Just got a Fujifilm s700

[mammacaryn]

Hi. I am new to this board but hoping someone can help me out. I am also new to photography and HORRIBLE at reading manuals. My husband tried to do some research before picking this camera for me. The main reason he got this one was because the delay when snapping the actual picture was supposed to be minimal. (My other camera always had a delay and I'd have to take several pictures when posing my kids to end up with one that both of them had their eyes open in)
Anyway, the delay really doesn't seem to be that minimal.

Does anyone know what setting I should put the camera on to get the best time between snapping the photo and the picture actually being taken? (sorry I don't know the technical term)

On my old camera I always used the Auto setting, but see right off that I need to learn to do more settings on my own.

So if anyone can offer any help here I would appreciate it. I want to take as close to an INSTANT picture as possible.

Thanks again.

[Photo-John]

Welcome to the site. Sorry it's taken a couple of days for anyone to get to your question. And don't worry about your experience or knowledge. We all have to start somewhere :-)

The delay you're talking about it called "shutter-lag." Every camera has it to some degreee. Compact digital cameras have it worse. The trick is to accept it and learn to work with it instead of continually hoping your camera will behave differently than it's able to.

First of all, you really can't take 100% spontaneous photos. A little tiny bit of planning and setup makes a huge difference. The auto mode might be a problem. I'm not sure. Experiment to find out what works better. Anyway, the main trick is to pre-focus the camera. That way it will be as ready as possible for actually taking the picture. If you just point and shoot the camera has to focus, calculate exposure, and take the picture. It's too much. If you aim the camera, depress the shutter-release button halfway, the camera locks the focus and ests the exposure. Then you hold the button there and wait for your shot. For example, if you were taking a picture of a kid blowing out birthday candles, you'd pre-focus the camera on the candles just before he or she started blowing. Then you'd take the picture while the candles are being blown out.

That's pretty much it. And practice makes perfect. Getting familiar with the amount of lag your camera has helps a lot, too. Practice with it so you that you are able to predict the lag and pre-shoot enough to compensate for the pause.

For more on this as well as more point-and-shoot camera tips, here's a link to an article I did:

Point-and Shot Digital Camera Tips >>

I hope that helps. One of the most important things is to accept the limitations of your camera. They all have shutter-lag. Learning to work with the camera and not expecting it to do things it just can't do is the key. And asking questions is good to. We're here to help you :-)

[mammacaryn]

Thanks so much, I will definatly use your tips.

I have just had so much frustration adjusting to a new camera. My pictures for the most part always came out good with my other camera.

Now I have the new shutter Lag to deal with (thanks for letting me know the term), and also, my pictures are not consistantly as clear as they were with my other camera. I can't seem to find the right setting.

More experimenting to do I guess.

Thanks again.

[Photo-John]

More experimenting to do I guess.

It's digital - you've got nothing to lose. Take tons. Take stupid practice pictures all by yourself just to see how things work. Don't hold back and don't by shy. Test everything and get to know that camera. It will make a world of difference. And if there's anything you don't understand, don't be afraid to ask. This site is safe for all types of photographers. No question is too simple or basic. You're just as important as anyone else here