I'm looking for a new digital camera that has less lag in between picture taking. Is there a term for that?

Question

I'm just wondering what the technical term is for the period for the camera to be ready between taking one picture to the next.

Answer 1

The term 'shutter lag' refers to the delay between pressing the shutter button and the camera actually firing for that shot. The shutter lag is with the camera already focussed.
The 'shot-to-shot' speed is how fast the camera is ready to take the NEXT shot.
The shot-to-shot speed slows down when you use the flash, because the flash usually takes a few seconds to recharge - known as the 'recycle speed'.
And then there's the 'FPS' - how many frames per second the camera can take when you put it in continuous shooting mode.
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When people complain about their camera being sluggish, there's usually three things going on:
* The shutter lag. This is less than 1/10th second on all models, and virtually non-existent with digital SLR cameras.
* The auto-focus speed. Some cameras are faster than others and some take considerably longer in low light situations. It always helps to pre-focus, if you have the opportunity.
* EVF-lag. With point & shoots, the camera needs 1/10th second to project an image to the electronic viewfinder. That's 1/10th second lost, before you even press the shutter button! (Digital SLR cameras don't have that.)
So shutter lag isn't everything. Before buying a camera, look for an in-depth review at http://www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_reviews.html for the whole story!

Answer 2

It is called "shutter lag" and is referred to in testing as the "shot-to-shot" speed. This is the time from when you completely press the shutter to take a picture to the next time you can press the shutter release to take the next shot. Several factors affect this.

1. The camera (cheapy, or large number of MP).
2. The focus settings.
3. Using the flash.

Most of today's camera have a 1/10 second (or better) shutter delay and it is usually instantaneous when "pre focusing" (that's when you press the shutter halfway to focus the lens) Digital SLR's are marginally faster than a higher end P&S style camera.

Using the flash slows down the process because the camera waits for the flash to recharge before you can shoot another picture. Using autofocus at the telephoto end of the zoom range can also slow your shooting down because of longer time to aquire a focus lock.

Answer 3

It's "shutter lag," as so many have told you above.

If you want to virtually ELIMINATE shutter lag, get a digital SLR, such as the Nikon D50 or Canon EOS Rebel XTi or Pentax K100D.

Answer 4

look for cameras with fast shutter speed,
check this out
http://www.dpreview.com
Good Luck