Shutter lag and the x100

Jim Kuo

The man in the hat
Thanks for this.

I use zone focus most of the time so X100's slow auto focus is less of an issue to me. However, it still suffers from some shutter lag (from fully press shutter button to actually taking of a picture) even if aperture, shutter speed, ISO, white balance had already been manually set. Just as a reference, my 5D2 doesn't have this shutter lag when everything is set manually.

I wonder if RX100 suffers any shutter lag (from full press) in full manual mode?
 
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Unfortunately, sometimes it does when you are chasing those illusive decisive moments on the streets ;)
 
Hmm ... It's so hard to quantify...

Have you an example of a shot that you have missed due to the lag of the x100?

I always used to say that the d3 felt more responsive than the d700, I think there may have been a slight difference in shutter lag but nothing that would have effected my work.

I have these three cameras to hand this morning ... I would say, if pushed, in order of shutter lag, fastest first - Nikon d800 - sony rx100 - Fuji x100
 
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Thanks for following up, this is one example.

7622415938_802e2e9c2f_z.jpg


I noticed the monk walking towards me suddenly and I clicked the shutter button when he was in the center of the frame, the camera did not fire the shot until much later (although it was really a fraction of a second). Although the final result is somewhat interesting, it is not what I intended...

Edit: I guess a good shutter lag comparison test would be similar to the example above, both you and your subject walking toward each other, then you take a shot (from full press the shutter, but have all settings set manually) when your subject is at the center of the frame, and compare the images you end up. :)
 
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Do you have a version with the exif data intact, im quite intrigued to see the settings under the circumstances.

Is it not possible that you just missed the (intended) shot? (I quite like it too btw)

At worst I cant see how the difference between the canon fully manual and fuji fully manual could be more than half a second different?

Say there is half a second difference, if that chap was walking at 3mph or about 1.3mps he would have travelled about 0.7 meters in this half second...
Would 70cm further away from the camera have got the shot?? Maybe it would ...
But I might suggest better technique/more practice/greater awareness of surroundings would help solve that problem as much or more than a faster camera??

We are talking very short periods of time here, and Im not just trying to say i am a better photographer but I cant think of a time where I have had an issue with shutter lag for a long time ...
older digital compacts used to suffer badly with it ... but I certainly never noticed when shooting with the x100 in the sort of manner you are alluding to

I assume you are using the camera with the ofv? either electronic screen has the potential to increase shutter lag I would think ...

On the subject of the rx100, I really cant detect any shutter lag when shooting manual focus!
You should pop into a camera shop and give one a go, I suspect you will like it ... Its also less showy than the x100 ;)
 
Do you have a version with the exif data intact, im quite intrigued to see the settings under the circumstances.

But I might suggest better technique/more practice/greater awareness of surroundings would help solve that problem as much or more than a faster camera??

This is the link to EXIF Exif | Untitled | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

I agree about adjusting technique to suit the behaviours of the camera, and I strive to improve my techniques as much as possible to work with the equipment I use. However, this doesn't change the fact that X100 lags a little more than my liking. As a result, X100 requires me to work a bit harder than my 5D2 does on normal street environment.

(having said that, I am not looking to change camera :), I am still alternating between the two as X100 does do some things better than 5D2.)
 
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The D700 has almost violently fast focus compared to the Fuji cameras, but I still use pre-focus on every shot with it. I might add that this is a technique I adopted from my very first experiences with auto-focus cameras back in the film era.


  • Anticipate the moment,
  • make sure the camera's focusing can identify the subject,
  • do a half-press on the shutter and confirm the subject is in focus,
  • nudge the shutter to capture the decisive-moment.

Zero failure due to camera. Occasional failure due to inattentive photographer.

In fact, this is rooted in shooting long before there were automatic cameras. Manual focus was incredibly slow in comparison. Shooting sports, one developed a feeling where the peak of action would probably occur, and pre-focused upon the spot. The idea of actual follow-focus so common now, would have been seen as a demented product of over-active imagination. The time of anticipation is vastly shorter now, and focus is incredibly quick, but both still require the use of a photographer's mind. Speed of focus is of no consequence, since the camera is always totally in focus long before the moment.
 
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