Delayed shutter When I push the button to take the picture, the shutter delays and I lose the action shot

This is a common situation with almost all point-and-shoot cameras. The delay is because the camera has to do so much when you push the button. Bulkier and more expensive SLRs eliminate the delay by having more hardware to handle the various tasks.

You can reduce the delay by anticipating the action. If you know where the action is going to happen (a child blowing out the candles on a cake, or right in front of a soccer goal, for example) aim the camera there and press the shutter button halfway and hold it there. This meters the exposure and focuses the lens. Then when the action finally happens, press the shutter button the rest of the way. With the camera having done most of the work when you pressed the button halfway, there will be much less delay.

Again, the delay is a basic "feature" of the camera design. It can't be completely eliminated, but by pressing the shutter release halfway it can be reduced.

Manual:
http://www.kodak.com/global/plugins/acrobat/en/service/manuals/urg01041/C182_xUG_GLB_en.pdf

Page 11

Using the self-timer
Use the self-timer when you want to be included in a picture, or to ensure a steady
Shutter button press. Place the camera on a tripod or flat surface.
1 In any picture-taking mode, press the Info button to turn on the shortcut icons.
2 Press to highlight the self-timer icon. Press to choose a setting:
10 seconds- A picture is taken after a 10-second delay (so you have time
to get into the scene).
2 seconds- A picture is taken after a 2-second delay (for a steady, shutter
release on a tripod).
2 shot- The first picture is taken after a 10-second delay. A second picture
is taken 8 seconds later.
3 Compose the scene. Press the Shutter button halfway, then completely down.
The camera takes the picture/pictures after the delay.
Use the same procedure to take a 2- or 10-second self-timer video, but press the
Shutter button completely down.

OHH - I can met this problem before , the camera is trying to auto focus and in the time it does the focus the action has passed.
Take a light & speed setting - then switch to manual mode OR manual focus , this will eliminate the AUTO focus looking for best light reading distance etc.
Some cameras also have a "fast" setting which is usually a 'running man' icon - click this button and the picture will drop back to 5mpixels but it will take a quick shot instead of saving then scanning at a slower speed.

Ray

With autofocus digital cameras, blurred photos are almost always a result of camera shake. You need to hold the camera still even after pressing the button, as there is often a short delay before the shutter fires.

Many digital cameras have a two-stage shutter press- first pressure causes the camera to focus, then the follow through pressure takes the picture. If you are rushing this, you may get unfocussed shots.

If you take lots of action pictures, you will have to work on a technique of partially pressing the shutter to get focus in anticipation of the shot (perhaps focussing on where the action will occur), then holding it part-pressed until the moment you want to capture. This is really no more of a problem than setting an anticipatory focus on a manual focussing film camera use to be. Some more complex digital cameras will allow you to turn off auto focus and focus manually.

Hi, Follow these steps:
1. In any Still mode, tap Settings to open the Settings panel.
2. Tap Self-Timer/Burst repeatedly, until the desired Self-timer icon appears at the bottom of the LCD: 10 seconds—A picture is taken after a 10-second delay (so you have time to get into the scene). 2 seconds—A picture is taken after a 2-second delay (for a steady, auto-shutter release on a tripod). 2 shot—The first picture is taken after a 10-second delay. A second picture is taken 8 seconds later.
3. Compose the scene. Press the Shutter button halfway, then completely down. The camera takes the picture/pictures

1 In any Still mode, press the button repeatedly to choose: 10 seconds?A picture is taken after a 10-second delay (so you have time to get into the scene). 2 seconds?A picture is taken after a 2-second delay (for a steady, auto-shutter release on a tripod). 2 shot?The first picture is taken after a 10-second delay. A second picture is taken 8 seconds later. 2 Compose the scene. 3 Press the Shutter button halfway, then completely down.

On your Cyber-shot DSC-W55 locate the control button:




Using the self-timer

Press on the control button repeatedly until the desired mode is selected.


Conditions of the self-timer lamp:
(No indicator): Not using the self-timer
: Setting the 10-second delay self-timer (picture is taken after 10 seconds)
: Setting the 2-second delay self-timer (picture is taken after 2 seconds)

Press the shutter button, the self-timer lamp flashes, and a beep sounds until the shutter operates.

Hope this helps.
Thank you.

are you using mirror lock-up or live-view feature?

Melzim, another user, is exactly right. The lower-end digital cameras experience a significant shutter delay when using the camera; it's an unfortunate fact. 
What you can do, outside of investing in a newer model (which do have improvements over the earlier models) is simply try to anticipate your subject's movement - or concentrate on portraiture, etc. 
There is a huge value, over time, in having pictures of smiling families, standing still, believe it or not. 
The A85 is simply not the camera to use to freeze action.
-lizwb

The longest part of the shutter delay is caused by the autofocus mechanism. Most cameras will let you press the button half-way down and wait until the autofocus is locked. Then wait for the action to occur. When you press the button the remaining distance, there will be a shutter delay of about 0.2 seconds before the picture is taken. Using that technique will let you capture action shots. There is no way to improve shutter delay on any particular camera. The newer digital cameras are showing improvement in this area. Some are achieving autofocus lock in 0.4 seconds and shutter delay of an additional 0.1 seconds.