Why is my shot-to-shot so slow?

[andrewdoane]

Friends,

I came back to DCResource to pick a new digital camera. I have a Canon Powershot A400, and it takes great pictures (by my standards), but it has a *ridiculously* slow shot-to-shot speed. I figured that's just the way it was so I was going to just buy a new camera now that I have a baby to keep up with.

I had pretty much decided on the Powershot SD1000, which according to several reviews has a flash shot-to-shot around 2.5 seconds. I figured I should compare apples to apples, so I looked up the review for my A400 and according to DCR its (non-flash) shot-to-shot is 2 seconds - no way is my camera that fast! I timed my flash shot-to-shot at about 8 seconds and no-flash at 4-5.

Why is my camera going slower than it should? Do I need a "faster" memory card? Do cameras get slower as they get old? What can I do to speed it up?

Thanks!
Andy

[AndyfromVA]

Most of the Powershot A cameras run on 2 AA batteries and as a result they take a while to recharge the flash - up to 10 seconds. They are pretty quick between non-flash photos, though. 4.5 seconds is way too long. Are your batteries fully charged?

[andrewdoane]

I use regular Alkaline AAs. I had always considered it a big advantage to use regular batteries so that I can reload without needing to leave the camera near an outlet. I had even considered buying a camera other than the SD1000 so that I could stay with regular batteries. Is it true in general that flash shot-to-shot will be faster with proprietary rechargeable batteries?

[AndyfromVA]

I use rechargeable AA's (Sanyo Eneloops) with my Powershots. Some people use nonrechargeable lithium AA's (Energizer), which are very good. Both types will last much longer than regular alkaline AA's and will give you solid, dependable performance. However, they probably won't improve the flash times all that much. Cameras with proprietary lithium/ion batteries will give you faster shot-to-shot times with the flash enabled, as will cameras that use 4 AA's (like the Canon A650IS).

[David Metsky]

Alkalines are horrible for digital cameras. Switch to Enloops or regular NiMH rechargeables and you'll get 10x the life on a set, plus nothing to throw away.