From the Canon web site, on the Digital Rebel XT:
"Fast 3 frames-per-second shooting with a 14 frame burst and 0.2 second startup time - The EOS Digital Rebel XT was designed from the ground up to be faster and more intuitive than the Digital Rebel. From the ultra-fast 0.2 sec. startup time, shutter release lag of 100 msec. and viewfinder blackout time of 175 msec., the Digital Rebel XT will never keep you waiting. A new high speed shutter shoots at speeds of up to 1/4000 sec. for up to 14 shots and synchronizes with your flash at 1/200 sec."My experience with this camera makes me believe the manufacturer's statistics. I shot the photos below as this family of Canada Geese (mom, dad, and 5 goslings) moved from the water to land. My camera just kept quickly capturing images. What fun!
I know from experience that my baby camera doesn't cycle this fast so I wouldn't be able to capture the same sequence of photos with that camera. Of course the speed at which the camera captures images probably doesn't matter for most of the photos I take when I'm touring - but it certainly helps when I see animals (or sometimes people doing strange and wonderful things) that I'd like to capture as a memory.
