Time lapse photography

bwana

bwana

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I'd like to try it but none of my point and shoots seem to support it and I'd rather not further deplete the limited number of actuations my dSLRs have left.
 
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koffiejunkie

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I've done a fair bit of playing with it. Here is one I made on a drive from De Kelders to Stellenbosch last December. It's nothing fancy, I just put the G9 on the dashboard and went on my way - didn't even bother to put some cool tunez to it :)

The Canon G9 has a built in time lapse mode, but it's only at 640x480, and you're limited to 1 or 2 second intervals. The interval doesn't bother me because 1 second is what I prefer. But I really want higher resolution images to work with. I've been playing with chdk but I cannot get it to go below about 4 seconds.

If you want to see some really awesome timelapses, check out http://timescapes.org - "Learning to Fly" is one of my favourites.

bwana said:
I'd like to try it but none of my point and shoots seem to support it and I'd rather not further deplete the limited number of actuations my dSLRs have left.
Click to expand...

Same here. that said, I'm thinking of picking up an old 10D or 20D and just using the TC-80N3 remote with it.
 
bwana

bwana

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koffiejunkie said:
Same here. that said, I'm thinking of picking up an old 10D or 20D and just using the TC-80N3 remote with it.
Click to expand...
I've still got a couple 400Ds and DSLRRemotePro installed on my hackintosh netbook . . . :)
 
Quantum Theory

Quantum Theory

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Thanks kj, those timescapes are awesome. Downloaded NK Remote today. It's a 15 day trial. Cool program. Controls the D90 from the laptop, no problem. If the weather was not so miserable here in CPT, I would have done a time lapse today... Obviously with static camera, but those moving camera timescapes look awesome.

Thinking of getting the Hahnel Giga T Pro at the end of the month.
 
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koffiejunkie

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bwana said:
I've still got a couple 400Ds and DSLRRemotePro installed on my hackintosh netbook . . . :)
Click to expand...

I would prefer to do it without a laptop - I have the TC-80N3 already anyway. I really wanted to get this going on the powershot, got the method down properly, then get an older Powershot or similar Canon off eBay for road tripping. The idea is that I can make some sort of rig to mount it properly and then leave it in the car and not worry too much about it if it gets stolen.
 
bwana

bwana

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koffiejunkie said:
I would prefer to do it without a laptop - I have the TC-80N3 already anyway. I really wanted to get this going on the powershot, got the method down properly, then get an older Powershot or similar Canon off eBay for road tripping. The idea is that I can make some sort of rig to mount it properly and then leave it in the car and not worry too much about it if it gets stolen.
Click to expand...
The TC-80N3 looks like it costs $150 I'd rather lose my netbook! :D
 
bwana

bwana

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Mines and older acer aspire one with a hdd. Have you ever experienced aperture on an 8" screen :D
 
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koffiejunkie

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No, but on the 1280x800 screen on the 13" MacBook, Aperture2's import screen barely just fit without completely losing the metadata fields (this is beter in Aperture 3). For that reason I went with the ASUS 1201N, which has a 1366x768 resolution on nVidia graphics, dual cores and can take 8GB RAM. A bit pricy and not exactly tiny netbook size, but it's smaller than my lightweight Compaq P3 and does everything I need.
 
bwana

bwana

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koffiejunkie said:
No, but on the 1280x800 screen on the 13" MacBook, Aperture2's import screen barely just fit without completely losing the metadata fields (this is beter in Aperture 3). For that reason I went with the ASUS 1201N, which has a 1366x768 resolution on nVidia graphics, dual cores and can take 8GB RAM. A bit pricy and not exactly tiny netbook size, but it's smaller than my lightweight Compaq P3 and does everything I need.
Click to expand...
I may have the opportunity to exchange my 13" for a 15" of my choice but I'm not sure I want to give it up. First things first though, a 400mm f/2.8.

Reading back you reminded me I installed chdk on my powershot. Maybe I'll dig deeper into the quagmire they call a menu system and give it a whirl before sacrificing one of my 400Ds.
 
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koffiejunkie

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bwana said:
Reading back you reminded me I installed chdk on my powershot. Maybe I'll dig deeper into the quagmire they call a menu system and give it a whirl before sacrificing one of my 400Ds.
Click to expand...

I thought you had it on your 400D/Xti? :) The problem is not so much the timelapse scripts (it's not part of the standard chdk), but I think the fact that chdk only gives you access to the buttons. So the script, if set to a 1 second interval, waits one second, then does the equivalent of squeezing the shutter. And you know how fast that responds... I've done everything to shave milliseconds off that time - manual metering, manual focus, IS off, anything automatic off, but it still adds a few seconds before it actually makes the exposure. There is an api call for a half-press, but I haven't found any scripts that use it. I'll have to roll my own and I just haven't had time yet.
 
Quantum Theory

Quantum Theory

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Thanks guys. Weather was bad and I was controlling the camera from my laptop, so I had to do these in spots where I could park my car next to my tripod and camera. Definitely going to get a timer remote, so I am not limited by the laptop. I've got some cool ideas. Maybe I will make a short time lapse film...
 
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