What the Heck is an Intervalometer?
Who knew measuring time was such an important aspect of photography? For professional constructiontime lapses and photo delays, you will need to use a rig that has an effective intervalometer. This device is an adjustable timer that can be used to limit the number of wasted shots and select the times when you want photo capture. But how does an intervalometer work? And why is it so important to industrial photography?
The Technical Elements of an Intervalometer
An intervalometer, or interval meter, in simple terms, is a tool that measures short intervals of time. This makes it sound like an intervalometer is a glorified kitchen timer, but it does much more than record time. The purpose of an intervalometer is to send time-accurate signals to operate other equipment. For example, an intervalometer is commonly used in exterior home lighting. These lights can be set to turn on and off at certain times based on how the connected intervalometer is set.
An intervalometer calculates the amount of time between intervals by recording intermittent pulses between a starting signal and an ending signal.The pulse count in the intervalometers then measure the number of pulses released during the interval. This means that this device can activate another appliance every 30 seconds or at certain times in the day. A feature like this is excellent for photography.
How Does This Relate to Photography?
Have you ever wondered how cameras perform time lapses or photo delays? It's because of an intervalometer. In the case of photography, the camera lens is the device that the intervalometer operates.
Photographic intervalometers are best used to reduce the number of resources dedicated to photo capture and post-processing. By implementing the appropriate schedules on your intervalometer, you can limit the frequency of similar images that are taken from rapid and continuous shots. Fewer unnecessary pictures mean the photographer can maximize their power supply and their storage capacity.Memory cards are often the biggest obstacle for photographers, especially when you are performing lengthy captures like time lapses. However, we’ve developed ourCloudX as a solution to the memory card headache. The CloudX Pro level subscription allows for remote image upload to the cloud, so your card always has room for your new shots.
Examples of Photographic Intervalometers
Aerial Photography
Intervalometers are incredibly useful when it comes to improving the quality and efficiency of your photography. A great example of this is aerial photography. Many aerial photographers will set an exterior, unattended camera rig below their aircraft to take birds-eye-view pictures of landscapes and terrain. The problem with this is that you may end up taking inopportune photos based on the aircraft’s distance to the ground. A simple camera timer will usually end up taking lots of photos of the ground. With an intervalometer, you can set a delay for after takeoff and then separate the time between multiple exposures. This allows the photographer to maximize their memory space and their time spent deleting unnecessary images.
Construction Time Lapses
Recording the visual progress of a project is essential to every company in the construction industry. It informs stakeholders, adjusts benchmarks, and can be useful for crew evaluation. The most common way to record this type of visual development is through time lapses. While this may sound easy, it requires a high-quality intervalometer to pull off correctly. Using ourUpBlink time lapse controller for GoPro, you can gain access to all the benefits of 4K time lapses without the hassle.
Unlike other time lapse devices, UpBlink turns off between intervals to conserve battery life and maximize your exposure times. Similarly, UpBlink's internet capability means you can access CamDo’s browser-based scheduler and upload time lapses directly to Cloud X Pro without leaving your construction site. You can even set up 4 different custom schedules at once, which can conserve battery life and significantly reduce the number of images. Additionally, the UpBlink’s compatibility with CamDo’s weatherproof enclosures means you can use any power source in any conditions - maximizing your job flexibility.
Nature Time Lapses
While UpBlink is most commonly used for construction projects, it can also be used to successfully capture stunning nature time lapses. Monitoring seasonal changes is a huge passion of many environmental videographers. You can use UpBlink and other CamDo time lapse tools to maximize your memory card and your exposure time. This makes capturingautumn leaf changes andwinter environments that much easier. Time lapse technology is also incredibly useful for wildlife monitoring. Using custom schedules you can set shutter intervals that are specific to the creature you are looking to photograph.
Underwater Time Lapses
Time lapses aren’t limited to on-land environments, either.Underwater time lapses are extremely useful in diving cases where you need to inspect or monitor farming, construction, and nature projects that take place beneath the surface. These jobs require the same high-quality technology as on-land assignments but with more environmental capabilities; mainly, waterproofing, pressure resistance, and live camera feeds.
Where You Can Get Reliable Intervalometers
If you are going to invest in a high-quality camera rig for your construction project, you are going to need a set-up that you can count on. If your camera isn't reliable, then your photography isn't either. AtCamDo, we offer professionalconstruction camera packs with reliable 4K quality time lapse capture and UpBlink scheduling. Together, you can utilize CamDo's dependable intervalometer technology to produce consistently spectacular photography.
Your construction time lapse is only as effective as your intervalometer. Make sure you choose CamDo for high-quality construction time lapse photography that you can depend on. To learn more about our industry-leading products and services,contact us at CamDo today.
