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Going “Green Square” at Fenway Park – Canon 5dmk2 Time Lapse Test
I buy cameras with manual function control. All the cameras I use at work do not have a shred of automatic function on them. I want to be in full control at all times when operating a camera. But what happens when you cannot be with your camera at all times? What happens when the shot lasts hours and hours? What happens when light changes, color temperature changes, distance from subject changes very slowly and it is impossible to adjust as time elapses? Enter: Green Square and the use of a timer remote controller. I first experienced the convenience of the full auto mode (located on top of camera via dial setting) on the Canon 5dmk2 DSLR camera when I shot a three week, day to night time lapse at Newfound Lake in New Hampshire. I wanted to capture “Ice-In” as the lake froze over. I needed a camera that could capture the stars at night and expose a bright cloudless day, without me being there! The only manual setting I used was to slide a switch on the lens to “MF” for manual focus. I did not want the focus drifting at all in the low light. Take a look at the video below. This time lapse was a true, “Set-it-and-forget-it”:
People on time lapse forums across the internet are looking for the “Holy Grail” of day/night time lapse settings. If you use Green Square auto, you run the risk of annoying flicker. There are post NLE filters for this, but I have never used them and do not own any. And so far, I am very impressed with the Canon 5dmk2 in full auto mode. For those of you who do not know anything about DSLRs or how to set them up, this camera in green square mode might be a perfect fit to shoot image-sequence time lapses. Using manual settings are a must when shooting astro-timelapses. I set the Canon 5dmk2 to snap a photo every 40 seconds throughout the seven hours of darkness. The 5dmk2 is set to long exposure to take in what little light is in the sky. My exposure settings are as high as 30 seconds, but sometimes less if I want to take a photo every 20 seconds. The video below demonstrates what happens when you take a photo every 40 seconds throughout the night with a 30 second “sensor burn” exposure. At the end, you will see the video go white. This is not a transition. The sun has broken dawn and since the camera was set to full manual, the settings forced the camera to continue taking a 30 second exposure with locked aperture blades.
I am running tests shooting day to night astro-timelapses for an epic video project that I will be releasing this fall. I am using the Green Square with some great results. I am also using the Kessler Oracle and Elektra Drive stepper motor system on my CineSlider dolly. Very impressed with this kit. Yesterday, I set up the Canon 5dmk2 on a Bogen Magic Arm attached to the railing in the left field roof Coke-a-Cola corner. I work the large broadcast camera in that position so I was able to watch the 5dmk2 during the six hour timelapse.
I set the camera to snap a 21.1 mega pixel .jpg picture every seven seconds. I locked the focus to manual, but everything else was factory default using the dial set to “green square”. I weather proofed everything with zip-lock bags. The power was provided by the Canon a/c adapter and I used the Canon remote timer to trigger the camera to snap the pictures. The lens I used was the Canon 16mm to 35mm f2.8 “L” series lens. The lens was locked at 16mm. The shutter speed, iso, white balance and aperture fluctuated as the day turned to night and the stadium lights fired up. I was quite impressed how the 5dmk2 camera tracked iris, iso, shutter and white as the night progressed. I had shot with my Sony EX1 in timelapse mode in the past using full auto and it did not work out as well. I had issues with the EX1 shifting color temperature. Check out the video below for the tester six hour timelapse boiled down to a minute and a half. I did not add any de-flicker filters or grading to the clip. Music is by Nine Inch Nails.
As you are reading this, I have the Canon 5dmk2 setup to shoot a 24 hour timelapse in green square mode from the high home camera basket at Fenway Park. Great cloud formations happening as I type this blog during my dinner break in the media room! What happens at Fenway Park at night when the lights go out? Lets hope the green auto mode works as well as it has in the past. The one thing that I cannot get the camera to do in auto mode is longer exposure to add some motion blur to the action as people move around in the stands. Suggestions?
UPDATE April 26th, 2010: You will see the image “pulse” in and out as the camera is taking out of focus frames. I used an “L” series 16mm-35mm f2.8 and it did not track as well as I hoped. Again, NEVER use auto focus when time lapsing.
