G-10 Shutter Lag?

[fishtek]

Hi, all!

I'm getting VERY interested in the G-9 or G-10 as a backup for my DSLR gear. Coming from 35mm film P/S > Rangefinders > SLR > Digital SLR, I'm not used to worrying about lag time between shutter press and shutter release. I'd appreciate some thoughts.

I do shoot objects-in-motion regularly, but not exclusively, but they're not (usually) moving at high rates of speed, i.e., anything racing. I do shoot active people (sports, kids, etc....).

Thanks for the input.

Don

[Collin85]

Hi Don.

Firstly, remember there's a big difference between the 'shutter lag' and the 'lag from shutter press to shutter release' and it's important to not mix up the two. The shutter lag of the G9 (and presumably G10) is very fast, like many current P&S cameras.

However the lag from when you press the shutter button to the shutter release is usually much longer, simply due to the much slower nature of a P&S's contrast detect AF. When I say 'much slower', I'm speaking in relative terms here - comparing these cameras to a typical dSLR. But it is important to note that contrast-detect AF has improved in speed quite a bit in the past few years. I owned the G9 for a little while and I have to say I was very happy with its AF speed under good lighting. Under poor lighting, the camera will also obtain an accurate focus provided the AF assist beam is on. However under those circumstances, the overall AF time is much slower and hence the lag between the shutter press and the shutter release is relatively long. But of course, under all situations the actual shutter lag is short.

[tinfire]

My G9 is suitable for panning shots but not where the shutter release must be at a precise moment.
The best technique is to half press the release button in anticipation of the picture taking moment to reduce the lag.

Perhaps the G10 will be better.

[Collin85]

The best technique is to half press the release button in anticipation of the picture taking moment to reduce the lag.

Perhaps the G10 will be better.

That works great for static subjects. However for moving subjects, such as people playing sports or children (which the OP tends to shoot), this could result in some OOF shots if their direction of displacement isn't parallel to the camera's focal plane. Thankfully with the camera being a P&S, the DOF is relatively high, but nevertheless I'd be very cautious about doing that for moving subjects.

As for the G10, I feel it probably would offer a slightly improved AF speed, thanks to DIGIC IV.

[fishtek]

Thanks!

Maybe I'll borrow a P/S from someone and mess with it until I make up my mind if I can tolerate the difference from my DSLR.

Thanks again!
Don

[JohnJ80]

The shutter lag in any P&S is inadequate for shooting moving subjects. That's where there are DSLRs.

J.

[Tumak]

Thanks!

Maybe I'll borrow a P/S from someone and mess with it until I make up my mind if I can tolerate the difference from my DSLR.

Thanks again!
Don

What was that about T'ia Chi again? :lol::)

[Sparky98]

I am confused by what everyone is calling shutter lag. If you half press the shutter button to lock focus then press the shutter button the rest of the way does the shutter not operate instantly? Am I mistaken in thinking that what is being called shutter lag is actually the time it takes the camera to process the shot and write it to memory after the shutter has been actuated?

I am way behind the times but with my G3 I can pan with a moving object and if my shutter speed is fast enough I can get 1 shot in focus but it takes 4 seconds to write that shot to memory so a second shot is not possible. That is one of the major reasons I moved to a DSLR.

[Dmab]

... Am I mistaken in thinking that what is being called shutter lag is actually the time it takes the camera to process the shot and write it to memory after the shutter has been actuated? ...

Yeah, that seems like a mistaken idea. What happens AFTER the shutter has actuated is not what people "normally" worry about on P&S's.

It's more the time it takes for the camera to achieve focus once the shutter is half-pressed and any apparent delay it takes for the camera to actually actuate once the shutter is pressed fully.

[Collin85]

To clarify, the shutter lag is the time taken between a full-trigger of the shutter to when the shot is actually recorded. The OP was likely really referring to the total lag, which is the sum of the AF lag (metering and autofocus) AND the shutter lag.

The shutter lag is extremely fast in current P&S cameras.
The total lag is relatively slow.

[fishtek]

Yup...I'm concerned with TOTAL LAG...with my DSLR, it's almost instantaneous...might take some getting-used-to, or a revision of what I think I can shoot with the P/S.

Thanks, all!
Don

[JohnJ80]

half press sets focus and exposure. The final press gets the image. On a P&S, the shutter lag from full press is on the order of 70ms. On a dslr, it is virtually instantaneous.

