my Canon A5 has a 0.50 second capture time even with pre-focusing which makes it useless for action shots. is this typical or are there digicams with greatly reduced capture times?

-- edwin kehr (isoflavone@worldnet.att.net), April 12, 2000

Answers

Depends upon how much you want to pay Edwin. I just got a part-time job shooting sports for the local weekly, and put together a Nikon manual focus system. I'm comparing prices right now, and the Nikon D1 is looking awfully good, even at $5000. Why? I can buy a Nikon 180/2.8 AF lens, and on the D1 it is equivalent to a 320/2.8. Nikon's new 300/2.8 lens is $4700. I can also save money by getting the 300/4 (450/4 equivalent) for $900 versus the $7500 500/4.5.

This doesn't mean the D1 will suit your needs or your budget. I can justify it because I have a day job to pay for the equipment, and I can write off the expense. I'd also end up spending more money if I bought an F5 or F100 and the fast telephoto lenses I need for shooting sports.

-- Darron Spohn (dspohn@photobitstream.com), April 12, 2000.

Oops. My math was off. The 180/2.8 is equivalent to a 270/2.8 when used with a D1. This probably isn't the answer you wanted anyway, as not many people can justify spending $5000 on a digital camera body.

-- Darron Spohn (dspohn@photobitstream.com), April 14, 2000.