Exposing for Time Lapse?

ben croce · October 28, 2008

Hello,

I'm about to start a little project on Super 8 and would really appreciate any advice!

I want to shoot some time-lapse (2 f.p.s) on a recently purchased Nizo 561. I'm shooting pov-style (same focal length: 7mm) from a moving bicycle in different locations (busy streets, road tunnel) at different times of the day (early morning, day, dusk...maybe a bit at night). The idea is to show the passing of an entire day (with cuts of course) from the same angle of view.

Basically there are 2 issues I'm unsure about: whether it's best to expose auto or manual using the Nizo's light meter (for time-lapse shooting) and which stock(s) to use.

Ideally I'd prefer to shoot mostly on 64T, but I don't suppose this film would handle a dark wintry english morning? So, if I used Vision 200T or even 500T, would this require me to expose manually as I think the 561 only goes to 160ASA? I'm also aware of the autoB function - might this help in this instance or only complicate things further?!

Sorry for all the questions it's just that I've been given no time for testing this and it's my first attempt at time-lapse!

Any suggestions, help, advice would be absolutely fantastic.

Cheers,

Benjie

Oliver Knights · October 28, 2008

Hello,

I'm about to start a little project on Super 8 and would really appreciate any advice!

I want to shoot some time-lapse (2 f.p.s) on a recently purchased Nizo 561. I'm shooting pov-style (same focal length: 7mm) from a moving bicycle in different locations (busy streets, road tunnel) at different times of the day (early morning, day, dusk...maybe a bit at night). The idea is to show the passing of an entire day (with cuts of course) from the same angle of view.

Basically there are 2 issues I'm unsure about: whether it's best to expose auto or manual using the Nizo's light meter (for time-lapse shooting) and which stock(s) to use.

Ideally I'd prefer to shoot mostly on 64T, but I don't suppose this film would handle a dark wintry english morning? So, if I used Vision 200T or even 500T, would this require me to expose manually as I think the 561 only goes to 160ASA? I'm also aware of the autoB function - might this help in this instance or only complicate things further?!

Sorry for all the questions it's just that I've been given no time for testing this and it's my first attempt at time-lapse!

Any suggestions, help, advice would be absolutely fantastic.

Cheers,

Benjie

Hi;

I would say 64t will be ok outside in daylight even if dull, if the light was pretty much constant and uniform then manual exposure would work but by the sounds of it you could pass through any number of variants so I'd go with auto (you may be suprised how well this works) Autom.b will not be needed for daylight shooting outside and would most likely give you major overexposure in any brighter areas (looks great under tungsten when ordinary exposure just aint enough or any evening to night shooting) It's easy to tell if it's needed for a scene, if you can't get enough exposure shooting normally then go to Autom.b! You will not be able to control the motor speed for this as that's controlled by the amount of ambient light so playback results may differ during your night sequences compared to the steady 2fps you want for daylight shots. I would try 64t for both regular and Autom.b personally.... I've done similar shoots and this cam/stock combination usually delivers for this type of stuff. Just think like your camera and don't be afraid to stop and switch to Autom.b before entering long tunnels that you want to be more than just a black space!

Regards

ben croce · October 29, 2008

Thanks Oliver!

Great advice - I guess I was after a bit of reassurance! Looks like 64T it is then. I am, however, keen to keep the frame rate constant (2fps) in which case I'd prefer not to use the autom. b function. Have you used 200T on a Nizo? If so, how would I rate it? I'd probably only use it for tunnels and darker locations.

BTW - do you happen to know exactly where I need to turn the timer switch to to achieve 2fps? Someone has suggested I just listen and approximate.

Thanks again,

Benjie

Oliver Knights · October 29, 2008

Hi;

No worries, I've not used the Nizo's for neg stock but off the top of my head I think it would rate the 200T as 160T (it's top asa for tungsten) But I would let any one else chime in on this before shooting as the cart/notch goalposts tend to move around with different cameras and I'm not completely sure for the 561, I also use the listen approach to fps settings, just use a stop watch. It wont really matter if it's not quite 2fps exactly (which it never will be without crystal sync anyway)

Good luck