a lot of cameras now have very fast in-build cache which reduces the requirements for very fast memory cards (unless you've set your camera to 'continuous shooting mode')

Again.. unless you're looking at sports photography where you shutter lag needs to be non-existant (and hence, you'd use an SLR) - this really isn't an issue on modern cameras. According to this (http://www.cameras.co.uk/html/shutter-lag-comparisons.cfm?sort=ShutterLag) my little FX33 (£120) only has a lag of 0.33 seconds. My Panny L10 dSLR (which retails at about 500 quid) has a lag of 0.08 seconds. That's considered slow for an SLR...

London50

ringo_24601 wrote: »

For a one off shot, it's unlikely to make a great deal of difference.. the technology has moved on an a lot of cameras now have very fast in-build cache which reduces the requirements for very fast memory cards (unless you've set your camera to 'continuous shooting mode')

Again.. unless you're looking at sports photography where you shutter lag needs to be non-existant (and hence, you'd use an SLR) - this really isn't an issue on modern cameras. According to this (http://www.cameras.co.uk/html/shutter-lag-comparisons.cfm?sort=ShutterLag) my little FX33 (£120) only has a lag of 0.33 seconds. My Panny L10 dSLR (which retails at about 500 quid) has a lag of 0.08 seconds. That's considered slow for an SLR...

Thanks for the info Ringo
I only have an Canon DSLR camera myself and use ultra fast cards as I photograph at the horse race meetings I attend so need something that lets me fire off 3/4 shots quiet quickly. As this is all I ever used I did not know if it could make any difference for the origional request, but I do wonder {with the question} if it is a fast sport that the person wants to shoot, but as I said to start thank you for your reply to my thoughts

[Deleted User]

From what i've read, card speed doesn't matter for the first few shots, since it's writing to the camera's cache memory (which is far quicker than your memory card).. after that it starts transferring it over to the card, in which case, the faster the card the better. Your 3 or 4 shots might fit into the cache.. so the card you use might not matter..

I've got a much of SD cards, tempted to do a speed test..

I've always seen shutter lag as a bit of a fake statistics.. it's more important how quickly your camera can focus on something and snap. Eg. if you're dSLR is on manual focus, you're likely to see a much quicker initial first photo.

My L10 has 3 settings for focus - manual, auto and 'auto with movement'

To be honest, memory is so cheap these days, you might as well buy a decent class in case you decide to pop the card in a video camera one day