2
\$\begingroup\$

I'm planning to set up a long-running timelapse system to capture the view from my new office building. The problem is, other people work near me, and I don't want to disturb them with camera sounds every 30/60 minutes.

I'm setting this up on a budget, so I would love to use the old D70 I have lying around. Is there a way to lock the mirror and still take pictures? After framing the shot initially, I have no need for the mirror. With the mirror locked, the camera should be very quiet.

If that won't work, is there an affordable camera that accepts F mount lenses? I already have a good lens for this task. If I get a new camera, a good bracketing mode is needed. The camera doesn't need to be a Nikon as long as there is a mount adapter available.

Side note: I'd rather not use a sound-proofing blimp since space is also an issue.

Thanks for any input!

Improve this question
\$\endgroup\$

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
6
\$\begingroup\$

Have you considered using a Nikon J1 with an adapter? The J1 has an electronic (rather than mechanical) shutter and is totally silent.

The J1 can be had for a song these days, as it's one or two generations behind the current model, and it even has a time-lapse function (something most older DSLRs will lack).

However, Nikon's adapter (called FT-1) is unfortunately as expensive as the camera. So depending on the focal length needed, you might be better off buying a used J1 with a kit lens, which doesn't add much to the price, rather than using the F-mount lens you had in mind.

If you're fine with losing all automatic functions (metering, focusing), you can also substitute a cheap mechanical adapter for the FT-1. See for instance here: http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3389573

In the event that compact camera quality is sufficient, you might consider using a Canon compact with the CHDK firmware, which essentially makes the camera programmable, so time-lapses are no problem, and since compacts are silent, that requirement is fulfilled too.

Improve this answer
\$\endgroup\$
4
  • \$\begingroup\$ Good that you mentioned compact cameras. A timelapse is usually made to a video, and quite likely not larger than the normal HD resolution, and any compact cam is good enough for that.. Maybe DSLR is wanted for better low-light performance. \$\endgroup\$
    – Esa Paulasto
    Commented Apr 27, 2013 at 3:11
  • \$\begingroup\$ Great advice, thanks! My timelapse setup will be long-running (months, maybe years), so memory card size is a concern. I'll have a netbook attached to the camera, running gphoto2 to capture the photos and sync them to dropbox. gphoto2 sadly doesn't support the J1 yet. Compacts are totally fine. I only want to spend as little money as possible on this, and I already have a D70 and Nikon lens collection. \$\endgroup\$
    – mwc
    Commented Apr 28, 2013 at 5:25
  • 1
    \$\begingroup\$ Most 5-year-old compacts were already SDHC compatible, allowing card sizes of up to 32GB. With image sizes at 1MB tops (more doesn't make sense in a compact camera), you get around a year's worth of images on a 16GB card, and 2 years with a 32GB card. So I wouldn't worry about card sizes. Besides, you'll certainly check on the system from time to time, and a card swap should only take a few seconds, no? Also, gphoto2 seems to offer delete options (--delete-file and --delete-all-files) which if they work would obviate any card size concerns. \$\endgroup\$
    – Endre Both
    Commented Apr 28, 2013 at 8:39
  • 1
    \$\begingroup\$ Re. gphoto2 support for the J1: gphoto's camera support page says "Cameras capable of MTP, PTP or PictBridge are supported without needing to be specifically listed here." I would be surprised if the J1 didn't support MTP, so maybe it would work with gphoto2 without camera-specific support (at least as far as downloading and deleting images goes, which would be enough for you if you use the built-in time-lapse function)? \$\endgroup\$
    – Endre Both
    Commented Apr 28, 2013 at 8:41
1
\$\begingroup\$

The D70 AFAIK does not have mirror lockup. The D200 does, and can be had cheap used. It's a workhorse.
I'm not sure you can keep it locked up permanently without modifying the camera, you might need a D1 or D2 series for that functionality.

Improve this answer
\$\endgroup\$

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.