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G12 and "quickshot"

Started May 24, 2012 | Discussions
jon lake
jon lake Senior Member • Posts: 1,632
G12 and "quickshot"

So I have my G12 set to the flying camera symbol. Apparently this slows shutter lag? Seems to take the same amount of time to me!! Unless I pree focus and keep my finger on the shutter, is there anyway of actually taking shots of children with an instant response from the camera? Maybe I am expecting too much. Its easy(easier!) with my Canon DSLRs, and maybe I shouldn't use it as such. For posed photos, it is excellent. On the fly stuff, not so good. It could be a case of RTFM, but there isn't one apart from the online one, so I have invested in the Magic Lantern guide which looks quite good.

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nkistrup
nkistrup Senior Member • Posts: 2,578
Re: G12 and "quickshot"

Don't know if this is what you are looking for, but the G12 has a 'Kids & Pets' scene mode, that bumps up the ISO to get faster shutter speeds.

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jon lake
OP jon lake Senior Member • Posts: 1,632
Re: G12 and "quickshot"

That is different again, but what's the point of fast shutter speeds if the shutter doesn't release when pressed? Back to my 1Ds2 I think.

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Quicksilver Contributing Member • Posts: 569
Nothing quick about G series cameras......their talent is elsewhere...

Not sure about the G12, but I have an older G10 I love.

I use my DSLR for people/things in motion. Sports, kids, pets, etc.

The G10 can handle just about anything else and assume your G12 probably can too.

What specifically are you trying to capture with the G12?

What settings are you using? Manual or auto/scn? AF continuous or single? Face detect, etc? Flash or no flash? Red eye on or off? In camera red eye correction on or off? Focus assist lamp on or off?

G series are great cameras, but in my experience, they are not the fastest things around. : ) Enjoy them for for what they do well, break out the DSLR for everything else.

Cheers,

DL

David Strachan
David Strachan Senior Member • Posts: 1,326
Re: Nothing quick about G series cameras......their talent is elsewhere...

Quicksilver wrote:

The G10 can handle just about anything else and assume your G12 probably can too.

What specifically are you trying to capture with the G12?

G series are great cameras, but in my experience, they are not the fastest things around. : ) Enjoy them for for what they do well, break out the DSLR for everything else.

Cheers,

DL

Hi Quicksilver

I can pick my G12 (or my G1X)...turn it on as I pick up...at same time press shutter, composing same time...four seconds! From first touch of camera, to finished taking of image (including auto-flash)...just 4 seconds (3.7 seconds actually). Reckon I could knock of another half second if I tried.

If anyone needs faster response photography...well they want their heads read!

OTOH..I can understand the frustration with shutter lag..and following speedy things...etc...DSLR please!

cheers Dave S

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jon lake
OP jon lake Senior Member • Posts: 1,632
Re: Nothing quick about G series cameras......their talent is elsewhere...

Thanks for the help, guys. Mostly use this camera in AV mode and shoot raw. Its for when I cant be bothered with my heavy DSLR's, and I guess mostly landscape stuff. Was just wondering if I could get it to act like a rangefinder or do any PJ kind of stuff. I am very happy with the camera, but still discovering its positives and negatives.(Excuse the pun if there was one!). For posed portraits its great. Love the AiAF, but not good on the fly unless pre focusing.(which isn't, by definition, "on the fly"!)

Cheers,

Jon.

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David Strachan
David Strachan Senior Member • Posts: 1,326
I reckom my G12 is fast enough!

jon lake wrote:

Thanks for the help, guys. Mostly use this camera in AV mode and shoot raw. Its for when I cant be bothered with my heavy DSLR's, and I guess mostly landscape stuff. Was just wondering if I could get it to act like a rangefinder or do any PJ kind of stuff. I am very happy with the camera, but still discovering its positives and negatives.(Excuse the pun if there was one!). For posed portraits its great. Love the AiAF, but not good on the fly unless pre focusing.(which isn't, by definition, "on the fly"!)

Cheers,

Jon.

Hi Jon
I would think the G12 would be great for PJ.

"Fortune favours the prepared" If one is ready, the image will be captured. Even with the very slight shutter lag.
For street photography, the G series is excellent.

cheers Dave S

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yooperguy Senior Member • Posts: 1,870
Re: G12 and "quickshot"

G series cameras have their least amount of shutter lag when you are in the half-press operation. The G12 will take the shot in 0.076 seconds, while your 1Ds2 will take it in 0.052 seconds. Not a noticeable difference in time. But, that requires you to do the half-press and wait for the "moment". Here are links to the I-R reviews for the performance numbers on these two cameras.

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/G12/G12A6.HTM

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/EOS1DS2/1DS2A10.HTM

The G12 performance numbers did not include a manual focus figure, because it was covered in the G11 review (I guess). Here's the G11 performance link for comparison.