In my next tests, I will take the advice of many people who tell me that “Aperture Priority” is the best way to avoid flicker, and the camera adjusts well to drastic light changes. The “AV” (aperture value) mode on the Canon 5dmk2 dial locks the iris and uses shutter speed to correctly expose the picture. I am not certain where I will run the aperture, but I will have to run it at f2.8 wide open to expose anything at night. It will be interesting to see what happens at f2.8 with full sun! More test to come on this page from Fenway Park. 35 comments to Going “Green Square” at Fenway Park – Canon 5dmk2 Time Lapse Test |
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I have just started to do DSLR timelapses myself and am struggling with the flicker when on aperture priority for night to day shots. I am blown away that the only time you see flickering in your most recent one is when people walk up and down the aisles closer to the camera. I think it is time to buy the 5D…. Nice work.
there is no “holy grail” that i have found yet for day to night. “green square” mode works quite well, but it is not the solution, thats for sure.
Hi, I have recently been seeking the holy grails on 5D as well. I don’t want to get into so called “bulb ramping” yet (set camera to bulb and control everything using external dedicated electronics).
I shoot daytime and need long exposure times, I shoot stars and also need long exposures. Moreover I use panning also and can’t get the exposed to nonexposed time ratio under 50%. A bit of challenge.
I have spoiled a few exposures using AV mode, messing with settings manually etc…
Finally I seem to have found sort of satisfying solution. The key to the success is time priority mode. I set it to 8s (good enough for daytime and nighttime). I set the ISO to auto and iris is being set at F22 initially. I start shooting early evening and the camera starts at 8s, ISO 50, F/22, decreases the iris progressively to F/2 on my Sigma 20mm 1.8 (I don’t know why it wont stop wide open?) and then starts boosting ISO to stop around 1250. Then I need a bit of ingeration depending on conditions and set manual mode once the lightning conditions are stabilized – I set the cam to wide open, ISO 1250 and 10-15s depending on the sky.
Seems to work and the flicker is not really disturbing.
Please find more info on my blog at http://vimeo.com/10732450 and http://www.kizny.com.
Cheers!
That poor 5D. I hope you gave it a warm over coat and some hot coffee before leaving outside by the lake to freeze its butt off for 5 days
Its a real testament to the durability of the 5D.
it was inside! i did not leave the 5dmk2 outside! that will be next time.
What metering mode are you using, Tom?
i have no idea!
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I have no idea what I am talking about but would it be possible to use a fader ND filter to cut down some light which would cause the camera to think it needs slower shutter and therefore blur the people in motion?
it is possible to use a nd filter to knock down the light and do longer exposure for adding motion blur to the frames. you just let the shutter stay open for a bit longer! good call matt!
Like I said I had no idea what I was talking about and the more I think about it it wouldn’t work
DSLR’s have exposure compensation, but there is no way to tell it to prioritize a longer shutter speed over the aperture or ISO.
There may be some software out there that would allow you to program the exposure settings throughout a timelapse. But it would most likely require you to have the camera connected to a laptop the whole time.
i have tried the TV mode, but i still get flicker. i have not found a great solution (other than green square – set it and forget it mode) for day to night timelapsing.
i think if you play around with metering mode you might be able to get better results with the ‘flicker’ when someone in the foreground pops up. i would think, though i haven’t really thought too long about it, that setting meter mode to ’spot’ would allow you to pick a single spot on the frame somewhere and it would then try to keep that particular location exposed the same in each frame…right? heh. so, you could do spot metering, and set the spot to the pitcher’s mound or the ‘Fenway Park’ sign above the EMC club…and it would always be the same exposure. since the mound gets covered and uncovered, you’d probably be better off with something constant.
i will try spot metering in the future. thanks for the info. i really have no idea what i am doing with exposure on dslrs and i will not pretend i get it til i do more testing! remember, im a television cameraman!
Sean, sorry. I didn’t see your ‘Metering Mode’ question. I didn’t mean to step on your turf!
