{"id":19000,"date":"2017-07-29T05:38:59","date_gmt":"2017-07-29T09:38:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/?p=19000"},"modified":"2017-07-29T06:36:31","modified_gmt":"2017-07-29T10:36:31","slug":"whoops-the-unfortunate-effects-of-shutter-lag","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/whoops-the-unfortunate-effects-of-shutter-lag\/","title":{"rendered":"Whoops! The Unfortunate Effects of Shutter Lag."},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Timing is crucial in making successful images of moving trains.<\/p>\n<p>Even a few tenths of second can make the difference between a stunning photograph and a throwaway.<\/p>\n<p>After years of photographing trains on the move, I\u2019ve developed techniques for releasing the shutter at precisely the right moment.<\/p>\n<p>When I examine different types of cameras for their suitability as picture making machines, one thing I always look for is shutter delay. Many inexpensive cameras fail in this regard. When you press the button if the camera hesitates it will routinely make railway action photography more difficult.<\/p>\n<p>Many inexpensive cameras suffer from inadequate computer processors that can contribute to a delay. Another difficulty are the autofocus systems that impose a delay between the time you press the shutter and when the shutter opens.<\/p>\n<p>Some cameras, such as my Lumix LX7 and Fuji X-T1 allow for various adjustments to autofocus and exposure settings than can help minimize the effects of \u2018shutter lag\u2019. But you have to play with the settings to get just the right combination.<\/p>\n<p>Having the camera \u2018on\u2019 and queued up (poised and ready) helps.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18996\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18996\" style=\"width: 1731px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"18996\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/whoops-the-unfortunate-effects-of-shutter-lag\/amtrak_acela_at_levittown_pa_p1650662\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Amtrak_Acela_at_Levittown_PA_P1650662.jpg?fit=1731%2C1155\" data-orig-size=\"1731,1155\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Brian Solomon&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;DMC-LX7&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1499460858&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;5.1&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Amtrak_Acela_at_Levittown_PA_P1650662\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;High speed trains are difficult to capture full frame.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Amtrak_Acela_at_Levittown_PA_P1650662.jpg?fit=709%2C473\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Amtrak_Acela_at_Levittown_PA_P1650662.jpg?fit=474%2C316\" class=\"size-full wp-image-18996\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Amtrak_Acela_at_Levittown_PA_P1650662.jpg?resize=474%2C316\" alt=\"\" width=\"474\" height=\"316\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Amtrak_Acela_at_Levittown_PA_P1650662.jpg?w=1731 1731w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Amtrak_Acela_at_Levittown_PA_P1650662.jpg?resize=205%2C137 205w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Amtrak_Acela_at_Levittown_PA_P1650662.jpg?resize=709%2C473 709w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Amtrak_Acela_at_Levittown_PA_P1650662.jpg?resize=1022%2C682 1022w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Amtrak_Acela_at_Levittown_PA_P1650662.jpg?w=948 948w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Amtrak_Acela_at_Levittown_PA_P1650662.jpg?w=1422 1422w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 474px) 100vw, 474px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18996\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">High speed trains are difficult to capture full frame.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18997\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18997\" style=\"width: 1732px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"18997\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/whoops-the-unfortunate-effects-of-shutter-lag\/oops_pan_am_edpo_near_forge_village_ma_on_stony_brook_line_dscf5674\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Oops_Pan_Am_EDPO_near_Forge_Village_MA_on_Stony_Brook_Line_DSCF5674.jpg?fit=1732%2C1155\" data-orig-size=\"1732,1155\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;X-T1&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1497096391&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;18&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.002&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Oops_Pan_Am_EDPO_near_Forge_Village_MA_on_Stony_Brook_Line_DSCF5674\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;This was a late frame in a sequence but demonstrates what can happen if your camera hesitates at the decisive moment.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Oops_Pan_Am_EDPO_near_Forge_Village_MA_on_Stony_Brook_Line_DSCF5674.jpg?fit=709%2C473\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Oops_Pan_Am_EDPO_near_Forge_Village_MA_on_Stony_Brook_Line_DSCF5674.jpg?fit=474%2C316\" class=\"size-full wp-image-18997\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Oops_Pan_Am_EDPO_near_Forge_Village_MA_on_Stony_Brook_Line_DSCF5674.jpg?resize=474%2C316\" alt=\"\" width=\"474\" height=\"316\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Oops_Pan_Am_EDPO_near_Forge_Village_MA_on_Stony_Brook_Line_DSCF5674.jpg?w=1732 1732w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Oops_Pan_Am_EDPO_near_Forge_Village_MA_on_Stony_Brook_Line_DSCF5674.jpg?resize=205%2C137 205w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Oops_Pan_Am_EDPO_near_Forge_Village_MA_on_Stony_Brook_Line_DSCF5674.jpg?resize=709%2C473 709w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Oops_Pan_Am_EDPO_near_Forge_Village_MA_on_Stony_Brook_Line_DSCF5674.jpg?resize=1022%2C682 1022w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Oops_Pan_Am_EDPO_near_Forge_Village_MA_on_Stony_Brook_Line_DSCF5674.jpg?w=948 948w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Oops_Pan_Am_EDPO_near_Forge_Village_MA_on_Stony_Brook_Line_DSCF5674.jpg?w=1422 1422w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 474px) 100vw, 474px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18997\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This was a late frame in a sequence but demonstrates what can happen if your camera hesitates at the decisive moment.