Shutter lag

The camera has to do a lot of work between the time you press the shutter release button and it takes a picture. It has to determine what the subject is and acquire focus, meter the light to set the exposure, and reconfiguring itself internally from displaying the image on the screen to saving it into memory. More sophisticated (and larger and heavier and more expensive) DSLRs alleviate the problem by throwing more hardware at it.

You can reduce the shutter lag by anticipating the action. Press the shutter release button halfway to make the camera focus and meter. Then, when the action peaks, press the shutter release button the rest of the way to take the picture.

This is a common situation with most compact point&shoot cameras. This "shutter lag" is because the camera has to do so much work when you press the shutter release button: focus on the subject, meter the light for proper exposure, and switch the electronics from viewing on the LCD to recording to memory. Larger (and more expensive) cameras have additional hardware to reduce this lag.

You can reduce the lag somewhat by anticipating the action. Press the shutter release button halfway to focus and meter. Keep it pressed halfway until the right moment, then press it the rest of the way to take the picture.

This is "shutter lag," the delay between pressing the shutter release button and the camera actually taking a picture. This is a common situation with many compact cameras. The camera has to focus on the subject, meter the exposure, and switch the circuitry from displaying on the screen to recording the image and saving it in memory. More sophisticated (and expensive) DSLRs eliminate this shutter lag by having more dedicated hardware for this.

With a compact camera, you can reduce the shutter lag by anticipating the shot. Press the shutter release button halfway to focus and meter the exposure. Continue to hold the shutter release button halfway until the right time, then press it the rest of the way.

many cameras have a slow shutter release .. when you push the button you expect it to take a picture right away .. but the camera has to first adjust for focus and determine how much light is or will be available then set itself up .. this takes time but some newer cameras do it all very quickly .. one way to get around this is to first hold the shutter button down half way .. do this early just before your subjects are where you want them .. the camera will auto focus and set itself up .. keep the trigger in that half way position until the subject is in place .. now when you push the trigger the rest of the way down, there is very little lag ... make sure that you focus on something close to where your subject will be when they are in position .. .. another speed up trick is, if your camera has manual focus .. preset the focus for where you want it and that saves the time it takes to auto focus .. there are several digital camera reviews on the interent ..they will tell you how much shutter lag you can expect for different cameras .. that can be a great help when you are ready for a new camera or want to see where your present camera performs ..

ake sure your subject is within the camera's range. You should be at least 20 inches away to take a picture without the flash, and 20 inches to 8 feet away to take a picture with the flash. You can take a picture as close as 8 inches in macro mode. When you take macro close-ups, make sure you have adequate lighting (with the flash disabled). Using a tripod will help you capture sharp pictures. Make sure you hold the camera steady after you press the shutter button (until the red light starts to flash), and your subject isn't moving. If you are shaking the camera when you lock the focus, a warning icon appears in the right corner of the LCD. If you want to photograph a moving subject, you can change the shutter speed while the camera is connected to your computer. Try increasing the shutter speed. See Chapter 4 for more information about how to change the shutter speed from the LCD menus. Make sure your flash is not set to flash off. When you focus on a nearby object, your picture's background may appear blurry. Try changing your focus.

Make sure your subject is within the camera's range. You should be at least 31 inches away to take a picture without the flash, and 31 inches to 8 feet away to take a picture with the flash. You can take a picture as close as 8 inches in macro mode. When you take macro close- ups, make sure you have adequate lighting (with the flash disabled). Using a tripod will help you capture sharp pictures. Make sure you hold the camera steady after you press the shutter button (until the red light starts to flash), and your subject isn't moving. If you are shaking the camera when you lock the focus, a warning icon appears in the right corner of the LCD. If you want to photograph a moving subject, you can change the shutter speed while the camera is connected to your computer. Try increasing the shutter speed. For more information, see Chapter 6. Make sure your flash is not set to flash off. When you focus on a nearby object, your picture's background may appear blurry. Try changing your focus.

Make sure your subject is within the camera's range. You should be at least 20 inches away to take a picture without the flash, and 20 inches to 8 feet away to take a picture with the flash. You can take a picture as close as 8 inches in macro mode (2.3" zoomed to wide). When you take macro close-ups, make sure you have adequate lighting (with the flash disabled). Using a tripod will help you capture sharp pictures. Make sure you hold the camera steady after you press the shutter button (until the red light starts to flash), and your subject isn't moving. If you are shaking the camera when you lock the focus, a warning icon appears in the right corner of the LCD. If you want to photograph a moving subject, you can change the shutter speed while the camera is connected to your computer. On the PhotoPC 3000z you can also use Program (Sports Mode) or Manual (Shutter Priority) to increase the shutter speed. Make sure your flash is not set to flash off. When you focus on a nearby object, your picture's background may appear blurry. Try changing your focus.

Try using the night mode on your FZ10, but use a tripod.

You are expecting too much for any auto mode. When shooting under low light conditions, the camera may take longer to achieve focus lock. If the subject is moving too, it will take even longer to lock focus. Try using manual focus for the conditions you described.

You are expecting too much for any auto mode. When shooting under low light conditions, the camera may take longer to achieve focus lock. If the subject is moving too, it will take even longer to lock focus. Try using manual focus for the conditions you described.