CAMERA CLINIC
Continuous shooting
Running off lots of shots is a huge benefit
Being able to shoot sustained bursts of pictures comes in useful for a broad range of subjects, including sporting action, wildlife and even when photographing children running about in the garden. It can mean catching the peak of the action, the decisive moment or the perfect wing position of a bird in flight. But while fast shooting has many benefits, there are times when it can be a problem, so it needs to be treated with respect.
✓ Perfect composition
Shooting lots of frames rapidly can mean you get the shot you want. With a subject such as birds in flight, where the wing position changes quickly, it can mean the difference between getting the perfect composition or just missing out.
✓ Remember memory cards
Set a fast continuous shooting speed and you can rack up a lot of photos in super-quick time. If you are shooting raw images, that also means you’ll consume a great deal of memory, so make sure you have sufficient cards on your days out.
✓ Sharpshooter
Handholding when the shutter speed is slow and shooting a burst in continuous mode can help get a sharp result. The first one or two shots might be blurred but because you’ve got the camera up to the eye, the third one could be spot on.
✓ Finding the keepers
Rattling off lots of frames means you have to trawl through them to find the ‘keepers’. Scrolling through images in-camera consumes battery and, on the computer, Lightroom can be slow with high-res files so try the free FastStone Image Viewer (Windows only) or Phoenix Slides (Mac and Windows). Photo Mechanic (Mac and Windows) is better, but it’s $169 or $329 for the Plus version.
✗ Rolling shutter
For the fastest shooting speed on a mirrorless, use the electronic shutter. In many c
