What is the cheapest camera with time lapse?

M

Mediacre

Well-known member
Hi,

I wasn't sure where to post this as there doesn't seem to be a general camera discussion board so I'm posting it here. What do you guys think is the lowest cost camera with time lapse function? It can be new or used, discontinued, from any time. Format is not important, it can be HDV, DV, Hi-8 or even VHS.
Should be something that can still be gotten though.
Thanks.
 
I know that Sony puts this feature into it's lower end cams. Id check the sony dcr series

Sony DCR-PC330

Sony DCR-TRV22

Sony DCR- HC90

You could always do it the old fashioned way and record real time for a long time and then drop frames in post.
 
The cheapest camera with timelapse would be just about any digital camera with a remote release and the Pclix. We made Eviction Day entirely with just it and a Nikon D80. Fantastic timelapse! Wayyyy better than anything a video camera could have turned out. Bonus: since it's a still camera, you can shoot 4K! ;)
 
I would prefer to do it with a video camera and a cheap one. I think a D80 is quite expensive and my Digital camera doesn't do it.
The time period would be just a day.
If I could find some hi-8 camera that does it would be perfect. The quality is just bellow DV but they go for a song these days.
 
how about under $20 bucks?

basically hook up a webcam (you can get HD webcams if you want, but that would be around $100 bucks) To a PC (you can get USB extentions so the PC will not have to be near the webcam)

Then just use some software with timelapse facility.
 
I would use any point and shoot digital camera. Hook it up to your computer and use timelapse software to do it. Do a google search and you will come up with numerous software options.

Also, many digital cameras come with a timelapse function built in. You would be better off using an SLR or a digital camera than a DV cam. I haven't run across one that can do timelapse myself. From what I've used anyways. I am sure they are out there, I just can't throw a model number out there. Unless you have the money to drop on a Panavision F900, I know that has a timelapse function. Went through my HV20 too and nothing there, and nothing on my other 1CCD cameras.

You'd be better off going the DSLR or Digital camera route. And it should work using a USB cable, or as Anhar said, use a webcam to do it.
 
Thanks guys. But anything that depends on a computer will not work unfortunately. It needs to be a self contained thing. A I said I was hoping one of them older hi-8 would do.
 
Another vote for digital cams... Video cams are not the "best" for timelapse on the inexpesive side... hvx200 great but cheap and without power issues? no.

If you want "the cheapest timelapse camera" look for an epson 3100z... You can find em for under $100 but, they are tough to find...

If you want "the cheapest quality timelapse camera" look for a Ricoh GR they can be had for $500 at Adorama or Popflash photo.

If you want "the cheapest high quality timelapse camera" look for a D2H and don't skimp on glass... A D2H body and say a 30mm f/1.4 might run you $1200

If your not willing to teather (laptop) a lot of canons are out... Pclix has been mentioned. You can also just find a cheap digital camera that has FULL MANUAL functions for the price your happy with, crack it open, solder a rocker switch to the shutter, set it up on continious shoot and 'turn it on'. It may not be totally consistant with it's time between frames though...
 
upshot said:
Webcams blow so hard... don't even think about that...
Click to expand...

True, I'm not saying that a webcam can compete with a dedicated still camera, but then if you left an expensive still camera un supervised over days and weeks, then it would "blow really hard" when you came back to see that your lovely Digital SLR or semi expensive camera has been damaged or stolen.

Don't forget about IPCAMs, you can put those cams anywhere so long as you have a ethernet cable long enough, (I also hear that you can get WiFi Cams)

Just some avenues you may want to explore.

Slightly related check this crazy bit of DIY:

http://www.komar.org/halloween/blog/2005.html
 
I would be perfectly happy with a video camera. I can plug it to the mains and leave it on the tripod. Can anybody recommend any of the old ones? I don't want a new one as they will cost to much I guess. But no webcams please. I'm also not sure about still cameras. Can't see the advantage and they probably cost more than an old video camera.
 
Use laptop running DV-Rack (On Location). Fire Up DV-Rack. Connect Camera via IEE1394 to laptop. Adjust fully integrated timelapse system in DV-Rack to whatever required settings you need.
 
Well then we as a collective group have nothing for you.

You are going to have to spend the money or hook it up to a computer to get the shot. There is really no other way to do it. Aside from recording for the entire time and killing frames as you go. Though that will only be good for what? 50 minutes or so.

And 'old' video camera isn't going to yield the results you want. I'm not even sure they had that technology on older cameras, IE Hi-8.

So I think you are going to have to go the PC route (or Mac) or you need to buy a DSLR, or a different digital camera. You can get the specs for cheap digital camera using Google.
 
Mediacre said:
I'm also not sure about still cameras. Can't see the advantage
Click to expand...

There are so many advantages...

-image quality
-image resolution (flexable for post pan/scan)
-power consumption
-easy/flexable to control (in many cases)
-cheaper ( I have 4 epson 3100z cameras that I've purchased for under $100 and here are the results from this camera: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhRz5oMhu_c - it's lovely at 1080p)
-no need to 'boil down' hours of footage
-it's natively progressive
-did I say image quality?
 
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