Hi Bob, I think we have the same Sony model. There are a few things you can do to reduce shutter lag, which, I agree, can be a PITA on these P&S cameras. You can put the camera into full manual mode, or aperture priority, pre-focus or use manual focus, and partially depress the shutter release until the decisive moment. You'll still experience more lag than with an slr, but it will be reduced.
BTW, it's the shutter lag to a great extent, as well as being relegated to 8-bit images and not being able to shoot RAW, which is moving me towards the istds. 8 mp is not really much of an issue. The 4mp Sony, when shooting TIFF, can make some rather nice prints in the 8x10 and 11x14 range. And while 16x20 prints are not that good, when viewed from an appropriate distance, produce accepatble prints (and, as you know, I'm quite fussy). The 6 mp of the istds should be a BIG improvement over the 4 mp of the Sony, not so much because of the pixel count, but because it's producing 16-bit files (well, 12-bit, but let's not quibble) and RAW. Two tests were run at one of the labs I use ( http://www.lightroom.com/ ) in which Rob made an 8x10 and a 16x20 for me on the Epson 9600. The tests were mainly to compare printing profiles and to determine what might be out of gamut for his system, but we figured as long as the 9600 was fired up, we'd see how well the Sony could do. Another time a friend (who just loves testing gear) and I shot a brick wall, with me using both the Sony and a film camera loaded with slide film. Running the images through PS and printing them on his Epson something-or-other printer, gave surprising results. Bill, who is away right now, frequents this list, otherwise he'd probably jump in with some more details. Anyway, I'm not trying to dissuade you from getting an istds, just trying to encourage you to enjoy the Sony while you're using it, and maybe help you get some better results. Hmmm, you've the DSC-S75, don't you? Mine's the S85 ... do you know if the sensor and the lens are the same in both cameras. Shel > [Original Message] > From: Bob Sullivan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Thanks Bruce, I trust your opinion. > I handled a *ist DS the other day and wondered. > The price was good, very enabling. > If an 8 megapixel version of the *ist D was next, > I'd probably be a buyer. > The shutter lag on the Sony is killing me...
