For the past month or so, I've been tinkering around with my amateur camera and lens trying to shoot stars and the night sky. I've shoot several star trails and learned quite a bit about how the different settings effect the outcome of the picture.

I've also been fascinated by the time lapse's JTR has on his smugmug website.

Here is my first attempt. It's quite a bit more work than I originally thought. I need to buy the wireless remote as well as download some better video software.


anyways,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shQxPBhDrcg

 

Looks like you need to find a better spot to shoot it all first, no offense intended. But the highway lights are killing it. I think you actually have some pretty sweet footage if you could just get the fill-light out of there from the highway and bring out the background and sky.

And Sony Vegas all the way for video editing software. I've used Pinnacle and Adobe Elements, which don't even compare.

 

I was trying to get some cool dynamic/stationary sceneory in the frame but half way through I was photobombed by fog. I was just too rambunctious to stop.

I was watching a "how to" for for post producing a video for time lapse and quicktime pro 7 was used, almost flawlessly. All for $30.

I want to get a better picture of the sky and yet still have some interesting foreground in frame. I'll keep tinkering around until I make a trip to bestbuy and pick up a wireless remote.

 

Understandable. But Jack did the same, only just a little ways further out to where you could see the glow of the city underneath the lapse of the sky. I might try and find somewhere that is over looking the city from a little ways out and film it from there.

 

I shot another video tonight. Took some precautions and learned from my mistakes of the last one.

I anchored the tripod down with a 15lb dumbbell. I also made sure the tripod mount settings were all tight as a mother. I only had to delete one picture because for whatever reason the camera moved slightly. The other fault was that I forgot the to hit the shutter release and there was like a 30s gap between shots but I don't think you can notice it. Oh yeah, and it was cloudy, but you still get the idea.

I also obtained quick time pro which took me a total of 5 minutes to make the video portion.

In case you don't read the description:
Exposure Time: 20s
F/3.5
ISO: H1 (3200)
18mm
124 frames (playback @15fps)

For the love of god, please watch in some form of HD, I took the time to crop it 16:9 and resize the pictures to 1920x1080 so feel free to take advantage of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrpMliDC4VA

As always, feel free to tell me what you think, here or on youtube. Hopefully someone else is reading this besides 08mustang_gt. =/


Something like this is exactly what I'm looking for with my D60, since software either costs an arm and a leg, or doesn't work with windows, or Nikon (or anyone) doesn't make an intervalometer. http://taborstreetphotography.smugmu...210_aYoXZ-A-LB

Pretty sure I'm going to do this, with the nikon ml-l3 wireless remote.

 

I been keeping a eye on this too, I actually made a video over the weekend of some heatlightening we been having here in the South alot lately at night... but I wont bore you with that since it doesnt compare anywhere near what you guys are doing!

 

Very good video man, if I could have that one a loop sequence and some how have it for my 1 monitor to run as my background that would be kewl!

 

that was my second attempt (ever). post up what you have.

today (right now), i'm purchasing this and this to try and make my own wireless intervalometer for the nikons that were unfortunate enough to have the feature as well as the ability to have an "add on" part. The stuff should be here this thursday so i'll be tinkering with it friday. i'll also take some better pictures (compared to what jtr had in his video) of the insides and what not so if someone else is in my predicament they can jerry-rig something that costs about $35.

i'm going to try and use the wires that connect the timer remote for the wires that will connect to the wireless remote. i think that way it will be a lot more sturdier as well as not looking like a bomb detonator.

 

Well mine is just a few snap shot pics and then the video here and there in between with some music, not a time lapse like your doing. And its posted on my facebook so not sure how to link it through there to here.

My moms big into photography since she does car shoots and all too!

My camera is a older Sony f717 which was my moms when she started shooting, and she now has a couple others as her primary and backup as she calls it. What I love about the camera is the big tilt lens how you can get a good angle in crowds and when trying to shoot lower and then tilt the lens up as if you were laying on the ground looking up. So it does a good job for what it is.

 

UPDATE:

I couldn't find the $3 Shoot (Nikon knockoff) wireless remote so I bought the $13 Nikon one instead. I couldn't figure out what leads were going from the button on the board because they were underneath some sort of chip. I Tried to solder the other side of the board to no avail. I also fried something because now it doesn't work. Oh well. I'll try to find the Shoot! one on ebay or something because the contacts to the button are well exposed on the other side of the board.

