DSLRs and shutterlag

Hi, I wonder if anyone can help me - I was wondering about shutterlag and DSLRs and saw a comment on a web site that made me think...

I had always assumed that shutterlag on DSLRs was neglible - but the site (refering to an E20) said that shutterlag was a considerable problem if the LCD was in use but if the LCD was switched off and the "eye piece" was used to frame the photograph then shutterlag was not an issue.

Is this the same with all DSLRs??

Many Thanks!

I have an S2 and I don't have a problem with shutter lag. It seems to me that when I press the button, it shoots a picture.

Shutter lag w/ DSLR's (Canon D60, Fuji S2, Nikon D100 or D1x) is on the order of 1/10th to 1/40th of a second. Not really noticeable.

With that said, it's still "slower" than a Nikon F5 or F100. Is it an issue for underwater shooting? IMO, not in the least.

Cheers

James

Most people who have a consumer level camera (like my trusty Olympus 3040, etc.) have learned to use the camera with its limitations.

For film, it is equivalent to getting used to a P&S camera compared to a SLR.

I think that the DSLRs are getting much better in that respect so shutter latency is not so much of an issue these days.

I think that you need to consider what you're experience with P&S and SLRs are in the film world when you look at this problem.

For most people who've used P&S film cameras, it's a small adjustment to deal with the shutter lag on a P&S digital. For people used to shooting with SLR film cameras, I think the whole shutter lag issue becomes more significant. My personal problem is that I shoot with a Canon Elan 7 SLR camera topside, and my Sony P&S digital underwater, so I'm constantly comparing the two and lamenting the fact that I don't have a D60.

All things considered, there's a heck of a lot less shutter lag on a SLR than a P&S in the digital world, so I don't think it would be a "problem".

Tom

In response to the original question... I use an E-20, and there is no appreciable shutter lag unless the LCD is on. If you get a dSLR, you will probably rarely use the LCD as your viewfinder - they are not as smooth as on a P&S creating very stuttered images. Besides, why burn the batteries.

If you use an LCD as a viewfinder, you will naturally introduce shutter lag. THis is caused by the camera having to switch between view mode and capture mode to take the picture.

Kasey

Shutter lag is made up of several factors. The 35mm bodied D-SLRs don't suffer shutter lag because; 1) The AF motors and sensors are the same as with film cameras 2) You use the through-the-lens viewfinder for framing. You cannot use the LCD viewfinder since the shutter is closed to the world outside the camera.

The E-20 "D-SLR", and yes it is an SLR, allows the use of the LCD monitor for framing. It splits off the light to allow viewfinder framing, also. It uses a two-stop AF process, which is pretty good by consumer digicam standards, but quite slow compared to its 35mm cousins.

The E-20 has a very slow write time for some reason. If you use the LCD monitor for framing, it will slow you down big time. To see your focus, the LCD screen must continually refresh itself as you move. The image must be written before you can use the LCD screen again. That is a full 10 seconds minimum between shots. If you use the viewfinder without the LCD screen, delay times are pretty decent.

Regardless, 35mm film based D-SLRs have unnoticeable shutter lag.

I don't think that shutter lag that we refer to is the result of AF speed. Digicams have shutter lag even when manually focused.

I think of shutter lag in digicams as the time it takes for the camera to switch from view mode to capture mode. With a D-SLR, there is no "view" mode unless the LCD is on which introduces shutter lag. Some DSLRs like the D30 don't have a view mode (so I've heard) - you must use the viewfinder. Therefore it is impossible to introduce shutterlag. The E-20 has a view mode that is not as smooth as a digicam, and is pretty useless underwater. With the LCD off, the CCD is ready to capture the image, and does so the instant the shutter is open - just like film.

Kasey

James,

why S2 but not D100 ???

what housing do you use?

thanks;)

For some reason, the S2 seems to be the better camera when it comes to using an external flash. Since that's just about ALL we do underwater, the S2 is the better choice for uw shooting, in my humble opinion. The S2 will do TTL metering with underwater strobes and the D100 and D60 will not.

Phil Askey noticed the same thing during his tests. Here is a quote from his review page:

"As you can see the D100 appears to have some kind of issue metering the internal and external flash correctly. Both of these shots have come out underexposed, to see how these images should have looked I have also included thumbnails of the same sequence of shots taken with a Fujifilm S2 Pro"

You can read the rest on the D100 review here.

The S2 will also run on 4AA batteries which is a plus for folks that already use them and have a good charger. Also nice if your strobes use AA's too.

Cheers

James

I used to have a Canon D30, now I have a D60, and shutter lag is a non-issue. It's in something like the 50 msec range -- unnoticeable. *Focus* lag can be significant in very poor light/low contrast situations, but I rarely have any issue with that due to the shooting conditions I favor (outside).

There are many performance advantages to an SLR; focus speed, lack of shutter lag, continutous shooting at 3+fps, superior optics, higher ISO sensitivity, lower noise, etc. etc. Of course they cost more, but IMO worth it.

Sean,

The D60 doesn't work with TTL, so how do you control the amout of strobe you fire?