Why does my Canon a40 lag between shots??

[masterc]

I have an A40. It's been a great camera.
I notice whenI want to take sucessive photos the camera lags 5 or 6 seconds.
I know the flash takes some time to recharge and the photo takes some time to write to the flash card, but I thought that was only tenths of a second. I have tried it with freshly charged batteries, still the same result.

Any ideas??

 

[Baronz]

I believe taking successive photos will take them faster than the camera can write, so once it takes a few it will need time to write them.

Digital cameras do not write very fast, even my Canon G2 will take a second or two if i take 3-4 pics in succession.

 

[Sid59]

Originally posted by: Baronz
I believe taking successive photos will take them faster than the camera can write, so once it takes a few it will need time to write them.

Digital cameras do not write very fast, even my Canon G2 will take a second or two if i take 3-4 pics in succession.

indeed.

the camera has to take a break for the images to write to cf. first 2 shots or so fit into the buffer and then it has to write to the card to flush out the buffer.

 

[LethalWolfe]

this isn't just w/Canon cameras. All digital cameras have to pause to write data from the memory cache to the CF card if you take a bunch of pix ina row.


Lethal

 

[masterxfob]

i hope you're not using sandisk (non-ultra) compact flash. they have to be one of the slowest cards out there, there is a very noticable difference in between shots.

 

[zephyrprime]

It maybe that your camera has a wimpy processor and can't compress the image very fast. Or maybe you just need a faster flash card.

 

[IPLaw]

If your shots are using the flash, then the capacitor which powers the flash needs a few seconds to recharge. As the batteries drain, the capacitor recharge times increase as well.

 

[masterc]

Thanks for the feedback!!

I may try one of the "fast write" CF cards. I am using a standard San disk card (actually it's a "Black's Camera" brand, made by SanDisk)
Can anyone recommend one that they have and notice a difference in speed?
Thanks again...

 

[mechBgon]

If you mean that you've set up the camera so that it keeps shooting as fast as it can until you let up on the button, then what the others said. If you mean the lag where the camera has to "think" for a second after you press the button, that's probably the camera evaluating what it's aimed at. My A60 can fire off probably six or seven shots in rapid succession, but it has to "think" about at least the first one, even in full-manual mode with all the AI features switched off (and the flash off as well).

 

[GoodRevrnd]

Does that camera have a frame buffer? A faster CF card might help a little bit as well (40x Lexar, ~$70 @ newegg for 256mb).