Interval

RECORDING MODE

The interval mode makes a series of still images over a period of time. Similar to time- lapse photography, a series of images of a slow moving event can be taken: the blossoming of a flower, the construction of a building. The built-in flash can be used. Instant playback (p. 89) is disabled.

Use the function dial to set the drive mode to interval (p. 40). The number of frames in the series will be displayed on the monitors next to the interval icon. The number of frames can be set between two and ninety nine on the custom 1 section of the recording-mode menu (p. 80). The interval period is also set on the recording-mode menu; 1 - 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, and 60 minutes.

After mounting the camera on a tripod, compose the image so that the subject area falls within the focus frames; the camera sets the focus, exposure, and white balance, and charges the flash just before each exposure. Continuous AF can be used. Settings locked with the AF/AEL button are canceled after the first frame (p. 73). To override the automatic systems, use manual focus (p. 71), manual exposure (p. 50), and manual white balance (p. 58).

Confirm the CompactFlash card has enough storage capacity for the series by compar- ing the number of frames in the interval series with the number of recordable images displayed on the frame counter. Image size and quality settings can be changed to

increase the number of pictures that can be saved on the CompactFlash card (p. 40).

Number of frames in the interval series.

Frame counter.

Press the shutter-release button to begin the series. During the interval series, the monitors will be turned off to conserve power. “Int” will be displayed on the data panel and the data-panel frame counter will countdown the remaining frames in the interval series. The access lamp will glow when an image is being recorded.

To force the shutter to fire before the end of an interval, press the shutter-release button. The next interval will be timed from the new exposure. When the shutter is forced to fire, the EVF will activate for the duration of the auto-power-save period (p. 117) and the LCD monitor will activate for thirty seconds.

The camera will stop recording images and reset to the first frame when the number of frames set has been taken, or when the CompactFlash card is full. To cancel the interval series, turn off the camera.

The setting sun: 10 minute intervals

Shooting tips

When creating a large series of images, the text and a serial number can be imprinted on the images. This aids editing the images and time calculations for specific images. For information on data imprinting, see page 87.