You have downloaded and installed CDHK on your camera, now let’s practice a timelapse. Please notice that all the screenshots are for a Camera Canon Ixus 105 but it will be approximatively the same for any other camera.
I – Build your own Hollywood !
Ok let’s start with a check list :
- Camera battery full with CDHK
- SD card
- Tripod (unless 78 books will fit !)
- A topic (No your kid do not want to be on the web at 3 years old !)
- A computer
- A coffee strength 12 on Nespresso scale
That equipment will let you record for only three hours – before the battery failed. If you need more, (and you will need more), you have to buy a ack-DCXX (Canon only). Another crazy name for a plug ! My Ixus 105 does not support it. Anyway I will think about all that pain in the ass later.
So, the main challenge is to create a nice, smooth & beautiful movement. Three solutions from the easiest to the hardest :
I.1 – Timelapse with topic moving
Pretty easy, install your camera and target a cloud looking like a Ford Mustang or whatever. Trust me the killer bunny of Monty Python is a way too quick but your heavy old farting bulldog could be fine! My website is about plant, so we will focus on that one. You can go with this solution in case of the fast blooming of some cactus or the Rose of Jericho.
I.2 – Timelapse with you moving the topic
That’s the opportunity to create a fake movement, like in my first timelapse. Select an object and slowly move it between each pictures. I have chosen this solution because it is winter time and even in 15 days my house-plants do not grow a single inch! My topic is my Ficus looking really bad… I will take advantage of this stupid video to ask for some HELP to cure it ! You can see the result at the end of this post.
I.3 – Timelapse with camera moving
This option will require a top equipment to reproduce a nice and smooth movie. It is exactly like travelling in cinema :
Manual travelling technique
On this picture, it is far from being the best as you need a tough guy with a nice moustache to slowly move the cameraman on rails ! Please notice, that small equipement fitting cameras are sold, but the price are really crazy ! And of course you don’t want your house to look like a railway station !
II – Start the Timelapse with CDHK
ENOUGH with this long and boring first part, time to configure the camera :
The first step, is to check your SD card is locked, otherwise the CHDK will not start when you turn on your camera.
You can see here with SD card unlocked :
Canon Ixus 105 with no CDHK
With SD card locked :
Canon Ixus 105 with CDHK
This is tiny, but you “can” see on screen bottom some special writting. Here’s “Time-lapse” and “<Alt>”. If it is still not OK, press “alt” button (CDHK common vocabulary). On Ixus 105, it will be “Disp” button.
OK, I can see “Time-lapse” inscription on my screen. Sounds good. Now I just need to configure the timelapse script (new CDHK function). Just press “Menu” button, here we are :
CDHK menu on ixus 105
Now, I am getting to option “Scripting” using classic movement buttons of my camera. Everybody’s OK ? No ? Ok, another picture :
Scripting Option on Ixus 105
Then, I set all time-lapse options. For this first tutorial, we will go through the main ones :
- Shoot delay (does not matter, you can always delete the first pictures)
- Shoot interval min (Time between frames in minute)
- Shoot interval se (Time between frames in second)
- Number of repeat (Number of frames you want to take)
- Endless mode (0 = No, 1 = Yes) so up to battery capacity
I went to 20 seconds, so I have plenty of times to move my topic and in endless mode:
Option for time-lapse CDHK
You are now ready to go, just need to press the camera trigger. I have found out, it was not that easy, sometimes it starts, sometimes not, sometimes it is just a single picture like in normal mode but nothing unbeatable.
Again a great THANK YOU for CDHK community for all this and the nice screen showing time before next picture and the number of frames.
My canon Ixus 105 during time-lapse
III – The video of Ficus moving using CDHK
If a plant doctor went through all this, help me to save my Ficus !
