Time-lapse Tutorial Part 2: Equipment

1. Introduction and Planning
2. Equipment
3. Walkthrough
4. Post-processing, Presentation, and Distribution

I use Canon digital cameras. Other camera manufacturers make wonderful cameras and many of them will work just as well for time-lapse work. My reason for choosing and recommending Canon is in large part the software they include with their cameras, which allows for easy tethered shooting. Nikon users can purchase the optional Nikon Capture software to get the same functionality. As I understand it, many "A", and any "S", "G", or "Pro" series compact camera and any DSLR from Canon can be used for time-lapse when connected to a computer. DSLRs can also use a timer remote in place of the computer. For the 1D, 5D and 10D - 50D series cameras Canon makes the RS-80N3 remote, and for Rebel series cameras, third party timer remotes are available (check ebay).

Some Nikon cameras have an intervalometer timer built in. I don't know, however, if there are any restrictions on it's use such as shot limits. Many compact cameras have a 99 shot limit, or similar, which is often far too short for any serious time-lapse work. If the timers don't have any restrictions, then this may be a great option. I wish more cameras would have this feature.

You shouldn't have to worry about resolution with any modern digital camera. HD video has a resolution of 1920 pixels wide by 1080 pixels tall. That's about 2 mega pixels. Because of the difference in the shape of a video frame and a camera frame, you will need at least a 3 mega pixel camera. Any extra resolution can be put to good use, though. Pan or zoom effects use the extra space, and downsizing an 8 or 10 mega pixel image to 2 mega pixels can make grain or noise, as well as other minor mistakes, disappear!


Digital SLRs

Ideally, I would use an SLR type camera for three reasons. First, lenses can be focused manually. This is a huge time saver when shooting time-lapse. Second, all camera controls can be quickly and easily set in manual mode. Again this just makes set-up much faster. Finally, the main reason anyone uses an SLR ... the ability to change lenses. I love the Canon 100mm Macro lens for my plant time-lapse, but even the 18-55mm "kit" lens does a great job for most time-lapse work. Of course you also have the option of using a specialty lens like an ultra-wide angle or even a fish eye lens. The possibilities are endless. One more note on lenses, you may want to consider an older all manual lens that has an aperture ring which can be used with an adapter. The ability to preset the aperture may help to control "flicker" in your finished time-lapse. More on flicker later.

The absolute best compromise between price, quality, and convenience available now would have to be the Canon Rebel XT with 18-55mm lens. It has plenty of resolution for time-lapse, all of the SLR advantages, and it can be found for around $200 - $300 used ($450 or so new). That's less than some of the compacts!

Digital Compact Cameras

Compact cameras have several advantages over DSLRs. First, they are a lot less expensive! Second they usually don't have a mechanical shutter like an SLR. An SLR's shutter is often the first part to wear out, requiring a costly repair.

That said, compacts can be more difficult to use. First they need to have a way to operate them while tethered via USB to a computer. As I mentioned earlier, most Canon compacts offer this, for other manufacturers, check your manual or the CD that came with your camera. If you're still shopping, look around on line to find if this feature is supported in your chosen camera. You want to look for "tethered shooting" or "remote capture" or something similar. The ability to act as a web-cam is not the same.

Once you get the camera set-up, you need to spend a little more time with exposure and focus when using a compact camera. Most of the compacts have strange limitations when shooting tethered. Often auto-focus cannot be disabled while shooting tethered, even if manual focus is available otherwise. If your camera has a "lock focus" option, use it. You will need to set exposure first then get the camera to focus where you want it to by any means necessary, you may need to hold your hand out as a target or use a stand in. Once you get it focused, lock it in place and make sure it stays there. This can be especially frustrating when your subject will be moving or if it isn't even visible at the start of your shot (like a seedling emerging from the ground). If there is absolutely no way to disable auto-focus or to lock focus, then you need to have some stationary object in the frame. The older Canon G2 lacked any focus control, yet I was able to capture a plant growing by selecting the "left" auto-focus point and placing that point on the flower pot (which didn't move as the plant grew). Even though the camera refocused for every shot, it focused in exactly the same place every time.


I currently use a Canon Powershot G9. With 12 mega pixels there is plenty of room to crop or add pan or zoom effects. It has a focus lock mechanism, and it comes with Canon's latest remote capture software. The G9 also makes a great walk-around camera, and with the G10 coming out, it should be coming down in price soon.

