Set your port and speed on the options window's comm tab to the actual values for your camera instead of leaving them at Auto. When Camera Controller has to search for your camera before every command it can have a significant performance impact.
Try setting the specific port and speed for your camera on the options window's comm tab. Occasionally Camera Controller cannot auto find cameras connected to your serial ports.
Disable the "Download picture from camera after capture?" and "Delete picture from camera after capture?" settings on the options window's general tab. You won't have to wait for the pictures to be downloaded, displayed, and deleted before taking the next picture.
Enable the "Download picture from camera after capture?" and "Delete picture from camera after capture?" settings on the options window's general tab. Camera Controller will automatically download and delete each picture after it's captured.
If you can, use video preview for focusing and disable the "Automatically update preview after Zoom or Focus?" setting on the options window's general tab. If you don't have a video capture device, enable the "Automatically update preview after Zoom or Focus?" setting. Make sure you have selected manual focus in the focus type box and adjust the focus slider to get what looks like a good focus in the camera preview. Finally, click on the picture preview button to verify the final picture. See the main window description for locations and descriptions of these controls.