This post was last modified: 2016-03-23, 16:26 by chasg. Edit Reason: forgot to mention apps are fully up to date

Hi All,

I'm having a real problem when using a Sony A7II specifically for holy grail timelapse work (using the LRTimelapse module of qDSLRDashboard): when my shutter speeds get close to the interval (8 second shutter speeds, interval 10 seconds), I can no longer change the exposure values of the camera (the app can't do it, and I can't do it manually on the camera). It seems that the camera is somehow busy in those two seconds, too busy to allow alterations to shutter/ISO. 

The problem exists when shooting with both an external hardware intervalometer, and when using the app's intervalometer. 

I've of course set the camera to create raw+jpeg (smallest possible jpeg).

My Nikon cameras (connected via wifi using a modified  TP-Link TL-MR3040) have no problems with alterations to their exposure values, even in the mere 2 seconds they have between end of exposure and next shot.

Does anyone know a way around this? Or perhaps the shortest number of seconds I need to leave so that the app has time to make alterations to the shutter/ISO values? I plan to test myself and, if I get a consistent answer, I'll note it in this thread.

Thanks for any help!

Chas

ps. the Sony timelapse app is not suitable for extreme holy grail timelapses, as it only adjusts shutter speed (and I need to ISO to ramp to cover the full day to night exposure values). Besides, it doesn't offer nearly as much control as qDSLRDashboard does.

pps. camera and apps all are using latest versions

I think you will have to experiment, which is the shortest darktime that you can do with the Sony. I wouldn't be surprised, if it's longer then with the nikons or canons.

I'm sure you're right on both points, Gunther.

It was an interesting experiment, but I'm strongly thinking of swapping the A7II for a D750 (though I will miss a few of the Sony's features: it's the perfect timelapse camera for me...except for this deal-breaking darktime problem!).

For me the D750 is the perfect TL machine. I'm using two of them these days, and they do not disappoint me.

Agreed, the D750 is almost perfect for me too.

That said, two standout features of the Sony for me:
1) all of my Nikon lenses are now fully manual (no chance of aperture flicker, buying all new manual lenses isn't an option),
2) it's small and non-DSLR-looking, that means I don't get as much attention shooting with it here in London from the police and security guards (it's actually a pretty big deal for me, I'd say one out of three shoots I've done in the last year has had some sort of "security" interference).

I know that these are pretty unusual preferences on my part though :-)

Just a note about 1: personally, I don't care about manual lenses anymore since LRT4. The visual deflicker removes any aperture flicker completely - and with automatic lenses I can do "Auto Holy Grail" with aperture ramping too - this allows much longer exposures when beginning a holy grail shoot!

2: never had that problem myself, but I heard that in London it must be pretty bad... On the other hand - if you set up a slider, the camera will not make the difference, I guess... :-)

I agree, the visual deflicker is absolutely awesome! There have been a few sequences (a very few) that had problematic flicker that I couldn't get rid of automatically (shooting with lenses fully closed because they were too wide for my ND filters, so extreme aperture flicker).

And a slider in London, ha ha! (though I have seen some sliding sequences shot here, I have no idea how they got away with it :-)