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HP PhotoSmart 215 HP's entry-level model offers ease of use for beginning shooters. Select a topic Reference: Datasheet PS215 Sample Images --------------------------------- 1. Intro and Highlights 2. Executive Overview 3. Design 4. Viewfinder 5. Optics 6. Exposure & Flash 7. Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests 8. Operation & User Interface 9. Camera Modes & Menus 10. Image Storage & Interface 11. Video, Power, Software 12. Test Results & Conclusion --------------------------------- Print-Friendly Review Version Additional Resources and Other Links Reader Comments on PS215 Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Exposure & Flash :(Previous) | (Next): Operation & User Interface>> Page 7:Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests Review First Posted: 3/10/2001

Shutter Lag/Cycle Times

When you press the shutter release on a camera, there's usually a lag time before the shutter actually fires. This time is to allow 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 almost never reported on, and can significantly affect the picture taking experience, we now routinely measure it using Imaging Resource proprietary testing..

Hewlett-Packard PhotoSmart 215 Timings
Operation	Time (secs)	Notes
Power On -> First shot	4.6/11.3	A bit slow for a camera with a fixed lens, but not too bad. The longer time is if the camera has been powered down for some time, and needs to charge the flash before it's ready to snap pictures.
Shutdown	~0.0	No lens to retract, so no delay before you can return it to your pocket.
Play to Record, first shot	1.89	Time until first shot is captured, from Playback mode. Fairly fast.
Record to play (max/min resolution)	1.4 (2.2)/0.9	Pretty fast. (Times shown are for first view (low-res) and full-res view. Third time shown is for low-res files.)
Shutter lag, full autofocus	0.65-0.8	Average to slightly faster than average. (Macro shooting slows to 1.3 seconds though.) Variation appears related to subject matter, how easily the camera can focus on it.
Shutter lag, prefocus	0.11	Quite a bit faster than average.
Cycle Time, max/min resolution	8.0/4.1	Fairly slow, not a great choice for sports or fast action.

Overall, the PhotoSmart 215 is average to somewhat slower than average in its shooting. Shutter delay is actually pretty good, ranging from average to faster than average, depending on the subject matter. (Mid-range digicams we've tested tend to have shutter delays of about 0.8 seconds. The 215's delay runs from 0.65 to 0.8 seconds, depending on how easy the subject is for it to focus on.) When the camera is prefocused by pressing and holding the shutter button down halfway prior to the exposure, the shutter lag decreases to only 0.11 seconds, quite fast by any standard. Shot-to-shot cycle times are quite slow however, as much as 8.0 seconds for maximum-resolution images. The PhotoSmart 215 is thus a fine choice for idle snapshots, but shouldn't be considered if you're interested in shooting fast-paced action, where you'd like to squeeze off several shots in just a few seconds.