Lecture: Newton Abbot Photographic Club
I’ve been using the Sony PlayMemories Camera Time-Lapse App for a while now. I initially was put off by the early versions and decided to use an external intervalometers for static and dynamic sequences. However, recently I have been taking my Sony A6000 out on trips to seek some mist this spring areound Devon and Dartmoor.
The beauty of the A6000 is its small, light, 24.3 mp APS-C camera with over 14 stops of dynamic range. The noise control, is of course, not as good as the A7RII I have. However its not so much of a problem when shooting 1080p or 4K sequences after downsizing. The benefit is I can use all my full frame lenses on it to acqure a long focal length if needed. The 16-50 kit lens is pretty good for 1080p sequences but is less flare resistant and there is no hood for it.
Like some of the Sony apps you have to pay for them, some are free like the smart remote app, which allows you to use your mobile phone to control your camera. The Time-Lapse one is £7.99 and is still cheaper than a budget external intervalometer I think. It’s compatible with most of the Alpha cameras with the ones with the abilities to use the PlayMemories software.
The one bonus, is that with cameras like the Sony A7RII, you can externally charge the camera via USB in use. This mean if you do a static time-lapse or a dynamic time-lapse using a continuously moving dolly then you can use an external battery to produce extended lapses.
The max shot number is limited to 990 (not quite sure why) and with a 16gb card that pretty much your limit anyway with RAWs from the A6000. With this APS-C CSC the battery life is great. From a full battery 900 shots cost 30% in battery life (cool but not cold conditions). There is more shutter slap noise with the A6000 over the new A6300 or the A7RII (especially if you use silent mode on the latter too). However doesn’t seem to affect the results.
I have used both manual and Ap mode and often prefer the latter, using spot metering if bright elements are in the frame. The intervals, ISO and shutter speeds are of course dependant on the conditions. I won’t go through each menu and setup as there is a good YouTube video on the app by Sony and of course others on there. You can also get other plugins for it like the tilt-shift, which can enhance it more for you, especially if you want to record jpg and/or compile in camera as an mp4. I record raws and edit in lightroom, premiere pro and time-lapse software but the in-camera compilation is useful if you don’t want to or need to do post-processing.
The follwing settings were used for the Sea Fog time-lapse below which I captured as the sun rose a few days ago using a Sony A6000, and a full frame 24-70mm lens @ 66mm (100mm equiv) from near Haytor, Dartmoor.
Camera Settings: ISO 100, f/11, 100mm, -3 e.v. exp. adj. (66mm), Ap Mode, 900 RAW stills
App Settings: AET-Med, 3s interval
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