Music: Autumn Leaves by John Coltrane

CAMERAS WITH INTERVAL SHOOTING MODE AVAILABLE VIA SHOOTING MENUS:
• Nikon D5000
• Nikon D200
• Nikon D300
• Nikon D300s
• Nikon D700
• Nikon D2
• Nikon D2H
• Nikon D2Hs
• Nikon D2X
• Nikon D2Xs
• Nikon D3
• Nikon D3s
• Nikon D3X

CAMERAS THAT REQUIRE NIKON CAMERA CONTROL PRO SOFTWARE TO FUNCTION
• Nikon D3000
• Nikon D40
• Nikon D40X
• Nikon D50
• Nikon D60
• Nikon D60 Black Gold Edition
• Nikon D70
• Nikon D70s
• Nikon D80
• Nikon D90
• Nikon D100
• Nikon D1
• Nikon D1H
• Nikon D1X

Duration : 0:8:56

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Music: Glittering Blackness by Explosions in the Sky and Autumn Leaves by John Coltrane

Which lens did I use for those four time lapses?

For time lapse #1, I used the 400mm ƒ/2.8G AF-S ED-IF VR mounted on D300 at F/4.0, VR set to off and focusing set for Infinity (∞).

For time lapse #2, I used the Nikkor 85mm ƒ/0.74 AIS Noctilux mounted on D700 at F/1.0, using the hyperfocal focus [focused on the mountains using a laser rangefinder to calculate the focusing distance then go halfway to Infinity (∞)]. Four Quantum Qflashes; two pointed on the snow-filled surface at 1/64 power and two with snoot attachments pointing at the mountains at full power. The Milky Way is what brightened the photograph before the sunrise.

For time lapse #3, I used the Nikkor 45mm ƒ/2.8D ED PC-E Micro-Nikkor N, mounted on D3 at F/4.0 with slight upwards shift, using the hyperfocal focus [focused on the arch using a laser rangefinder to calculate the focusing distance then go halfway to Infinity (∞)]. Five Quantum Qflashes; two behind the arch to add backlight with 45 degrees head tilt at 1/32 power, two on both sides of the camera with a 45 degree head panned away from the arch at 1/64 power, and one on another rock directly behind the camera on higher level, pointing down at the arch at 1/128 power. The sunrise is what caused the saturation to increase.

For time lapse #4, I used the Nikkor 600mm ƒ/4.0G AF-S ED-IF N VR with VR turned off, mounted on a TC-1.7EII, again, mounted on D2Xs in High Speed Crop (HSC) mode at F/8, manual focused on the moon then tweaked the focusing slightly behind the moon to get Venus in focus.

CAMERAS WITH INTERVAL SHOOTING MODE AVAILABLE VIA SHOOTING MENUS:
• Nikon D5000
• Nikon D200
• Nikon D300
• Nikon D300s
• Nikon D700
• Nikon D2
• Nikon D2H
• Nikon D2Hs
• Nikon D2X
• Nikon D2Xs
• Nikon D3
• Nikon D3s
• Nikon D3X

CAMERAS THAT REQUIRE NIKON CAMERA CONTROL PRO SOFTWARE TO FUNCTION
• Nikon D3000
• Nikon D40
• Nikon D40X
• Nikon D50
• Nikon D60
• Nikon D60 Black Gold Edition
• Nikon D70
• Nikon D70s
• Nikon D80
• Nikon D90
• Nikon D100
• Nikon D1
• Nikon D1H
• Nikon D1X

Duration : 0:4:31

Technorati Tags: 0.74, 14-24mm, 2.8, 4.0, 400mm, 600mm, 85mm, Adobe, AF-S, AIS, apple, Astronomy, Astrophotography, Card, Cord, Demonstration, digital, Do, ED-IF, Education, Extreme, F/, Frames, ƒ, Gitzo, Head, help, Hotline, how, iii, image, Interval, IV, Lapse, Legs, lens, Lesson, Lightroom, Manfrotto, MC-36, Memory, Motion, movie, Multifunctional, Nano, Nikon, Noctilux, photography, Photoshop, picture, QuickTime, Reduction, Reflex, Remote, SanDisk, Sequence, Shooting, Single, slr, Star, Time, Timer, to, Trails, tripod, Tutorial, Vibration, VR

Duration : 0:10:54

Technorati Tags: 1d, 20d, 20th, 350d, 35mm, 400d, 40d, 450d, anniversary, cameras, canon, digital, ef, eos, ii, iii, image, lenses, mark, stabilisation, usm

Both are great cameras. Both can shoot in RAW mode and have full auto and manual override. I like the Panasonic Lumix LX3 for its smaller portable size as well as the 720 HD video recording capability. The slightly larger sensor with less pixels does marginally better than the Canon Powershot G10 in higher ISO in handling noise.