Images like this taken with a Pro1:
http://www.pbase.com/johnj80/image/46106391.jpg

Can be done with a P&S if you can prefocus on the spot where the subject will be at a given time. You can then half press and lock the exposure and focus. When the subject moves into the depth of field, you can press the rest of the way and capture a nice action image. This works well for activities that occur on a known course where the subject will be at known static spot at some point in time.

However, if you try and shoot a randomly moving subject, like say in a soccer game for example, you will get pictures with your subject not in them, or half of them in the frame etc... You will find it intensely frustrating and virtually impossible to get a good image.

Hope that helps. The only real choice for action photography is a dslr.

J.

[Collin85]

On a P&S, the shutter lag from full press is on the order of 70ms. On a dslr, it is virtually instantaneous.

John, there's actually not a big difference in shutter lag between a typical P&S and a dSLR.

On average, the 30D and 40Ds boast a shutter lag of around 0.065 sec. The G9 on the other hand is only slightly slower at ~0.088 sec. Infact, you might be surprised to discover that the majority of Canon's IXUS/SD series has a shutter lag of around 0.080 sec.

The shutter lag in any current P&S is absolutely fine for action. It's all about the slow half-depress lag.

[neil_r]

I don't want to get into the semantics of lag and total lag but I will say this. I have no problems with the delay between pressing the button and the picture being taken on my 1D MkIIn or my 1Ds MkIII but I do have a problem with my G9 which has a long delay between the button being pressed (even from half depressed) and the actual frame being captured.

[Collin85]

I don't want to get into the semantics of lag and total lag but I will say this. I have no problems with the delay between pressing the button and the picture being taken on my 1D MkIIn or my 1Ds MkIII but I do have a problem with my G9 which has a long delay between the button being pressed (even from half depressed) and the actual frame being captured.

Semantics these points may seem to be, but they're significant. By isolating the culprit of the relatively high total lag time to primarily the half-depress function, it shows that under careful hands action shots may be possible. The fact that the shutter lag is only a little slower than that of a dSLR demonstrates that missing an action shot shouldn't happen - nailing the focus (and possibly metering) is the difficulty.

[fishtek]

Semantics?
Seems to me that not achieving proper metering and focus IS missing the shot...

[JohnJ80]

We are arguing semantics. The example I gave complete with photo illustrates precisely what I am saying and that the (using your terminology) shutter lag (half press) is fine for certain isolated examples of action shots. However, the total lag (using your terminology) in which the exposure is calculated and the focus achieved is completely inadequate for the majority of action shots.

You absolutely cannot use a P&S and get full random field action shots with any reliability. Go try and shoot a soccer game with a point and shoot and you will see what I mean. You absolutely will miss an action shot unless you know where your subject will be if you are trying to do this with a P&S.


J.

[neil_r]

I don't normally post in these types of debates (as they are usually pointless, with a bunch of people getting more excited as they defend their entrenched position with absolutely no chance of any argument, no mater how compelling, changing their view.) I am much happier taking photographs.

I like my G9 it is a very capable camera and I use it often when it is suitable for the type of picture I am taking.

I know it's limitations and I compensate for that with appropriate technique. However it is often the speed of the action that determines "the moment" thus the speed of the mechanics in the camera not technique that will determin whether you capture it or not.

[Collin85]

We are arguing semantics. The example I gave complete with photo illustrates precisely what I am saying and that the (using your terminology) shutter lag (half press) is fine for certain isolated examples of action shots. However, the total lag (using your terminology) in which the exposure is calculated and the focus achieved is completely inadequate for the majority of action shots.

You absolutely cannot use a P&S and get full random field action shots with any reliability. Go try and shoot a soccer game with a point and shoot and you will see what I mean. You absolutely will miss an action shot unless you know where your subject will be if you are trying to do this with a P&S.


J.

I agree with everything you said. That is, it's not about the shutter lag, it's about the AF (and possibly metering). The shutter lag itself isn't the responsible factor - that's my point.

As for say, shooting a soccer game - I agree. Refer to the caveat I spelt out for the OP in my second post regarding 'anticipating' and premature AF.

As for terminology, I'm using what is correctly defined. If anyone here misunderstood shutter lag to be total lag, then they didn't misunderstand my terminology, they misunderstood the terminology. I'd love to say I invented terms like shutter lag and such, but that credit doesn't belong to me. :lol:

[Collin85]

Semantics?
Seems to me that not achieving proper metering and focus IS missing the shot...

