Settings for timelapse during sunrise/sunset?

[Jason McDonald]

I didn't make it this morning for the sunrise but I did set things up for the sunset. I'm using Canon's TC80N3 to take the interval photos but when the exposure has to go beyond 30 seconds, it will STOP at 30 seconds and everything is under exposed. I'm looking to get a proper exposure through the entire clip.

I THOUGHT that have it in Ap would force the shutter to stay open longer than 30 seconds if it required it for exposure, but apparently not. I'm going out now to do some still work and see if I can figure something out. Any advice would be appreciated!

[Ken Diewert]

I have the same remote, I guess I haven't run it to 30 second exposure yet, but it seems like a real long time for anything other than night. As I recall, I shot a lapse with varying light (indoors mind you), and i think it worked on auto (green square). I know it seems lame, but I don't know how you'll deal with the lighting extremes of day to night with one preset exposure setting. Maybe I'm missing something.

[Jason McDonald]

The way it worked on my Nikon D700, as I remember, was I would set the camera up to Ap priority (So aperture stays the same and the shutter is faster during brighter scenes and slower for night). I would put a ND filter on the lens so that during day time I could drag the shutter speed. It would be 2 or 3 second exposures. As night came, the shutter speed would slow down until it was taking photos longer than 30 seconds in order to get the right exposure.

I should say that I'm working with stills here.

[Jose Ramada]

The camera has 30 seconds limit for automatic shutter. If you need a longer exposure you must put it in Bulb mode. I hope this helps.

[Wayne Avanson]

There's a bit of stuff on here

Timelapse with a DSLR on Vimeo

[Lisa Maxwell]

Does anyone know if any of these work for a 60D?

Amazon.com: Cowboystudio Timer Remote Control Shutter for Canon EOS-1V/1VHS, EOS-3, EOS-D2000, D30, D60, 1D, 1Ds, EOS-1D Mark II,III, EOS-1Ds Mark II,III, EOS-10D, 20D, 30D,40D, 50D, 5D, 5D Mark II, 7D fully compatible with Canon TC80N3: Electronics

 

Amazon.com: Cowboystudio Timer Remote Control Shutter for Canon EOS-1V/1VHS, EOS-3, EOS-D2000, D30, D60, 1D, 1Ds, EOS-1D Mark II,III, EOS-1Ds Mark II,III, EOS-10D, 20D, 30D,40D, 50D, 5D, 5D Mark II, 7D fully compatible with Canon TC80N3: Electronics

Amazon.com: Timer Remote Control RS-60E3 For Canon XS XSi T1i XT XTi: Electronics

 

Amazon.com: Timer Remote Control RS-60E3 For Canon XS XSi T1i XT XTi: Electronics

Amazon.com: Digital Timer Remote (EZA-C3) for Canon 1D, 5D, 50D & 40D: Electronics

 

Amazon.com: Digital Timer Remote (EZA-C3) for Canon 1D, 5D, 50D & 40D: Electronics

Are there any others out there that people know will work for time lapse for a wedding (sunset, sunrise, church filling up, etc.) under $50? Or do you need to spend $143 for the Canon one?

[Bill Hamell]

I bought one of these for the 5D and it worked.

Amazon.com: Digital Timer Remote For Canon EOS, 1Ds, 1D, 50D, 40D, 30D, 20D, 10D, D60, D30, D2000, 1v HS, 1v, 1Ds Mark II, 1Ds Mark III, 1Ds, 1D Mark II, 1D Mark II N, 1D Mark III: Camera & Photo

 

Amazon.com: Digital Timer Remote For Canon EOS, 1Ds, 1D, 50D, 40D, 30D, 20D, 10D, D60, D30, D2000, 1v HS, 1v, 1Ds Mark II, 1Ds Mark III, 1Ds, 1D Mark II, 1D Mark II N, 1D Mark III: Camera & Photo

[Bill Hamell]

Let’s talk exposure, toss Auto modes right out the window! Not where you want to be when doing sunrise/sunset time lapses manual is the mode for you. You set the exposure so you get a properly exposed image in normal light if it is a sunny day (for a Sunset) start with the Sunny 16 rule shutter speed equals ISO @ F/16 if it cloudy or overcast adjust for a proper exposure at the time you start the time lapse then do not adjust the exposure just let the light change naturally. Same for Sunrise it starts under exposed and the light naturally increases to a proper exposure. That’s all there is to it!

[Jon Fairhurst]

One thing to consider is the type of motion blur that you want. You can go for the strobbed look with a fast shutter speed or go for a long exposure to blur the action into streams.

For a fast shutter, the f/16 approach at 100 ISO and 1/100 can work great for the sunny end of things. I might underexpose by another stop to ensure that no highlights clip. You can also bracket by +/- 2 stops. Given that, I'd shoot at f/16 and 100 ISO at the following three shutter speeds: 1/200, 1/50, 1/12.

Once you have the three shots for each interval, you can blend them as HDR photos in a single timelapse - or you can make three timelapses and put them on three timelines. You can blend from one stream to the next as needed to keep the exposure consistent.

For a smooth motion approach, you will need ND filters. A six stop ND1.8 is a good place to start. That would let you shoot at, say 1/8, 1/2, and 2 seconds in a four second interval. The 2 second exposure is a perfect 180 degree shutter. Depending on camera and card, you might need to extend the interval to 5 or 6 seconds to get all three shots in. Still, the motion will show nice blur streaks. This is probably done best using the HDR approach, so all of the darker parts of the video will continue to show the consistently long streaks.

A few more tips...
* For small apertures, hold the DOF preview button and untwist your lens unless your lens is controlled by a manual aperture ring. Otherwise the camera opens the aperture for framing and closes it each time it shoots a photo. The aperture will vary from image to image, making the exposure flicker and altering the shape of the bokeh.
* At small apertures you will see every flaw. Make sure that your sensor, lens, and filter are spotless.
* To get the camera to snap three pictures, not only do you need to set the camera to bracketing mode, but you have to program the camera for multishot and program the timer to hold the shutter open long enough to take all three pics.
* Test, test, and test! Your timelapse will take many minutes to accomplish. Do a test. Check the images. Test again, until it's right. Format the card so you have maximum capacity. Shoot the timelapse!
* Shoot full sized, RAW images. You can batch process them as needed in Digital Photo Professional (the free Canon software that came with the camera.)
* Use a big, fast cards. A 4GB card holds about six seconds of single-shot timelapse played back at 24 fps.
* 4 to 10 seconds is a good interval range for classic timelapses.
* Fast shutter timelapse is best for when people and moving objects are ALL small in the frame. If people can walk near the camera, shoot a slow shutter. I shot a timelapse from ground level not far from a subway exit recently, and the slow timelapse with a super wide lens rocked. Occasionally, people walked within a foot of the camera, blurring in or out of their path. With a fast shutter, some shots would have been of still pant legs blocking the shot.