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18998\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18998\" style=\"width: 3264px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"18998\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/whoops-the-unfortunate-effects-of-shutter-lag\/pan_am_whoops_dscf5069\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Pan_Am_Whoops_DSCF5069.jpg?fit=3264%2C4896\" data-orig-size=\"3264,4896\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;6.4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;X-T1&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1495135818&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;90&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.001&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Pan_Am_Whoops!_DSCF5069\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;If you miss an ordinary train, well you can try again. Miss a rare special move, you might feel like giving up and taking up something passive, like bus spotting. Don&#8217;t blame yourself, get a better camera!&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Pan_Am_Whoops_DSCF5069.jpg?fit=473%2C709\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Pan_Am_Whoops_DSCF5069.jpg?fit=474%2C711\" class=\"size-full wp-image-18998\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Pan_Am_Whoops_DSCF5069.jpg?resize=474%2C711\" alt=\"\" width=\"474\" height=\"711\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Pan_Am_Whoops_DSCF5069.jpg?w=3264 3264w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Pan_Am_Whoops_DSCF5069.jpg?resize=100%2C150 100w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Pan_Am_Whoops_DSCF5069.jpg?resize=473%2C709 473w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Pan_Am_Whoops_DSCF5069.jpg?resize=681%2C1022 681w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Pan_Am_Whoops_DSCF5069.jpg?w=948 948w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Pan_Am_Whoops_DSCF5069.jpg?w=1422 1422w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 474px) 100vw, 474px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18998\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">If you miss an ordinary train, well you can try again. Miss a rare special move, you might feel like giving up and taking up something passive, like bus spotting. Don&#8217;t blame yourself, get a better camera!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18999\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18999\" style=\"width: 1731px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"18999\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/whoops-the-unfortunate-effects-of-shutter-lag\/whoops_p1610823\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Whoops_P1610823.jpg?fit=1731%2C1155\" data-orig-size=\"1731,1155\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.9&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Brian Solomon&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;DMC-LX7&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1491285691&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;10.8&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;80&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Whoops_P1610823\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;If when you press the shutter button your camera doesn&#8217;t instantly expose a photo, your results may look something like this image. While in some circles it&#8217;s considered trendy to chop the subject, for the most part this isn&#8217;t the desired result for most railway photographers.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Whoops_P1610823.jpg?fit=709%2C473\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Whoops_P1610823.jpg?fit=474%2C316\" class=\"size-full wp-image-18999\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Whoops_P1610823.jpg?resize=474%2C316\" alt=\"\" width=\"474\" height=\"316\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Whoops_P1610823.jpg?w=1731 1731w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Whoops_P1610823.jpg?resize=205%2C137 205w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Whoops_P1610823.jpg?resize=709%2C473 709w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Whoops_P1610823.jpg?resize=1022%2C682 1022w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Whoops_P1610823.jpg?w=948 948w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Whoops_P1610823.jpg?w=1422 1422w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 474px) 100vw, 474px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18999\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">If when you press the shutter button your camera doesn&#8217;t instantly expose a photo, your results may look something like this image. While in some circles it&#8217;s considered trendy to chop the subject, for the most part this isn&#8217;t the desired result for most railway photographers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If you find that too often your photos look like these, you may wish to consider acquiring a picture-making device that has better reaction time. What use is a camera that forces you to miss photos? Why suffer the repeated frustrations and disappointments associated with \u2018shutter lag?\u2019<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Tracking the Light Posts Daily!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Timing is crucial in making successful images of moving trains. Even a few tenths of second can make the difference between a stunning photograph and a throwaway. After years of photographing trains on the move, I\u2019ve developed techniques for releasing the shutter at precisely the right moment. When I examine different types of cameras for &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/whoops-the-unfortunate-effects-of-shutter-lag\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Whoops! The Unfortunate Effects of Shutter Lag.<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18997,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[48],"tags":[4288,4289,4287,4286],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Oops_Pan_Am_EDPO_near_Forge_Village_MA_on_Stony_Brook_Line_DSCF5674.jpg?fit=1732%2C1155","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2BVuC-4Ws","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19000"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19000"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19000\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19041,"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19000\/revisions\/19041"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}