Reducing Shutter Lag

What Is Shutter Lag?

Shutter lag is the delay on digital cameras from when you press the shutter-release button to when the photo is taken.When you first make the switch to digital,it can throw you off a bit and lead to blurred photos and people looking away.However,both newbies and more seasoned digital shooters can overcome it with a bit of practice

and knowledge and soon you’ll be shooting as comfortably as you used to with your film camera.

With a film camera the shutter-release process is mechanical,so there is no lag beyond any auto-focusing that may happen.But with digital, your commands have to be processed by a tiny onboard computer. First the camera has to focus,then the onboard computer wipes the CCD clean of the information from the previous photo before your photo is taken.(The CCD is the digital equivalent of film.)

Optical vs.Interpolated Resolution

Do you know the difference? If not,you could end up with a digital camera that has less resolution that you’d hoped.In turn,this can translate into fewer printing and editing options.Plus,there are other benefits to knowing the ins and outs of optical and interpolated resolution for your camera or prospective camera,such as saving time

when taking,printing and sharing photos.

Pixels and Image Sensors

The optical resolution of any camera is a number that represents the collection of pixels on the surface of the image sensor or CCD (charged coupled device).This is the base number that determines how clear and sharp your photos will be under various circumstances

These circumstances include when your photos are:viewed on your computer screen at full size;zoomed in to various levels while onscreen;cropped and resized for viewing or printing;printed at the standard size of 4x6;printed at 5x7;and,printed at larger sizes such as 8x10 and over.

In each of the above cases,you must have enough resolution so that the pixels are either not obvious,or,better yet,not noticeable without close examination.For professionals and most enthusiasts,the goal is for them not to be noticeable at all.

Digital vs.Film (Analog) Resolution

What is the most important aspect of any digital camera? Resolution. Which is why the first thing you’ll see in advertising for any camera is how much resolution it has measured in megapixels (millions of pixels;pixels is a loose acronym for “picture elements”).

Resolution Measurements

Resolution is the paramount concern in digital photography because it refers to the quality and clarity of an image.In the digital world resolution is measured in dots per inch (dpi),pixels per inch (ppi),or in the case of cameras, megapixels (mp).

So,if resolution measured in megapixels is the most important aspect of any digital camera purchase,how do you know what is good,better and best? Or,at a minimum,what you will need? To gain a fuller understanding of these questions and how to answer them,it makes sense to start at the beginning and examine the differences between digital and film resolution and between digital resolution and what we see with our eyes.

Bits vs.Analog

Digital files of any type,whether audio,video,graphics or photographs have in common that they are a collection of bits.So,sight and sound information from the real,“analog”world is taken and converted to a bit”format that can be calculated and displayed or played back by computers.

In the world of photography,the limitation of bits,generated from pixel information,is that they lack subtlety.A bit is square in shape and can only be one color.So,a transition from one color or shade to another must be made up of a series of very small,but nevertheless blocky steps. 

This is not the case with film (or analog) photography,because the entire image is made from light of different wave lengths as captured within one large rectangle of celluloid film.As such,it can and does have smooth,continuous transitions between colors and shapes. The great thing about digital cameras now – as opposed to the early days when only 1mp cameras were available – is that the size of the transitional steps between pixels has gotten much smaller as higher megapixel cameras have become more common and affordable.

Getting the Right Digital Camera

Thinking of buying a new digital camera? Here are the key areas to consider when making your move from film to digital or when upgrading to your next digital camera.Specific articles that explore each of the areas listed below are also included in this section.

Resolution

This term refers to the quality and clarity of an image.In the digital world,it is generally measured in pixels.For printing,pixels per inch is the standard measurement (sometimes called “dots per inch,”though the two are not identical in meaning).In the case of cameras,resolution is measured in megapixels.Resolution is the one of the most important aspects of any digital camera purchase.

When it comes to deciding on the right level of resolution,the most important question you need to ask yourself is:“Am I going to want to print enlargements and/or crop and edit my photos before printing them at regular size?”

If you never print anything other than 4”x 6”pictures,a 2 megapixel camera should serve you just fine.However,if you would like to have the option to enlarge your pictures to 5”x7” ,8”x10”or larger,consider a 3,4 or 5 megapixel camera.This also holds true if you want the option to perform significant edits on your digital photos,such as cropping and resizing.

Basically,bigger is better when it comes to megapixels.Although, when shooting at higher resolutions,you will need more storage capacity as your image file sizes will be significantly larger.

Lenses (Optical Zoom)

Most mid-level and higher digital cameras have great zoom lenses. On digital cameras,optical zooms are measured by their magnification factor:2x,3x,etc.For comparison purposes,it is often easier to ask what the 35mm equivalent is.This is because the magnification measurements don’t specify what size lens it is that’s zooming. For instance,a 2x zoom lens could mean a 28mm-56mm zoom, a 35mm-70mm zoom,or a 50mm-100mm zoom (expressed in 35mm equivalents).These lenses would all have different properties,so it is worth asking for 35mm equivalents to be sure you understand what you’re getting