The camera automatically takes photos at selected intervals to create a time-lapse video.
Option
Description
[Start]
Start time-lapse recording. Shooting starts after about 3 s and continues at the interval selected for [Interval] for the time selected for [Shooting time].
[Interval]
Choose the interval between shots, in minutes and seconds.
[Shooting time]
Choose how long the camera will continue to take pictures, in hours and minutes.
[Exposure smoothing]
Selecting [On] smooths abrupt changes in exposure.
Large changes in subject brightness during shooting may result in apparent variations in exposure. This can be addressed by shortening the interval between shots.
Exposure smoothing will not take effect in mode M if [Off] is selected for [ISO sensitivity settings] > [Auto ISO sensitivity control] in the photo shooting menu.
[Silent photography]
Select [On] to silence the shutter and eliminate the vibrations it produces during shooting.
Selecting [On] does not completely silence the camera. Camera sounds may still be audible, for example during autofocus or aperture adjustment, in the latter case most noticeably at apertures smaller (i.e., at f-numbers higher) than f/5.6.
[Frame size/frame rate]
Choose the frame size and rate for the final video.
[Interval priority]
[On]: Enable interval priority to ensure that frames shot in modes P and A are taken at the chosen interval.
Select [Release] for Custom Setting a2 [AF-S priority selection] when AF-S is selected for focus mode and for Custom Setting a1 [AF-C priority selection] when AF-C is selected.
If [On] is selected for [ISO sensitivity settings] > [Auto ISO sensitivity control] and the time chosen for [Minimum shutter speed] is longer than the interval, the time selected for the interval will take priority over the selected shutter speed.
[Off]: Disable interval priority to ensure that photos are correctly exposed.
[Focus before each shot]
If [On] is selected, the camera will focus between shots.
Recording time-lapse videos
Before shooting
Time-lapse videos are shot using the video crop.
Take test shots and check the results in the monitor.
Before proceeding, select [Time zone and date] in the setup menu and make sure that the camera clock is set to the correct time and date.
To ensure that shooting is not interrupted, use a fully-charged battery or an optional charging AC adapter.
Highlight [Time-lapse video] in the photo shooting menu.
Press 2 to select the highlighted item and view the [Time-lapse video] menu.
Adjust time-lapse video settings.
Choose the interval between shots.
Choose an interval longer than the slowest anticipated shutter speed.
Choose the total shooting time.
The maximum shooting time is 7 hours and 59 minutes.
Enable or disable exposure smoothing.
Selecting [On] smooths abrupt changes in exposure.
Enable or disable silent photography.
Choose the frame size and rate.
Choose an interval priority option.
Choose whether the camera focuses between shots.
If [On] is selected for [Focus before each shot], the camera will focus before each shot according to the option currently selected for focus mode.
Highlight [Start] and press J.
Shooting starts after about 3 s.
The display turns off during shooting.
The camera takes pictures at interval selected for [Interval] for the time selected for [Shooting time] in Step 2.
Ending shooting
To end shooting before all the photos are taken, press J or select [Time-lapse video] in the photo shooting menu, highlight [Off], and press J. Note that the menus may not be displayed when the G button is pressed if the time selected for [Interval] is very short.
A video will be created from the frames shot to the point where shooting ended and normal photography will resume.
Calculating the length of the final video
The total number of frames in the final video can be calculated by dividing the shooting time selected in Step 2 by the interval, rounding up, and adding 1.
The length of the final video can then be calculated by dividing the number of shots by the frame rate selected for [Frame size/frame rate] (for example, a 48-frame video recorded with [1920×1080; 24p] selected for [Frame size/frame rate] will be about two seconds long).
The maximum length for time-lapse videos is 20 minutes.
1
Frame size/frame rate
2
Length recorded/maximum length
3
Memory card indicator
Picture review
The K button cannot be used to view pictures while shooting is in progress. The current frame will however be displayed for a few seconds after each shot if [On] or [On (monitor only)] is selected for [Picture review] in the playback menu. Note that other playback operations cannot be performed while the frame is displayed. The current frame may not be displayed if the interval is very short.
Time-lapse videos
Sound is not recorded with time-lapse videos.
The shutter speed and the time needed to record the image to the memory card may vary from shot to shot. As a result, the interval between a shot being recorded and the start of the next shot may vary.
Shooting will not begin if a time-lapse video cannot be recorded at current settings, for example if:
The value selected for [Interval] is longer than that selected for [Shooting time]
[00:00'00"] is selected for [Interval] or [Shooting time]
[On] is selected for both [Silent photography] and [Interval priority] and [00:00'0.5"] is selected for [Interval]
The memory card is full
If time-lapse video recording cannot start at current settings, for example because shutter speed is set to “Bulb” or “Time”, a warning will be displayed.
The K button cannot be used to view pictures while time-lapse recording is in progress.
For consistent coloration, choose a white balance setting other than 4 [Auto] or D [Natural light auto] when recording time-lapse videos.
Regardless of the option selected for Custom Setting c3 [Power off delay] > [Standby timer], the standby timer will not expire while recording is in progress.
Shooting may end if camera controls are used, settings are changed, or an HDMI cable is connected. A video will be created from the frames shot to the point where shooting ended.
The following end shooting without a beep sounding or a video being recorded:
Removing the battery
Ejecting the memory card
During shooting
The memory card access lamp lights while shooting is in progress.
Settings between recordings
Shooting and menu settings can be adjusted between time-lapse video recordings. Note, however, that the monitor will turn off and shooting will resume in about 2 seconds before the next shot is taken.
Time-lapse videos: Restrictions
Time-lapse video recording cannot be combined with some camera features, including:
video recording,
long time-exposures (“Bulb” or “Time”),
the self-timer,
bracketing,
HDR (high dynamic range),
multiple exposures,
interval-timer photography, and
focus shift.
When [On] is selected for [Silent photography]
Selecting [On] for [Silent photography] disables some camera features, including: