Re: Shutter reaction time/ was Leica bashing ...

[Paul Schliesser <paulsc@eos.net>]

> Hey guys I'm sorry I guess I'm really stupid or something. But could someone
> explain to me what the delay in the camera has to do with the Gold medal 
winner
> crossing the finish line of the 100 meter final at the Olympics ? :)

Ted,

If you are photographing very tiny slices of time (like when a runner 
hits the tape), you anticipate the instant slightly, so you press the 
shutter an instant before the picture happens. You don't hit the button 
when he hits the tape; you are panning to follow him, you anticipate what 
is about to happen, and you fire at just the right instant, all without 
consciously thinking about it. If it's a ball being caught or the peak of 
a jump, if you wait until you see it, it's too late to take the picure.

However, if there is a long delay between when you press the shutter and 
when the camera fires, it would be harder to hit a precise instant in 
time. Some SLRs have a delay close to 1/5 second _longer_ than an M. (The 
R Leicas are pretty fast, as has been mentioned). This is a very real 
problem. I've taken pictures for people with their autofocus cameras, and 
I find the delay annoying even for static subjects. How many feet will a 
ball or a runner cover in 1/5 second? If you pressed the two shutters at 
the same instant, and one camera took the picure in 15 ms and the other 
in 200, you could have the difference between a cover shot and one that 
would never get printed except on your contact sheet.

Having said that, if they know their cameras, I think most people 
automatically adjust to the delay of the one they're using, unless the 
delay is really extreme. When I first starting using an M, the quickness 
of the shutter was surprising at first, but was part of what I immediatly 
liked about it.

- - Paul