Exactly, which is why something like the G9 isn't ideal for action. Like I elaborated, certain techniques may strengthen your keeper rate, but my second post also pushed out a strong caveat against this sort of habit in general.

[fishtek]

Relax, y'all! It was just a simple question, not intended to raise any blood pressure. I've been shooting SLR's and DSLR's for a long time, and know what to expect from them. I was just trying to get a bit of a feel for what to expect from the G-9/10's. I'll work it out without much sturm and drang.

Thanks for your input.
Don

[JohnJ80]

I agree with everything you said. That is, it's not about the shutter lag, it's about the AF (and possibly metering). The shutter lag itself isn't the responsible factor - that's my point.

As for say, shooting a soccer game - I agree. Refer to the caveat I spelt out for the OP in my second post regarding 'anticipating' and premature AF.

As for terminology, I'm using what is correctly defined. If anyone here misunderstood shutter lag to be total lag, then they didn't misunderstand my terminology, they misunderstood the terminology. I'd love to say I invented terms like shutter lag and such, but that credit doesn't belong to me. :lol:

Please stick to one set of semantics. Shutter lag, as it is used in almost every review is the time from pressing the button to image capture, that you have previously defined as total lag. It is true that the definition of shutter lag encompasses all the other stuff going on in the camera.

As much as I dislike dpreview, they do a nice job of defining this and the various components of shutter lag. They call the actual firing of the camera something like "half press shutter lag" which is what you are saying is roughly the same as a DSLR.

I agree with Neil. I think we are done here and have properly beat this into mush.


J.

[gold'nchocolate]

These 2 pictures are taken with the G9 (one of them is a soccer game :D) and I think it does a pretty good job of freezing action. I can't remember which setting I used but it was either the "auto" or the "scene" setting.

[JohnJ80]

The first one is out of focus and soft everywhere even for such a small sample. If you could blow this up with some 100% crops, I'm sure you would see what I mean. The second one is the sort of image that works - subject is moving in the frame at a known time and place.

QED.

J.

[Collin85]

I think we'll agree to disagree, so let's just state what we disagree on.

Please stick to one set of semantics. Shutter lag, as it is used in almost every review is the time from pressing the button to image capture, that you have previously defined as total lag. It is true that the definition of shutter lag encompasses all the other stuff going on in the camera.

This is something I flat-out disagree with, John. Infact I rarely, if ever, see prominent reviews utilising shutter lag to be the total lag without a whisker of knowledge that it isn't the correct definition. Which reviews are you talking about? I do, however see that many ordinary people adopting this terminology which may make it somewhat of a de facto definition.

[Collin85]

Relax, y'all! It was just a simple question, not intended to raise any blood pressure. I've been shooting SLR's and DSLR's for a long time, and know what to expect from them. I was just trying to get a bit of a feel for what to expect from the G-9/10's. I'll work it out without much sturm and drang.

It really depends on the type of action you shoot and more importantly, your expectations of the photos. You mentioned in your first post that you have an SLR background, so I presume you were considering the G10 primarily because you no longer wanted to lug around huge dSLR bodies and lenses. I personally never used my G9 for action much since I had also invested into dSLRs, but if I demanded pockability, then I would have comfortably went in and shot these situations. I'd just walk out being flexible about the expectations of the output.

[Collin85]

These 2 pictures are taken with the G9 (one of them is a soccer game :D) and I think it does a pretty good job of freezing action. I can't remember which setting I used but it was either the "auto" or the "scene" setting.

Not bad! The first one exhibits motion blur, so next time try turning up the ISO speed. Nice second shot.

As for 'freezing action', the whole argument we've been having isn't as simple as 'freezing the players'. That's almost guaranteed to be possible provided a sufficient shutter speed is chosen. The problem is having those subjects in sharp focus, which is usually difficult when they're moving fast in a direction not parallel to the focal plane. Next time, try shooting those lil' soccer players running straight towards you. You'll probably see what I mean.

[JohnJ80]

I think we'll agree to disagree, so let's just state what we disagree on.



This is something I flat-out disagree with, John. Infact I rarely, if ever, see prominent reviews utilising shutter lag to be the total lag without a whisker of knowledge that it isn't the correct definition. Which reviews are you talking about? I do, however see that many ordinary people adopting this terminology which may make it somewhat of a de facto definition.

