GH3 Intervalometer is not exact as it should be?
Panasonic GH3 Intervalometer Problem from time on Vimeo.
A couple of days ago we posted an article about the little 12-35mm X lens issue that causes a “shimmer” effect on long exposure videos (article here).Today we have a seocnd issue to report: The website TimeLaps.org tested the GH3 Intervalometer and discovered that it doesn’t work as perfect as it should. The tester Rob told to me that: “it NEVER fires at the interval set. Always fires early or late, and by not by any set amount.“. Hopefully Panasonic can fix this via firmware upgrade.
biggo43
4 months ago |Shut up kid, speak when youre spoken to.
peevee
4 months ago |Davidwa, thank you for the properly done test and correct conclusion.
Nope
4 months ago |Stop spewing your filth. You clearly don’t understand timecode! How does it feel to have your foot in mouth?!?!
Philip Broom
4 months ago |DEAL WITH IT PANNY AS YOUR SHAKY REPUTATION IS AT STAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rob
4 months ago |Davidwa – Thanks for doing the test and sharing the results. I think we’re up to 5 people verifying this problem. BTW, I checked out some of your timelapse. Very nice!
jjhdg – Try shooting a stop-watch on your phone using a shutter of 1/100 or faster, and then look at the resulting images, like what Davidwa (in this thread) and Gray (in the timelapse.org forums) both did. Looking at the file times or metadata won’t show the error because of rounding to the nearest second.
Anonymous – As I’ve indicated, it’s not the SDCard. Buffer clears completely before next shot. It’s right there in the video.
Idreamphoto, GS1 – The built in intervalometer may not be a feature that a lot of people use, but it a core feature for those shooting timelapse. As TRON said above, on timelapse that uses a fast shutter speed with a long interval, it is very noticeable. An external intervalometer will work, but when you’re shooting something like a hyperlapse, you want to be as light and portable as possible, which means using the internal intervalometer.
Thanks again for all your comments.
Daniel
4 months ago |But still, all the calculations are right coz’ the seconds are divided into 30 parts (frames).
Therefore 0;0;45;20 to 0;0;50;04 equals 4 seconds and 14 frames.
The last part of the timecode is actually just the number of the frame (30fps).
Paul
4 months ago |It s actually the fourth to fifth photo that is wrong time
Pålb
4 months ago |First of all, this guy can’t even calculate the time right.
Is this a scientific test or is this guy just a timer and his own sense of when the photos are taken?
Daniel
4 months ago |Actually, your understanding of the timecode is wrong..
truer homer 3
4 months ago |delusional fanboy
Paul
4 months ago |16 shots taken at 5sec interval first shot 0.6 last shot at 1.15.6 seems ok
Paul
4 months ago |Also looks like your math is wrong on third to fourth shot 4.44 not 4.14
Paul
4 months ago |Ok I tried to do a test not sure if as scientific as yours I basically used electronic shutter with constant preview turned off and proceeded with timelapse interval of 5 sec same as yours I am using a gh3 with sandisk extreme pro 95mbs set a stop watch on my ipad and let it photo a dozen or so pics of the stop watch looked back at the photos and they were pretty much spot on other than the first shot they all seemed to be within .1 sec of each other although I’m not sure if this is the correct procedure for testing ,and I don’t know how conducive the results would effect your time lapse results
dstyg
4 months ago |I use a D800 with high end Nikon lenses for certain specialist uses , my GH3 bodies serve me well for everything else. The GH3 may be a bit larger than other mFT bodies however it is still small compared to most quality DSLR . Personally I appreciate the larger size I have large hands and it makes the ergonomics far better for my liking , I tried out the E-M5 and hated the handling, one mans meat is anthers poison. Where the system really wins on size is with the lenses.
I think it is the profit margins and demand in UK+EU where the prices are higher that is causing shortages elsewhere it makes sense to sell your products in a market where both prices and demand are higher. The GH3 is in stock in several shops here in the UK though I don’t think many in the USA would like the prices lol cheapest UK price body is £1185 {$1838 } compared to $1298 in B&H which is far higher than even our different tax systems would suggest
http://camerapricebuster.com/Panasonic_Lumix_DMC-GH3_Body_pc.html
Tron
4 months ago |I’ve noticed this as well on my copy. The weird thing is that it’s barely noticeable in playback if the 180 degree shutter rule is used in capture (nice frame blending on playback). However, fast exposures at longer intervals definitely show the inconsistency during playback.
jjhdg
4 months ago |I also tested mine and the times are exact { 5 sec intervals} maybe there was something else going on that could have influenced the in camera processing time such as dark frame noise reduction.
bart
4 months ago |Hi JimD
I suggest checking if you can click on the name of the poster you are replying to.
There is a ‘bart imposer’ around, which you were replying to here.
JimD
4 months ago |What causes the light change at 5 seconds on the second one?
