I have a Flow Mow head at the moment but it can struggle to handle my GH4 with anything more than a small lens attached. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for something motorised for doing time lapse. Merlin, Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer for instance? I was looking for something you could throw on a lightweight tripod and strap on to a rucsack.
Thanks in advance.
I recently purchased the Merlin head from Celestron. One thing I should mention it was tough getting them to ship it to me. When I contacted Celestron they said the product had been discontinued but they still had some in inventory at which point they shipped one to me. So if you decide to purchase the merlin head, buy it online from the link I provided below, then give them a call and make sure they can fulfill the order. If you don't call them it goes directly to there shipping department and they will send you and email back saying they no longer carry the product. I would suggest not ordering any of the other products below until you've successfully ordered the merlin head.
Now assuming you were able to order a merlin head these are the next steps to take. You will need a MX2 or MX3 from dynamic perception to control the motorization of the merlin head (you can find that in the links below.) You will also need to pickup a shutter release cable from them for you specific camera model. The MX2 is powered by a 12v battery and you can either order one from dynamic perception which has a on/off switch. Or you can use a small 12v motorcycle battery to power both units. If you decide to go with the motorcycle battery you will need a power cable that has two female ends and a barrel connections on the other end. You will also need a 2nd power cable that has barrel connections on both ends. The way this works is the merlin head has input and output 12v ports. So you connect your power cable coming from your 12v battery into the input port. And connect the 2nd power cable from the output port to the power input on the MX2 controller. One last thing you will need from dynamic perception is the merlin adapter cable - which they don't show for sale on there website. You will need to contact Jay Burlage directly and he will give you instructions on how to place the order for that. You can find his contact information on the dynamic perception website
Now, I've found the best way to mount all of the equipment is to use a hot shoe extension bar mount. By using the extension bar mount it allows you to run more than one hotshoe adapter. So you have one for you MX2 controller and another for your tplink router to monitor the progress of the time-lapse (again this all can be found in the links below.)
I understand this a lot of information to take in. But this will kind of give you an overview of what's to come
If you decided to go this route please keep me informed and would be happy to answer any questions you have.
Links to Products
Merlin Telescope Head
dynamic perception MX3 controller
hot shoe mount extension bar
x2 screw to hotshoe adapter
Mighty Mount for attaching equipment to hotshoe mount "Also have a DIY approach for attaching the equipment - just ask
"
Firstly, many thanks for your detailed and concise reply. That has certainly given me a lot of food for thought.
Looking at the set up required to go with the Merlin I'm tending to think that it might be a little over the top for what I am requiring though. As I am shooting with a GH4 I was thinking that I don't need the camera controlled by the unit as it has its only shutter timer/time lapse function built in (which I am finding sufficient for the time being although I may be missing a trick here). The Flow-Mow unit that I have presently is a bit basic (one speed, load limitations) but it is lightweight and portable. I guess it's a trade off between functionality and weight/size. I'll have another think about what I require and research your post and links further.
Again, many thanks for your reply and I'm sure that it will help other folk too in their quest for a decent time lapse set up.
Cheers,
Jim
Not a problem. Always Glad to help. Good luck in your search!