Just about every review on dpreview (there are hundreds), the different shutter lag specs are quite specifically defined. I forgot the readership of dpreview's website, but it is mammoth.

For example:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canong9/page5.asp

I recommend that given your high level of interest in this subject, maybe you could compile a comprehensive list of all definitions you have found and where they conflict.

http://fc91.deviantart.com/fs6/i/2005/064/c/0/Beating_A_Dead_Horse_by_livius.gif

J.

[Collin85]

Just about every review on dpreview (there are hundreds), the different shutter lag specs are quite specifically defined. I forgot the readership of dpreview's website, but it is mammoth.


Oh, I'm quite aware of DPReview. So isn't what you just posted helping my point of view? That is, DPReview quite clearly adheres to making a distinction between the different types of lag.


I recommend that given your high level of interest in this subject, maybe you could compile a comprehensive list of all definitions you have found and where they conflict.

Now you're just being silly. :lol:

Is it such a crime to avoid conflicting definitions? Can you imagine if the shutter lag and the half-press lag were both high on a P&S? The problems would be significantly amplified and action shots in practically any context would give fairly unsatisfactory results. Heck, let's not talk about action, even shooting a moving subject would arguably be a burden. I'm not sure about you, but I'd rather work with a consistent terminology. But more importantly, I'm for working with terminology where the conflicts turn out to be important. I hope you'll agree with me that these conflicts here ARE indeed important.

[JohnJ80]

Oh, I'm quite aware of DPReview. So isn't what you just posted helping my point of view? That is, DPReview quite clearly adheres to making a distinction between the different types of lag.



Now you're just being silly. :lol:

Is it such a crime to avoid conflicting definitions? Can you imagine if the shutter lag and the half-press lag were both high on a P&S? The problems would be significantly amplified and action shots in practically any context would give fairly unsatisfactory results. Heck, let's not talk about action, even shooting a moving subject would arguably be a burden there. I'm not sure about you, but I'd rather work with a consistent terminology.

<yawn> Knock yourself out. There might be a book in there somewhere for you.

J.

[Collin85]

No more arguments of merit to address the opposing side? Why, lets resort to silly, irrelevant comments instead.

<yawn> Knock yourself out. There might be a book in there somewhere for you.

J.

QED.

Dissappointing.

[JohnJ80]

No more arguments of merit to address the opposing side? Why, lets resort to silly, irrelevant comments instead.



QED.

Dissappointing.

no. overwrought, obsessive, boring and largely irrelevant.

J.

[Collin85]

largely irrelevant.

Hardly. I had already explained why; I would prefer not to repeat myself.

Also, I would really appreciate it if you stopped throwing out pretentious comments like 'Knock yourself out. There might be a book in there somewhere for you'. Mocking another forumite (especially in order to sneakily evade a debate) is downright disrespectful. If you're going to reply, then address my points. Otherwise, kindly dissappear.

[neil_r]

These 2 pictures are taken with the G9 (one of them is a soccer game :D) and I think it does a pretty good job of freezing action. I can't remember which setting I used but it was either the "auto" or the "scene" setting.

I almost hate to say this but in your first shot you have not frozen the action, what you have done is captured people running, The real thing in sports photography is to catch something happening, and for a football match I would suggest that a tiny glimpse of the ball disappearing out of the corner of the frame does not constitute action.

It is all about the moment and you have to take that moment when it happens.

[JohnJ80]

Hardly. I had already explained why; I would prefer not to repeat myself.

Also, I would really appreciate it if you stopped throwing out pretentious comments like 'Knock yourself out. There might be a book in there somewhere for you'. Mocking another forumite (especially in order to sneakily evade a debate) is downright disrespectful. If you're going to reply, then address my points. Otherwise, kindly dissappear.

I've made my point very clear including, providing examples, but you continue to try and corner me on some imagined argument that you think we are having. This is getting to be a lot like the sound of one hand clapping and it is foolish (as well as boring and, yes, largely irrelevant).

So seriously, knock yourself out. Write a book on it, so what? No insult intended but I can't help it if you feel that way but if it helps, I apologize. If you think I was provoking you or whatever, i apologize for that too. Heck, you can blame me for the banking crisis if that helps.

