Salty Loc: Cornwall UK

Hi all, I have a Canon 5D MKII and I am worried about the amount of images needed to make timelapses is there anyone out there who can tell me more about the best kind of camera ie morrorless ect I only have my 5D and a Rebel XT that is converted for IR your help would be very much appreciated Thank You.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

I know nothing about Canon DSLRs.

I have two Panasonic mirrorless M4/3 cameras that have a choice between using mechanical shutter or electronic shutter. Included in the camera firmware is time lapse capability. The main limitation is the battery. If electronic shutter is selected, there is no wear on the mechanical shutter. The time lapse video can be produced entirely in the camera. I'm pretty sure all the current Panasonic cameras have this ability.

Salty Loc: Cornwall UK

Thankyou bsprague I will take a closer look

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

You are welcome.

Take a look at the Panasonic LX100. It has been on the market long enough that it may be seeing some good sales. It gets good reviews for everything it does.

Timelapse shooting is incredibly easy. It will make either 1080p or 4K video inside the camera. Time laps settings are easy. As a small camera, a simple table top tripod or Gorillapod is all that is necessary.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Are you concerned about the wear on the shutter from the multiple actuations? My thought would be that unless you take hundreds of these, it's not an issue. I believe the 5D MK2 is rated for 200,000 actuations (and no guarantee that it will fail then), so if you take a hundred time lapses of 100 shots each, still only 10,000. On the other hand, if you take thousands of many hundreds of actuations each time (or vice-versa), then maybe mirrorless would be an advantage in that case. Perhaps a Canon M5? Canon makes an M to EF/EFS adapter (which Adorama's currently has on clearence sale for $50) that would allow you to use your existing EF lenses.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

If my goal was to shoot timelapse, the EOS M5 would be last on my list as a place to spend money. Timelapse is video. Video is moving to 4K. It may actually already be there! The M5 won't do 4K.

I'm not saying it isn't a good camera. I know nothing about the Canon line, except that video is generally an afterthought for them.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

I was assuming by time lapse, he meant a series of still shots (usually exposed using an intervelometer) that are combined to produce a short video clip (especially since he mentioned a 5D2 and his concern for wear - since there is essentially only one shutter actuation per video exposure), but I could be mistaken. Perhaps the OP can clarify if that's the case...

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

My apologies. You are indeed correct! Timeapse can be done with any series of still photos done with any camera. I've done it, it requires some work in software on a computer and it was tedious. In my use of the Panasonic provided methods that are so easy, and done entirely in camera, I had forgotten about the traditional way.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

The Olympus em1ii, while I haven't spent that much time with it yet, has solved some of the battery issue...it's way better than the original EM1.

Bill_de Loc: US

If Canon is like Nikon, you should be able to set the length of time, and the timing of the shots. You can calculate the total number of shots you will take.

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TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

No apologies necessary, and there are certainly other ways of producing time lapse segments using video recording techniques which the OP may well be utilizing.


Cheers,
Chris

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Whatever camera you get, make sure you can set it up with a constant power supply. Nikons will go up to 12 hours, and you can get an A/C power adapter.

hpucker99 Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

I use my Canon XSI and 60D for time lapse photography. The XSI was the first DSLR I bought 8 years ago and I bought the 60D used a few years ago. The 60D has the advantage in that it takes 64GB cards (the XSI has a 32GB maximum) and there is options in taking medium or small sized RAW photos. Also, I found an external battery that has a dummy battery that I can put in the camera and can get up to 24 hours of use. There are also options for the Canons in using a AC adapter that plugs into a 120v outlet. The battery option is great for shooting in remote locations.

Salty Loc: Cornwall UK

Hi all, my apologies to you for not putting you in the picture properly I have been doing time lapse casually for a while maybe 5 or 6 a year. I love going to a good timelapse location setting up and letting the camera do its thing. I also love reading and there is nothing better to partner timelapse photography I take a small beach chair and my Kindle just thinking about it makes me smile. The timelapses I do are normally long, this year I did a tidal timelapse I started at low water and ended just after high water about 900 images over 7 hrs. I used Photoshop to bring the images to video. So that was casual. I watched a Youtube video of the Milky Way Timelapse ( Ian Norman of Lonely Speck ) and thought oh boy I want to do that. That was about 2yrs ago I looked at the gear he used then at the prices which were way above my cost limits. Dynamic Perception slider and stageR rotary units are a lot of dollars but I live in the UK so add 30% to that, so enter ebay and 2 yrs later here I am. I have my slider and stageR units and LRTimelapse (licienced) now I am ready to get serious. I have also got to start building my bank ballance again. After spending so much money I will be doing a lot more timelapse photography. So yes I am afraid of wareing out my camera. It seems from your replys the best bet is a used dslr camera as battery life could be an issue.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

If money isn't an issue, look at the em1ii with a lens like the 12-40 f2.8 or 12-100 f4. It's a weather sealed and freeze proof setup. The battery is much improved and with the optional battery grip you'll make it even better. You may even find the live composite feature quite useful to try a along side of doing time lapse.