The Canon G10 has better white balance control and more of a solid feel to it. More accessories available to the Canon model as well as adjustable mic level.

Here’s the firmware upgrade to the LX3 which is supposed to address the white balance issue and offer faster focusing and integration to their new portable hotshoe mounted flash. Don’t worry it’s in English.

http://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/dsc/download/LX3/index.html

Panasonic wins in:
- Lower noise at higher ISO (barely)
- Wider focal length 24mm and larger F-stop aperture at 2.0
- 1280×720 HD movies at 24fps which does good low light
- Choice of 3 aspect ratio options
- Smaller and lighter than the G10

Canon G10 wins in:
- Higher MP count for larger prints and cropping options
- More powerful zoom range
- Better build and ergonomics
- Better white balance
- Built-in lens cap
- Better mic with adjustable levels
- Also has an optical viewfinder

Video of both cameras shot here with my trusty Canon Powershot S3 IS which does not do HD, but has stereo microphones for a fuller sound.

Panasonic Lumix LX3 specs:

Image Sensor 1/1.63″ 11.3 Megapixel CCD with Primary Color Filter
Effective Resolution 10.1 Megapixels
Color Depth 24-Bit RGB
Image File Formats JPEG, RAW, RAW+JPEG
Recorded Resolution 4:3 Aspect Ratio 3648 x 2736
3:2 Aspect Ratio 3776 x 2520
16:9 Aspect Ratio 3968 x 2232

Video Recording
QuickTime Motion JPEG with Audio
16:9 Aspect Ratio 1280 x 720 @ 24fps (HD format)
848 x 480 @ 30 or 10fps

BTW I’m not a huge fan of the 24fps in HD mode since it is being played back electronically it seems to make fast moving objects jittery. The film “look” only works when you are projecting it onto a screen from a reel, not played back at 30fps via electronic monitor.

Optical Zoom 2.5x
Lens Focal Length 5.1-12.8mm (24-60mm equivalent)
Digital Zoom 4x
Minimum Focus Distance 0.4″ (1cm)
Maximum Aperture f/2.0-2.8
Optical Image Stabilization Yes (MEGA O.I.S.)
Accessory Lens/Filter Mount No (46mm with optional DMW-LA4 lens Adapter)
Selectable ISO (80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200)
Shutter Speed 60 sec -1/2000
Aperture Range f/2.0-2.8 – f/8.0
Self Timer 2 or 10 seconds
Built-in Memory 50MB
Physical Dimensions 2.4 x 4.3 x 1.1″ (60 x 109 x 27mm)
Weight 8.0 oz. (227g)

Canon Powershot G10 specs:

Image Sensor 1/1.7″ 15.0 Megapixel CCD
Effective Resolution 14.7Mp
Color Depth 36-Bit RGB
Image File Formats JPEG, RAW
Recorded Max Resolution 4416 x 3312

Video Recording
AVI Motion JPEG with Audio
High Resolution (640 x 480 @ 30fps)
[max. file size 4GB, up to 60 minutes]

Optical Zoom 5x
Lens Focal Length 6.1-30.5mm (28mm-140mm equivalent in 35mm terms)
Digital Zoom 4x
Minimum Focus Distance 0.39″ (1cm)
Maximum Aperture f/2.8-4.5
Optical Image Stabilization Yes (Canon OIS)
Accessory Lens/Filter Mount No (58mm w/ optional LA-DC58K Lens Adapter)
Selectable ISO (80, 100, 200, 400, 800, & 1600)
Shutter Speed 15 sec – 1/4000
Aperture Range f/2.8-4.5-f/11.0 Self Timer 2 or 10 seconds
Physical Dimensions 3.1 x 4.3 x 1.8″ (78 x 109 x 46mm)
Weight 0.77 lb (350g)

I’ve since given away the G10 since I didn’t use it much. The LX3 won out in the end for its portability and wider angle lens.If I didn’t already own a DSLR, i would have kept the G10 as well.

Oh, never mind my dirty fingers, I had ash from emptying the fireplace prior to shooting this video and forgot to clean my hands.

Video shot with Canon S3IS.

Duration : 0:6:59

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