Different Shutter Lags for Different Cameras

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Different Shutter Lags for Different Cameras

Shutter lag is the delay on cameras from when a photographer presses the shutter-release button to when the photo is taken. The concept is further complicated by two-stage shutter releases, where pressing the button down halfway (first-stage) focuses the camera and pressing it all the way down (second-stage) releases the shutter.

Shutter lag generally changes from camera to camera. Typically, the more expensive cameras have shorter shutter lags than their less expensive peers. High-end cameras for professionals may not have a noticeable shutter lag at all. For most camera users it helps to know and remember what the shutter lag is for each camera, so that, during operation, the shutter lag can be compensated effectively.

I learned a lesson several years ago while attending a Shelby open track event at the Streets of Willow race track. While I was off the track, I shot pictures of fellow racers and their cars. At this track event, I had brought a Canon EOS Rebel X, instead of my Canon EOS Elan IIe. (Why did I bring a lower-end camera? See my "Virtues of Cheap Equipment" article.)

I had been so used to the shutter lag on my primary camera, the Elan IIe, that I forgot the shutter lag on the Rebel X camera is a lot slower than the Elan IIe. This effect is demonstrated in the picture above. The front section of the red Audi TT is cut off due to the fact that I was using the shutter lag timing from my Elan IIe body. In other words, I pre-focused the lens to the distance you see in the image frame. I know that the vehicle is going to pass through that frame. And since all camera bodies have a certain shutter lag, I have to release the shutter before the vehicle enters the frame in order to capture the vehicle in the frame. Lesson learned here is to remember the different shutter lags on different cameras and compensate for them when switching between cameras.

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Lag Specification

The following chart shows lag specification for various cameras based on manufacturer specifications, or published sources with reliable credential. Reliable credential source: a source that publishes results closely matched to manufacturer specifications historically, without large deviation from manufacturer results. You may edit this table to update it with cameras that you know about.

Canon

Model	Shutter Nominal *	Shutter Maximum **	Mirror Blackout	Startup Time	Notes	Source
Canon EOS 10D	80 ms	180 ms	150 ms	> 2000 ms		EOS Magazine Rob Galbraith Digital Photography Insights
Canon EOS 1D	55 ms	300 ms	87 ms			EOS Magazine Rob Galbraith Digital Photography Insights
Canon EOS 1D Mark II	40 ms		87 ms	500 ms		Canon Europe Rob Galbraith Digital Photography Insights
Canon EOS 1Ds	55 ms	191 ms	87 ms		Between the maximum aperture and closing down three stops (excluding AF operation time).	EOS Magazine Rob Galbraith Digital Photography Insights
Canon EOS 1V	55 ms	191 ms	87 ms			EOS Magazine Rob Galbraith Digital Photography Insights
Canon EOS 20D	65 ms		115 ms	200 ms		Rob Galbraith Digital Photography Insights
Canon EOS 5D				200 ms		EOS Magazine
Canon EOS Digital Rebel	120 ms (1)			2000 ms	(1) Source did not provide specific details to how the lag was determined, so I assume it is nominal.	DigitalReview.ca
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT	100 ms (1)			200 ms	(1) Source did not provide specific details to how the lag was determined, so I assume it is nominal.	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT White Paper
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi	100 ms (1)		170 ms	200 ms	(1) Source did not provide specific details to how the lag was determined, so I assume it is nominal.	Rob Galbraith Digital Photography Insights

Casio

Model	Shutter Nominal *	Shutter Maximum **	Mirror Blackout	Startup Time	Notes	Source
CASIO EXILIM EX-P600	Release: 10 ms				CASIO USA mentioned a "shutter time lag" of 10 ms. It is most likely a mis-print, because this duration is the same as the release lag on other CASIO digital cameras.	CASIO USA
CASIO EXILIM PRO EX-P700	Release: 10 ms			2000 ms		CASIO USA
CASIO EXILIM EX-Z40	Release: 10 ms					CASIO USA
CASIO QV-R51	Release: 10 ms					CASIO USA

Kodak

Model	Shutter Nominal *	Shutter Maximum **	Mirror Blackout	Startup Time	Notes	Source
Kodak Professional DCS Pro 14n	125 ms ***				Kodak FAQ mentioned 125 ms maximum time. I suspect it is a nominal value based on data from SLR/n.	Kodak
Kodak Professional DCS Pro SLR/n	125 ms	200 ms				Kodak

Nikon

Model	Shutter Nominal *	Shutter Maximum **	Mirror Blackout	Startup Time	Notes	Source
Nikon D2H	37 ms		80 ms			Nikon USA Rob Galbraith Digital Photography Insights

Olympus

Model	Shutter Nominal *	Shutter Maximum **	Mirror Blackout	Startup Time	Notes	Source
Olympus Camedia E-10	< 100 ms (1) ~ 60 ms (2)				(1) Reported by Olympus America (2) Reported by Olympus Europe	Olympus America Olympus Europe

Ricoh

Model	Shutter Nominal *	Shutter Maximum **	Mirror Blackout	Startup Time	Notes	Source
Ricoh Caplio RX		120 ms			Time required from pressing the shutter button to starting exposure in autofocus mode without using focus lock.	Ricoh Global

Sony

Model	Shutter Nominal *	Shutter Maximum **	Mirror Blackout	Startup Time	Notes	Source
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F828	Shutter: 260 ms Release: 8 ms					SonyStyle Canada
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P100	Release: 9 ms ***				SonyStyle mentioned a shutter lag of 9 ms. It is most likely a mis-print, since this time frame is very close to the release lag on other Sony digital cameras.	SonyStyle Canada
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P92	470 ms					SonyStyle Canada
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P93	300 ms					SonyStyle Canada
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T1	Shutter: ~ 240 ms Release: ~ 9 ms					SonyStyle Canada
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-V1	530 ms					SonyStyle Canada
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W1	Shutter: 300 ms Release: 9 ms					SonyStyle Canada

* When full pressure is applied to partially depressed shutter button (pre-focused), or during manual focus mode.
** Shutter button is fully depressed from standing position.
*** My correction based on information from the source, see notes.

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