The Shoot! intervalometer for certain Cannon cameras also came in. I decided to use the brown (yellow wire in the video) and the white wire from the unit instead of soldering my own wires from the unit to the wireless remote. (that way OI can chop off the 35mm head phone jack at the end of the wires to make it look neater) As soon as I find the knockoff, i'll be sure to post a "how-to" with crisper pictures than those found in the video.

 

a time lapse i shot today, by hand w/ tripod, at my old high school of some clouds that were the aftermath of the hurricane. i think i need a better tripod or at least one where the adjustments tighten up rock solid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_w1StVoJUc

 

Heck I just need a tri-pod period

 

Are you manually focusing when you shoot the time-lapse? And setting the white balance to manual?

Because that last lapse looks really grainy, not like ISO grainy, but like it was compressed or out of focus. The tripod problem I have as well, or had rather. Sucked it up and bought a nice Manfrotto tripod that is sturdy as can be, so I might advise you to look into it. Although they're expensive so you might not be able to get one soon. I get them real cheap, or else I wouldn't have one either lol.

Here was my bored attempt yesterday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cspzwt5rXfU

Had to adjust the focus part of the way through, or else the stars were just "bulbing". This was shot with a 35mm prime, one shot every 10 seconds for 90 minutes or so.

 

yeah it was out of focus. i have the 18-55mm kit lens so i have to guess what infinity is, it's usually all the way one way. i had the white balance set to auto and it was hard to even keep my body from moving because of the wind, hence the crappy shots.

here's one i did yesterday. one shot every 5 seconds (timed with my phone) for 20 minutes. shot in raw and edited w/ lightroom. playback at 24fps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=troql8EJA74

i'm debating whether or not go for a 8mm fisheye f/3.5 (and deal with long exposures) or the nikkor 35 f/1.8 prime (and deal with the non super-wide angle but the quick exposures) down the road.

 

I say go with the 35 f/1.8 IMO. I have the f/1.4 and love it. Fantastic lens, and an all-around great picture lens. Of course my prime-lens collection is starting to overwhelm me, so I think I am a good bit biased towards the standard primes.

 

yeah, i've had my eye on this one for awhile. i'll just have to find a better spot to shoot, probably out near some farm about <30m away from where i live.

if i can't find one of the two (shoot! or jianisi) wireless remotes for the "ghetto intervalometer" i'll probably just suck it up and re-buy the nikon ml-l3 remote and do it old school. at least that way the camera will not move as long as it's hungered down. (that's half my problem, that and i forget auto-focus is on and when i try to shoot and nothing happens i get confused)

my next goal, once the above is completed (remote or ghetto intervalometer) i plan on doing a dusk till dawn time lapse of the night sky. that as well as some better software (probably sony vegas) where i can paste several shorter time lapses together instead of youtubing 10 second clips.

i'll be sure to keep you all updated, who ever's reading this.

 

Whats up you butt-*******

Wow... holy crap it is nice to be in a forum where i can say "Whats up your butt-*******" without everyone spraying vagina blood over the floor and having the moderators freak the **** out.

damn i miss this place

lol

http://taborstreetphotography.smugmu...1_PvRFxxk-A-LB

that is a vid i put together of various footage testing Chronos.


here is a timelapse of Chronos

http://taborstreetphotography.smugmu...3_fK33B3N-A-LB

and another vid of Chronos testing its velocity ramping.

http://taborstreetphotography.smugmu...4_MNr9LVB-A-LB

Im builting this as an open sourced DIY timelapse rail. Im trying to convince brontobye to start building his own to give the system cred.... i already have one follower building thier own Chronos rail.

 

oh yeah one more,

this is some nighttime timelapse work i did. its hard to get time to go out and do the night ****, so i only have a couple small clips.

http://taborstreetphotography.smugmu...9_2gnGDHM-A-LB

 

thats pretty cool...

 

Very good work man, you have really taken it to a whole new level there!

 

way to hijack my thread... lol

perfect time for me to update some stuffs. bought a nikkor 35mm f/1.8 last night from breast buy and before i get yelled at, it's more expensive from adoroma because of shipping, so there. :P

ny is having it's period during this time of the month and it's been shitty outside so i have yet to shoot anything outside with it. i'll try this weekend.

here's something i shot just a few minutes ago. auto wb and auto tone in lightroom.

WARNING: sharpness may cut screen