A couple of months ago I was reading a publication that specializes in the Apple Macintosh. I use Macs, and the articles and reviews are good. And since Macs are used a lot by the creative segment, the publication reviews related products like cameras. I was curious to see what the reviewer said about a DSLR I had recently purchased. Overall, they liked the camera, but one of the “faults” they talked about was excessive shutter lag.
Shutter lag is a phenomenon that is a real problem with most point and shoot cameras and some of the early DSLRs. Shutter lag, if you are not familiar with the term is a delay between the time you press the shutter button and when the shutter actually fires. Since much of photography is about freezing the moment, shutter delay will get you pictures of your kids right after the smile went away. Or you might get a picture of the smoke curling up from the candles on the birthday cake instead of the subject dramatically blowing with their face illuminated by the flame.
My experience with this camera was totally different. When I used it, there was not even a hint of shutter lag. Camera magazines and on-line reviews rated this DSLR as having no perceptible shutter lag and that is one of the reasons I decided to buy it.
I found out that the author of the review was familiar with 35 mm film cameras but had very little experience with Digital. What I discovered was a lack of familiarity with how the metering and auto focus works on a digital camera. If you are new to digital, you may experience the same problems as the reviewer did.
The reviewer had an expectation of the shutter firing the moment the shutter was pressed. Kind of like the expectation that a pistol will fire the moment the trigger is pulled. Depending on how the camera settings are selected on a DSLR this may or may not happen. With some settings, you can hold the shutter button down until the cows come home and the shutter won’t release!
On most digital cameras, the shutter release is two stage. Press down lightly on the shutter and you will feel a point where there is slightly more resistance, but the shutter won’t fire. What happens here is you have turned on the metering and auto focus mechanisms. The camera analyzes what you are aiming at and adjusts the focus. It also analyzes the brightness and quality of the light and decides which aperture and/or shutter speed will give proper exposure unless you are in manual mode. Many cameras will give you an indication that it has locked focus and is ready to shoot. Then press slightly harder and the shutter fires.
This is the time that real shutter lag occurs. On my new DSLR, once it sees that the lens is in focus and exposure is good, there is no lag when the button is pressed all the way down and the shutter fires instantly. On my older point and shoot camera, the shutter fires about half a heartbeat after the shutter button is pressed all the way down.
Many DSLRs have a setting that prevents the shutter from firing until the focus has locked onto something. These almost always give you an indication in the viewfinder that it could find something to focus on. The idea is to prevent wasted shots on things that are not in focus. Most cameras will have a hard time focusing on things that don’t have much contrast. Examples might be a clear blue sky or a plain white wall.
If this happens, you can usually place one of the focus points in the viewfinder on something that is the same distance away from the camera, press halfway down and let the camera lock the focus and then move the camera to recompose before pressing down harder to fire the shutter. Or you can change the camera settlings to allow the shutter to fire without having a focus lock. Consult your camera’s manual on how to set up your camera this way. Some cameras will have more than one way to lock the focus before releasing the shutter. If your camera is equipped with a focus lock button, you will have the option of pressing this button and then recomposing before releasing the shutter.
When there is a lot of action going on, you will have to “anticipate” the action by pressing the shutter button halfway down so the camera can set the focus and exposure. Then at the peak of action, take the shot. This will take some practice, so don’t get discouraged. This can be done with even a point and shoot where there is a perceptible shutter lag. You just have to time the shutter release to just before the peak of action. A little harder, but it can be done.
The mistaken perception of the reviewer above is a good illustration of the importance of taking some time to read the owner’s manual and taking some time to practice with any new camera. Don’t make the mistake that many people make. They buy a new camera a day or two before the birthday party, reunion, or vacation. Then they show up and haven’t even read the owner’s manual. They usually are disappointed and frustrated because even a simple point and shoot has settings and options that aren’t necessarily obvious.
Like any complex piece of machinery or electronics, your results will improve as you learn more about it and practice. With cameras, the more you have to think about what you want to do, the less time you will actually have available for taking pictures.
