Do most digital cameras nowadays still a slight pause after the button is pressed?

i know in some of the older cameras, whenever you pushed the button, it would pause slightly before actually taking the shot. Maybe they've improved since then, but I was just curious...and I don't mean the digtal SLR's..but the 300-400 dollar range ones...thanks!

There are several factors that contribute to shutter lag. Most digital camera, especially cheaper point and shoot, do have a genuine lag between the time the button is pressed and the image captured, but this is generally small.

Most of the lag comes from the time it takes to focus. This can usually be eliminated by pressing the button down half way until it focuses, then pressing the button all the way when you want to take the photo.

If you鈥檙e using a flash the may fire a pre flash to gauge the exposure and reduce red eye, and this also delays the shot. If possible turn of red-eye reduction to reduce this.

I've got a 500-dollar one and it does take a moment to capture the shot.

Cheap ones do.....
But no... This is 2006!!!!!!!!!!!! GEEH!

i bought a sony camera couple of months ago. It was approximately 400 bucks and it doesn't have any slight pause before taking the picture.

The shutter lag has been reduced. It's currently well under 1/10th second with just about all models, and better cameras are practically instantaneous. In-depth reviews often give the exact information. You do still have 1/10th second lag before you press the shutter button however, due to the electronic viewfinder. So point & shoots have gotten better but they're still not suited for action photography.

Basically, Yes they have improved in this regard over the years.
Try looking at these websites for a better idea of what to buy.
http://www.dpreview.com/
http://www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_...
Hope this helps

There is another factor, many cameras use a multi mode shutter release button. If you press the button halfway it will focus but not trigger the shutter. If you do this, you will notice that the actual delay to activate the shutter is much shorter.