I'm happy to defer to you as the expert on shutter lag and should I need any assistance with it in the future, I know just the person to talk to. Consider that a capitulation, a win for you whatever you want. So are we done then?

J.

[fishtek]

Sheesh!

Remind me to avoid asking innocent questions here! LET IT GO, ALREADY!

[gold'nchocolate]

Not bad! The first one exhibits motion blur, so next time try turning up the ISO speed. Nice second shot.

As for 'freezing action', the whole argument we've been having isn't as simple as 'freezing the players'. That's almost guaranteed to be possible provided a sufficient shutter speed is chosen. The problem is having those subjects in sharp focus, which is usually difficult when they're moving fast in a direction not parallel to the focal plane. Next time, try shooting those lil' soccer players running straight towards you. You'll probably see what I mean.
Thank you for your kind comments and advice :D . I'm fairly new at photography and my main purpose for posting the pictures were to show that even in the hands of an amatuer, the G9 still takes great pictures. Can you imagine how much better they would have been if I knew how to use the settings!

As for "shutter lag"--I am not sure what the exact meaning is but I know that when I take pictures of my chickens they sometimes don't have any heads in the pics :rolleyes: because they have moved a tiny bit in the few seconds that it took the G9 to record the picture from the time I push the button (I always half push it first to get the focus). This is my only complaint about the camera. I love everything else.

[lefturn99]

Remind me to avoid asking innocent questions here! LET IT GO, ALREADY!

Every generation of P&S cameras will be faster than the last as new technology comes on line. My G9 is much faster than my G6 but of course slower than my 40D. You would hope and assume the G10 is faster than the G9 and closer to the 40D.

Either one is a great camera for the times you don't want to bring the big one. The best camera is the one you have with you. I've got my G9 on my belt right now.

[JohnJ80]

Sheesh!

Remind me to avoid asking innocent questions here! LET IT GO, ALREADY!

no kidding.

j.

[Sparky98]

fishtek, I am from East Texas so please explain "strum and drang". I have an idea about what it might mean but even if I am wrong I like the sound of it.

[fishtek]

Hi, Sparky!
(Funny...I was a E-5 Radioman for the USN...general nickname was "Sparky" for us RM types...)
Anyhow...STURM UND DRANG loosely translates to "Storm and Strife" (NOT Thunder and Lightning)in German, infers the stormy thread that this turned into! Read "Turmoil"
Regards!
Don

[Collin85]

I've made my point very clear including, providing examples, but you continue to try and corner me on some imagined argument that you think we are having. This is getting to be a lot like the sound of one hand clapping and it is foolish (as well as boring and, yes, largely irrelevant).

So seriously, knock yourself out. Write a book on it, so what? No insult intended but I can't help it if you feel that way but if it helps, I apologize. If you think I was provoking you or whatever, i apologize for that too. Heck, you can blame me for the banking crisis if that helps.

I'm happy to defer to you as the expert on shutter lag and should I need any assistance with it in the future, I know just the person to talk to. Consider that a capitulation, a win for you whatever you want. So are we done then?

J.

Blame you on the financial crisis? See what I mean about the silly comments. :rolleyes:

John, the post you're referring to addresses something completely different. I'm referring to you claiming that almost every review interchanges shutter lag with the concept of total lag seemingly without qualification. This assertion was made by you, so I can't see how I'm 'cornering you with some imagined argument'. Anyhow, it was something I felt was wrong, so I replied - and now I'm supposedly the villain who can't let go of an argument I didn't start. Also, I was trying to make out the importance between shutter lag and AF lag from a practical point of view (that is - it is important to acknowledge that not BOTH types are slow), but that's exactly when the snide comments began. Oh well, I tried.

So whatever. Good day to you, John.

Thank you for your kind comments and advice :D . I'm fairly new at photography and my main purpose for posting the pictures were to show that even in the hands of an amatuer, the G9 still takes great pictures. Can you imagine how much better they would have been if I knew how to use the settings!

As for "shutter lag"--I am not sure what the exact meaning is but I know that when I take pictures of my chickens they sometimes don't have any heads in the pics :rolleyes: because they have moved a tiny bit in the few seconds that it took the G9 to record the picture from the time I push the button (I always half push it first to get the focus). This is my only complaint about the camera. I love everything else.

