Burst mode...just how important...

[TooManyShots]

Originally Posted by Cozmocha

All I gotta say, I was shooting a pga tournament and somebody else was using a 1DX. When you hear 12 fps through a swing it was shocking at first. Not sure if many need that many frames per second but when your goal is to get the peak moment of what ever it sure helps. Then most basketball by NBA, Getty, and SI are done single shot with strobes. Skill and knowledge of the game always helps.

Strobes are different because.....you can't expect your flash to fire off 12 fps without blowing up the flash tube and burning down the flash. FYI, I am speaking from experience...

[CyberDyneSystems]

I don't shoot bursts as often as I did in the past, but the "spec" still has a lot of meaning.
I like to trigger my shots and time them, but need a camera that can keep up. I found I can trigger 5-6 FPS with a camera that can keep up.

...that said, my 1D3 can do 10 FPS,.. every so often, I just let it fly!

[Biffbradford]

http://www.pxleyes.com/blog/2011/07/...n-before-1925/

121 Professional Vintage Sport Photos Taken Before 1925

Just ran across these. Check 'em out. Most taken on glass plates. No 'burst mode' back then!

[arich]

I use it in spots. If I'm shooting a corner kick I have no idea whats going to happen at the goal so I use it then. I use it for big plays in baseball (diving catches, throws home, etc.) and some drives to the hoop or final second heroics in basketball.

I actually probably use it more in my PJ work than I do in sports to be honest.

[jasonkrasnov]

The speed at which successive photographs can be captured depends on a variety of factors, mainly the "throughput" speed – how fast information moves from one part of the camera's electronics to the next – and the processing power of the camera.

The size of the images matters too; the larger the in-camera file size of an image, the fewer you will be able to shoot in a row, before the buffer fills.

Comparing a camera's Burst Rate specs, you will almost always find it is lower for RAW files than for JPEGs. Memory cards have a role here as well; the faster a card is at writing data and allowing access to the card, the longer the burst rate can be sustained.

If you would like to read more on Burst modes, this is actually data I got from a Canon Blog article, posted on their Digital Learning Center.

[firefighter4u]

I just look at it as another tool in my bag. If it helps me get the money shot then so be it - I still have to have the knowledge and experience in order to capture the moment.

[waterrockets]

Good thread. For anyone like me shooting with a Rebel, I find that I am careful with my bursts. I shoot RAW, and the buffer fills after 5 shots. In soccer, as a play is developing, I try to predict the inflection points and take carefully-timed single shots up until that point, then unload a short burst, and hope to have some buffer for the rest of the play.

For swimming, I really only have two useful shots per stroke, but I will outrun my buffer even with 2-shot bursts. With 12 fps, I can see how I'd have a lot more options, but I don't know that I'd want to deal with that many shots when I get home. I guess if it was my job...

I figure I'm learning the timing pretty well. I've developed my shutter touch to the point that I can apply about 80% of the pressure needed to fire, and have a very small and predictable delay when I decide to actually fire. This helps a ton.

I also remember that the "Immaculate Reception" was captured in 1972. Composition is less than ideal, but pretty good timing.

At any rate, I'm still debating my biggest limiter between FPS and lens reach, and saving to tackle one of those in the next year, without my wife tackling me with the budget.

[Noitca]

What I have found with little league baseball and soccer: 3 fps burst = barely burst at all. You still have to employ some timing, which I usually try to time the first shot, then let 1 or 2 more fire "just in case". I delete a lot of photos. LOL.

I hear ya on the gear bit. I want so much to upgrade the IQ I get with a better lens. Stupid budget and responsibility!