How do I get it to take a pic quicker?

[Quetzal]

Would someone please help me, a complete novice at this.
Question: When I go to take a pic w/ my coolpix 5600 there is a 1 sec or so delay which translates into getting the tail of the moray eel instead of its head as it passes thru a shipwreck. How do I get it to take a pic quicker?

 

[alcina]

If you prefocus by doing the half press and then recomposing it should be faster.

Add more light so the camera can easily identify what you want to focus on.

Practice anticipating the movement of your subject in the frame...combine this with prefocus and it makes a good work around for the normal delay in some compact digitals.

Have fun!

 

[Quetzal]

If you prefocus by doing the half press and then recomposing it should be faster.

Add more light so the camera can easily identify what you want to focus on.

Practice anticipating the movement of your subject in the frame...combine this with prefocus and it makes a good work around for the normal delay in some compact digitals.

Have fun!

Thanks, so there is no setting that I have wrong?

 

[Jeff=Dive]

no pun intended, but its a point and shoot, not a SLR which takes the picture instantaneously, provided the subject is in focus. What can make it take the pic faster is if you bump up the ISO, make it higher, but beware of "grain" the higher it gets, sense it reduces image quality... this will become more aparent with darker images. ISO is the speed at which the sensor/film absorbs light. Other than that, all you can really do is what QUETZAL said.

 

[Quetzal]

no pun intended, but its a point and shoot, not a SLR which takes the picture instantaneously, provided the subject is in focus. What can make it take the pic faster is if you bump up the ISO, make it higher, but beware of "grain" the higher it gets, sense it reduces image quality... this will become more aparent with darker images. ISO is the speed at which the sensor/film absorbs light. Other than that, all you can really do is what QUETZAL said.

Thanks for that simple explanation of what an SLR camera is.
I'm not very good with cameras. Or maybe I knew that before but forgot it.

So what is the highest ISO setting you would go with under water?

 

[Jeff=Dive]

That entirely depends on the camera, and also the amout of light. If there is lots of light, then you can have a lower ISO to have richer color in the shot.. but still maintain a fast shutter speed.. anything faster than 1/100th. If there is little light, and you want to keep the shutter speed fast.. then raise the ISO to compensate for the lack of light, either that or raise the output level of the flash to discharge more light.. but don't forget about grain the higher the ISO.

I have a Nikon D70s.. the ISO ranges from 200 - 1600. I normally run 800 to 1000 indoors. If the subject is in direct sunlight or even through clouds, I can run 500 or even lower, and still have a shutter speed around 1/500 or faster.

The absolute best website for camera knowledge and howto's is www.kenrockwell.com
He's a pro, no nonsense, tell it like it is type of guy that does an excellent job of explaining "how to" do just about anything with a camera.. and why. Check it out.. you won't be dissapointed.

 

[pcarlson1911]

Jeff - I agree with what you are saying, but I think Quetzal has a different issue. ISO is the sensor's sensitivity to light, however, it should have no effect on the speed that the camera is able to focus, and then release the shutter. your suggestion would yield a faster shutter speed, but, I think Quetzal is interested in the shutter firing as soon as he presses the button.

Quetzal -
1. Make sure red eye reduction is turned OFF. This setting uses a 1-5 second burst of light to shrink the pupils of the subject. this would account for some of the delay if the featrue is turned on.

2. Focus and pan with the subject (already mentioned.) As the subject is moving, move the camera with it. This may take practice, and the background may be blurred, but when don properly, the picture can have a nice quality of movement.

3. Check Nikon's website for an upgrade of the firmware. Firmware is the computer program that runs the camera. Shutter lag is a well know long time problem in digital cameras. Firmware upgrades may have been released to help reduce this problem. A more efficient computer prog. could mean faster release, or faster focus.

4. Upgrade. The newer the camera, the less lag.

Jeff - you are right about Ken rockwell. I have been reading his sight for several? years. alwasy excellent facts and opinions.

 

[Jeff=Dive]

Good point on the red eye Paul. I didn't think of that. I don't know that you'll ever do away with the lag in response, that's just the nature of a point and shoot, and that's why I have a slr, for speed.

 

[RonFrank]

no pun intended, but its a point and shoot, not a SLR which takes the picture instantaneously, provided the subject is in focus. What can make it take the pic faster is if you bump up the ISO, make it higher, but beware of "grain" the higher it gets, sense it reduces image quality... this will become more aparent with darker images. ISO is the speed at which the sensor/film absorbs light. Other than that, all you can really do is what QUETZAL said.

I think this post is confusing shutter speed with shutter lag.

Bumping up the ISO may allow one to use a faster shutter, but it's not going to get the camera to shoot faster.

The main reason behind shutter lag on a PnS is focus speed, so as Alcina indicated, getting the image focused then framing and shooting will help with the delay, but not eliminate it.

The other *trick* is that if the subject is moving prefocusing may result in OOF shots as the subject is going to move before the image is captured. Depending upon the DOF, and the subject to film plane angle this can be a minimal problem, or result in a completely OOF shot.

This is a limitation of PnS camera's. They are getting better, and some are reportedly very good, but I just don't think the focus mechanisms are ever going to equal an SLR which can focus and fire in milliseconds under idea situations, and offers things likes dynamic focus tracking, etc.

 

[RonFrank]

The absolute best website for camera knowledge and howto's is www.kenrockwell.com

I have a love hate relationship with Ken. I think he imparts a lot of knowledge, but as to the BEST website for knowledge, IMO there are MUCH better resources available.

His articles range from useful, to highly subjective opinions stated as fact which many find absurd. The trick is knowning which is which!