PRE-RELEASE CAPTURE

Pre-release capture is a feature in some modern cameras that takes care of the human reaction time. When you press the shutter release button, not only is there a mechanical time-lag before the shutter can open but there’s also a human time-lag – the time between receiving the signal from the brain to release the shutter and our response time to complete the procedure. This time-period is very small, but enough for us to miss capturing action at its peak. In fact, if you have seen the exact instant in the viewfinder, you can say that you have not captured it due to the accumulated lags!

Rohinton Mehta

Different manufacturers label this feature differently. Nikon calls it ‘Pre-Release Capture’, Sony calls it ‘Pre-Capture’, Canon calls it ‘Pre-Continuous Shooting’, OM-System calls it ‘Pro Capture’, Fujifilm calls it ‘Pre-Shot ES’, while Panasonic mentions it as ‘Pre-Burst’. Please check whether your camera has this feature and what the limitations are. Let’s take an example. Let’s say that you are a wildlife photographer fortunate enough to witness a tiger crouching up on its prey. The jungle is quiet. You can see the hair standing up on the tiger’s back. Anxiously you wait, your finger on the shutter release button. But the tiger is in no hurry. It waits for the prey to come closer. Within a few minutes your hands get tired of holding the camera with the heavy lens. You relax…

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Smart Photography (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 2025

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