Heh, no worries Bill. I’ve asked this same question to Philip Bloom, Tom Lowe, and now this other Tom
I’m testing out different stop motion software to see if I can create something that will allow me to manually dial in the exposures during a timelapse. I’ll let everyone know if I have any success.
let me know. this is a touchy issue as we are all trying to figure out the metering issue and remove flicker in an auto aperture tracking mode for timelapsing on DSLRs.
bill, i need a crash course on “metering”. i dont understand it really.
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Tom,
I was a little confused to start with – maybe I’m a little slow.
You reference “Green Square Mode” and I’m thinking “Is this a new 5D mode I didn’t hear about in the latest firmware upgrade?
I then got it… you are shooting in what the manual calls Auto mode… good time-lapse!
yea, set the dial on the top of the camera to “green square” full auto mode!
Nice Tom! Loved it. And i think I can actually see you work in your “office” in the second timelapse
yea my office at fenway park!
Hi Tom. I think the problem you are running into derives from the fact that you are shooting in two different environments, day and night. You would have to be with the camera at all times and control it. Maybe you could shoot one half in auto, and then comeback when its dark enough (hard to achieve with the massive lights) and set it in manual with a slow shutter to get the lag. It looks good though.
that is the hardest part… getting an epic long timelapse that spans multiple lighting changes as day turns to night and night turns to day! when doing timelapses in small bursts, only use manual mode!
Tom,
In Av mode the camera will not automatically select the ISO as it does the shutter speed… If you leave it wide open you will want to have a low ISO for daylight (100 to 200), this will also require much slower shutter speeds at dusk/night resulting in motion blur of quickly moving subjects.
thanks, need more time to experiment with this!
I am so glad you did this! I’m still waiting for them to load (I’m in Plymouth with slow internet), but I cannot wait to see them!
Hey Tom
I just wanted to say thank you for having the kahunas to post these tests! It’s one think to post the work that you feel shows you off in the best light, it’s an entirely different thing when as you have been your willing to put up the work that doesn’t necessarily go so well but that teaches you (and us) a great deal about the craft of film making.
Big Love for all your generosity Sir.
Righto.
no prob. i hope you guys can learn from my mistakes and many hours trying this stuff! nice to get it in the first take…. especially if you are on a paid job!
Tom, I think you nailed it when you said that 2.8 won’t do too well when shooting daytime. Save yourself the heartache and simply take a test photo with the aperture at 2.8 and shutter as fast as it can be with whatever ISO you’d use and see how it looks. I suspect it may be overexposed. I still think that way to go would be to use spot or center-weighted metering to make sure that a particular area of the image is properly exposed and let the lights overexpose if it happens.
thanks bill. i need to try that. i always take a few test shots before i run the timelapse, but the problem with day to night is once you set it, you are powerless to make adjustments without screwing up the entire timelapse!
Tom, how is this “Holy Grail” resolved? There’s evidence of large flicker, especially right at the daylight transition stage, as is shown with most any other dSLR. Each video you posted here shows it quite badly. In fact, it appears to be suffering from what anyone would’ve predicted: it’s ability to react to light changes is hampered by the large EV jumps which standard photography utilizes. The 5D MKii still uses 1/3rd and 1/2 EV adjustments. Even its JPEG process does not measure the previous and next frame to see if the change in exposure is subtle.
More worrisome is that 1/3 EV does work for some _very limited_ environments, so when a person finds an acceptable behavior in one lighting condition, and then goes to repeat it in another set of conditions and finds it produces terrible results – wasting a shooting session. So far, the best “fully in-camera” (no external equipment other than intervalometer, no software) results I’ve seen have come from point-and-shoots and in-camera HDR.
You may be satisfied with the results, but I would still be sending it through several de-flicker passes in software, especially if that was a mountain range and the sun was setting behind me.
!c
the holy grail is not resolved. i do not use green square unless i have to and cannot adjust the camera from day to night set it and forget it timelapsing.
the best solution is to do short timelapses and manually setup the camera. they way, you do not get flicker. let me know when someone does find the “holy grail” of day to night timelapsing using DSLRs!