Digicam Roundup: $150

The Timing Tests

* NOTE: For all of our time tests, the cameras are reset to their factory default settings and set to record using the highest resolution and quality setting. They are set to record in Auto mode. For the Fuji and Olympus cameras, we used a FujiFilm 512 xD-Picture Card. For the Kodak camera, we used a PNY 512 MB SD card.

Before reading our results, please refer to our Testing Procedures page.

Startup Time

The startup time is recorded from the moment that the power button is pushed to the moment that the shutter sounds. All cameras were set to record in Auto mode.

	Startup time (seconds)
Fuji FinePix A330	3.27
Kodak CX7330	6.09
Olympus D-540	7.17

Fuji is clearly the winner here with a fairly impressive startup time of 3.27 seconds. Kodak had a rather slow startup time at 6.09 sec., but Olympus has the worst performance at 7.17 seconds.

Shutter Lag

To record shutter lag, we perform two tests. For the first test, we pre-focus the lens and measure the amount of time that it takes the camera to take a picture after the shutter button is pressed. The second test measures the time that it takes for the camera to take a picture after we press the shutter button without pre-focusing. Each test is performed 3 times and the results are averaged. For more information regarding our testing procedures, please refer to our Testing Procedures page.

	With Pre-focus (seconds)	Without Pre-focus (seconds)
Fuji FinePix A330	0.19	0.59
Kodak CX7330	0.20	0.79/1.29
Olympus D-540	0.19	1.50

When we pre-focused the cameras, we found that they all had a relatively fast shutter lag of either 0.19 or 0.20 sec. However, when we included auto-focus time in our test, the Fuji A330 is the clear winner with a fast time of 0.59 sec. The Kodak CX7330 showed a decent time of 0.79 sec. on the first shot taken. Unfortunately, as soon as there is even one picture in the buffer, the lag increases to 1.29 sec. Finally, we were astounded by the painfully slow 1.50 sec. shutter lag of the Olympus D-540 when auto-focus was included.

Write Times

Single Shot - The time that it takes for a single picture to be completely written to the flash card (the time that the "activity light" is on).
Shot To Shot (STS) - The time until the second shot is able to be taken after the first (shutter to shutter).
Shot To Shot w/Flash - The time that it takes for the camera to take two pictures with the flash, starting from the moment that the first flash is fired to the moment that the second is fired.
Shot To Shot w/Buffer Full - The time between taking the last shot of a burst to the moment that the shutter sounds again.
Clear Buffer - The time it takes the camera to clear the buffer after a full burst of pictures is taken.

We performed each test three times and averaged the results. Below are the resolution, quality setting, and average file size used for the tests.

	Resolution (pixels)	Quality setting	Avg. file size (MB)
Fuji FinePix A330	2016x1512	Fine	1.47
Kodak CX7330	2032x1524	Best	1.19
Olympus D-540	2048x1536	SHQ	1.71

	Single Shot	Shot To Shot	Shot To Shot w/Flash	Shot to Shot w/Buffer Full	Clear Buffer
Fuji FinePix A330	1.58	1.94	10.40	-	-
Kodak CX7330	6.37	2.27	2.57	6.02	22.48
Olympus D-540	3.64	9.33	16.90	4.99	25.99

In our timing tests, these cameras really spread themselves out in terms of performance. The Fuji A330 had a very impressive Shot to Shot time of 1.94 sec., but slowed down to 10.40 sec. between shots when the flash was used. Although it does not offer a continuous shooting mode, we were impressed that it can shoot at 1.94 sec. between shots without slowing down.

The Kodak camera showed a mixed performance as well. Although it has a decent Shot to Shot time (with and without the flash), the CX7330 can only hold 3 full resolution frames in its buffer before slowing to 5.71 seconds between frames. In its continuous drive mode, the Kodak CX7330 can shoot up to 3 frames at 3.4 fps before filling its buffer. Then, it takes an abysmal 22.48 seconds to clear all three images to the flash card. However, as soon as the buffer fills from a continuous burst, one more frame can be taken every 6.02 sec.

Finally, the Olympus D-540 proved to be the slowest camera of the pack. It had a horrendous Shot to Shot time of 9.33 seconds and an even slower time of 16.90 sec. between shots with the flash. In its continuous drive mode, the D-540 can shoot 12 frames (640x480) at 1.2 fps. After this, the camera needs nearly 26 seconds to flush these images to the flash card. After the buffer fills from a continuous burst, the camera can take one more frame after 4.99 seconds.

After running our time tests and looking at the data, it becomes clear that the two fastest cameras are the Fuji A330 and the Kodak CX7330. Which one you prefer will depend on two things. How often will you be shooting with the flash? Do you need a continuous drive mode? The Fuji A330 has the advantage of being able to shoot "forever" without running into a full buffer slowdown. The Kodak CX7330 remains pretty fast until its buffer is filled with 3 images. It is really going to be a personal decision, but we would opt for the speed of the Fuji A330.