By today standards of speed the 750 is bad. It was on par when it was released and the picture quality was superior to its competition, still is VERY nice for a 3.9MP camera.

The speed is a combination of the card write speed and the internal memory buffer. There is no way to change the memmory buffer so the only way to slightly improve the speed would be to get a high write speed card. XD falls short in write speed times compared to the other formats. I have never tried the high write speed XD cards with the older cameras, I have heard stories of the older models not being compatiable with the new XD cards...don't know why.

***Ahh, I just realized you are talking about shutter lag...

What shooting mode do you have the camera set on: Manual, Aperture, Shutter Priority or some sort of 'scene' mode? FYI, a lot of P&S cameras suffer from shutter. Do you have the camera set on continous focus? If it is on continious focus the camera will re-focus every time the object moves, that might be why it is taking longer. Get the focus to lock before completly hitting the shutter button. I press the shutter half way down, the camera will focus to the subject, you should hear a beep. Once the focus is locked

Joe

Hey Joe
I usually set camera on Auto or 'the running man' hoping to get action shots - but by the time it clicks the critter is gone.
I do half shutter to focus, but don't hear beep.
Jan

This is a classic problem that begins with the SLR camera design and reaches the point of maximum disruption with modern SLR, DSLR and consumer digital cameras. The problem is the long list of "operations" that have to be performed before the photo can be taken:

1. Meter the light.
2. Set the shutter speed.
3. Set the lens aperture.
4. Focus the lens.
5. Move the mirror out of the way.
6. Take a picture of the place where the subject used to be.

The solution is to circumvent the above list or as much of it as possible. Joe is right to suggest that the auto-focus task is the most time consuming on the list. Modern auto focus systems have improved dramatically and are now faster than the average consumer trying to quickly focus on a moving target. Professionals use a number of techniques including pre-focusing, a fast focus rangefinder and better access to the subject.

If you have an auto-focus only camera you're best bet is to learn as much about how it works as possible and practice using it.

The various scene modes of a modern camera do nothing to alleviate the lag problem. The running man mode shifts the camera program to preferentially select faster shutter speeds, but the task list above still has to be completed.

I don't do a lot of sports work, but I love to photograph a bike race that we have in my neighborhood. If I use a digital camera I have the same problem. Consider the photo below -- the racers are aproaching 30 mph.

1. Meter the scene -- I had the camera on full manual. No need to meter the scene the sun was shining.
2. Set the shutter speed -- I had it pre-set and on manual.
3. Set the lens aperture -- I had it pre-set and on manual.
4. Focus the lens -- I turned the auto-focus off and manually pre-set the focus to 8 feet.
5. Move the mirror out of the way -- no mirror in this camera.
6. Take a picture -- when I pushed the button there was no lag at all since I had circumvented the camera's entire task list. As close as I was and as fast as they were moving, any lag at all would have been a missed photo.

{{!gwi}}

The 750 is descirbed as "SLR-like". Does it use the mirror set-up?

Firewire did a fine job explaining the problems-solutions. I hate those scene modes. If you know your camera is a little slow, then you have predict where the action, or subject, will be and prep the camera where the only thing left to do is the actual shutter actuation. IF the speed is really that much of an issue you might want to look into an upgrade, that camera is reaching four years old. However if you do get a new camera keep the 750 it still has excellent picture quality.

Joe

Great photo and info, Firewire. Joe, thanks for advice. I also have an old Oly D 550, which no one uses anymore and a Stylus 720SW. Wonder if there is a trade-in for cameras? Would love to upgrade to a faster shutter as most of my photos are of moving objects like birds, dolphins, dogs and cats.
Is there any perfect camera???? Jan

I'm taking your advice and now looking for an upgrade camera that will take fast action photos and not too complicated - any suggestions would be appreciated.
Also, I'm taking a digital photo course at college so hopefully I can understand .... now it sounds like a foreign language.