Need some help with time lapse photography

[SGMD1]

I would like to create a very long term (multi-year) time lapse video of a construction site. I'm not a professional and this is basically for fun so I'm not looking to buy a ton of fancy equipment or anything. Ideally it will be a set-it-and-forget-it setup.

All I've got so far are my Canon Powershot SD1100 and a tripod. The camera will be positioned behind a window about 1400 feet from the construction site. I found an AC adapter for $30 that will provide continuous backup power to the camera, and am planning on using CHDK to set up the intervalometer, probably at one shot per hour.

Here are my questions:
-What are the optimal manual settings for my camera for this setup?
-How do I minimize the "flicker" that occurs due to the hourly/daily variations in natural lighting when the frames are combined? Are there settings on my camera to help with this, or is it mostly dealt with in post-processing? If so, how is this accomplished in post-processing?
-Are there any other things I might need to consider?

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[Garbz]

Optimal manual settings? None. The difference between night and day will be too great for a manual exposure. Use auto exposure that's what it's there for.

That flickr can be dealt with by taking images every 5-10 minutes, and then selecting the best image from a group for the final series. This makes the final assembly very time consuming though.

One thing you need to consider is that 1h intervals means the average day will last 500miliseconds and the average night also 500ms. This video will likely only piss off the epileptics How long is construction going to take? Will it be possible to either skip the night intervals, or slow down the video by taking an exposure every 30 min or so?

[SGMD1]

Thanks for the tips! I guess I should have mentioned that the construction will last a while...as in years So a 500ms day is ok when there are going to be ~1000 days lol. Plus I'd imagine I'll only be using two or three shots per day in the final product to minimize the lighting changes. I might do a day video and night video separately if the night shots can come out ok via auto exposure as you suggested.

I know it seems ridiculous to do a multi-year time lapse video but I think it would be pretty epic if I plan it right and get it to work!

[sA x sKy]

I would like to create a very long term time lapse video of a construction site. I'm not a professional and this is basically for fun so I'm not looking to buy a ton of fancy equipment or anything. Ideally it will be a set-it-and-forget-it setup.

All I've got so far are my Canon Powershot SD1100 and a tripod. The camera will be positioned behind a window about 1400 feet from the construction site. I found an AC adapter for $30 that will provide continuous backup power to the camera, and am planning on using CHDK to set up the intervalometer, probably at one shot per hour.

Here are my questions:
-What are the optimal manual settings for my camera for this setup?
-How do I minimize the "flicker" that occurs due to the hourly/daily variations in natural lighting when the frames are combined? Are there settings on my camera to help with this, or is it mostly dealt with in post-processing? If so, how is this accomplished in post-processing?
-Are there any other things I might need to consider?

1 shot per hour? I understand you want a long time lapse but 1 shot per hour I think is a bit too much. Depending on how long it takes for the construction project to be completed, I would say at least 1 shot per 5 min or 10 min if need be.

[Garbz]

Remember you can always grab every second exposure if need be. But you can't make up for exposures that aren't there.

[PatrickHMS]

If you want to keep a camera aimed and still for that long, and I assume that is what you mean - it might take more than just a tripod. Over a period of years someone is BOUND to move it or at least bump it, or bring it in to you asking "What's this doing here?" (lol).

And I am assuming this is a camera you will pretty much forget about using elsewhere for those number of years.

But you might want want to build some kind of supported structure, maybe with a housing to protect at least three sides from meddlesome hands, where you can put "Don't you DARE touch this!" signs. Maybe even secure the camera to the wall with brackets.

Will your memory card be large enough to hold all of this. You might want to be able to swap out the card, would hate to find out years later that files are corrupted in the memory card in the camera.

With a power supply, that will solve the issue of battery failure or leakage, but are you sure you have chosen a camera that will even last that long mechanically?

What about using a good video camera, positioned securely, communicating with a PC where you can store your images?

Sounds awesome, but also seems overwhelming.

Good luck!

[SGMD1]

Remember you can always grab every second exposure if need be. But you can't make up for exposures that aren't there.

True. My main concern with this is storage. At several exposures per hour at 5MP resolution, even with a 32GB SDHC card, it will fill up within a few months. At 2 exposures per hour at 5MP, I can get ~200 days worth before having to switch out cards. Even if I only use 2 or 3 shots/day in the final product, at over two years of pictures, I'll have enough for over a minute of footage. Although I'd imagine at 2 shots/hour, on most days, I'll be able to use more than that.

If you want to keep a camera aimed and still for that long, and I assume that is what you mean - it might take more than just a tripod. Over a period of years someone is BOUND to move it or at least bump it, or bring it in to you asking "What's this doing here?" (lol).

Yeah this is a concern I've thought about. The good thing is that we're at this location maybe 4 or 5 times a year for a few days at a time, and that's it. The camera would be in the guest bedroom, which no one really goes into anyway. But you're right, a more semi-permanent housing makes sense.

Will your memory card be large enough to hold all of this. You might want to be able to swap out the card, would hate to find out years later that files are corrupted in the memory card in the camera.

Another one of my big concerns. I'd imagine I'll be able to test it for a few days to make sure it works, but since I'm gone for such long periods of time (months) I feel like I'd be taking a huge risk if I can't check it more frequently. If I use a 32GB card I can get a good ~200 days or so, but trusting the camera to survive and the power to remain on interrupted (or the battery to stay charged during periods of power interruption) is nervewracking.

With a power supply, that will solve the issue of battery failure or leakage, but are you sure you have chosen a camera that will even last that long mechanically?

