Delay between presssing down shutter and flash going off

Press cursor-down (marked with a one-handed clock) to bring up the self-timer menu, use cursor-left/right to select the desired delay, then press the MENU/OK button. Start the self-timer by pressing the shutter release button as usual.

Full details are in the "Using the Self-Timer" section of the manual (page 39 in my copy). If you need a manual you may download a copy here.

This is a common situation with compact point&shoot cameras. Between the time you press the shutter release button and it takes a picture, it has a lot to do. It has to find the subject and focus on it, meter the light and set the exposure, perhaps set the white balance, and other things. Larger, more powerful (and more expensive) DSLRs have more powerful processors and additional hardware to speed up the process.

One way you can reduce this shutter lag is to press the shutter release button halfway to focus and meter before you need the picture. Keep the shutter button pressed halfway until the action hits its peak, then press it the rest of the way.

This is a common situation with compact point&shoot cameras. Between the time you press the shutter release button and it takes a picture, it has a lot to do. It has to find the subject and focus on it, meter the light and set the exposure, perhaps set the white balance, and other things. Larger, more powerful (and more expensive) DSLRs have more powerful processors and additional hardware to speed up the process.

One way you can reduce this shutter lag is to press the shutter release button halfway to focus and meter before you need the picture. Keep the shutter button pressed halfway until the action hits its peak, then press it the rest of the way.

Manual:
http://www.kodak.com/global/plugins/acrobat/en/service/manuals/urg01041/C182_xUG_GLB_en.pdf

Page 11

Using the self-timer
Use the self-timer when you want to be included in a picture, or to ensure a steady
Shutter button press. Place the camera on a tripod or flat surface.
1 In any picture-taking mode, press the Info button to turn on the shortcut icons.
2 Press to highlight the self-timer icon. Press to choose a setting:
10 seconds- A picture is taken after a 10-second delay (so you have time
to get into the scene).
2 seconds- A picture is taken after a 2-second delay (for a steady, shutter
release on a tripod).
2 shot- The first picture is taken after a 10-second delay. A second picture
is taken 8 seconds later.
3 Compose the scene. Press the Shutter button halfway, then completely down.
The camera takes the picture/pictures after the delay.
Use the same procedure to take a 2- or 10-second self-timer video, but press the
Shutter button completely down.

If you have your flash set to "red-eye flash", it will fire "pre-flashes" to prevent redeye in your subjects. You can turn off that feature and set it for normal flash. As far as shutter delay is concerned, all you need to do is press the shutter button half-way and allow the camera to lock in the focus (it will beep) and then you can re-compose the picture and press the rest of the way when the moment is right.

Press "Func." button. Scroll up or down to "Drive Mode". Scroll to the right to the icon showing "10" for 10 seconds (the other is 2 seconds). Press "Func" again. Put the camera on a table or chair (best/safest to use a tripod). Press the shutter, and get in the picture!!!

The delay is caused by the flash charging. Put the camera in Program mode (P on your dial). This is similar to Auto, but you can turn off the flash. Press the button with the lightning bolt by it until you see the same icon but with a slash through it in your LCD screen.

Now keep in mind taking pictures this way will often result in blurry pictures because you're overiding both the Autofocus (by pushing all the way down on the shutter instead of first half way), and the flash (you may need to keep the camera extra steady in low light situations).

are you using mirror lock-up or live-view feature?

If you have installed optional expanded memory, you may notice a delay between the time you press the shutter button and when the camera beeps. You can reduce this delay by pressing the button down halfway, holding it as long as necessary, and then pressing it down the rest of the way when you are ready to take the picture. The reason for this two-step shutter is to save battery power. After a picture is taken, compressed, and written to memory, the Sparc CPU shuts down to save the battery's power. When the shutter button is pressed halfway, the Sparc wakes up and stays in the ready state until the user presses the shutter button the rest of the way. Besides the delay in waking the Sparc, there is a variable delay which occurs prior to the Sparc being in the ready state. This delay is dependent on the amount of free flash memory.

The longest part of the shutter delay is caused by the autofocus mechanism. Most cameras will let you press the button half-way down and wait until the autofocus is locked. Then wait for the action to occur. When you press the button the remaining distance, there will be a shutter delay of about 0.2 seconds before the picture is taken. Using that technique will let you capture action shots. There is no way to improve shutter delay on any particular camera. The newer digital cameras are showing improvement in this area. Some are achieving autofocus lock in 0.4 seconds and shutter delay of an additional 0.1 seconds.