shutter speed & lag time?????

[OUR 1ST DISNEY TRIP]

I currently have a poloroid 2.0 digital camera it only has 2x zoom but it is horribly slow at snapping the picture. By the time it takes the pic the "perfect pic" has moved. You snap the pic then have to hold the camera still till it flashes before it acually takes the pic. I hate when you try to take a pic of someting movine that you have to push the button before the object gets in front of you and hope you catch it.
Any way i am researching for a new camera and i am stuck with what i am to look for. What is shutter speed? what is lag time? when i read a discription and it says Vivitar 5 MP Vivcam 5386 Digital Camera Shutter Speed 1/1000 Second(s) or Sony 6 MP Cybershot DSC-S600 Digital Camera Shutter Speed 1/8 to 1/2000 Second(s) Auto 1 to 1/2000 Second(s) Programmed Auto what does this mean? Is this fast?

I need a camera that i can take to disney in sept that is better than the one i have now. I dont have a lot of money so i dont need the best but just need some thing that will take nice pics. i prefer to stay under $200 but $250 max. Thanks

 

[Ratpack]

Shutter speed is how fast the shutter will open and close to let light in. It is completely different from lag time. This lag time is why I upgraded to a DSLR and that is about the only way you can get away from lag totally. Some of the higher end point and shoot cameras are faster than what you have but I believe all to suffer lag time. The other way to reduce it is know it is there and plan on it.

 

[RadioNate]

well no camera under $250 will be perfect or eliminate shutter lag.

If I were you I'd look at the Canon A610 or A620

 

[JR6ooo4]

We tried the Canon 650 (if I remember the number right) it was $350. It had some bad shutter lag. $30 more and we got the Canon S2. We call it the Rebel XT Junior because of the great features. It could be labled a "prosumer" camera. ANd the lag was less than half of the previous cam. But the added features take up room. It is not small enough to fit in a pocket. There is a newer model now, the S3.

good reviews are available at
www.dpreview.com

Mikeeee

 

[0bli0]

What is shutter speed?

the amount of time that light is be let onto the film or sensor. on many point and shoot cameras, an electronic shutter is used. some have both mechanical and electronic shutters. dslrs have mechanical shutters. an electronic shutter electonically enables and disables the sensor. 1/200 second means the shutter turns on, receives light for 1/200 of a second, then turns off - dumping the results into the buffer.

on a mechanical shutter, there are two curtains that move past the sensor, letting a tiny bit of light inbetween. generally speaking high speed shutters are mechanical or a mechanical & electronic hybrid. it is important to note that the sensor (or film) does not see the image at the same time. if you are taking a 1/2000 of a second shot, this means the curtains are letting 1/2000 of a second of light on any one spot at a time, but it typically takes about 1/250 of a second or more for the curtains to cross the sensor, depending on the shutter. take a dremel with a bit that has vertical lines or ridges in it, spin it up to 10,000 rpm, and take a high speed photo. you will not be able to keep the vertical lines straight.

note - you cannot use a flash to do this experiment, since the sensor is not completely exposed at the same time. the highest speed the flash will sync is usually the same speed that the shutter curtains cross the sensor - around 1/250 second. now, with some cameras and some flash units, you can use what is called high speed sync. this bascially flashes a bunch of lower strength pulses to ensure the flash is fired while the sensor is exposed. this will significantly reduce the guide number of the flash - but it is good for fill for sports.

what is lag time?

the time between when you decide to take the photo and when the image is taken. some element of lag is attributed to the mental process transmitted to the movement of your finger - this is suprisingly longer than you might think if you are looking to capture a moment. the rest is camera shutter release lag. the camera may need to focus before taking the shot. then, if the sensor needs to turn on (charge up if it is a CCD). then the shutter mechanism needs to activate. btw most CMOS based sensors have less shutter release lag than CCD, although most now charge the CCD when half-pressing to focus. dslrs generally have very minimul shutter release lag.

you can help decrease some of the lag by using your finger to set the focus and charge up the sensor often. on a dslr, use a single focus point so when the focus does activate, it's your desired subject. learn to anticipate (especially in sports or with young kids).

 

[Kelly Grannell]

I don't know about US pricing, but pocketable camera with more than decent ISO 1600 capability with VERY fast startup time and minimal lag time, get a Fuji F10.