Photographing Horses IV: Ready, Set, Go?

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From the Blooper Reel: Smoke and The Big Horse

Selecting the right camera is sometimes as frustrating as learning to use it.  The list of features can be overwhelming.  Take heart, not all specs are created equal, ignore most of them.  Especially, unless you plan to print images larger than 8×10, references to megabytes and pixels.  Two essential items to consider first when selecting equipment for horse photography are shutter delay and focal length of the lens.   This post discusses the first of those topics.

Shutter delay is the time between the press of the button and the camera capturing the image.  Shutter delay is an issue unique to digital cameras.  In the film world, pressing the button triggers a physical movement of the shutter to allow the frame to be exposed.  With digital cameras, pressing the button initiates an electronic sequence within the cameras processor.  Some processors are faster than others.

Why will shutter delay make you hate a perfectly nice camera?  It will prevent you from capturing the right moment in the horse’s stride, the quick funny expression or the one fleeting moment when both ears are perked.   Cameras with too long of a shutter delay can not effectively function in sports photography.

Some additional terminology that will reappear through future equipment posts:

SLR – Single Lens Reflex Camera. With an SLR you are, through the use of internal mirrors, looking through the lens when you look through the viewfinder.  This type of camera allows you to attach different lens to the main camera body and provides nearly endless flexibility to control the cameras settings.

dSLR – Digital SLR

Point & Shoot - Typically significantly more compact than an SLR this camera has the benefit of being extremely portable, but does not allow as much flexibility.  The lens is built in and the user has less control to change settings beyond factory presets.    Shutter delay is a frequent limiting factor.

Advanced Point & Shoot: Like the name implies, a Point & Shoot on steroids.  The main additions are typically in allowing manual setting of ‘SLR’ like functions, such as increasing the ability to capture images in low light or control depth of field.

The problem with many Point & Shoot cameras is their shutter delay.  My professional grade Nikon dSLR has a shutter lag of 0.037 seconds.  It practically takes the picture before I press the button.  I joke that the camera is so smart it will soon make its operator obsolete.  The D40, Nikon’s entry level dSLR, has a shutter lag of  0.1 second.  Still nice and fast.   The Nikon Coolpix P5100, an advanced Point & Shoot, has a very respectable shutter delay of .06.

On the other side of things, my Sony DSC-T10, which is a great little pocket camera in a lot of circumstances, is saddled with an intolerable 0.5 second shutter lag.  While a half second may seem like the blink of the eye, keep this in mind: the numbers quoted are typically best scenario bright light conditions.  In dim light, this camera’s measured shutter delay is upwards of 1.5 seconds.  At that rate, the user will struggle to capture the right moment of the horse’s stride or the moment both ears are raised.  Keep in mind that in addition to shutter delay, the camera may also be delayed by the time to perform and/or maintain auto-focus on a moving subject.

Buy the best camera you can afford.  This does not mean you have to go out and spend beaucoup bucks on equipment.  Define your budget up front and then see what fits into that.  If at all possible, I would recommend an SLR.   You will have much more control over your images and while you may only use the ‘auto’ mode in the beginning you will grow into the additional features over time.

Not ready to invest?  A couple of ideas:  look carefully at the Advanced Point & Shoot category.  Compare the price from the same brand of the Advanced Point & Shoot to the entry level dSLR.  (I’m a Nikon believer, but the Canon v. Nikon v. Sony v. Fuji brand debate is much like arguing religion  and I have no desire to ride off to the Crusades).  Ask for specific shutter delay specifications on the Point & Shoot and try it in the store in an area as dimly lit as you can find.  As long as the delay is reasonably small, you’ll be able to start experimenting with action shots.  If you’re already using a Point & Shoot with a longer delay, investigate the manual to find out whether there is a ‘burst’ mode that will take a number of images in quick succession.   This will result in more throw-away shots, but increase the odds of hitting the right moment despite any delay.

Really tight on budget?  Prepare for a radical thought.  Consider finding a friend who still has a film SLR in their closet because they’ve already replaced it with digital and take it off their hands for them.  On ebay, the average selling price for a Nikon N80 film body is $70.00.

You’ll need a lens too, but for a small investment, you’ll have a full featured camera more than capable of taking great sports shots.  Obviously requires the on-going expense of film & processing, but be aware that you can request that your negatives only be developed and scanned to CD for you.  Skip the physical 4×6 prints.  Most of them will be junkers anyway.  This can save  1/2 the cost, depending on how much the store wants to bleed you for converting your negatives to digital.   You can then choose the specific images, if any, to print.

All that glowing film praise aside, a significant non financial drawback to film is that digital is an easier medium to learn on your own.  Being able to change a setting or practice your timing and see the results right then on the screen is a great self-teaching device as the lessons are reinforced immediately.

Dust off those cameras, an errr I hate to mention it, but remember that manual that came in the box?  You’ll be needing that too.

Tags: horse photography