Help with Time Lapse/Interval

[CaptainSKA]

I'm heading out soon (in a couple of days) to shoot a time lapse of the sky going from noonish until after sunset. I'll need it to look smooth when it's all said and done...

I've never shot any time lapse stuff, without wasting several days shooting to get just the right settings, has anyone found settings that may or may not work better in this instance?

 

[n8ture]

It's a tough call because of the range of light between noon and sunset.
If you base your exposure on the noon light then you'll go black well before the sun sets.
Autoexposure can only adjust so far.

One thing I've done if I'm using a fairly long interval between frames, say 5 seconds or 10 seconds, is I'll flip the ND filters on or off as needed. The longer interval gives the autoexposure time to adjust and you'll have a smooth transitions and you won't be able to tell where you changed the ND filters unless you're heavy handed and move the camera.

Short TL'S are hard because the autoexposure doesn't have time to compensate for messing with the ND filters.

If it were me, I'd err on the side of having a good exposure for the sunset since that's the nicest looking light.

It's kind of a hard call to make and every day can call for different settings. There's really no one setting fits all formula.

Like today around here it's gloomy. I can do a TL from sunup to sundown and not have to worry about expousre.

 

[thinksnow]

In addition to the above... if it is a clear day, having the sun in the frame well before sunset will dramatically affect the exposure as it is brighter when it is higher. I would suggest that on your first time out, frame 90% sky with a small amount of horizon, and no foreground ie: trees etc. Manually set the exposure so the clouds are good, and set the camera to one frame every 5 seconds... then let it go. The luminance of the sky should hold up until after the sun hits the horizon. It will get dark, yes, but if the conditions are right, it will be dramatic. in a perfect world, there would be intermittent cloud most of the afternoon, then clearing as the sun nears the horizon. Of course, the chances of this happening are not great, that's why some patience is needed. But when you get the right day, you will really have something! One catch though... I find that clouds are best at 1 fr every 5 seconds - sunsets are best at 1 frm every 2 seconds. Mabe it is possible to switch the frame rate as the sun starts for the horizon without disturbing the camera. If it is a cloudy day right 'till sunset though, your over all results won't be as dramatic... good cloud movement maybe, but no sunset.