I have the Rhino EVO slider and Rhino Motion controller. I am unable to program the controller as I wish (i.e., specify shutter speed independently of the interval). Has anyone here successfully used Rhino Motion for night sky time lapse work?

Rich

This post was last modified: 2016-08-09, 21:40 by Gunther.

It's a pity that Rhino still didn't change this. Many users already have been complaining and reporting this. And in fact it's the only reason why I'm a bit hesitant to recommending this slider to my workshop attendees (because otherwise it's a great device).

Its hard for me to understand why someone would design a time lapse controller without the option to specify the interval.
A simple firmware update should help - but the guys at Rhino have to listen to their customers for this to happen.
So please: continue reporting there and please let me know, when they reacted.

Hi Rich and Gunther,

This is Kyle from Rhino. We really appreciate your feedback and I'd like to understand the concern in a little more detail. What exactly is the issue with not having specific control over you interval? I understand that the workflow in Rhino Motion (for timelapse) is different than your standard workflow, but are we missing something important that interval gives you?

When we designed the UI, we found that having to calculate your interval based on your duration and shutter speed was a major pain point for a lot of users. That's why Rhino Motion calculates and sets your interval based on the relevant information (Duration, Shutter Speed, and Playback Time). Whenever we plan a time lapse, we always go into it with those values in mind and from our perspective, setting your interval is an additional step that is unnecessary (even though it's common practice).

Please let me know if we're way off on these thoughts from your experience. Our main goal at Rhino is to make things easier and that is the intention behind why Rhino Motion automatically calculates your interval.

Kyle

This post was last modified: 2016-08-09, 21:38 by Gunther.

Hi Kyle, thanks for joining the discussion!

As someone who frequently teach time lapse in lots of workshops, one of the most important things for every beginner in time lapse photography is to learn how to judge the reality in order to find the right interval. The interval is the only parameter, that decides how slow or fast the result will play back and it's crucial, that the photographer learns to judge and control this parameter.

Imagine someone shooting the milky way. He knows that he needs to do 16 seconds exposure with ISO 6400, and that his camera will deliver good results with that settings. He would like to set the interval then to 17 or 18 seconds, in order not to loose too much time. Currently this is not easily possible.

The next thing he will define is the amount of images he wants to do. This is important to determine the length of the film and especially, when using a slider, the speed of the slider movement.

The Shutter speed should not be set in the motion controller at all, it should be set in the camera. The motion controller should only briefly trigger the camera in order to not block it. Please see this article to understand about the big problem that long shutter release/autofocus times cause. No "modern" time lapse photographer uses Bulb mode. Today we have the shutter speed set in camera (as aperture and iso). All those 3 parameters can be controlled via apps like qDslrDashboard to do Holy Grail shootings - from day to night to day if desired.
But for this to work, it's very important that the motion controller does not interfere and only sends a very short release signal. All the rest will be done by the camera.

If - like it's currently implemented in the Rhino controller - the user does not have control about the interval, it's difficult to setup the ramping too - because the longest exposure time controlled by the App always has to be shorter then the interval to not lose any shutter releases.

Long story short: Being able to program the Rhino Controller with the following settings would be awesome:
1) Interval
2) Number of Shots to travel the slider
--> Duration of shot / Playback time will then be calculated.

If you don't want to do this as default (like it is on most of the other devices, apart from the Syrp I guess, that one has a different approach too), at least provide a PRO mode that allows for this type of programming.

This would not only be better for time lapse beginners since they learn to control the speed of the result via the defined interval, it would as well allow shooting Holy Grail time lapses with the help of the dedicated apps on smart devices.

Thanks for considering this!

Hi Gunther,

Thank you for this information. You mention an article, would you mind including the link?

I will share your thoughts with our team and we'll talk it over.

Kyle

This post was last modified: 2016-08-09, 21:43 by Gunther.

Oh, sorry... Updated the post. I was referring to this article... I know that AF might not an issue with the controller, but just to make clear how important it is to only have a very short shutter release/af cycle.

This post was last modified: 2016-08-09, 21:50 by richparry.

Kyle,

I'd like to endorse what Gunther said, he eloquently describes the problem. He also proposes a solution, a PRO mode which is exactly what I was thinking. I can see the benefits of a "beginner" mode which is what Rhino Motion currently supports. But for the PRO that wants complete control, Rhino Motion fails.

Even under the current Rhino Motion mode, the fastest Motion can set the shutter speed is 1/30 or a second. Most video today is 30fps; using the 180 degree rule developed more than 100 years ago, the shutter speed should be 1/60th of a second. This is a HUGE limitation. In fact, 60fs is becoming popular, which means the shutter should be 1/120 second which is another parameter Motion does not support.

You recommend on your webpage (see link below) the use of BULB mode but then state there are issues with Canon and Sony cameras in BULB mode. This means under some circumstance one would use BULB mode and sometimes not. This strikes me as an unnecessary complication.
https://rhinocameragear.com/a/support/portal/article/78

I ask you consider making changes. I understand the simplicity of your current design, but ask you consider adding a PRO mode for the person that wants complete control.

thanks in advance, I hope this feedback helps you make a good product better,
Rich

Hi Kyle, any considerations from your side? Can we expect a mode, where we can set the interval in the near future via a firmware update?

Sent mobile with Tapatalk.

All, I've been monitoring this thread for a while. Has anyone heard back from Kyle with his plans going forward? I have this slider on my B&H wishlist and I am ready to purchase. I just don't want to buy it unless they can make a "pro mode" configuration available via a firmware update. (if possible - which I feel they can do)
Kyle...... Oh Kyle..... are you out there???????????

Scott,

I understand your concern, but I still love both my 24 and 42 inch Rhino sliders. Although it doesn't allow separate control of the INTERVAL, I have a work around that I am happy with. If there is one thing that bugs me it is the difficulty seeing the MOTION controller in sunlight. The LCD is difficult to see.

May I suggest you contact Rhino directly to ask them, they will respond within hours normally.
support@rhinocg.com