Interval Recording/Timelapse

M

madhorizons

Active member
Does anyone have a good rule of thumb on the intervals to set in which situations?

I tested my 1st ever interval today and it turned out like crap. So much that I had to go into post and speed up the footage.

http://vimeo.com/15283215

I'm using the Sony HVR-Z5U.

Available only in it's 1080/60i mode (never shoot w/ it on DV, so dunno what happens there).

Recording lengths:
.5s
1s
1.5s
2s

Intervals:
30s
1m
5m
10m

The above was done at .5s lenth @ 30s interval. I'm guessing I probably should of been on 2s or so, but I don't know the proper technique for gauging how to pick that out.

Can haz advise?
 
As far as i know and in my previous experience, you always need to speed up the footage, even if it is shot in intervals, to achieve a smooth shot.


I don't have much advice on what settings to use, i guess its a case of trail and error and see what you prefer...

Cheers
 
I shoot time lapse with my HPX170 all the time and the slowest it will go is 2FPS. So I almost always have to speed it up in post. If using FCP turn off frame blending and it will look better, IMO.
 
Thx for the input all. Guess I'm being too critical of myself. I was under the impression that doing this one wouldn't have to speed it up in post.

@Jim - I use Premiere Pro CS5 and used frame blending in media exporter (and on the timeline clips) for the above.
 
Jim.Ross said:
I shoot time lapse with my HPX170 all the time and the slowest it will go is 2FPS. So I almost always have to speed it up in post. If using FCP turn off frame blending and it will look better, IMO.
Click to expand...

Whoa.... what?!

I shot all of these time lapses on the HPX170.... this has absolutely zero re-timing (and color correction) in post production. I used interval recording in camera... this was the 100% playback result.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjY9EWSvfxA
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I AGREE

I think you need to look up the interval recording options on that camera... I believe you are simply talking about variable frame-rates, in which case, in 720pn mode is 2fps. To do interval recording...Go to scene file, set the camera to 'video cam'... then go to record settings and select 1080/30p... then go down a couple options and select interval recording and choose your poison (capture rate) below that. It can go waaaaaaayyyyyy slower than 2fps. You just haven't found it yet.

Those shots I took were mainly either:
1 frame every 2 seconds
or
1 frame every 5 seconds.

Meaning 1 second of footage equaled either 48 seconds or two minutes of 'real' time. 2fps in variable frame rates would be one second equals 12 seconds of real time! That's 4x faster acquisition than my faster of the two interval settings.

To answer the OP.... the setting you use depends on what you are doing. I just shot something this evening on the HPX170 where a machinist was cutting a shape out of a piece of aluminum... I felt 1 frame every 8 frames was a good speed. But usually for outdoor timelapses... I'll either do 1 frame every 2 seconds if the clouds or sun is moving at a fast pace... or I'll do 1 frame every 5 seconds if the stuff I'm shooting is painfully slow.
 
Last edited:
Ryan Patrick O'Hara said:
To answer the OP.... the setting you use depends on what you are doing. I just shot something this evening on the HPX170 where a machinist was cutting a shape out of a piece of aluminum... I felt 1 frame every 8 frames was a good speed. But usually for outdoor timelapses... I'll either do 1 frame every 2 seconds if the clouds or sun is moving at a fast pace... or I'll do 1 frame every 5 seconds if the stuff I'm shooting is painfully slow.
Click to expand...

On my camera (the Z5U), you cannot shoot interval (unless manually) in ANY other setting but 60i. It doesn't have the option of chosing 2fps, 12fps, etc. It's 1080/60i or nothing. At the lowest setting, it's still 1/2 sec of continual 60fps.
 
Well then, you'll just have to do it the old fashioned way, and record in the longest intervals possible and speed it up in post. No need wondering how to do something you can't. :P Otherwise, get another camera, and the above was my ideas on appropriate speeds.
 
Hi folks,
I had the same challenges when shooting with a video camera - I gave up and now I only shoot timelapeses with my DSLR and a controller:

http://vimeo.com/11681850

Yes, a frame every one or two seconds is about right, but its a lot of trial and error to get a right feel for what you want to do. I find that I still have to speed up in the most, but the motion is smoother than if the interval were longer.

rgds/ RandyQ
 
Ryan Patrick O'Hara said:
Otherwise, get another camera, and the above was my ideas on appropriate speeds.
Click to expand...

And I appreciate the input Ryan. If I **COULD** afford a new camera, I'd definitely get one with true variable frame rates. I probably should stop beating myself up over it and just do whatever i can.

Does bring up a new question though. Since this camera's interval recording is what it is, should I just stop worrying about interval and shoot straight, then speed up all, or still monkey with the interval settings?
 
The reason you have time-lapse built-in to your video camera is so you don't have to speed up footage in post... you choose your speed in the field.

Here's some time-lapse footage I shot with my Sony EX1 and it's mostly 1 frame per second. If the clouds are moving fast 1 fps is fine, but sometimes I'll go 2 fps or 5 fps depending on the effect I want. Of course you CAN speed it up on post, but it's certainly not required.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66xiW0d0FAU
 
Mr O'hara you are a gem! Thanks for that info! I do shoots all over the world and one of my favorite things to do is shoot time lapse when I am in down time. Sunrises, sunsets, clouds, etc,. Thanks to you I can really get some super stuff. To think I was shooting 2FPS when I could have been shooting 1 frame every 1,2,5 or 10 seconds! HA ha! I love this forum!

Jim
 
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