These cameras can capture images before you’ve even finished clicking
11.11.2022
Translation: Katherine Martin
Some cameras start shooting even before you hit the shutter button. This way, you can capture a moment you actually missed. Here’s my round-up of which devices are equipped with the feature.
Whether you’re taking snapshots, capturing a sports event or snapping a speedy animal, photographers like you and me sometimes press the shutter button too late and miss the crucial moment.
There are cameras out there which start shooting before you hit the shutter button. Is it magic? No, just a simple trick. Even when the shutter release button is pressed halfway, the camera captures images. However, they’re only stored temporarily in the buffer. If the button isn’t pressed down fully, the camera continuously deletes the oldest images in the buffer memory to make room for new ones. It’s only when the shutter release button is clicked that the content of the buffer memory is saved onto the card. This way, the camera compensates for your reaction time – typically you gain between 0.5 seconds and 1 second.
For these pre-shots to be of any use to you, the camera needs to be pointed at the right spot, and focused. It’s why I had no use for this feature until recently. Being late to hit the shutter button usually means being late to focus as well.
Capture a bird as it’s flying off
That being said, pre-shot mode is handy in some situations – think skiers or motocross riders suddenly popping up over a jump. Where the feature is most useful is when photographing birds. They often stay stock-still for a long time before abruptly flying off. You have the bird in your sights, but you don’t see the point in hitting the shutter button. Otherwise, your memory card will fill up with thousands of identical photos, none of which you want. But if you don’t keep snapping, you’ll miss the bird taking off – the moment which produces the most interesting photos.
I discovered the advantages of the feature while reviewing the Fujifilm H2S. It made me wonder why I hadn’t thought of using it earlier.
The feature isn’t yet standard
There’s a simple reason for this: most cameras don’t have the feature yet. Not even the Sony Alpha 1, a camera that can do everything else, and which I also tried out for bird photography.
There still isn’t a generally accepted name for the function. Olympus calls it «Pro Capture», Fujifilm «Pre-Shot», Nikon «Pre-Release Capture», Sony «Predictive Capture». Meanwhile, Canon and Panasonic have gone for «Pre-burst». Unclear terminology doesn’t exactly make it easy to find the feature, so I’m not sure if I’ve pinpointed all the cameras that have it. Go ahead and add more in the comments section if I’ve missed any.
For pre-shot mode, you need to use the electronic shutter. Under certain conditions, this can create a rolling shutter effect: fast movements in combination with slow sensors lead to geometric distortions. Today’s sports cameras, however, have sensors which don’t usually cause a rolling shutter effect – even with the electronic shutter.
Olympus/OM Systems
«Pro-Capture» has been embedded in the Olympus system for quite some time. Even the M1 Mark II released in 2016 had the function. These models are kitted out with the feature too:
The number of photos able to be stored depends on the size of the buffer memory, and therefore, the camera model. It could be capable of storing up to 70. The pre-shot time depends on the continuous shooting speed.
The OM-1 has a fast autofocus with bird detection and can capture 120 images per second. On this camera, Pro Capture is really useful.
Fujifilm
With the exception of its medium-format cameras, Fujifilm is building in pre-shot mode across the board. This also applies to the X-T3 (not listed below), X-T4 and X-H2. The manufacturer calls the feature «Pre-shot ES», with the ES meaning «electronic shutter». On the Fujifilm H2S, the pre-shot goes back one second and shoots a maximum of 40 frames.
Panasonic
At Panasonic, the feature is called «Pre-burst». On the G9, it works in a similar way to Olympus and Fujifilm cameras.
Some other models, including the G110, the GX80 and the GH5S have pre-burst for 4K video. This allows you to save individual frames as JPEGs. Although this doesn’t provide the same quality as a RAW shot, it’s better than having no pre-burst, as is the case with the GH6.
Canon
Within the RAW burst mode on the Canon EOS R7, R10 and M6 Mark II, you have the option of saving photos as late as half a second before clicking. Canon calls this «PreRec». In this mode, the photos in one series are presented as a video in order to organise them better. RAW images can also be extracted from this as individual frames.
The Canon EOS R3 – the sports camera for pros – doesn’t yet have pre-shot mode, despite the fact it’d be especially useful. The camera has a sensor with basically no rolling shutter. Maybe a future firmware update for the R3 will equip it with the feature.
Nikon
Even the first Nikon 1 in 2011 was able to save shots before the shutter was released. Nikon, however, hasn’t followed up on the function consistently. This probably has to do with the fact that Nikon’s sports and action cameras were SLRs until recently.
For a while now, SLRs haven’t included a pre-shot mode. Though, there is one exception: after the firmware update 2.00, the Nikon Z 9 was equipped with «Pre-release Capture». This allows the camera to start shooting either 0.3 seconds, 0.5 seconds or 1 second before the shutter button is pressed. However, the feature is only available in the high-speed C30/C120 – with 30 or 120 frames per second. A few limitations come with this, including the fact you can’t shoot RAW images with Pre-release Capture.
Sony
As far as I know, there are no Sony cameras with pre-shot mode. Sony nevertheless using the term «Predictive Capture» is thanks to Xperia smartphones having the feature.
Verdict
Pre-shot mode lies primarily in the domain of Olympus and Fujifilm. The feature proved to be a big plus during bird photography with the Olympus OM-1 and the Fujifilm H2S.
Although other manufacturers have the feature at their disposal and have built it into their models, they clearly see it as unimportant – something that’s especially astounding when you look at the latest SLRs. After all, the rolling shutter is so low that you can use the electronic shutter (the prerequisite for pre-shot mode) in almost any situation. At least Nikon gave the Z 9 the feature in a firmware update. However, it’s also unable to take RAW images in pre-shot mode.
David Lee
Senior Editor
David.Lee@digitecgalaxus.chMy interest in IT and writing landed me in tech journalism early on (2000). I want to know how we can use technology without being used. Outside of the office, I’m a keen musician who makes up for lacking talent with excessive enthusiasm.
