Pro Tip: Burst Mode

Filed under: Professional Photos — Kevin, King of the f/stop at 12:01 am on Saturday, August 2, 2008

Photographers, have you ever felt that you missed the shot you were trying to get with your point and shoot? Have you ever wanted to take a series of photos in sequence? If so, let me introduce you to the wonders of “Burst Mode”.

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Burst mode, or continuous shooting mode is very simply put, a setting normally found under the menu of functions which allows you to capture as many images as possible while pressing the shutter button.

Using this feature can be extremely helpful in either capturing moments that happen too quickly such as sports action shots or for taking photos of fast moving objects when timing is crucial.

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There are however a few drawbacks that should be noted when it comes to using burst mode. For example, the more you shoot in this mode the faster the camera’s battery will die. Because of this, as a general rule it is not a good idea to always use this mode. For optimum battery life, only use burst mode when the shooting situation requires it. Keep in mind that with point and shoot cameras the number of photos that can be captured in burst mode varies from model to model. Some cameras are dependent on the predetermined set of images allowed to capture at one time, while others may be more dependent on the write speed and capacity of the card or camera’s buffer. In other words, don’t count on your camera to shoot continually for minutes at a time.

For more in-depth information about using burst mode with not only point and shoot cameras but digital SLRs click here to read more.

23 Comments

Comment by Jim Harmon

August 2, 2008 @ 9:03 pm

Happy to see tips still being given to us. The link also has much more information that can be had for study. I can always use information like this since I am still learning and will never stop learning… Jim

Comment by Meagan

August 4, 2008 @ 6:16 pm

Not sure this is the same as burst mode, but my old Sony camera had a 3 shot mode that worked in a similar way. One problem I found with that camera was that it took forever to process the 3 photos and I often missed the next big shot. I’ve been too wary to try it with my new camera, but maybe I’ll play around a bit. I’m hoping this processing lag isn’t an issue with newer cameras?

Comment by Meagan

August 4, 2008 @ 6:16 pm

Not sure this is the same as burst mode, but my old Sony camera had a 3 shot mode that worked in a similar way. One problem I found with that camera was that it took forever to process the 3 photos and I often missed the next big shot. I’ve been too wary to try it with my new camera, but maybe I’ll play around a bit. I’m hoping this processing lag isn’t an issue with newer cameras?

Comment by rachel7119

August 4, 2008 @ 9:42 pm

Yes, I read and appreciate all the Pro Tips too!

Comment by Jose

August 5, 2008 @ 7:18 am

Surely, these tips increase our capabality to take better pictures and operate our cameras proficiently

Comment by Jose

August 5, 2008 @ 7:19 am

Surely, these tips increase our capabality to take better pictures and operate our cameras proficiently

Comment by Yvonne

August 5, 2008 @ 7:24 am

I am just a beginner and your tips are very helpful
thank you so much.

Comment by Yvonne

August 5, 2008 @ 7:24 am

I am just a beginner and your tips are very helpful
thank you so much.

Comment by Jan

August 5, 2008 @ 7:25 am

Also burst mode is great when taking photos of infants and toddlers. I recently missed some great shots of our 15 month old grandson. I forgot totally about using burst mode here. With animals or your pets is another great time to use this.

Comment by Stephanie

August 5, 2008 @ 9:05 am

I really appreciate these tips. I am in a great place for bird watching and I would like some ideas on what type of camera would be best that has this burst feature?

Comment by Bonnie Burshaw

August 5, 2008 @ 9:30 am

Thank you for including these tips. I love taking pictures and since I have been reading your tips, I feel much more comfortable using different setting with my camera.

Comment by smhulscher

August 5, 2008 @ 9:48 am

I have a canon A640 and tried that out a couple of times. The amount of pixels seemed to be reduced. Is that so? Thanks, Sophia

Comment by Maureen

August 5, 2008 @ 10:21 am

Yes, our new Canon DSLR Rebel XSi has a burst mode. This setting along with Sports enable me to get a great shot of two children catching a water balloon. Needlessly to say the water balloon burst and it is just beautiful to see the water going everywhere in the photograph especially when zooming in.
Is there any information on the best memory cards that will be able to handle this?? something with a fast wright speed??

Comment by Mary

August 5, 2008 @ 12:25 pm

I appreciate the variety of all these great photo tips. Thanks for taking the time to share your expertise.

