Bruce,
I have just purchased a D2 so I can give you a faster answer. The shutter lag is very small - I don't have any way of measuring it but it feels about like my Nikon D100. There is no change when you use flash. However, the total focus+shutter lag is probably about 1 second. If you prefocus or focus manually you should not be bothered by shutter lag.

Another Michael

Bruce,

I just tried it and I could not tell any difference from one mode to the other. Here is a practical application: I took a picture of my daughter and her cat with the cat licking her nose. It took me 3 tries to nail it.

I really like the D2. I wanted a walking around and vacation camera - I got tired of lugging around my Nikon D100 stuff. The price is insane (so am I) but it is really well thought out and images remind me of the old Agfachrome (if that makes sense to you). I also like the way it feels and looks. The only complaint that I have is that there is quite a bit of shadow noise at ISO400. 200 is quite usable,  and 100 in 11x14 test prints the image is very smooth. Also manual focusing is not so good. The inherent depth of field prevents the image from poping in and out of focus. You can zoom out to 90mm, focus, and zoom back. Might be useful for sports and the like.

Hope this helps,
Michael

Michael:

I've tried getting an answer to this in other forums but so far have had no luck.

Whilst you're testing the D2 I'd be interested if you could try to quantify what the shutter lag is when the camera is in flash mode. The F828 I"m presently using is depressingly slow when in anything other than Program / Manual focus mode (about a 1-second lag), and I was wondering if the D2 was better.

Thanks!

    Bruce

Michael #2  :p :

Thanks for your reply! While I have your attention I have another related question.

Is the lag the same no matter what operating mode the D2 is in, whether it be Manual, Aperture, Program etc.?  Or is a specific mode required (like the F828) to get the minimum delay?

Again, I'm more concerned about when flash is used, and I understand about prefocusing.

Thanks!

Bruce

Michael:

Yes, I too remember the old Agfachrome. Fondly!

Thanks a lot for your help! I certainly appreciate it, though my wife (and wallet!) may not.

Bruce