Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ3By: Dave Etchells(none) <<Exposure & Flash :(Previous) | (Next): Operation & User Interface>> Page 7:Shutter Lag & Cycle Time TestsReview First Posted: 11/03/2004 |
Shutter Lag and Cycle Times
When you press the shutter release on a camera, there's usually a lag time or delay before the shutter actually fires. This corresponds to the time required for the autofocus and autoexposure mechanisms time to do their work, and can amount to a fairly long delay in some situations. Since this number is rarely reported on (and even more rarely reported accurately), and can significantly affect the picture taking experience, I routinely measure both shutter delay and shot to shot cycle times for all cameras I test, using a test system I designed and built for the purpose. (Crystal-controlled, with a resolution of 0.001 second.) Here are the numbers I collected for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ3:| |
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| |
(secs) |
|
| Power On -> First shot | |
LCD turns
on and lens extends forward. Slightly slow. |
| Shutdown | |
First time is time to retract
lens, second time is worst-case buffer-clearing time. Also a little
slow, but buffer clears quite quickly. |
| Play to Record, first shot | |
Time until
first shot is captured. Pretty fast. |
| Record to play | |
First time is that required
to display a large/fine file immediately after capture, second time
is that needed to display a large/fine file that has already been processed
and stored on the memory card. Fairly fast. |
| Shutter lag, full autofocus, 9-area | |
First time is at full wide-angle, second is full telephoto. Quite slow, even for a long-zoom model. (This slowness seems to be limited to the FZ3's 9-area autofocus mode.) |
| Shutter lag, full autofocus, 3-area | 0.53 / 1.00 | As above, first time is at full wide-angle, second is at telephoto. First time is quite fast, second time is on the slow side, but not unusually slow for a long-zoom camera. |
| Shutter lag, full autofocus, wide center zone | 0.53 / 0.99 | As above, first time is at full wide-angle, second is at telephoto. First time is quite fast, second time is on the slow side, but not unusually slow for a long-zoom camera. |
| Shutter lag, full autofocus, spot center zone | 0.53 / 0.99 | As above, first time is at full wide-angle, second is at telephoto. First time is quite fast, second time is on the slow side, but not unusually slow for a long-zoom camera. |
| Shutter lag - "Preset" AF | 0.07 - 0.14 | The FZ3 lacks a true manual focus mode, but does let you decouple AF operation from the shutter button, instead focusing only when the "Focus" button on the camera's rear panel is pressed. This greatly reduces shutter lag. In this mode, the camera seemed to alternate between very fast and slightly slower shutter response, the fast times ranging from 0.07-0.09 second, and the slower ones ranging from 0.13 - 0.14 second. Even the slower times are very fast though, making this mode potentially useful for capturing fast-breaking action. |
| Shutter lag, prefocus | |
Time to capture, after half-pressing
shutter button. Blazingly fast. |
| Cycle Time, TIFF, max resolution | 3.72 |
Times are averages. Buffer clears after each shot. Very fast for a TIFF mode. |
| Cycle Time, JPG, max/min resolution, single shot mode, full autofocus (9-area mode) | 1.47 / 1.44 |
These are the single-shot cycle times when the camera is set for full 9-area autofocus operation, with the lens at its widest angle zoom setting. The first number is for large/fine files, second number is time for "TV" mode (640x480) images. Times are averages. Buffer clears after each shot. Not bad, but not very fast, either. |
| Cycle Time, JPG, max/min resolution, single shot mode, preset focus | 0.42 / 0.43 | Look how much things improve when the AF system is decoupled from the shutter button! First number is for large/fine files, second number is time for "TV" mode (640x480) images. Times are averages. Buffer clears after each shot. Very fast by anyone's standard! (NOTE though, that the camera does "penalize" you for hitting the shutter button too quickly. If you hit the shutter button again before the camera is ready for you to do so, it'll simply sit and wait until youd release the shutter button again and re-press it.) |
| Cycle Time, continuous High mode | 0.27 (3.75 fps) |
Shoots at the same rate for large/fine images or "TV" size images. Times are averages. In large/fine mode, takes seven shots this fast, clears the buffer in about a second, and shoots seven more. In TV mode, takes 13 shots this fast, clears the buffer in less than a second, and shoots 13 more. Very fast! |
| Cycle Time, continuous Low mode | 0.47 (2.14 fps) |
Shoots at the same rate for large/fine images or "TV" size images. Times are averages. In large/fine mode, takes seven shots this fast, clears the buffer in 1.4 seconds, and shoots seven more. In TV mode, takes 13 shots this fast, clears the buffer in less than a second, and shoots 13 more. Also quite fast. |
| Cycle Time, continuous "Infinite" mode | 0.40 (2.50 fps) |
Shoots at this rate until the memory card is full, with either large/fine images or "TV" size images. (In this mode, the FZ3 shot continuously with both a non-speed-rated Lexar card and a 32x card.) |
Like it's higher-end sibling the FZ15, the FZ3 for the most part does pretty well in the speed department, provided that you avoid its 9-area autofocus mode. When operating in its 9-area AF mode, the FZ3's shutter lag is positively sluggish, ranging from 1.47 - 1.62 seconds. (Slow even when compared to other long-zoom digicam models.) In any other AF mode though, the shutter lag ranges from 0.53 - 1.0 second as the zoom is varied from wide angle to telephoto. The lag for wide angle focal lengths is quite short, while that for telephoto focal lengths is on the long side of average, but still not bad for a long-zoom digicam. The FZ3 lacks the FZ15's manual focus option, but does have a mode that lets you decouple its AF operation from the shutter button, instead focusing only when the "Focus" button on the camera's rear panel is pressed. This greatly reduces shutter lag. In this mode, the camera seemed to alternate between very fast and slightly slower shutter response, the fast times ranging from 0.07-0.09 second, and the slower ones ranging from 0.13 - 0.14 second. Even the slower times are very fast though, making this mode potentially useful for capturing fast-breaking action. Like the FZ15, the FZ3 is also extremely fast when prefocused, with a lag time in that mode of only 0.037 second.
The FZ3's cycle times are also really fast. With the focus preset in single-shot mode with a sufficiently fast card (we tested with a Lexar 32x SD card), it can capture large/fine JPEG files to the memory card nonstop, at less than a half-second per shot(!) With slower cards, it'll make you wait a little every 3-4 shots, but it's still very fast. (Note though, that the FZ3 is a camera that "penalizes" you for pressing the shutter button prematurely when shooting in single-shot mode, the penalty being that it forces you to release the shutter button and re-press it before it will fire the shutter, if you hit it too quickly after the previous shot.) If you use the camera with its full 9-area autofocus option set though, cycle time drops to an unimpressive 1.47 seconds/shot. In continuous mode, the continuous "High" option can capture up to 13 shots at 3.75 frames/second, a surprising rate for a consumer digicam. So... If you avoid its 9-area AF mode (which is really best suited to landscapes or still life shots), the FZ3 is a reasonably responsive camera, with excellent cycle times and buffer capacity. And, if you can live with presetting the focus point prior to your shots, the FZ3 would be great for fast-paced action.
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