GH1 Long write time for bulb mode

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Wolfenbarg

Member
I've been trying to do timelapse video recently, but I've noticed for exposures longer than 1 second, the camera spends just as long writing to the card as the shutter was open. So if I expose an image for 30 seconds, the camera spends 30 seconds writing to the card. Is there away around this? Or do I need to use a faster card? For reference, I'm using 16gb class 6 cards.
 
Wolfenbarg said:
I've been trying to do timelapse video recently, but I've noticed for exposures longer than 1 second, the camera spends just as long writing to the card as the shutter was open. So if I expose an image for 30 seconds, the camera spends 30 seconds writing to the card. Is there away around this? Or do I need to use a faster card? For reference, I'm using 16gb class 6 cards.
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You have noise reduction turned on. IMO, it's not necessary for short exposures but it definitely helps reduce noise for the longer ones. They'll show up very annoyingly in RAW.
 
@Wolfenbarg I've been wondering about the same thing after reading another users advise on night timelapse, something about recording at 30sec intervals. I have no plans to try it in the very near future so I left the question unasked. How do you do night timelapse with the GH2 if the camera spends the same amount of time writing after the shutter closed? It stops one using the technique described in another thread of continuous shooting at 30s open shutter intervals.
 
Inprogress said:
@Wolfenbarg I've been wondering about the same thing after reading another users advise on night timelapse, something about recording at 30sec intervals. I have no plans to try it in the very near future so I left the question unasked. How do you do night timelapse with the GH2 if the camera spends the same amount of time writing after the shutter closed? It stops one using the technique described in another thread of continuous shooting at 30s open shutter intervals.
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You use a GF1 which does not benefit from the long shutter duration noise reduction. In fact the GF1 has much better long shutter duration noise handling than the GH2. I have both and use the GF1 for Astro Photography stills and the GH2 for solar system videos.

I have a auto trigger device that allows me to program both the GF1 and GH2 for timelapse. This is what I am using. The manual is a nightmare. It is written in broken English. However, the product works great once you figure it out on your own or get someone to show you how to use it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TDYO4S/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00

$28

41Ml8iiUEKL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
 
Wolfenbarg said:
Turning off noise reduction worked. That rids me of a pretty big headache.
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Try longer exposures and you will see that From ISO 200 through ISO 1600 you will get a sort of Pink Glow with longer exposures. However, the in camera noise reduction removes most of that glow. ISO 1600 looks good but you have to use the in camera noise reduction no matter what to get acceptable long exposure shots with the GH2. At least for my particular GH2 you do.
 
@mpgxsvcd So it is the Noise Reduction algorythm that causes the GH2 to "Writing to card" for long exposures? Meaning, if I disable the Noise Reduction setting, when I take a 30 second shutter speed picture, the camera won't spend another 30 seconds writing the picture to the card before I can take the next picture?

I'll look into the GF1...I'd ideally like to get another camera for B-Roll, maybe another GH2 when the GH3 is released.

However, a recent stint in stills with the GH2 showed me how I just dislike the GH2 for stills, physically I mean. There is just something that doesn't work for me in using the GH2 when taking stills. Being off topic

Thanks mpgxsvcd for the advise on astro timelapse.
 
Inprogress said:
@mpgxsvcd So it is the Noise Reduction algorythm that causes the GH2 to "Writing to card" for long exposures? Meaning, if I disable the Noise Reduction setting, when I take a 30 second shutter speed picture, the camera won't spend another 30 seconds writing the picture to the card before I can take the next picture?

I'll look into the GF1...I'd ideally like to get another camera for B-Roll, maybe another GH2 when the GH3 is released.

However, a recent stint in stills with the GH2 showed me how I just dislike the GH2 for stills, physically I mean. There is just something that doesn't work for me in using the GH2 when taking stills. Being off topic

Thanks mpgxsvcd for the advise on astro timelapse.
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Technically the long shutter noise reduction is not writing the data to the card for that extra 30 seconds. It is actually taking an additional exposure. If you shoot a long noise reduction image without a lens you will see that it actually closes the shutter during the second exposure. It is called a dark frame. It then combines the light and dark frame to get rid of the noise. Writing the information to the card does not take long at all.

If you turn long shutter noise off then it won't take the second exposure.

I love the GH2 for stills. I hope the GH3 has the same body as the GH2 or perhaps the new G5 body.
 
@ mpgxsvcd The pink glow you mention that you get with long exposures without the Noise Reduction cycle, that can be successfully removed in post?
 
Inprogress said:
@ mpgxsvcd The pink glow you mention that you get with long exposures without the Noise Reduction cycle, that can be successfully removed in post?
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Nope, or at least I haven't been able to do it yet. You can shoot at ISO 1600 and it minimizes the pink glow but doesn't completely eliminate it. The weather in our area is perfect tonight, I finally got my scope collimated right, and my tracking is a lot better. I am going to take a bunch of comparison pictures between the Full Spectrum GF1 and the GH2 tonight.

There are about 80 of the 112 Messier objects visible tonight. I am going to try to take a picture of each one of them.
 
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