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Don't Let Shutter Lag Ruin Your Images by Alfred deBat Are your digital images missing the action or out of focus?  You may be a victim of "shutter lag".  Here's how to get sharper, clearer pictures from your digital camera. Article rating: 8.33

One difference between a digital camera and a film camera is that, while you can take a nearly instant exposure with a film camera, most digital cameras have what is called “shutter lag,” a momentary delay after you push the shutter release before the shutter actually opens. The reason for shutter lag is the many electronic functions a digital camera must complete in order to capture a photo once the shutter release is pressed.

If you are getting out-of-focus pictures or missing the action you hoped to capture in a photo, you are probably a victim of shutter lag. Many times digital cameras don’t have time to focus correctly when you push the shutter release in a hurry. If you are getting out-of-focus pictures with an autofocus camera try this: First, position the viewfinder’s focusing target (usually cross hairs or a diamond-shaped target) directly on your subject. Make sure that the target is not on a distant wall between two subjects. Second, push the shutter release down halfway, which permits the camera to focus before the picture is taken. Hold the shutter release in the halfway position until the photo opportunity you want arrives and then depress it all the way down. This technique eliminates much of the shutter lag problem - but not all of it.

If you have fast-moving subjects, they could move out of the zone of focus before the shutter opens. Some advance digital cameras have a tracking autofocus feature, which keeps fast-moving subjects in focus until the shutter opens. If you are mainly interested in photographing speedy objects, it may be prudent to invest in one of the “follow-focus” or “tracking-focus” cameras. Check with your local photo retailer, who can help you make a camera selection.

In addition to focusing problems, photographers who shoot fast action may still release the shutter too late to get the picture they want. If this is the case, the only solution is to anticipate the action and release the shutter a moment before the subject completes the movement. Years ago, when sports photographers employed old-time press cameras, they were able to capture “peak” action this way. By trial and error, digital photographers can learn to do the same thing. (You can check your results immediately on the camera’s LCD monitor screen.) By the way, it is also helpful to put the digital camera’s subject mode selection on the “action” or “sport” mode, which is identified by a pictograph of a running man. The camera will be adjusted for the fastest shutter speed possible, so action subjects won’t be blurred due to their movement.

Another trick used by press photographers to get sharp photos of fast-moving objects is “panning.” This also takes practice to get it just right. Here, the photographer moves - or pans - the camera, following the movement of the subject while snapping the photo. When done correctly, the fast-moving subject is “frozen,” while the background is blurred due to camera movement.

Using the camera’s built-in flash can sometimes slow down the shutter response time, particularly if battery power is low. Therefore, try taking “action” photos without flash. If a camera has a continuous-capture mode, it can be set up to make an automatic series of photos. In other words, the camera automatically takes a “burst” of three or four images with a single press of the shutter release. You can hope that one of these shots is the action picture you are looking for.

This brings us to the topic of understanding your camera’s features. Without referring to the camera manual, you should know how to select the correct picture mode, turn the flash on and off, and make other common operational adjustments. Of course, you can still carry the instruction book in your camera bag for any out of the ordinary situations.

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	helps alot Posted by: pavan Jul 23, 2006 @ 10:53 AM EST
	Very Helpfull!! Posted by: Sandra Cast Jul 21, 2008 @ 8:40 PM EST

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