Re: [Leica] R8 Shutter release time lag

[Ted Grant <tedgrant@islandnet.com>]

Robert wrote:
>Both you and Ted are probably always dealing with Pro level cameras where
>this lag thing is a moot point.  Borrow an EOS Elan or Rebel and try it and
>then see if this lag is important.>>>>

Sorry Robert old buddy, the lag time isn't relevant for you, Harrison or
myself as we're not playing with rebels and toys r us cameras.

The muddling of your thought process with these techie details only
screws-up  your inherent instinct as a shooter. It gets into the thought
process and then you find yourself thinking, "lag time" instead of "shoot
now!"

I honestly have never ever thought about any of these details whatsoever
and what you don't know wont hurt you. But if you start messing with your
reaction time thoughts/process to the action, you'll mess up big time.

It's techie things like "lag time." You as a sports photographer don't need
to know, unless you are dealing in some type of scientific photography,
then it might have some relevance. Otherwise don't even waste your time
thinking about it.

<<<Try it with hockey and see how far the puck goes before the shutter is
released when using a consumer grade camera>>>>>

But if you're not using a consumer grade box, why concern yourself with the
clutter of something not relevant to your picture taking.  Even then with a
consumer grade camera, if you  didn't know, you'd still be shooting great
sports pictures purely from reaction instinct.

Besides, how can you tell how far the puck has gone using any kind of
camera unless everything is wired for a technical measurement? I mean even
your eye, brain, nerve ending, finger tip reaction allows the puck to
travel some distance before the finger twitches and the shutter releases.
So which is more important, your own reflex action or the camera shutter
release lag time?

Before I went to any major Games, I always set-up with a camera and long
lens, 280, 400 or whatever at the side of the highway.  Shooting a pile of
film, working on my reflexes to trip the shutter and manually focus on the
front of oncoming cars.

This wasn't a one or two day try out thing, it was done in relation to how
long it had been since the last major sport thing I had shot and what I saw
on the negatives day by day.  Sometimes I'd blow through ten rolls of B&W
in an hour every day for a week or until the reflexes improved to a higher
and higher number of perfectly focused & shutter released frames.

This is when you find out how fast your eye, dexterity of fingers, reflex
reaction time can be. Quite frankly it's no different than an athlete
training to peak for the "big Game."

The success of our pictures depends on the quickness of our human reflexes.
And I don't think camera lag time really enters into the picture, compared
to how well we keep ourselves fit and ready for the moment of truth; to
press the release at just the "precise moment" for the peak action.

ted

Ted Grant
This is Our Work. The Legacy of Sir William Osler.
http://www.islandnet.com/~tedgrant