SHOOTING DIGITALSHOOTING DIGITALOne of the annoying "features" of some digital cameras is the delay between the time you push the shutter release button and the time the shutter actually opens and closes.
I've created a short QuickTime movie that will help you evaluate the delay your camera has.
Get out your camera, then download this QuickTime movie to your computer and run it with the QuickTime Player.
Watch the movie through your camera's viewfinder. It starts with a countdown timer on a black background with beeps and numbers: 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1. Each beep/number represents one second. They are designed to help you get set to push the shutter release at -0-. When you see -0-, snap a photo of the screen.
Examine the picture you just made. Numbers on a white background are tenths of a second up to 1 second which starts the beige background times ( 1.0 seconds to 1.9 seconds ). 2 seconds to 2.5 seconds are on a blue background. The number you see is the amount of shutter lag your camera has.
Try the test several times.
Shooting-Digital.com is the companion site for a new book Shooting Digital: Pro Tips for Taking Great Pictures with Your Digital Camera written by Mikkel Aaland. I was the Technical Editor of the book. Shooting-Digital.com is also an educational site devoted to all aspects of digital imaging. Topics include shooting, acquiring, using and sharing digital images. Check it out!
Copyright 2003 by Frederick L. Shippey, Electronic Imaging Consulting