Timelapse vs. Frame Rate Override

A couple of short timelapse demonstration sequences, one shot using MOVIE mode and the "frame rate override" function to reduce the frame rate to just 1fps. The other shot using a series of still images (lowest JPEG setting), taken every 1 second, strung together in Quicktime Player 7. Both of them were shot over a 15 minute period. (The problem when using such low frame rates is that the camera wants to overheat quite quickly!).

The latest version of Magic Lantern, which was only installed today, enables frame rates much slower than the previous version, which on the 550D, only allowed adjustment as low as 4fps.

The main issue when shooting at such a slow frame rate in MOVIE mode, is that the image can easily be overexposed. With not a great deal of light available, the aperture on the lens had to be closed down to its minimum setting (f/22) to prevent over exposure. Therefore, an ND4 filter was attached to the lens which enabled the aperture to be widened slightly to f/11.

For the timelapse shot with a series of still images, the ND filter was removed to allow the same aperture of f/11 with a shutter of 1/40s. The "LENS TWIST" method was also employed (see previous post), to ensure that the aperture blades were held in the same position for each shot.

On the plus side, using such a slow frame rate would allow fantastic low-light shooting, especially with a fast lens such as the Canon 50mm f/1.8II currently being used for these tests.

Results:

Frame rate override using ISO: 100, 1fps, f/11.


Timelapse using ISO:800, shutter frequency: 1s, f/11.

Higher quality version at Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/46747324