Shudder burst delay: I am using a Canon EOS Rebel T7i, and I am having problems with delay. If I take a burst of maybe 6 or 8 pictures, I then have to wait maybe 10 or 15 seconds for...

Timothy S

I am using a Canon EOS Rebel T7i, and I am having problems with delay. If I take a burst of maybe 6 or 8 pictures, I then have to wait maybe 10 or 15 seconds for the processing to catch up before I can take any more pictures. I initially blamed that on my memory card, so I researched which one should be fast for my camera and bought it, the Sandisk Extreme Pro 64GB. Still, same problem. What might be causing this? I am missing photo opportunities as a wildlife photographer who has to catch the perfect moment presented by the subject.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Timothy S wrote:

I am using a Canon EOS Rebel T7i, and I am having ... (show quote)

the T7i is not a high speed action camera, it has a small buffer and relatively slow processor. Also you image format settings and any internal editing you set it for will slow it down. Better to just record straight RAW or JPEG with no in camera editing then do all that on the computer.

Timothy S

My setting is on RAW/JPEG.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Timothy S wrote:

My setting is on RAW/JPEG.

Go with one or the other, JPEG or RAW and not both. Next, refer to page 147 of your User Manual and note you can get 19 to 21 RAW images until the buffer is full. Page 457 of the manual indicates at best, 4.5 frames per second. It would seem if you hold the hammer down for 4+ seconds, you'll fill the buffer and will need to wait another 4 or more seconds longer to flush the buffer.

A better approach would be to anticipate the action and release 4- to 8 frames in a burst at the peak / key moment.

Hamltnblue Loc: Springfield PA

PC mag did a review of the t7i
They said that raw/jpeg will shoot until about 23 pics followed by about 5 sec to clear the buffer.
Jpeg only will run continuous

Timothy S

Wow, thanks, I am really getting great answers. It seems what I am getting with speed is way short of what I should expect. Maybe it is because of my RAW/JPEG setting. I want to work RAW because I am told that it will produce a better final result, but my weak spot is the technical side. So I hope I can continue to involve JPEG because that is what I need to use in contests, etc. I hope I am making sense, since there is much I don’t understand about the editing.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Timothy S wrote:

My setting is on RAW/JPEG.

That's the reason, creating the JPEGs is taking time. Go with straight RAW and see.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Timothy S wrote:

Wow, thanks, I am really getting great answers. It seems what I am getting with speed is way short of what I should expect. Maybe it is because of my RAW/JPEG setting. I want to work RAW because I am told that it will produce a better final result, but my weak spot is the technical side. So I hope I can continue to involve JPEG because that is what I need to use in contests, etc. I hope I am making sense, since there is much I don’t understand about the editing.

My T1i will do four for RAW+JPEG and nine for just RAW before the buffer fills up.

You can always create a JPEG from the RAW file. I shoot both because I peruse the JPEGS in Windows Explorer to see what I want to work on. If I need to double the burst limit, I'll switch to RAW only while I'm doing that particular shot series, like waves breaking.

johngault007 Loc: Florida Panhandle

On my T7i, using RAW only will get close to the speeds Paul mentioned above on high speed continuous. Low speed continuous will give you less shots per second, but the buffer takes a bit longer to fill. I don't use these modes often, but never had issues.

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

My Nikon D7100 will give about a four shot burst when I'm shooting RAW, with or without JPEGs. In JPEG mode alone it will shoot about ten continuous exposures before a slight delay. It is so stated in the manual. The speed of the card is irrelevant, it's all about buffer size.

Like so much else in photography, it's a compromise. When I'm shooting my grandson on his dirt bike or at the plate, I give up RAW for the sake of a larger group of shots from which to select.

Or, I could upgrade the body to one with a bigger buffer, but since this kind of shot is a relative rarity for me, I am not ready to do that.

Andy

Timothy S

Thanks so much to all. I set my camera on just RAW and will give it a try next chance I get. This is real important to catch that rare epic picture that can come at any moment with wildlife photography. 👍🏼

foathog Loc: Greensboro, NC

Perhaps your camera is shuddering because it doesn't have a high speed shutter.

Timothy S wrote:

I am using a Canon EOS Rebel T7i, and I am having ... (show quote)

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

AndyH wrote:

My Nikon D7100 will give about a four shot burst w... (show quote)

The card speed relevance relates to that slight delay, the faster the card, the smaller the delay.

So card speed IS relevant. At least to me. I use cards that perform as fast as the camera hardware can transfer raw data to the card.

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Timothy S wrote:

Thanks so much to all. I set my camera on just RAW and will give it a try next chance I get. This is real important to catch that rare epic picture that can come at any moment with wildlife photography. 👍🏼

I don't think that will work. It's not writing the JPEG that's filling up the buffer, it's processing the RAW file. Simple experiment you should try before you go out into the field. Set your camera to Continuous High with RAW only, then shoot of a burst till the delay appears. Then do the same thing with JPEG. I'm willing to bet you will get more continuous clicks on JPEG than RAW and that setting it to save both won't make a difference.

Andy

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Dngallagher wrote:

The card speed relevance relates to that slight delay, the faster the card, the smaller the delay.

So card speed IS relevant. At least to me. I use cards that perform as fast as the camera hardware can transfer raw data to the card.

That's interesting! I guess I must be using newer cards, I've never experienced a delay of more than about a quarter of a second, and that only after a burst of a couple dozen JPEGs. I don't remember what speed cards I'm using and my camera isn't handy right now, but they aren't the super duper high speed ones that cost over a hundred bucks. I'll check it out, but I've never noticed any difference at all related to the speed of the card.

Andy