There are a couple of accessories that are extremely useful, and often necessary, for time-lapse work. First, and most importantly, you need a tripod. A good tripod is worth it's weight in gold, but when you see the price tag, you might think that's what they used to make it! Still, any tripod will do. If you can't afford a Bogen/Manfrotto or Giottos set-up, don't hesitate to get what you can afford. Even if it's a $20 tripod from Wally Mart or Best Buy. Time-lapse requires your camera to stay perfectly still for hours, days, or even weeks. While a bean bag or a flat rock or table might work in a pinch, a tripod is really the best way to secure your camera.

Next, you will need to power your camera for the extended time required for a time-lapse shot. While lithium ion batteries have come a long way, most of them just won't cut it. If you need to stay portable, and you are using an SLR, you may be able to get away with a battery grip. This will allow you to use two batteries, which should get you through most short time-lapse shots (about 2-3 hours). Better, would be an AC adapter. While some cameras come with their adapter, most require this to be purchased separately. With an AC adapter you can operate your camera indefinitely, so whether you need three hours or three weeks, you'll be all set.

If you are using an SLR with a built-in timer or with a timer remote, you won't need a computer while shooting, but you will need to make sure you have enough memory. In most cases a 4GB memory card should suffice, but if you plan to take multiple shots, be sure to bring spares and switch them out in-between shots.

Unless you have a built-in timer or timer remote, you will need to connect your camera to a computer. The computer will tell the camera when to take a shot, as well as store the images. It doesn't take a particularly powerful computer to handle the capture, but editing hundreds or thousands of images at once can be demanding.

I use several older computers for capturing the images. One a desktop, for studio shots, the other a laptop, for field work. Neither computer is particularly powerful, but they run windows XP and the capture software without difficulty. All you really need is enough room on your hard drive and at least one USB port.

After all of the images have been captured, I transfer them to my editing machine where I process the images into a video. This computer is a bit more powerful, but most modern computers should work well. I could capture with this computer, but it runs Vista and I haven't gotten around to seeing what works and what doesn't. As long as your camera's manufacturer has a Vista driver for your camera, everything should work, but older cameras may only work with XP.

Mac users shouldn't have any trouble with the software provided by Canon or Nikon. However some of the third party software I'll mention later may not be available. Linux users may have trouble finding compatible capture software, which is a shame, as I would love to use Linux on some older computers for capture. You may want to investigate gPhoto, but I do not believe it currently has the ability to capture multiple shots in sequence.

There are a ton of choices here. I'll make my specific recommendations, but in general you will need three pieces of software. Remote capture software that works with your camera and operating system, photo editing software that is capable of batch processing or "actions", and video editing software capable of working with HD video and combining images.

Capture

Earlier I mentioned the software which Canon includes with their cameras. For Mac users with Canon cameras, this is the only option I am aware of, and for Windows users it may be all you need. Windows users with Canon cameras have the most options here, as there are a number of third-party alternatives such as DSLR Remote and PS Remote from Breeze Systems and GBTimelapse from Granite Bay Software. These alternatives provide extra features which you may find useful. Check out their websites for details and compatibility information. I use PS Remote with my Canon G2, and Canon's Remote Capture for my G9 and SLRs.

Nikon users can purchase Nikon Capture NX for either Mac or Windows.

Photo Editing

The standard here is Adobe Photoshop. I have used versions 7 through CS3. For time-lapse work, there is really very little difference between the different versions. The key here is the ability to record an action and then batch process all of your images using that action. You can skip this step entirely with some video editors (like After Effects), but I find it easier to do at least some of my post work in Photoshop.

Video Editing

While I rarely do any actual editing in it, I strongly recommend downloading Apple's Quicktime, and registering it to unlock Quicktime Pro. If, at some point, you decide to sell your time-lapse clips, you will at least need the Quicktime codecs (.mov) installed on your computer. Additionally, Quicktime Pro does a great job converting video to and from the Quicktime format. You could get by with only Quicktime Pro, but I would recommend an additional Video editor for the bulk of your work.

Here's where my lack of Mac knowledge really shows. I suspect iMovie can handle importing an image sequence and outputting as video, but I can't be sure. I'm certain Final Cut Pro can do this, and I strongly suspect Final Cut Express can.

I usually use the relatively simple (and inexpensive) Adobe Premiere Elements. Version 3 or later supports HD, and it does all you need it to do. Premiere Pro doesn't add much for our purposes, but After Effects can be very useful. After effects makes pan and zoom effects easy, and it allows you to skip the photo editor entirely by adding adjustment layers!

All-together I recommend a work-flow that runs from capture software to Photoshop to Premiere Elements, or from capture software directly to Adobe After Effects. These are the methods I will elaborate on later.





On to part 3 ...