Taking a photo of the family, delaying the camera until I can get into the shot.

Did you accidentally switch the the camera to manual mode or to night shots. (night portrait) in scene?
Just chose the little camera logo on the mode dial and try again. If you still have problems I hope to hear from you.

The best settings for head-shots or close up photo is portrait and when in portrait mode, the shutter speed is a bit slow and you shouldn't move your camera away from the subject after taking the shot, you have to allow at least a fraction of a second for the image to be totally capture by the lens for a finer registry. Also if the image is a little fuzzy or grainy, you can try to set the ISO into a lower value as well. Hope this helps.

with the price of the camera, there is a delay for any action shots.
you just have to adjust for the deplay.
on the other hand, the camera is getting cheaper, you should be able to pickup a decent camera around $200 that will take action shots.

Are you sure you aren't in the delay setting in drive mode? This camera has 2 delay settings, one for 2 seconds between when you press the shutter and when it takes the photo, and one with 10 seconds delay - often used when you want to be in the photo (e.g. self-portrait or group photo).

If you aren't in the delay mode, then I need to know more about your settings. What shooting mode are you using? What type of photo are you trying to take (portrait, landscape, sports)? Are you shooting indoors, outdoors, bright sunlight, overcast, etc.?

I have the same problem - tried formatting the memory card but that didn't help.  I removed the lens and put it back on and that immediately fixed the problem.  I'm wondering if I somehow pushed a button and moved the lens enough for the camera to think it wasn't on correctly?  Anyway this seems to have solved the problem for now.  Now lets see if it lasts.

Yes, SIR! ;-)

1. Press the Func/Set button.
2. Scroll down to the Drive Mode icon (rectangle) on the left side.
3. Scroll over to 2 sec or 10 sec delay icon (clock with 2 or 10)
4. Press Func/Set button.

To return to normal shooting, select the single shot (rectangle) icon in step 3.

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 Shooting modes are as follows: PROGRAM (P)/AUTO Modes Used for general photography. The camera automatically makes the settings for natural color balance. In PROGRAM (P) the brightness (exposure compensation) can be adjusted. In AUTO mode you cannot use exposure compensation or panorama features. Portrait Suitable for taking a portrait-style shot of a person. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. Sports Suitable for capturing fast moving action without blurring. Even a fast moving object will appear to be stationary. Landscape Suitable for taking photos of landscapes and other outdoor scenes. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. Night scene Suitable for shooting pictures in the evening or at night. The camera sets a slower shutter speed than is used in normal shooting. If you take a picture of a street at night in any other mode, the lack of brightness will result in a dark picture with only dots of light showing. In this mode, the true appearance of the street is captured. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. If you use the flash, you can take pictures of both the subject and the background. Nightscene + Portrait Suitable for taking photos of your subject in the evening or at night. This setting employs a slow shutter speed, the camera should be stabilized to avoid camera shake resulting in a blurred picture. Landscape + Portrait Suitable for taking photos of both your subject and the landscape. This setting allows for both the foreground subject and background landscape to be in focus. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. Self Portrait Enables you to take a picture of yourself while holding the camera. Point the lens towards yourself and the focus will be locked on you. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. The zoom is locked to wide-angle and cannot be changed. Indoor Optimum settings for taking pictures of family gatherings and groups of friends. This mode reproduces the background clearly capturing the atmosphere. Beach Suitable for taking photos at the beach under a bright blue sky. Colors of the sky, the beach and people are reproduced vividly. Snow Optimun settings for taking pictures where backgrounds are snow fields. Settings are similar to Beach settings and colors of the sky, the greenery and people are reproduced vividly. Fireworks Optimum settings for capturing fireworks in the night sky. Since this setting employs a slow shutter speed , the camera should be stabilized to avoid camera shake resulting in a blurred picture. Sunset Optimum settings for capturing pictures of the setting sun. This mode reproduces reds and yellows vibrantly. Again, this setting employs a slow shutter speed , the camera should be stabilized to avoid camera shake resulting in a blurred picture.

The Shooting modes are as follows: Program Auto (Factory default setting) Used for regular photography. The camera automatically makes the settings for natural color balance. Other functions, such as the flash mode and metering can be adjusted manually. Portrait Suitable for taking a portrait-style shot of a person. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. Landscape Suitable for taking photos of landscapes and other outdoor scenes. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. Night scene Suitable for shooting pictures in the evening or at night. The camera sets a slower shutter speed than is used in normal shooting. If you take a picture of a street at night in any other mode, the lack of brightness will result in a dark picture with only dots of light showing. In this mode, the true appearance of the street is captured. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. If you use the flash, you can take pictures of both the subject and the background. Self Portrait Enables you to take a picture of yourself while holding the camera. Point the lens towards yourself and the focus will be locked on you. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. The zoom is fixed in the Wide position and cannot be changed. Portrait + Landscape Portrait + Landscape mode is suitable for taking photos which include both your subject and the landscape. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions.

The Shooting modes are as follows: PROGRAM (P)/AUTO Modes Used for general photography. The camera automatically makes the settings for natural color balance. In PROGRAM (P) the brightness (exposure compensation) can be adjusted. In AUTO mode you cannot use exposure compensation or panorama features. Portrait Suitable for taking a portrait-style shot of a person. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. Sports Suitable for capturing fast moving action without blurring. Even a fast moving object will appear to be stationary. Landscape Suitable for taking photos of landscapes and other outdoor scenes. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. Night scene Suitable for shooting pictures in the evening or at night. The camera sets a slower shutter speed than is used in normal shooting. If you take a picture of a street at night in any other mode, the lack of brightness will result in a dark picture with only dots of light showing. In this mode, the true appearance of the street is captured. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. If you use the flash, you can take pictures of both the subject and the background. Nightscene + Portrait Suitable for taking photos of your subject in the evening or at night. This setting employs a slow shutter speed, the camera should be stabilized to avoid camera shake resulting in a blurred picture. Landscape + Portrait Suitable for taking photos of both your subject and the landscape This setting allows for both the foreground subject and background landscape to be in focus. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. Self Portrait Enables you to take a picture of yourself while holding the camera. Point the lens towards yourself and the focus will be locked on you. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. The zoom is locked to wide-angle and cannot be changed. Indoor Optimum settings for taking pictures of family gatherings and groups of friends. This mode reproduces the background clearly capturing the atmosphere. Beach Suitable for taking photos at the beach under a bright blue sky. Colors of the sky, the beach and people are reproduced vividly. Snow Optimun settings for taking pictures where backgrounds are snow fields. Settings are similar to Beach settings and colors of the sky, the greenery and people are reproduced vividly. Fireworks Optimum settings for capturing fireworks in the night sky. Since this setting employs a slow shutter speed , the camera should be stabilized to avoid camera shake resulting in a blurred picture. Sunset Optimum settings for capturing pictures of the setting sun. This mode reproduces reds and yellows vibrantly. Again, this setting employs a slow shutter speed, the camera should be stabilized to avoid camera shake resulting in a blurred picture.