Hi--

>I am in the position of buying a used camera and have settled on either
>an FA or FE-2. I came across your name in a Dejanews search regarding
>such a purchase.

Both are nice...;-)

>You stated that you like the FA's "softer" shutter release vs. the
>FE-2's. Someone else had said that there was an "excessive delay" when
>pressing the shutter release button to when the picture was taken
>resulting in some missed opportunities in sports and wedding photography.

Yes - these may be related. While I would expect the release feel
of the similar FM2/FE2/FA to be the same, it wasn't. Since I do work
that requires hand-held slow shutter speeds, the smoother release feel
of the FA caused me to sell two FE-2's and buy two FA's, though otherwise
I prefer the FE-2. David Rosen suggests that there is more of a delay with the FA, and he may be right with AS and AP modes (the camera checks actual
lens stop before exposure, adjusting shutter speed to compensate, if necessary). I have never found this a problem, since I don't use the auto
modes (and the FE-2 doesn't have those modes, anyway - just AA...).

>Since I will be using the camera mainly for sports photography, any
>hesitation in shutter release can be costly.

I have had no problems with any of the manual cameras for this - or the
8008 (but all used in manual mode).

>As an owner of an FA and previously of an FE-2, did you notice any
>difference in delay? Even if only slightly. Was there a specific mode
>which was more prone to dealy (such a P mode or AP or SP modes?)
>
>Please let me know your thoughts,
>Nathan nh@ideasign.com (Nathan K Hopper)