Shutter Lag

Tip: Keep the camera still for a few seconds even after you depress the shutter release button.

For conventional cameras, the time lag from the moment your finger depresses the shutter release button till the moment the shutter opens is virtually negligible. On the other hand, for most digital cameras, there is a noticeable time lag which varies across the many camera models. Response time is especially slow on the cheaper models. For some makes, there are small beeps or clicks to let the user know when the picture has been taken. For others, the image taking process is so quiet that you may not even know if the camera has responded. You may think that this is an advantage over conventional SLRs with the noisy slap of the mirror, or the sound of the shutter of a rangefinder. On the contrary, many professionals miss the reassuring slap of the mirror in an SLR!