Review: Timelapse+ makes day-to-night time-lapse sequences easy
(Digital Photography Review)

Even if you`re only a casual time-lapse photographer then you probably know how challenging it can be to shoot a time-lapse sequence that involves drastic changes in lighting conditions. For example, sequences shot during periods of time covering sunrises, sunsets, moonrises and moonsets are difficult because a single set of exposure parameters won`t work for the entire sequence. It`s also unlikely that your camera`s Auto Exposure mode will give you proper results, especially during low light conditions. That`s where the Timelapse+ View intervalometer, a device designed to automate day-to-night time-lapse sequences, comes in. It retails for $399 and it includes Timelapse+ Studio, a Lightroom plugin for processing the timelapse sequences. Studio is also sold separately for $49. I started photographing astronomical observatories 12 years ago. Whenever I needed to leave my camera unattended I would expose for the nighttime conditions (mainly considering the Moon`s brightness) and start my time-lapse sequence before sunset. The sequence would start completely overexposed but would become correctly exposed as it got darker. I would then try to salvage as many evening and morning twilight frames as possible by reducing the exposure value and recovering highlight information in post-processing. (More on how to do this in the Timelapse+ Studio for Non-Ramped Sequences section below.) These time-lapse sequences illustrate the challenge that the Timelapse+ View aims to solve. I optimized the exposure to correctly capture the night sky, but as a result the afternoon and morning sequences were completely overexposed. Paranal Observatory, Chile. (Nikon D700 and Nikkor 14-24mm F2.8) Timelapse+ View (the hardware) All that hassle and limitation can be eliminated with the use of an exposure ramper, a device that progressively changes the exposure according to the lighting conditions. Some devices require that you know beforehand how the light is going to ch ...