Time-lapse project

[peter shah]

This is something im experimenting with....the weather has been so rubbish i havent done anything with the ODK12 and im waiting for adaptors for it....so i will get the AG8 back on the mount and do this little project

Im planning on doing a time-lapse of an automated run with music and all that jazz ....i dont usually image with a DSLR so there are a few settings i need to finalise before i do it for real...i was hoping the Milky Way was going to show a little more but the conditions were not great.

this clip was done at ISO400, 20sec exposures and no calibration, i think im going to try a higher ISO and i need to get a good power sorce sorted for the camera.....i had 600 frames planned but the battery went flat after 187frames. This is 30 frames per second, seems to give a smooth finish to it.

any tips would be much appreciated

thanks for looking

[Beulah]

Great time lapse - the 30 frames does seem to make it quite smooth.

Woah - is that a bit of light pollution on the horizon?

[peter shah]

i know just cant get away from it

[Beulah]

i know just cant get away from it

I was under the impression you had no light pollution in your secluded locality...

[peter shah]

I wished!!!

[EA2007]

that is cool. good job on that!

I had a go at one of my own, not on the night sky, as you pointed out the cloud situation has been heavy.

I read somewhere that 700 frames at 21fps is equal to about 30 seconds running time, so I went for around 1500 to 2000 frames for the over a minute effect.

What program did you use to put it all together? I can't find anything free that isn't without a trial time limit on it, I had been using GB Timelapse for the capture and another program (which I have forgotten the name of) for the processing.

My camera battery held out actually : D

[LukeSkywatcher]

That's great. TL is something that i would really like to try out. I'd most likely start out with just a skyscape as the clouds here throughout the day change every few mins and the sun peeks through now and then. It would be a good lesson to start with?

[johnrt]

You can use Picasa 3 to put timelapse videos together, it's free and works a treat.

[EA2007]

Yeah, thats what I started off with.

I uploaded a video to youtube, it wa recorded with a 12mp Canon EOS 450D but due to compression and format, its very blocky, you kinda get the jist though:

YouTube - TimeLapse.m4v

stick with the first few seconds, looks like there is some corruption.

[johnrt]

here's my first go from a couple of weeks ago, the original was bigger, reduced to upload. Made with picasa 3.

timelapse on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[LukeSkywatcher]

Yeah, thats what I started off with.

I uploaded a video to youtube, it wa recorded with a 12mp Canon EOS 450D but due to compression and format, its very blocky, you kinda get the jist though:

YouTube - TimeLapse.m4v

stick with the first few seconds, looks like there is some corruption.

Yep as i suspected the sky during the day seems pretty good first project for TL. I have downloaded Picasa 3.

If anyone has any good online tutorials of how to get going that would be GREAT. I have a Canon 450D and a simple shutter release cable (none of that fancy digital display,programable stuff).

Do i need to hook the camera upto a computer to do this or can i just take several thousand single frame images and stick them together?

I have a program (Eos camera movie record) that allows my 450D to capture vid clips when i connect it to a computer via USB.

[LukeSkywatcher]

here's my first go from a couple of weeks ago, the original was bigger, reduced to upload. Made with picasa 3.

timelapse on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Another great start project.

[EA2007]

Do i need to hook the camera upto a computer to do this or can i just take several thousand single frame images and stick them together?

I have a program (Eos camera movie record) that allows my 450D to capture vid clips when i connect it to a computer via USB.

Try downloading GB Timelapse from a software developer site called Granite Bay, I use that to capture my images, it will detect the Canon (I have the same model) if you go to the tabs and click on connect in one of the drop down menu's. You can use the USB cable that came with the Canon.

Make sure your Canon is in 'M' Manual mode, from there you can change all the settings in the program remotely, you can also do a preview to check exposure levels and brightness etc etc. You can program in a number of shots to take or start it off manually and stop it manually.

Once you have the images then you can use Picasa to put them together...but don't ask me how cos I haven't used it yet, I was using another program which I have forgotten the name of and don't have anymore.

Try and save the video so you can open it with Quicktime and not Windows Media Player.....I find that WMP hogs memory and freezes on playback.

[LukeSkywatcher]

Thanks for that.Its downloading as i type.

[LukeSkywatcher]

GB timelapse doesnt seem to agree with my system. It downloads fine. It just wont work.

[peter shah]

thanks for all the info....i will try those programs....ive been using monkeyjam....its very basic but ok...i started using windows movie maker but the fame rate is too slow!

[Psychobilly]

Peter..

Astronomiser will do the battery eliminators for the camera but i think Andy's away on hols at the moment..... I'd go for the pro version where the regulator is outside the camera body

I make my own and have always had the regulator in an external box...

Peter...

[peter shah]

ive been looking at the price of an external power supply i wouldnt mind so much but the camera isnt mine....ill see how much andy's go for

[Psychobilly]

if it not yours and your only using it for short(ish) exposure then go for the normal version - around £30

Peter...

[davew]

Peter,

Isn't 24/5 fps good enough ? Many seem to use that.

Dave.

[davew]

Found this. Any good ?

Frame Rate Test Videos

Dave.

[peter shah]

thats great it will give me something to work to:)

[Takahashi]

I've been messing round with this time-lapse malarkey of late, but the lack of dark skies has scuppered any plans of doing a stars-rising kinda thing, so this sort of thing is all I've managed as yet :

04-7-10 19.26 - 23.27 30fps B | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

As winter edges closer, I'll need to find somewhere I can reliably "hide" my laptop & camera, so they can do the hours of imaging while I, er, do something else. I don't have a garden to set it all up in so it'll have to be somewhere remote. Reeeeally remote.

[EA2007]

nice one.

how many stills was in that?

I usually aim for bout 25 or 27 fps. Shall have a go at a night time one...if the clouds ever dissipate that is...infact I might have a go tonight if its clear.

[Takahashi]

1350 frames IIRC... (45 seconds @ 30fps)

I usually "master" the single frames into 5, 10, 20 and 30 fps vids, with the 30fps version being the smoothest (obviously ), but it isn't always the best option for cloud vids. As evidenced in this particular vid, they move a bit too fast at 30, mainly because it was a helluva windy day/evening. 15fps is more watch-able, but is then entering the "jerky" end of the frame-rate spectrum.