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Astro-Timelapse Project Preview
I have been having a lot of fun lately. “Late” being the key word. And I am working on a new project. I am very excited about the Canon 5Dmk2 DSLR, but not just because of the shallow depth of field people have been raving about. I am very excited about the low light capabilities of this camera. I have never used a camera that is able to shoot in available light in video mode or in near total darkness in still mode using long exposure. But now, I am producing video that requires nothing more than a table lamp as a key source. I am also snapping the shutter on the 5dmk2 all night capturing what most of us all sleep through. Over the last few weeks, I have been experimenting with settings on the 5dmk2 trying to get the best night sky exposure. These settings differ depending on length of timelapse, moon cycle, cloud cover and what is in the foreground. As I master this tricky (and sometimes frustrating) shooting style I will share my settings and technique with you. But for now, I am still learning and getting help from people like Tom Lowe at timescapes.org and other insomniacs that use his forums. Sorry, other than the experimental test I did a few weeks ago, I am not going to post any actual footage until the timelapse project is complete. But please keep reading…. please…. oh come on! Setting up the camera is pretty easy. Basically, you just fire off a few test shots, take a look at exposure and focus and then let it go for the night. You can get more complicated and mount the camera to a step motor head, drag the camera across a dolly with a step motor, or use some crazy step motorized jib to get dynamic moving timelapses. For this project I will be using locked down shots (slow zooms in post), a motorized Celestron 114 GT telescope pan/tilt head (modified for 5dmk2) and a Mumford step motor to drag the pvc dolly using gravity as resistance. I have found that it is best to go for just one long timelapse. The stars move pretty slow! You really want the camera firing off shots all night for best results. You get about 30 seconds of usable video setting the camera to snap a 20 second exposure every 30 seconds during the night. That is a lot of shutter clicks, like around 1400! Yes, you need a timer remote controller and enough power to make this happen with the 5dmk2. I am not going to go that deep into this yet, but future blogs will contain information on what I have found useful and what is basically a waste of time. I will also talk about how to deal with leaving your kit in the wild at night and sleeping next to it. And if you did not know, you just take all these digital stills and place them on the timeline as frames. Resize, scale and then export the timeline. So easy with .JPGs, not sure with RAW files. That will be the next project. My ultimate goal is to produce a three to five minute timelapse piece that will be a year in the making. I have about 5 percent of the project done and I have spent half a dozen nights outside under the stars (sometimes freezing my arse off) to get the elusive footage. Not every timelapse worked out. Frost, heavy wind and panning head malfunctions have burned me a few times. And I was very upset that a single leaf landing on PVC pipe at 3am while I was asleep could mess up an epic tracking timelapse shot. Below are a few pictures from the last two days of shooting in the mountains of New Hampshire. It is starting to get cold up there and I will see just how far I can push the temperature limits of the Canon 5dmk2, the battery packs and myself!
Two nights ago, I set up the camera in a forested area in New Hampshire clear of any light pollution. I had the camera panning right to left and snapping a picture every 15 seconds with a 10 second burn (exposure). This worked out well, the sky is blue even at night and the moon lights up everything it touches like the sun during the day.
I will be testing this camera system out on the top (or near) the top of mountains in New Hampshire. This is from the summit of Mt Chocoura. The best way to attach this camera setup is to bring bags you can fill with rock to weigh down the tripod. Wrap the camera in a heavy plastic bag and make it tight so it does not act as a sail. Just hope the weather does not drive moisture into the lens. As far as making camp, never sleep in the alpine zone. I would say sleep just below treeline on the east side of the mountain. This way you are out of prevailing winds and the sunrise wakes you up! At least in this neck of the woods.
