Kitchen Timer DSLR Time Lapse Rig

Modification of the kitchen timer (egg timer) DIY time lapse panning rig so that it can support a dSLR. In this case, it's supporting my Canon Rebel XSi and Sigma 10-20mm lens. Note the macro focusing rail to balance the camera. If it's unbalanced, it won't rotate smoothly with this much weight.

Shows the build, the device in action, and the output. Not the most artistic shot, but rather a proof-of-concept. Shot in my front yard. The sky was cloudless, so it's a bit dull. This was inspired by the work of "Getawaymoments" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tjxv65dgkAY)

©2011 David C. Pearson, M.D.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• DIY
• panorama
• panning
• time lapse
• timelapse
• DSLR
• kitchen timer
• egg timer
• photography
• canon
• rebel
• XSi
• motion control
• build

[theguitarzan]

Very jittery. It that the timer or Youtube. Love the idea.

[fpsurgeon]

@theguitarzan It's YouTube (and/or your computer). If you're familiar with video compression, panning shots are particularly hard to compress efficiently since a lot of the scene changes from frame to frame (versus, say, a talking head newscaster type video) and thus requires more bandwidth and computing horsepower. The actual pan is quite smooth in reality. And thanks, but the only part that was my idea was beefing it up and balancing it with a macro rail to handle a heavy dSLR.

[theguitarzan]

@fpsurgeon The "beefing up" is what I enjoyed. I've been looking for a way to add the weight of my 7D + Lens to a kitchen timer, and this looks like a pretty secure idea.

[fpsurgeon]

@theguitarzan Well, it's quite secure, but I've found that the key is keeping the timer absolutely level and then using the macro rail to perfectly balance the rig otherwise the poor ol' egg timer can't handle the torque. I'm still looking for a better way (short of using some lightweight P&S) without resorting to more expensive options. I know, it seems ironic to spend thousands on bodies and lenses and then cheap out on the rig. Maybe I'll rig up a stepper motor with an Arduino some day...

[bkraai]

Which quick release plate did you use? Trying to find a reasonably price one isn't the easiest...



[parkouryan12]

attach helium balloons to your camera, quite a few.. then it weighs less

[AAGruntpuddock]

Brilliant!

[patrixiomadrid]

ta cool

[elcottyparana]

DISCULA, CON QUE OBJETIVO HACES EL TIME LAPSES?

[MrMusicoutloud]

thats a great idea!