what setting to use for a quick shot PowerShot SX740

[Piper723]

I know to use this camera they say press the shutter half way & let if focus & then push all the way but what if you see something & just want to take a quick photos,  we were setting the church up for Bible school so many cute things happening but all the quick shots got blurry,  is there a setting use,   Auto didn't work     Thank you

[Tronhard]

Hi Piper and welcome to the forum:

To be honest, no - a dedicated camera required focusing first and the method you described is the most common one if you are using autofocus..  If you want to shoot instantly, that is the forte of the cell phone - which is actually a good device for social gatherings.   If you want to use the camera, practise will help you speed up the process and there is a technique called back button focus that you can setup (check your manual for that) and is one means of setting up focus.  You could try turning off autofocus and trying to set up a pre-determined manual focus, but much depends on what you are using for focal length and aperture for that.  Honestly, for what you are doing, a GOOD cell phone will likely get you where you want to go.

[rs-eos]

It would also be good to understand why the photos got blurry.  Because in some conditions, you'd end up with the same with a cell phone.

For example, if the light was a bit dim indoors, the camera may have chosen to use a slower shutter speed.   If you moved and/or what you were capturing moved during the time the shutter was open, you'll get blurred images.

[Tronhard]

I think the point of the OP is that they don't want to do the half-press of the shutter.  Apparently, they tried Auto mode and it didn't work for them.