Another little trick is to car camp! There are many mountain roads in the state of New Hampshire that take you and all your kit up the hill with very little effort. I have a Honda 1000i generator in my car for just this “camping” technique. The pictures above are from a scenic pull out off the Kancamagus Highway (RT 112) between Lincoln and Conway New Hampshire. If you want to see my twitvid from that sleep-in-my-car-over-dramatized night, they are here and here. Turn the sound down for the first one, I am yelling for no reason. The light in the above pictures is only from the moon. I was very surprised how much the Canon 5dmk2 can expose with almost no light. This is good in the video function, but absolutely insane in the still mode. Remember, I am new to the picture taking craft. Until four months ago, I never owned a SLR or DLSR! My first 30 second burn was quite memorable (say no to drugs, I’m taking exposure here). And speaking of drugs, just how do I spend the time with me, myself and my 5d? I either sleep or read a book. If car camping, I have a generator, so if you think of it, I could power it. Perhaps a few of these little cosmolapse adventures will include friends who don’t mind staring at a cloud for eight hours.
I pointed my camera into the sky for many of my timelapses so far and I really like the effect of a slow twisting pan while the stars are moving in the opposite direction. In the shot above, I had the Celestron 114 GT set to “rate 1″ the slowest speed and just let the the panhead work its magic. With the moon full and bright, I was able to see what I was doing with out the need of a head torch.
One thing that I really do not like is clouds. Some are ok, but since the stars move so slow and the clouds whip by so fast it is a bit jarring. I am having trouble hitting a clear night with my busy work schedule. And the fact that light pollution is so prevalent where I live, I have to drive hours away for good sky. I hope to get some clear winter nights in the coming weeks and point my lens skyward. I will keep you posted of my progress on this project. I am working with a music composer to create a custom score for the piece. Thanks for reading and post any questions below… Here are a few bonus pictures from the day light hours.
Thanks to my buddy Dave for his company and help over the last few days! I work with Dave in Boston television, but he lives in the north country.
I have been experimenting with a one second shutter and moving water. I have found I get the best results when using ND filters and a matte box. I did not have ND filters with me! These shots were taken with the 5dmk2 mounted on a rock with the Canon lens closed to f22! I shot “Falling Water“, “Water and Light” and “Champney Falls” at this awesome location. I use to climb these rock faces when I was younger.
Dave got this great shot of me on the summit of Mt Chocorua. The Mountain is just under 4000 feet above sea level and it rewards hikers with some bouldering and 360 degree wind blown views. This is one of my favorite mountains in New England. My dog Zac even made it to the top! 25 comments to Astro-Timelapse Project Preview |
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Copyright © 2012 Tom Guilmette - All Rights Reserved |
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Awesome shots Tom, look forward to seeing the completed project!
i have a long way to go!
That’s shaping up to be a great project, Tom!
Looking forward to seeing more thoughts on how you progress. By the time the final shots come around, I reckon it’s going to feel pretty tough going in eleven months time! Good luck
thanks neil.
Have you got anymore information about the mumford step motor.
I wouldn’t mind experimenting with time laps jib/dolly moves and that motor sounds like what I am looking for.
in my next blog, i will post pictures of the motor and my experimental rigs that i have built or modified.
Tom your site has been an eagerly awaited weekly read for me and many thanks for all your tips help research …….. what and you have a family life !!!!!…….. amazing!
I have had a 5d for a while and now include it in my regular kit for TV work the images are mind blowing and the possibilities are endless (persuading production to use it is another thing) and all for relatively low cost (compared to the over priced broadcast equipment). The one area where this camera comes into it’s own is time-lapse in fact my Celestron 114 should be with me tomorrow a low cost fine quality motorised panning head ….plus a telescope not sure what to do with that yet.
Anyway to cut a long story short have you had any problems with power the long run time and the power sapping cold the last thing you want as your are snuggled up in your tent/car is for the power to camera or head to fail.
All the best Tudor
the canon 5dmk2 batteries work quite well so far in the cold. when running two of them in the battery grip, the 5dmk2 runs all night. the 8 AA batteries in the celestron 114 GT will give you about three nights of service, so about 20 hrs running at the slowest step motor speed.
Cool! It seems you’ve really caught the bug!
Yes, car camping is the way to go!
we will work together soon. my parents moved to arizona last month and i have to go see them!
