Settings for a Time Lapse Sunset?

[HowdyDoo]

What would you say is the best camera setting and frame rate for recording a time lapse sunset with the HVX?

I want the footage to be fast and smooth with clouds screaming across the sky. I live in Oklahoma so the clouds aren't a problem and the sun always performs well here.

[Trademark]

i think its safe to say you dont need 60i

[HVXguy]

You might have to do some tests for optimal position & exposure.
But if you shoot 1 frame every second that will compress 15 min. to 30 secs. If you shoot 1 frame every 2 secs that will compress 30 min. to 30 secs.

[boo]

i've got great results shooting clouds at 1 sec interval and sped up in fcp at 400%. smooth as manny ramirez's hands dropping a fly ball....

[Justyn]

sweet manny reference.. but he leads the leage every year in outfield assists.. and he plays so half-assed.. but hey. Manny being manny.


Boo that is about right. I think that the best speed for clouds is actually 1f every 5 seconds... but when done at 1 f per second you get more time on those glory moments... so it's always better to get more of that and also have the ability to speed it up in post..

I've been getting great sunset shots... I can't wait to get a grad filter.. will help with exposure. I also had a media casuality today when a clip got erased off the card. Lesson learned and now I lock a desired clips..


Got a few days out of town.. hoping to get plenty of more timelapse stuff.. Its become very adictive. I'm planning on doing a kungfu 1 hour form timelapse near the lake I've been shooting at. Should be really cool. Maybe a week and I'll have FCP and the ability to edit this crap...

Then.. I'll be able to put stuff up on my server... hopefully, but time to build a site first.

[Jeff Deveraux]

Howdydoo-
I too have been shooting quite a bit of time-lapse with the HVX. I have yet to point the camera at the sun due to the fact that the manual instructs not to. It makes sense to me that if you point the camera at the sun for long periods of time you may burn the CCDs.
I'm in San Francisco and the clouds don't move that fast out here so I generally shoot at 1 frame per 5 seconds. If your clouds move relatively fast you may want to shoot at 2 seconds.