Time Lapse With Nikon D40?
I'm a first time dslr user, and am wanting to do time lapse, Please TALK very simply! Give links ect!
The D40 only responds to an infra red remote (ml-l3) which lacks a timer function, or USB tethering with opitonal Nikon software.
As such I respectfully advise that the D40 is not the camera for easy, automated timelapse.
General things to bear in mind for timelapse:
Set focus manually
Set exposure manually, manual shutter, manual aperture - manual shutter set to 0.5s to introduce natural blur on fast playback, faster shutter speeds make the timelapse strobe, longer shutters may set off the cameras noise reduction procedure which will slow you down. Manual aperture, if you have a G or DX lens then set the lens wide open. Even on AF-D lenses this is a good idea as you can't lock the stop down on the D40, you will end up with exposure stepping as the aperture diaphragm will not stop down exactly the same each time-so avoid that by having the lens wide open.
Shoot in JPEG mode
Shoot with a preset or manaully set white ballance.
If your lens has VR switch it off.
Pick a subject with both moving areas and static reference points.
Use an and or polariser to help control the exposure, a FADER and is actually a brilliant tool for timelapse.
Decide on the duration of your finished timelapse and remember the frame rate for video in your region. For 10 seconds in america you will need 297 frames etc.
Download quicktime Pro, use it's 'open image sequence command to run and export your timelapse.
Perform additional cropping etc in a dedicated video package.
You need to use a program to talk to your camera via the USB interface. This is called tethering (connecting a camera to a computer for remote control).
Nikon Camera Control Pro has time lapse functionality. Expensive program for what it does.
There are other cheaper programs out there which will do this function and there's a free program out there. You'll need to do a search to find those other programs.
If you do time lapse for any length of time (perhaps, over 1 or 2 hours), you'll need to use an external power supply for the camera.