Very Interesting Comparison of Canon DSLR Camera Burst Mode Speeds and Sounds

Photography Tips

In 2003, Canon announced the Canon 300D with a burst mode rate of 2.5 fps. In 2006, they managed to double that number with the release of the 30D. These days, we have the Canon 1D X which performs an incredible 14 fps. Any faster and Canon will be verging on the edge of the cinema frame rate which is 24 fps. The video below shows a comparison between several Canon DSLR’s burst mode rates and sounds:

The beginning of the video is not so impressive. The 2.5 frame rate clicks by like a musical metronome. But by the time you get to the EOS-1D X, it sounds like your lawn sprinkler on steroids. Technology has certainly come a long way and improved the things we can do with cameras. Just remember though that just because you can shoot 14 fps, doesn’t mean you should. Here are some appropriate times to use burst mode:

• Action Shots – Burst mode is very useful when shooting sports because of its face-paced nature. Trying to capture peak shots doesn’t always work and can result in an image that’s either too early or too late than what you anticipated.
• Freeze Shots – I’m sure you’ve seen photographs where the people in the image seem to be floating. The subject jumps into the air and the photographer captures the moment with a high shutter speed. When trying to capture these shots, burst mode can help you capture the right moment when the subject is perfectly positioned.
• Once in a Lifetime Shots – There are some shots that you only get one second to take a photo. So taking five images in that one second rather than one could make all the difference.

Remember to be courteous when using burst mode, especially around people. As you can hear in the video, the burst modes are often very loud and annoying.

FPS stands for Frames Per Second