I've done a fair bit of this.
> From: "David D Miller" <olympus-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> We're looking at doing a time-lapse film of a building project -
> with no
> immediate budget and very little time to get started...
Lucky you. No budget, little time, stick with the E-20 idea.
> For a trial, we'll be using an E-20, WCON-08B wide converter, and an
> AC
> adapter - using the camera's built-in interval timer - and someone
> visiting
> to change the memory card a couple of times a week.
If your end result is a movie, crank the JPEG compression to the max
and use the minimum pixel dimensions.
With no budget and little time, no one is going to go through and re-
adjust the RAW files, an no view is going to notice that frame 15,672
of 62,473 has blocked-up shadows.
This will get you the maximum time between card changes.
With the interval set to the E-20 minimum of one minute, I find a six
frame per second playback rate works well. Much faster, and the thing
zips by too quickly. Much slower, and it looks too jerky.
> If the trial is successful and we get funding, we may switch to more
> up-to-date digital SLR with a super-wide-angle or fisheye lens -
> 18mm and
> 16mm OM lenses are being considered. The camera would be driven by a
> networked PC and upload the images directly to a server - so we can
> see what
> it's doing remotely (and visit only when it stops working). We
> really want
> something that we can fit and forget for a couple of years.
Sounds like more work than swapping out a card every few days!
> What size of CompactFlash card or Microdrive can the E-20 cope with:
> The Oly
> website says it will only support up to 320Mb, but I'm happily using
> a 2Gb
> Microdrive at the moment!
It will work fine with 2GB, but (AFAIK) it won't recognize anything
over 2GB. I used two different cards on my 2006 project, a 2GB and a
4GB card. Both filled up at 2GB.
> Am I just extremely lucky with my choice of card,
> or is 2Gb a more sensible limit? Are there any other limitations of
> the
> E-20 that I should be aware of?
Be sure to close the eyepiece shutter!
> Any thoughts on keeping the lens dust-free for an extended period?
Build a box for it.
> Finally, are any of the current E System bodies capable of doing the
> job
> instead of the C*non D400 that's currently proposed?
Do you mean with built-in intervalometer? Not that I know of.
The good thing is that the E bodies use a simple contact closure for
the external shutter. All you need is the remote cable. Cut it in
half, and put a mini-stereo plug and jack on both ends. No you can
plug the E body into anything that can close a contact. The OM system
intervalometer comes to mind, although it's probably rare due to
collectors. An NE-565 integrated circuit, or even a simple unijunction
or tunnel diode relaxation oscillator should do fine.
If you're getting a budget for an "up-to-date digital SLR with a super-
wide-angle or fisheye lens," don't pay big bux for a camera with a
built-in intervalometer -- flip me a subcontract to make you a simple
oscillator to drive it. :-)
But really, except for the extended hand-off operation requirement,
the E-20 should do just what you want to do. Why can't someone simply
change the card every day?
This is 135MB, but it should be hinted for streaming. Done with an
E-20 and WCON-08, over about five weeks. 6FPS. Titles done in
Photoshop, one frame at a time. I had other duties as well (like,
teaching the course!) so it gets choppy at the end, as I tended to
forget changing the batteries. An AC power supply is a must! You can
also tell when I forgot to close the eyepiece shutter.
http://www.Bytesmiths.com/Personal/Natural_Building_Skillbuilder_Small.mov
I have a full-res gigabyte version I can get you if you really want it.
:::: People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who
are doing it. -- George Bernard Shaw
:::: Jan Steinman <http://www.Bytesmiths.com/Item/99AQ25-27>
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