Davidwa
4 months ago |Time lapse is one of my things and I have made several short time lapse videos with a GF1, G3 and G5.
Here is one of my video’s made with the G3. https://vimeo.com/41453219
I now have a GH3 and was pleased to see it has an intervalometer, I have only shot 5 or 6 time lapse sequences with it but have not done much with them yet. However after seeing this issue I have done my own test with my GH3. I set everything on manual and set a 10 sec interval using the camera’s intervalometer. I set the stop watch running on my iPhone and let the GH3 photograph it with the intervalometer running. I got a variation in time between images, the shortest was 9.3 sec and the longest was 10.5 sec.
I then repeated the test using my cheap e-bay intervalometer plugged into the GH3 remote socket, the timing was spot on with exactly 10 sec between each shutter release. So this is nothing to do with the buffer or speed of the memory card. If a cheap timer can do it the camera should be able to do it and a variation in timing will induce jitter in the moving parts of a time lapse video.
I will be using my external timer until they fix this problem.
JimD
4 months ago |I only use Toshiba and Lexar. Pay for a great card not for a marketing managers Merc.
Anonymous
4 months ago |Bet it’s the sandisk card the 45mbs this one seems more prone to problems others have also commented on this with video issues ,
GS1
4 months ago |seems to be not accurate enough for laboratory conditions, but accurate enough for timelapse photography
Idreamphoto
4 months ago |It s amazing that someone notices this issue. It is definitely one. But not a big deal from my opinion. I guess that majority of users won t use this function.
rrr_hhh
4 months ago |On the E-P1/2/3 and E-M5 (and all the Olympus cameras featuring a plug for a remote) you can get approximately that too :
Use the antishock delay (choice bertween 1/8th sec. up to 30 sec.). Then use a remote release of the most ordinary kind and lock it on continuous shooting.
I’m now using an old E-P1 for that and got some nice (but perfectible results). However I won’t use a new and nice camera for that : too much shutter actuations as they are needed for time lapse would kill your shutter !
Here are a few examples :
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=820deda377597547&id=820DEDA377597547%21396&sff=1&authkey=!AJnPjaOrcd9LNf4
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=820deda377597547&id=820DEDA377597547%21396&sff=1&authkey=!AJnPjaOrcd9LNf4#cid=820DEDA377597547&id=820DEDA377597547%21395&authkey=%21AJnPjaOrcd9LNf4
Schweinchen Dick
4 months ago |I see you like to occasionally hit the sauce while posting.
fl00d
4 months ago |Wouldn’t surprise me if he did live with himself. Who else could stand him?
Farrukh
4 months ago |Hope the new PEN comes with this!
andrew
4 months ago |They haven’t fixed the shutter induced blurriness on the GX1, they probably won’t fix this either.
Rob
4 months ago |All, thanks for the feedback. Two others have now reported that the built in intervalometer’s on their GH3s have the same problem. (https://timelapse.org/forums/threads/gh3-for-timelapse-so-far.370/)
JB, lol,
From the original article (http://timelapse.org/2013/02/panasonic-gh3-for-timelapse-problems/): “The interval was set 5 seconds, and as you will see in the video, the camera’s buffer finishes it’s write to the memory card in about 1.5 seconds (the card was the great SanDisk Extreme Class 10 45MB/s SDHC card).” It’s the camera.
AdamT,
The GH3 stores metadata to the nearest second, so inspecting times on the images won’t show you if your intervalometer is accurate. I’ve just written a new comment over on timelapse.org with an image that illustrates this, along with more information. If I could post it here I would, but I can’t so check it in our forums: https://timelapse.org/forums/threads/gh3-for-timelapse-so-far.370/page-2#post-1283
lol
4 months ago |probably low speed sd card
AdamT
4 months ago |Just tested mine and the timelapse exposures were right on the money: exactly five seconds apart as reported by Adobe Bridge.
JimD
4 months ago |Well. I thought I was an opinionated B. But you bart, how do you live with yourself?
Abraham
4 months ago |I am not sure you understand the tradeoffs on offer here… I am not sure you understand the camera… $1300 is what it is, and for what it is at launch I am sure that is a fine price.
AdamT
4 months ago |Nope, not a DSLR. It’s smaller than those with comparable build quality, and has the advantage of MFT’s smaller lenses. It has a fully articulated monitor. It has better video quality than all but the a few FF DSLRs that are much larger and waay more expensive.
Overpriced? Apparently not, as no one can keep them in stock for 24 hours.
JB
4 months ago |what kind of SD card are you using?
Mister_Roboto
4 months ago |You sir get the internet medal for the day.
Dave
4 months ago |I’m a bigy Oly fan, but I know quality, and I know a troll. The GH-3 is a mean machine, and you are an ass.
Bite Me
4 months ago |Overpriced. Overhyped. Game over.