Ha, it's like you're reading my mind. This is the other thing I was worried about...but again cost is a factor. I don't want to invest in an expensive camera that I won't be able to use on anything else for many years, hence the old point-and-shoot. Luckily, point-and-shoots don't have a mechanical shutter so I don't have to worry about shutter failure...but still being away from the setup for months at a time is another gamble I'd have to take.

If you can suggest a better camera suited for something like this (that I can get, either new or used, for less than $150) which supports the CHDK intervalometer (or some other inexpensive/free intervalometer) it'd really help me out!

What about using a good video camera, positioned securely, communicating with a PC where you can store your images?

I feel like video camera resolution is a bit low...plus the cost comes into play again...I really don't want to spend on a video camera and I feel a video camera+PC setup would be pretty bulky.

[Garbz]

With a 30min gap between photos, I would say the storage issue isn't such a big deal. It shouldn't take longer than 30min to swap the memory card But that also falls under the premise that you may want to find something more fixed than a tripod so you don't accidentally move the camera.

[O|||||||O]

If the project did last 1000 days and you took one picture per hour, that would be 1000 seconds (16 minutes, 40 seconds) of video (at 24 frames/second). Not a very long video for almost 3 years of work... An entire day would only last one second.

I want to say that you need to make it longer, like 2 or 3 shots per hour, but I don't know how long I could sit there and watch a time lapse video... 40 minutes seems like a pretty long time to watch a construction site. Maybe just edit out the parts that don't have any visual progress...? I understand if you want to leave "the boring parts" in though.

What if you move before it gets done?

[SGMD1]

With a 30min gap between photos, I would say the storage issue isn't such a big deal.

A 5MP pic is probably what, like 2MB? Just with some rough math for one pic every 20 minutes, at ~32000MB ÷ (24h x 3 pics/h x 2MB/pic) = 222 days. I think that will work ok. Also keep in mind that this is a high rise, so day to day vertical progress will be slowwww. I think 3 pics/hour should be more than enough.

But that also falls under the premise that you may want to find something more fixed than a tripod so you don't accidentally move the camera.

I think I'm going to build some sort of semi-permanent housing for it actually based on what you and PatrickHMS have said. We just renovated the place so I can probably ask the contractor to make something and paint it the same color as the wall and mount it at the corner of the window or something.

If the project did last 1000 days and you took one picture per hour, that would be 1000 seconds (16 minutes, 40 seconds) of video (at 24 frames/second). Not a very long video for almost 3 years of work... An entire day would only last one second.

Haha...16 minutes is actually longer than what I was expecting. I was thinking more like 3-5 minutes. But the part I bolded is important since I don't anticipate having to do much actual "work" for this except the initial setup and the post-processing, and changing the memory card maybe once or twice a year

What if you move before it gets done?

Devil's advocate I see We just renovated the place and we plan on being here for a longgg time so that won't be an issue, knock on wood

[Stosh]

I don't really have any good answers for you, just some experience. I made an enclosure out of a PVC electrical type sealed box. I cut a hole for the window and had a piece of glass cut for it. I attached the glass with a silicone sealant (no hardware). I screwed the enclosure to my house. The timer remote was set to take 1 pic a day every day at the same time. The camera was a Canon Rebel XTi, so a 10MP camera. I had a 1G card in it and that lasted the entire time which happened to be about 270 days give or take. It was recording the growth in my cactus bed (yeah I know how geeky is that?).

The most surprising part wasn't the flickering from different light each day - I expected that. It was that my house moves every day! I had to align every image basically by hand (I used a script program to simplify it for me). It was quite a project. Some frames were off by over 100 pixels. No way was that usable in a video! It would make you an epileptic if you weren't already.

So here it is. Originally at 30fps it was over too fast, so I made the movie at 15 fps by duplicating each frame.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yOsZmldgrU[/ame]

[SGMD1]

Wow Stosh that is amazing! Exactly what I would like to do. Do you know of any tools that can automatically tone map, or something similar, to minimize the flicker?

[Stosh]

Unfortunately, no I don't. The contrast is extremely high when the sky is clear. That's what makes the vertical face of the big rock go almost black. Then when it's overcast everything is pretty much evenly lit.

I don't think the suggestion to take more shots than you need then pick the best ones is going to help the flicker. On a clear day there will be no shots to compare with a cloudy day. One thought I had with mine was to take the picture in the early morning or late evening when there is no direct sun on the subject. It would be a longer exposure, but who cares? The camera is in a fixed position anyway. That almost sounds like a solution until you realize that sunrise or sunset changes by almost 3 hours from Dec to June (at least at my 40.2 degrees latitude). It would be difficult to program your intervalometer to take the pic at the correct time.

I do remember seeing software somewhere that can reduce or nearly eliminate the flicker involved. I'm pretty sure Adobe made it. But it may cost more than your whole setup.

[SGMD1]

This flicker issue seems to be the last hiccup. Most of the things I've read about it assume a relatively short-term time lapse (less than a day) so the flicker is gradual from shot to shot...which wouldn't necessarily be the case with this setup as the lighting could be all over the place from day to day. This is quite frustrating.

One thing I came across is something called a neutral density filter...allows a longer exposure even during daylight. Anyone know if something like that might minimize day-to-day lighting variance?

[Enough Already]

I would shoot it at a lower resolution. HD equivalent at the most. I like the idea of mounting it on a bracket. Pick a focal point in the distance, line it up with the middle of the frame, so if you even have to move it or change the camera,, you can just set the next one up pointing at the same spot, then adjust the zoom so the frame size matches. Even if its a little off, the change will be from one frame to the next, you would not even notice. Sounds like fun but a torturous wait for the final video. Good luck.