This morning at the dog park, my friend’s husky did a mid-air shake with water flying everywhere and my phone kept trying to focus - by the time it snapped, the moment was gone. Is this me being slow, or would a basic mirrorless catch that kind of split-second shot?
A basic mirrorless would snag that shot more reliably - less shutter lag and faster continuous AF - so it’s not just you. If you try again, set AF-C with subject tracking and a fast burst around 1/2000s; on your phone, tap-hold to lock focus where the dog will jump and hold the shutter for a burst.
@kestrel A basic mirrorless will help a ton — set AF-C with animal detection, 1/2000s shutter, and hold a high‑speed burst; on your phone, lock focus/exposure then keep the shutter held for burst so you pre-catch the shake. What camera or phone are you using so we can dial the settings — husky shake is a fur grenade.
If you go mirrorless, look for a pre‑capture/pre‑burst mode that buffers frames before the shutter press — it’s cheating for husky sprinklers. On your phone, use Live Photo/Top Shot to scrub back a few frames and pick the splash frame.
I’d pre‑focus on the splash spot — manual focus on a mirrorless, or use a phone app like Halide to set a fixed distance — then fire a quick burst as the dog enters; it’s like trying to nail a sneeze, timing beats menus. A mirrorless will cut lag, but shooting a bit wider and cropping gives the focus system more breathing room. @kestrel, does it tend to happen at the same puddle so you can stage it?