This post was last modified: 2011-06-05, 13:42 by Bas.

Hi,

To minimize flickering, I learned of the technique where you turn your lense out of the socket, after you have set the right diafragma. Its a kinda ugly trick, and I get some vignetting, (which is fine, since its going to be 16:9 anyway) but it works like a charm. No flickring.

I thought this hack was camera related, but today I tried it with my 70-200 mm sigma lens, and it just gave me a 2.8 when I turned it sideways.

I actually didn't understand how the hack works, but hey, if it works... but now I am really confused...

edit: found the answer to the question, see further along!

Thank you for sharing. Yes it's a trick some people use to get consistent aperture. Afaik this only works with Canon, couldn't get it to work with my nikons.
You can as well use lenses with manual aperture ring, this will reduce flicker on shooting as well.
Another way is to lock the aperture lever. If you look at the lens from behind there is a small lever that is used by the camera to control aperture. Normally it stays in a position where the aperture is fully closed. When you push the lever it opens. So you could seize the lever in the open position inserting something (on your own risk).

In my opinion using a manual lens or even shooting wide open in combination with LRTimelapse gives pretty good results, so normally these hacks are not needed at all.

I have a Sony alpha 700, with a DT Zeiss lense, which works, but since the Sigma lens didnt work, I am confused if its camera, or lens related problem.

Thanks for all the other tips considering manual lenses. I will look into that!

Don't get it, why you need this hack when you can use the camera on manual mode and set the aperture you want, does it change the aperture anyway between pictures even if you are in manual mode?

Victor, when the camera sets the aperture "electronically" it submits the distance the aperture lever should be moved to the motor that moves the lever, this is not as accurate as you would like it to be when shooting timelapse. A fraction of a micrometer difference leads to a change of the diameter the aperture opens. That's the reason why many photographers use lenses with aperture rings, shoot wide open or use tricks like described above when shooting time lapses.

Hi there,

Gwegner says it right.
And, trala, I have found the answer to my own question!

My Sigma lense works just fine with this hack.

Apperantly, with a Sony mount, when you mount your lense, it takes the lever to full wide. So, when you 'halve unmount it' it, it takes the lever as far as you like it to go.
In other words. If you turn it just a little bit out of how its supposed to be attached, you go from let say f2.8 to 5.6
If you turn about a whole quarter out of its socket, to the point where its actually almost falling of, you get the lowest diafragma your lense gives you.

You can see this quite good if you just look through your viewer and turn the lense, you can see the light become dimmer.

My mistake was that I thought that you had to set the diafrafma in manual mode, and then turn just a little so the camera miracioulsy would let it there.
Thats why I thought my sigma lens wasn't working.
Turns out that this trick is just sort of a manual aperture ring. But this time you don't move the ring, but the lens

Another thing I had wrong. Take of your lenshood if you do this!
I thought it was because of the turning I got vignetting in lower left and upper right corner.
That is not the case. It was my lenshood that got in the way, because of the turning.

So, to conclude.
Sonymounts can do the aperturehack trick, and its not lensrelated

Bas - thanks for this tip. I've tried it a few times now and I have no flicker at all - I usually don't even have to de-flicker with LRTimelapse. Very handy trick if you want to use an aperture other than shooting wide open.

This post was last modified: 2013-03-10, 11:18 by LiftandShift.

Just a point of warning for those less careful when trying stuff like this.

Make sure you don't turn it too far off so that your expensive lens falls on the floor when you've got your back turned and make sure that you turn it back on before you pick your camera up.

I nearly lost a £1700.00 lens when I was 38m up because it wasn't screwed back on properly. They won't let you know they are going to fall off and they drop fast too.
A mistake I won't want to make again.