On my Fuji camera, I believe it’s called the sports mode, but I can never find where it’s located in time to use it! Not a very good design feature!

Comment by Gerry

August 5, 2008 @ 1:45 pm

Maureen, I have great success with SanDisk’s Extreme III CF cards in my Sony A100 (which will “burst” until the whole card is full if you hold down the shutter). Not sure if your camera takes CF or SD cards, but I’m sure that the Extreme III is available in SD too.

Comment by Dennis Roberts

August 5, 2008 @ 2:57 pm

While the D50 (and my current D40) will shoot a little less than 3 fps in JPG mode … they do shoot faster still in RAW mode. Unfortunately, the buffer seems not able to KEEP as many RAW images there as compared to JPGs. In JPG mode, you can sort of just keep the shutter down till you get tired … but in RAW mode, there definitely is a limit … maybe 3 or 4 then it STOPS till the buffer is ready again. In any case, I never use RAW … and tend to keep the setting in continuous … being careful not to keep the shutter down too long … but having it ready when needed. Now and then I get an extra frame that I don’t need but I can handle a few too many … rather than lose some to not having it set to continuous in the first place. Life is a trade off! BTW, some of the point and shoots will do this pretty well … my Canon 5sIS … will perform about as well as the D40 … in terms of SNAPPING continuously … BUT THEN it takes a lot longer for all the shots to be saved.

Comment by Yves

August 5, 2008 @ 7:35 pm

Hello Stephanie,

I guess all new digital cameras have a burst mode. For birds, the most important point is probably to have a good zoom (most have 3x, but try to get 8x or 10x optical zoom).

Cameras also have a digital zoom, but optical zoom is really what you first need. You can crop the part you need on the computer afterwards, and this is often more useful that the digital zoom. I turned off the optical zoom feature on my camera…

When zooming a lot, you will appreciate a tripod, if the setup allows you to use one.

Good luck !

Yves

Comment by roz

August 6, 2008 @ 2:19 am

hi

Comment by Terry

August 6, 2008 @ 3:22 pm

I would like to add my thanks to the many tips the pro’s give us. For me, an absolute come to the table late beginner, they are a boon.

Comment by Jim Harmon

August 6, 2008 @ 7:26 pm

My kayak entries for the hip challenge are a good example. Both under James_Harmon_Photos and Police370 The kayaks moved so fast in white water that they were gone before a single shot finished saving. I put it on 3 shot and just pointed at the kayak and hoped I was following in sync with the captures because I could not see anything in the view finder. It actually worked out more in my favor even though I did get some ends of the kayaks or water only. I got far more good pictures than if I single shot. Sometimes I got three for three where I would have only had one for one. I found this to be a useful tool…. Jim

Comment by Harry

August 11, 2008 @ 8:04 am

I just enjoyed two weeks of fun shooting with my grandkids and missed a lot of great shots by not having the camera set on burst mode. This post has definitely opened my eyes to a new vista - and makes me realize how much I can learn if I do a little reading in the right places. I’ve noticed the description of burst mode in my cameras’ instruction books, but was wary about using it as too much technology for my purposes.

With my new Nikon D40 this will definitely add to my fun and improve my results.

Thanks.

Comment by Rich Chrono

August 12, 2008 @ 1:53 pm

Depending on the camera, you can significantly increase the number of frames per second you capture. Many higher end digital and DSLR cameras have their normal 3 fps capture rate AND a higher burst rate. BUT, the burst rate almost always comes with the compromise of lower resolution, e.g. a 10 MP camera may drop to 2 or 4 MP in burst mode.
For those experiencing write lag when shooting multiple images, invest in the new 3rd generation memory cards from San Disk. Most newer cameras are limited by the card write speed, not by the camera. And moving files off the card onto your computer is significantly faster, also.
I shoot thousands of photos on my Nikon regularly and these cards have been a real blessing to me.
Hope this helps.

Comment by A. Parker

August 14, 2008 @ 9:26 am

I love these tips and tricks. I never knew there was such a thing as a “burst” mode, but now that I know about it, I’m going to give a try.

I am very much an amatuer, but I like taking pictures and proud when I catch something extraordinary. Most of the pictures in my albums are merely captured memories, not shot for any particular purpose other than a momento of the time, place, or event. But, it’s sure nice to know a few tips that help make my memories look better. Thank you!

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