Best P&S Shutter Lag

[driftin' by]

Just back from another awesome trip that yielded many great uw photos taken with my A95 in a WP-DC50 housing. However, I think it's time to kick it up a notch. That along with the inherit shutter lag on my A95 started to drive me nuts especially when trying to maintain position in the swift Cozumel currents. Additionally, my trusty A95 took a near-fatal blow falling from about 5 feet onto a hard Cozumel sidewalk. :11: All is okay except for a bruised body, sticky zoom and a shutter button that has a mind of it's own. I've gotta give it to Canon though... I'm not sure my Coolpix would have survived such a blow.

So my main concern is shutter lag. For so many reasons, I'm not ready for a DLSR otherwise, that would be the obvious choice. I'm happy with P&S and I believe I have room to grow. With each digital camera I have owned, each seems to get better in terms of shutter lag so by just getting something new I'm hoping for better performance. I'm also assuming that the more advanced P&S cameras would also yield better performance.

It appears the current obvious choices in this segment include the Nikon P5100, Olympus SP560 and Canon G9 or maybe the Canon S5 IS. Being a Canon loyalist, I'm leaning toward the G9- especially the idea of it in a Ike housing with a DS-125. However, I'm not going to let my loyalty get the best of me especially if it comes down to shutter lag.

So I'm opening it up for discussion on these models. More specifically a discussion regarding shutter lag differences between brands as well as thoughts regarding shutter lag as it pertains to these more advanced P&S versus entry level P&S. Any input on any models I've not mentioned would also be nice.

 

[Gilligan]

If I had to replace my relic Olympus P&S today I would go with the Canon G9 in the Ike housing (not released yet).

The 18X zoom on the Oly SP560UZ can be a problem underwater. There is no Ike housing for it and they chose not to make one for the 550UZ for whatever their reasons. I suspect it had to do with the size of the lens port to accommodate the 18X zoom.

 

[Kim]

I've heard that Fuji rules qua shutter lag in P&S. You'd have to research though.....

 

[renthal]

When looking for a P&S, I found the Sea&Sea DX-8000 has a very short delay. We really like it. It is getting cheaper because they came out with a newer model.

 

[Larry C]

In addition to the G9 and the DX8000, which I've seen some very nice pictures from, does excellent macro and is pretty quick on the draw, I'd check out the new Sea & Sea DX1G, which has similar features to the G9, ups the ante from the DX8000 with 10mp and faster focus, plus focus down to 1cm in macro, with a very wide angle original lens, plus focus from zero to infinity with the add on wide angle lens.

 

[driftin' by]

Thanks all for the feedback. I guess I'm a bit old school in that I'd prefer to go the route of a camera that is made by a long time camera company. For me that's Canon, Nikon and Olympus although it's hard not to be tempted by new comers like Casio and HP especially in terms of price. The DX1G certainly is tempting however, I've always been leery of Sea & Sea and more particularly, SeaLife because there is not a lot of information about the camera and I imagine it would be difficult to find a replacement camera if the housing floods. I've heard that the Sea & Sea's are really good in terms of shutter lag. I don't know... Although the DX1G offers full manual controls, it doesn't seem like much of a step up from what I currently have in terms of choice components that offer the ultimate in flexibility. YMMV. Nevertheless, it's still a serious contender as far as I'm concerned.

I'm still leaning toward the G9 and some of your responses have tilted me further. I'd still like to hear from a G9 shooter.... if there is one, yet. I'll snoop around the Canon Corner forum.

 

[EastEndDiver]

Thanks all for the feedback. I guess I'm a bit old school in that I'd prefer to go the route of a camera that is made by a long time camera company. For me that's Canon, Nikon and Olympus although it's hard not to be tempted by new comers like Casio and HP especially in terms of price. The DX1G certainly is tempting however, I've always been leery of Sea & Sea and more particularly, SeaLife because there is not a lot of information about the camera and I imagine it would be difficult to find a replacement camera if the housing floods. I've heard that the Sea & Sea's are really good in terms of shutter lag. I don't know... Although the DX1G offers full manual controls, it doesn't seem like much of a step up from what I currently have in terms of choice components that offer the ultimate in flexibility. YMMV. Nevertheless, it's still a serious contender as far as I'm concerned.

I'm still leaning toward the G9 and some of your responses have tilted me further. I'd still like to hear from a G9 shooter.... if there is one, yet. I'll snoop around the Canon Corner forum.

The Sea and Sea "camera" is made by Ricoh they are easily available to replace.You can easily find them through camera stores or ebay.I have a DX-8000 along with two DSLR's in Ikelite housings a Nikon D-50 and and Oly E-330 I still use the DX 8000 and think it is a great set up.

 

[DesertEagle]

The new Canons with the Digic III are pretty fast. The G9 in an Ikelite housing would probably be my choice. If that's too much, the A570 also has Digic III, and the housing supports all the accessory lenses.

Fujis tend to have quick shutter lag. I have the F31fd, and it's quite responsive. The battery life is huge. ISO800 looks like most cameras at 200. Unfortunately Fuji discontinued the F31. The newer F50 should be okay at low ISO, but it's battery doesn't last as long.