Time Lapse Video Advice

Butch Moore wrote on 8/30/2017, 9:05 PM

My customer is building a new home. Construction should take about 3 months. I need advice on how to put together a 3 to 5 minute time lapse video of the construction. I can do the math for the number of frames needed, which would determine the rate of capture of stills used in a sequence. My question, "is stills the best way" or would a series of short video clips crossfaded be more enjoyable to watch. Producing either is no problem in Vegas. I'm more interested in the capture technique and how to get the most bang in the final presentation.

Thanks

Comments

john_dennis wrote on 8/30/2017, 10:36 PM

I would go the stills route. Here is a six month project which I presented in about two and a half minutes,

Because it was during construction, I used a Canon G5 which I bought on eBay for ~ $100 used. It was attached permanently in a sheltered place where it was out of the way. I used a $20 bracket commonly used for security cameras It was powered by an AC adapter and I used a laptop to trigger the camera and collect the files to the hard drive. If you choose to use SD cards you will need to be able to remove the cards without removing the camera from the bracket so you can maintain position for months.

kplo wrote on 8/30/2017, 11:44 PM

Brinno TLC200Pro. Only 1280x720 resolution, but has a 112 degree f/2.0 stock lens, many adjustments, a 1/3" "HDR" chip and runs for weeks on a set of AA batteries. Produces an .avi file (mjpeg) that converts using VirtualDub to an .avi file that Vegas can use. Bought one for a current shoot for about $200 with wall mount, weatherproof case, batteries, 16GB card, AC power. It ain't DSLR quality, but certainly decent picture quality for the price. It's really small, maybe 4x2x2". I have the timer set to shoot 1 frame per minute daily from 9am to 6pm. I simply pull the SD card once a week, copy files to my laptop, replace the card and press the record button again.

Couldn't be easier. I'm thinking they will likely come up with a true 1080 version soon.

Ken

Butch Moore wrote on 8/31/2017, 1:48 PM

Thanks! Just what I needed!

 

kplo wrote on 9/1/2017, 11:26 PM

Butch,

I purchased mine from Smartec Store (they are the distributor and I can vouch for their customer service).

No, I have no association with them except as a satisfied customer.

If you're shooting indoors, be sure you focus carefully. You need to loosen a screw on the lens, focus using the magnified tiny (1.7") screen image, then re-tighten the screw. Outdoors, you probably wont have to bother with focus, as the depth of field should carry.

Have fun!

Ken