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/G11/G11A6.HTM

I have a G9 and G11. The C1 and C2 settings on the G9 through G12 allow you to preconfigure the cameras for a quick response. The Quick Shoot mode on the G11/G12 are not really a faster response to me, and because I have to look through the optical (tunnel) viewfinder. Here's an old blog posting explaining how this person set up a G9 for quick street shooting. You might find it useful in setting up your G12. I have not come across any other person's methods to do this with the current G series, so I keep posting this one for reference.

http://lifespy.wordpress.com/2008/02/12/setting-up-snap-shooting-mode-on-the-g9/

Dennis

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Quicksilver Contributing Member • Posts: 569
Custom settings, manual focus pre-set, etc

I have gotten very spoiled with the response times of modern digital cameras in general.

When I used to shoot sports with film I used to pre focus on the area where I was expecting the action. Everything was manual focus then. It actually works better than you might think.

The G12 has a nice articulated LCD screen to make street photography easier.

Like others said, make and save your settings in C1 or C2 etc. Try manual focus and try to set it up for the distance you are working with, etc. Nothing to lose. : )

Anticipation and being prepared are everything. : )

My first camera was a Kodak Instamatic 126 box camera. Probably 10 bucks tops. Fixed focus lens, everything from about 3ft to infinity in focus. No lag. LOL! Always amazed at how well it actually worked. : )

DL

jon lake
OP jon lake Senior Member • Posts: 1,632
Re: G12 and "quickshot"

Thanks Dennis. Some interesting links there. Got me some reading to do!

yooperguy wrote:

G series cameras have their least amount of shutter lag when you are in the half-press operation. The G12 will take the shot in 0.076 seconds, while your 1Ds2 will take it in 0.052 seconds. Not a noticeable difference in time. But, that requires you to do the half-press and wait for the "moment". Here are links to the I-R reviews for the performance numbers on these two cameras.

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/G12/G12A6.HTM

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/EOS1DS2/1DS2A10.HTM

The G12 performance numbers did not include a manual focus figure, because it was covered in the G11 review (I guess). Here's the G11 performance link for comparison.

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/G11/G11A6.HTM

I have a G9 and G11. The C1 and C2 settings on the G9 through G12 allow you to preconfigure the cameras for a quick response. The Quick Shoot mode on the G11/G12 are not really a faster response to me, and because I have to look through the optical (tunnel) viewfinder. Here's an old blog posting explaining how this person set up a G9 for quick street shooting. You might find it useful in setting up your G12. I have not come across any other person's methods to do this with the current G series, so I keep posting this one for reference.

http://lifespy.wordpress.com/2008/02/12/setting-up-snap-shooting-mode-on-the-g9/

Dennis

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Canon PowerShot G12 Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III Canon EOS 40D Canon EF 85mm F1.8 USM +3 more
jon lake
OP jon lake Senior Member • Posts: 1,632
Re: Custom settings, manual focus pre-set, etc

Will try c1 and set camera up. Got a lot of learning to do. Much more complex on some respects than my DSLR . I too had a 126 instamatic! Those were the days!

Quicksilver wrote:

I have gotten very spoiled with the response times of modern digital cameras in general.

When I used to shoot sports with film I used to pre focus on the area where I was expecting the action. Everything was manual focus then. It actually works better than you might think.

The G12 has a nice articulated LCD screen to make street photography easier.

Like others said, make and save your settings in C1 or C2 etc. Try manual focus and try to set it up for the distance you are working with, etc. Nothing to lose. : )

Anticipation and being prepared are everything. : )

My first camera was a Kodak Instamatic 126 box camera. Probably 10 bucks tops. Fixed focus lens, everything from about 3ft to infinity in focus. No lag. LOL! Always amazed at how well it actually worked. : )

DL

 jon lake's gear list:jon lake's gear list
Canon PowerShot G12 Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III Canon EOS 40D Canon EF 85mm F1.8 USM +3 more
gordonsbuck Senior Member • Posts: 1,388
Minor tweaks

Sadly, after trying some well intended suggestions, you'll find that these have relatively minor effects and the only really significant reduction in overall lag is to use the half-press shutter button technique.

You might try the simple little tests that I did with my G9 to get a hands-on feeling for relative effects on total lag: http://lightdescription.blogspot.com/2009/08/g9-shutter-lag.html

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salsaguy
salsaguy Regular Member • Posts: 132
Re: Minor tweaks

The original poster of the message was asking about the 'Quick Shot" mode, as mentioned on pages 66 and 67 of the G12 manual:

http://gdlp01.c-wss.com/gds/1/0300004191/01/PSG12_CUG_EN.pdf

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crashpc Veteran Member • Posts: 7,235
Re: Minor tweaks
2

Good try, after almost 6 years!

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