Time Lapses - The death of a GH1?

Shawn Storm

Shawn Storm

Active member
This discussion was started through comments to a video post that I made, but it makes more sense to start a new thread to address the topic.

I was told by Ben_B, "Most cameras are rated for about 100,000 shutter actuations".

This was my response:

Hey Ben - thanks for that information. Do you know if the "100,000" number is a general amount, or would that apply to the GH1? For some reason I assumed the lack of mirror made m4/3 cameras last a bit longer. Is that logical?

Going with the 100,000 figure: The average length of my individual time lapses is around 12 seconds x 30 fps = 360 shots. Average length of short videos made with time lapse footage = 3 minutes = 180 seconds x 30fps = 5400 shots per average short video.

So theoretically that means I could make roughly 18 short videos of time lapses before my GH1 would croak due to max shutter actuations. Whoa. That is actually kind of discouraging and makes me want to chill out on the time lapses.
 
That's when the mirror flip mechanism is supposed to be worm out. Since these are mirrorless camera's, there's nothing to break. :)
 
And what about the shutter itself?
Is it made for that much of clicks? or the figure of 100,000 clicks is true?

The fear of this makes me stay away from Time Lapses, I never tried it. I never took any risk that could hunt my cams life. :undecided
 
Oh right, I forgot that it contains an actual shutter too. No clue on how long that'll last to be honest...
 
I don't think there is a mechanical shutter at all to wear out. Remove the lens and that is the unprotected sensor. No shutter. When you frame your shot you are looking at a live view from the sensor.
 
There is a mechanical shutter that is not shown when you change lenses, but is activated during time lapse recording and still photography, not during movie mode. It is two black blades that quickly expose for the set amount of time.
 
Any DSLR are not suitable for heavy, long timelapses. GH1, GF1, GH2, etc also.
But due to quite high price of good timelapses, normally it is not a problem.
As guys buy only cameras with easeally obtainable replacement shutters.
 
I think if you're going to be doing a lot of time lapse, then it makes sense to dedicate a camera to that task. As far as I'm aware, Panasonic don't publish figures for the shutter life on the GH1, so it's probably a good idea to err on the cautious side.
 
Shawn Storm said:
This discussion was started through comments to a video post that I made, but it makes more sense to start a new thread to address the topic.

I was told by Ben_B, "Most cameras are rated for about 100,000 shutter actuations".
Click to expand...

Ok people - I have the answer. I searched all over the internet with no luck and then I got frustrated and called Panasonic directly. After a number of transfers and confused tier 1 tech people, I got the answer. :)

Supposedly the Panasonic GH1 is rated for 50,000 - 70,000 shutter actuations.

I can't seem to figure out how many shots I have taken in the last year since I bought the camera, but I am guessing I have taken A LOT (maybe even 50,000+) because I have done a ton of time lapses.

So I guess I will just pray that my camera keeps going for awhile and stop taking time lapses with it. :(

-shawn-
 
Last edited:
Shawn Storm said:
Going with the 100,000 figure: The average length of my individual time lapses is around 12 seconds x 30 fps = 360 shots. Average length of short videos made with time lapse footage = 3 minutes = 180 seconds x 30fps = 5400 shots per average short video.
.
Click to expand...
Shawn, If you are concerned with the amount of photos taken in stills mode, an alternative is to shoot MJPEG footage, which will use electronic shutter instead of mechanical one. One of the patches in Ptool allows changing frame rate to 2 FPS to cut down on the amount video data taken
 
svecher said:
Shawn, If you are concerned with the amount of photos taken in stills mode, an alternative is to shoot MJPEG footage, which will use electronic shutter instead of mechanical one. One of the patches in Ptool allows changing frame rate to 2 FPS to cut down on the amount video data taken
Click to expand...

That is an interesting idea, however one of the things I like most about doing actual photos is the high resolution. I almost always utilize the fact that the resolution is much larger than the video frame to create various post-processing effects such as zooming, panning, etc.

-shawn-
 
Shawn Storm said:
That is an interesting idea, however one of the things I like most about doing actual photos is the high resolution. I almost always utilize the fact that the resolution is much larger than the video frame to create various post-processing effects such as zooming, panning, etc.
Click to expand...
Well then you will have to count your shutter clicks until the high rez stills camera with a fully electronic shutter is released.
 
Well, if there is any merit to the 100,00 figure that computes to about 60 minutes of time lapse output, assuming 30Fps. So if you've produced an hours worth of output, or an hour and six minutes worth of 24Fps ... you're on borrowed time!
 
Shawn,

I have a solution for you.

You mentioned in your other thread that you could do 18 time lapses on your GH1 before it would theoretically poop out.

OK, take 18 time lapses and then sell them - and if you only got $100 for each one (a ridiculously low figure, but used here for illustrative purposes), you'd net $1,800, enough for a GH2 with money left over for some lenses, or a ticket to somewhere were you could capture more stuff.

I'm a fan of your work (partial to the genre) and I wish you all the success you deserve.
 
stoneinapond said:
OK, take 18 time lapses and then sell them - and if you only got $100 for each one (a ridiculously low figure, but used here for illustrative purposes), you'd net $1,800, enough for a GH2 with money left over for some lenses, or a ticket to somewhere were you could capture more stuff.

I'm a fan of your work (partial to the genre) and I wish you all the success you deserve.
Click to expand...

I keep hearing that quality time lapses fetch a good price, but where does one sell them exactly? Honestly I am still in the "learning" phase of video and haven't even thought to try making money from it yet. Any suggestions?

Thanks for the compliment. I still see myself as a novice/student and its great to know I am on the right track.

-Shawn-
 
2 FPS MJPEG is a good option, but there is one problem too.

We can't get slower shutter speed than 1/30. And that's very bad. :cry:

hey Vitaliy, can you patch the slower shutter speed on MJPEG side? Please!
It's being very important now...
Please do it if possible...:)
 
exttreem said:
2 FPS MJPEG is a good option, but there is one problem too.

We can't get slower shutter speed than 1/30. And that's very bad. :cry:

hey Vitaliy, can you patch the slower shutter speed on MJPEG side? Please!
It's being very important now...
Please do it if possible...:)
Click to expand...

Actually, I believe it is possible (with or without the hack). Basically you shoot in full manual mode with manual focus. So just to be clear:
1> Turn dial to Creative Movie Mode
2> Select "M" in the little pop up menu at the bottom left that looks like a movie camera.
3> Turn focus dial to "MF" (Manual Focus).
That enables you to take either AVCHD or MJPEG footage at a number of shutter speeds between 1/2 and 1/30.

There are lots of threads on the subject in this forum but I can't seem to find any of them right now.

-shawn-
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top