Don't worry, practice makes perfect! If you're shooting sports, it may be a good idea to try Tv mode. This mode allows you to choose a fast enough shutter speed and the camera will automatically select an f/ stop for you. If the f/ stop flashes red on the screen, that's when you turn up the ISO speed!

As for shutter lag, this topic has already occupied a good majority of this thread and is the culprit for all the bickering that's been going on - so I better not jump on it again. :lol:

[mattograph]

Hi Don.

Firstly, remember there's a big difference between the 'shutter lag' and the 'lag from shutter press to shutter release' and it's important to not mix up the two. The shutter lag of the G9 (and presumably G10) is very fast, like many current P&S cameras.

However the lag from when you press the shutter button to the shutter release is usually much longer, simply due to the much slower nature of a P&S's contrast detect AF. When I say 'much slower', I'm speaking in relative terms here - comparing these cameras to a typical dSLR. But it is important to note that contrast-detect AF has improved in speed quite a bit in the past few years. I owned the G9 for a little while and I have to say I was very happy with its AF speed under good lighting. Under poor lighting, the camera will also obtain an accurate focus provided the AF assist beam is on. However under those circumstances, the overall AF time is much slower and hence the lag between the shutter press and the shutter release is relatively long. But of course, under all situations the actual shutter lag is short.

An outstanding explanation. Well done!

[BottomBracket]

Hi Don.

Firstly, remember there's a big difference between the 'shutter lag' and the 'lag from shutter press to shutter release' and it's important to not mix up the two. The shutter lag of the G9 (and presumably G10) is very fast, like many current P&S cameras.

However the lag from when you press the shutter button to the shutter release is usually much longer, simply due to the much slower nature of a P&S's contrast detect AF. When I say 'much slower', I'm speaking in relative terms here - comparing these cameras to a typical dSLR. But it is important to note that contrast-detect AF has improved in speed quite a bit in the past few years. I owned the G9 for a little while and I have to say I was very happy with its AF speed under good lighting. Under poor lighting, the camera will also obtain an accurate focus provided the AF assist beam is on. However under those circumstances, the overall AF time is much slower and hence the lag between the shutter press and the shutter release is relatively long. But of course, under all situations the actual shutter lag is short.

I thought you explained it rather well. It's just bewildering why you received flak because of it.

[Miyagi-san]

and for a football match

It's SOCCER! C'mon, let's start a real debate lol :p







just kidding! :p

[neil_r]

It's SOCCER! C'mon, let's start a real debate lol :p

LOL what's in a name?

We have :-

Association Football (some call this soccer)
Rugby Union Football (some call this Rugby Union)
American Football (some call this a bunch of people wearing too much protection who can't stay on the field for more than 10 minutes without having to take a rest)





Only joking ;-)

[Padrino]

Association Football (some call this soccer)
Rugby Union Football (some call this Rugby Union)
American Football (some call this a bunch of people wearing too much protection who can't stay on the field for more than 10 minutes without having to take a rest)





Only joking ;-)

That can give you a nice debate... read and learn, politicians of the world! :D

[skywalkerbeth]

resurrecting an old thread...

and how much better is the G11 in this regard...?

[richierich1212]

resurrecting an old thread...

and how much better is the G11 in this regard...?

G11 hasn't even been released yet.

[ahobden]

It's SOCCER! C'mon, let's start a real debate lol :pjust kidding! :p

I think you'll find it's Football....

[smythie]

yes, it is a code of football, just as gridiron, rugby league, rugby union and gaelic football are all codes of football.

[skywalkerbeth]

G11 hasn't even been released yet.

I thought it was released over a week ago?

[JohnJ80]

It was announced. That is different from released.

J.

[n1as]

One of the first lessons I taught in my photography classes was to not MASH the shutter. Most students (adults) do not 1/2 press to focus then finish the 1/2 press to take the image.

No camera is fast enough to go all the way in 1 movement and capture the peak action in sports. With my 1D-II, I 1/2 press to focus then finish the press just before the action peaks. EVERY time I try to just mash all the way and let the 1D achieve focus and trip the shutter I miss the shot.

No camera I've used was fast enough to skip the 1/2 press stage.

[ShauningtoN]

N1as, I agree - but I just use back button focus and track the action all the way and then fire when it gets interesting :P

[n1as]

N1as, I agree - but I just use back button focus and track the action all the way and then fire when it gets interesting :P

Yes, that is the other sports photog trick - move AF to the back button and use the thumb to focus.