Time lag

[Highlander69]

I've had my G2 (first ever digital camera) for over a year now, and a day seldom passes when I don't take something with it. I've been making photographs for the past 40 years on a variety of film cameras including Rollieflex 'T', Canon A1, MPP and Kodak 5x4, and have always had a darkroom wherever I've lived - even converting the odd bed-sitting room at night-time!! The last few years before going digital, I did very little photography, due mainly to the expense of film and materials, and also many disappointments in an endless search for fine print perfection!! Since buying my G2, everything else is gathering dust, and I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever load a spool or darkslide again!! I admit to feeling severe twangs of guilt here, but the fact is, that during the past 18 months or so, I've shot several thousand images, many of which I'm extremely happy with, and many that I wouldn't have previouisly even considered attempting (as it would have probably been a waste of precious film).
The one thing above all else I've found not-so-great with digital, is the time lag between pressing the shutter, and the shutter firing, which can be annoying when wanting to arrest action and capture a fleeting or decisive moment. The only way to combat this I've found is to depress the shutter button halfway first, and then follow through at the right moment, although I suspect that this puts a drain on the battery. Am I alone here, or has anyone else found a better solution to this problem?

[G2Jim]

I've never tried this, but logically it should take less time if you go to fully manual settings, since everything is preset and no internal calculations need to be made by the camera. Just a thought.

[Leighow]

Well Highlander,

You have a lot more experience with film than I do. I took a fair number of record shots of the kids, but switched to P & S film because my travelling companions would not wait for composed shots.

There are many great things about digital and my G2. However as you say, the processing delay can be VERY annoying. This topic was discussed a lot (try a search e.g. http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=4362#19067.
I think that you are headed in the right direction -- but as I recall, on close, there is not a lot that you can do about it. Also, image processing takes a while and that can prevent you from pulling off a quick second shot.

Currently, I am learning by experience about the wide range of light that occurs in a forest. Forest light is a challenge for the G2 and it may well be a challenge for film.

For example, today I was in the forest and the results, while as nice as any flower image failed to capture the incredible clarity, detail, and range of color that was in the forest today. It was truly breathtaking. It was incredible -- with an infinite variety of light and structure. My difficulty with forest light may be due in part to the fact that such shots are -- at beat --"thumbnails"of a large detailed natural scenes. In contrast, a shot of a flower is an enlargement of a small object. The former deprives you of detail, the latter explodes unseen detail into your unfamiliar eyes.

Nice to have you experience on hand in the forum.

HOWIE

[AndyDe]

Highlander69 wrote:
I've found not-so-great with digital, is the time lag between pressing the shutter, and the shutter firing, which can be annoying when wanting to arrest action and capture a fleeting or decisive moment. The only way to combat this I've found is to depress the shutter button halfway first, and then follow through at the right moment, although I suspect that this puts a drain on the battery. Am I alone here, or has anyone else found a better solution to this problem?

I found it really annoying, especially with wildlife shots...buying a 10D solved the problem!

[jimwong]

yep. seen this over and over. The G2 is great for most shots, landscapes, people who don't move, but action or sports, forget it. there's tricks like the one you mentioned. the auto focusing system is very slow. I did upgrade to a SLR digital camera, the 10D. shutter lag is quite brief.. you can capture action or sports..

[dn7elson]

AndyDe wrote:
I found it really annoying, especially with wildlife shots...buying a 10D solved the problem!

This is usually the time it takes for the camera to check the focus and settings and then execute them.

With wildlife, particularly in the distance (say over 30' away) have you tried setting the camera for manual focus? If you manually set most of the settings, there is little for the camera to do other than fire.