Digital Cameras are great and can really help you take better pictures. But there is one area that can trip up any planned picture. And many camera manufacturers don't often reveal the problem. It's called shutter lag and it's the time between the push of the exposure button and the actual picture being taken. Think about it for a minute, have you ever taken a picture and it didn't reflect what you saw in the viewfinder?

Most people who own a digital camera have experienced this problem. Depending on your camera model, the lag time can be small or large. It also has a lot to do with your automatic settings. So we do have some possible solutions, even for those camera models that exhibit a lengthy lag time. Conditions (amount of light mostly) can also have a big impact on increasing the time between pressing your shutter button and the actual photo being taken.

This lagging problem occurs due to several issues. All cameras, digital or film, have somewhat of a lag time due to the nature of the electronics involved. A time of .2 seconds is acceptable in all but fast multiple action shots. But particular camera models can go as long as 2.1 seconds, and that will almost guarantee something will change during the lag. And auto focus, zoom lenses, moving objects, recycling flashes, and low light levels all contribute this issue.

There are a few things that can help reduce the amount of time between pressing the shutter button and taking the picture on any digital camera. Camera settings like auto focus add time by re-focusing, and the digital camera taking a pre-exposure reading takes extra time. Both of these settings generally improve the quality of the end result but take precious time to perform. Other settings can also extend the amount of time in low light situations.

There are two things you can do on many of the cameras to lessen the wait time. One is to change to manual focus and exposure if you know the distance and light conditions will remain the same. If you're not sure on how to turn off auto settings, check your manual to find out. Some of the entry-level cameras may not give you this option.

In that case, most, if not all cameras have the ability to focus and check exposure by depressing the shutter button half way. So if you can line up your shot with the shutter button halfway depressed, when the perfect scenario presents itself you press down all the way. There will be less lag time since the camera has already focused and set the exposure.

If your digital camera has the ability, you can also set it for maximum aperture and use your shutter speed to find the right exposure. You can also adjust your ISO settings (sensitivity to light) at a higher number to help reduce the amount of time to properly expose your photo. Once again if in doubt about these settings your camera manual can provide more specific information.

So one or even both of these methods can reduce the lag time and give you a better chance at catching that perfect photo. Next time you go to replace or purchase a new digital camera, check to see what the reported lag times are in any model you have an interest. As mentioned above, any digital camera model with a .2 second lag time is good.