You might find this link of interest. It’s a starting point for dark sky adventures in Arizona (and other southwest states): http://gosw.about.com/od/informationfortravelers/a/azdarkskies.htm
I have mountain envy! Didn’t make it to the Smokies this Fall like I’d planned. Enjoy the outdoors!
i think camping is the way to go
i am from brasil and we do that alot here in recife…
Wow Tom! I can’t wait to see the final product, but I really love reading your posts and showing us your progress. Since I was little, I’ve been into Astrophotography and Long exposure night sky photography. I’m learning tons from reading your blog.
Keep up the great work!
Tom, concerned at all with the shutter lifespan on your 5D? I recall there being ~50k exposures before failure.. maybe $300 to replace? I suppose its worth it though. Looking forward to the results.. keep working hard and documenting with grainy twitvids and good ol American made Hungry Man dinners.
i am more concerned with getting moisture into the 5dmk2. i will have a lot of shutter clicks on the camera by this time next year, so i will let you know. i am going to beat this camera up.
Thanks again for sharing your experiences. The American Southwest has a lot of places with high elevations to view the night sky above the pollution and dust, but for some reason, the most spectacular place I have been to see the night sky was in Coober Pedy, Australia (the outback). It’s the opal capital of the world and it was like diamonds in the sky. Don’t freeze this winter as I want to keep reading your blog!
i would love to get out that way to shoot!
Congratulations, good work, I will follow your project. Thanks for the effort you put. Ciao Alessandro
I love how in a few of the shots it looks like it’s daylight, but you can clearly see the stars. Amazing stuff, keep up the great work.
Hey friend, im very inteested in tinleapse, i made my first video here, http://www.pukakilakesidegetaway.co.nz/gallery.htm
Im very interested in a motorized tripod head so i can do a slow pan and catch a timelapse. Any suggestion on a good cheap one?
thanks very much
stills shots look beautiful. can’t wait to see it all finished. timelapse really is the most boring thing to capture but the most rewarding
hey phil.
i think fishing is boring. but when i spend all day outside connecting with nature it is all worth it when that monster fish takes the bait. that is what timelapsing is to me… you never know what you will get until you do it.
i am fascinated with the night sky now that i have been able to capture the movement of the stars with the canon 5dmk2 and actually expose them! when i get the footage the next day and review it, it was well worth the effort.
i am trying to use foreground and step motors to capture the sky like never before. i cant wait to show you what i have so far. i am going for the timescapes look and feel, but in a totally different environment. and this new england environment has a bunch of new challenges… like snow and ice!
by the way, i sleep through the boring parts!
Cool stuff. Please release teasers, though.
What would we do without Tom@Timscapes and this infection?
I am lucky enough to live about 35 miles from downtown Denver and have just a bit of light pollution where I live. To my southeast it’s pretty clean. So, I can leave the 5DMK2 out all night while sleeping in the warmth of my bed. I feel bad, though, leaving it out there all by itself sometimes just clacking away. I’ve got it out tonight on the new moon and it’s supposed to get a few degrees below freezing. It would be great to get out and be in some very remote areas like up in the mountains as you are.
I can’t wait to see what you put together. It’s fitting that a timelapse project should take you a year. It’s kind of like it takes all night just to get 30-60 seconds of “video.”
I’m with you on that first long night exposure drug. I thought I could go out on the near full moon with snow on the ground and be able to video at f/1.4 and iso 3200 or so. Nope. But man oh man the stills. I was able to do 30 second exposures at f/4 with iso at only 250.
Ok, long reply. Cheers.
thanks michael. i did catch the astro-timelapse bug! i am working on a project that was inspired by timescapes, but it will look much different. i have found, however, that shooting night-long timelapses in the northeast usa has a ton of obstacles. unlike the western part of the country where tom lowe shoots, new england is not a dry desert! night temps go well below freezing and snow and ice will make my job very difficult and uncomfortable! should be a unique look tho. i will let out a few teasers.