Shutter Lag and the Canon G7

[jay bee]

Couldn't find this issue addressed specifically and apologize if its well

covered ground, but my main hesitation in moving forward with digital has been

shutter lag. My mouth is watering over the D80, but price has me inclined to

wait post holidays for price decreases and the form factor makes it a different

animal. I am a rangefinder devotee (yes I use a Leica M7 and M5) so have been

trying to do my due dilligence on the G7.

 

Cutting to the skinny - how is the shutter lag with this camera?

 

Many thanks for any insight.

[wgpinc]

I have the G6 and have no reason to think the G7 is much better re shutter lag. These little digital P&S cameras can test your patience. I've learned to really commit to the shot and wait for it to happen. All the elements that go into good photography go into using a digital point and shoot, exposure, careful composition, anticipation of action points. Another thing to remember from one Leica user to another is that the viewfinder is really small and only shows about 80% of what you will get in the picture. The good news is that the G6/7 are really small in comparison to the digital SLR and will be carried when you might not bring the bigger camera. I use the Canon 20D and some big L zooms that make for a load so I carry the G6 in my coat pocket often. You can see some of my G6 pics in my portfolios on Photo.net. These are very capable little cameras if they are used with good technique. Good luck.

[iansky]

Hi John,

 

I have the G7 and yes, you will experience shutter lag but there are ways to reduce it considerably.

If you use the optical viewfinder and turn off the LCD, then use image stabilisation only when it takes the photo these two will greatly reduce shutter lag.

 

The G7 is a great little pocket camera (despite not having RAW), I carry it often and especially when I do not wish to take my DSLR and bag of lenses out.

 

The quality of the images are quite amazing from a camera with a sensor this small - have a look at some I have taken, you will find them under - gallery/Presentations/Canon Powershot G7.

 

I too use rangefinder analogues and find the G7 a very complimentary camera to use with, or in lieue of. Have a look at the reviews in both www.Luminous-Landscape.com and www.DPreview.com.<div></div>

[des adams]

I don't have the camera but I think you can "lock focus" on it. Point the af at a suitable distance for zone focusing say eight feet and then press the manual focus button and that zone is locked in until you want to clear it. I use this method on an Olympus 8080 wide and it makes shots much faster. Ultra quiet too, basically soundless. Perhaps somebody actually with the G7 can tell us how is the shutter lag in this locked focus mode. Al

[jimsimmons]

www.dpreview.com lists shutter lag times for all its reviewed cameras. One of the shortest lag times of all P&S digicams is the Ricoh GX8. Several of its features are maximized for short lag time, such as setting it to fixed focus at 2.5 meters (focus from 2' to infinity at normal apertures). I looked at the G7, but the lens isn't wide enough for me. The Ricoh models are "28mm" wide, which is fundamental for me.

[pbizarro]

Not an issue, IMO. If you find normal AF acquisition too slow, you can revert to continuous AF, or preset manual focus.

 

You can even save your settings (including a preset focus distance) to a Customs setting, for later use.

[w sanders]

Could someone post that link to shutter lag data on dpreview.com? I could not find it.

 

Weird, shutter lag is like the most important parameter to me. I've used various cameras and people start to wander away as the camera clunks away when I take a group picture. Admittedly I have an old Canon A70 but I can dig out the trusty old F1 when I need a "real" camera.

 

The G7 is a trend in the right direction. I have not tested one but the G6 was not enough of an improvement to motivate me to upgrade. Maybe a G-series with a manual focus ring!

 

Thanks -w