How do i use my DIGITAL CAMERA to record the plants growth from seed to flower

[Kanye WeED]

Sorry if this isnt the right place to post this but im wondering how i can record or take pics of my plants growth from seed to clone to flower?

i called best buy and they said that there is no camera that does this or has this as a feature but we all know its been done

so do i need to buy a cheap tripod, and set it up some where in my room and do something like that

how do i get it to take pics every hour or so

please let me know this is something i really wanna try

thank u guys!!!

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

I think you want animated time lapse software for your pc/mac. Any digital cam will work. A pic an hour would be a very large file. You might want to experiment. A pic every other day or every third day would give you something you could upload to IC if you want. You load the pics into the program in the order you wish to appear. The program simulates the old school process of real time lapse, film photography. It helps to use a tripod so you get the same angle. You also need to keep the plant arrangement as close to same as possible.

snapfiles.com has a shareware program and downloads.com may have free ones.

The only hardware I know of that will do what you're talking about is a video camera set for time lapse stills. A pic an hour would probably fill up an entire tape in about two weeks give or take. That would be a lot of viewing w/o much action, lol.

If yer video camera is digital, you can use windows movie maker to break the large file into segments. Each segment can be advanced/reversed frame-by-frame, allowing you to edit each individual pic.

 

[Kanye WeED]

I think you want animated time lapse software for your pc/mac. Any digital cam will work. A pic an hour would be a very large file. You might want to experiment. A pic every other day or every third day would give you something you could upload to IC if you want. You load the pics into the program in the order you wish to appear. The program simulates the old school process of real time lapse, film photography. It helps to use a tripod so you get the same angle. You also need to keep the plant arrangement as close to same as possible.

snapfiles.com has a shareware program and downloads.com may have free ones.

The only hardware I know of that will do what you're talking about is a video camera set for time lapse stills. A pic an hour would probably fill up an entire tape in about two weeks give or take. That would be a lot of viewing w/o much action, lol.

If yer video camera is digital, you can use windows movie maker to break the large file into segments. Each segment can be advanced/reversed frame-by-frame, allowing you to edit each individual pic.

hey thanks man, this sounds kinda complex for what im wanting to do

cant believe they dont make a camera with a timer on it lol

so im gonna have to take the pics myself, wow that sucks

so how is it they make those videos of the sun going across the sky, the same way.

thanks for the post

i guess ill go to down loads . com and see if they have what i need

i gotta get a cheap lil tri pod also

thanks

i may have to buy a new cheap lil camera also, cause the canon i got might not fit to well in my box

thanks again

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

It's easier than an actual time-lapse setup. Mark your calender for the days you want to take a pic. Once you have all the pics you want, transfer them to the animated pic program. It does everything for you.

The only reason I mentioned windows movie maker is because you want LOTS of pics. When you see how large the file size will be (with 1 photo an hour) you may need an editor like movie maker. If you take a pic every other day or three, you most likely won't need an editor.

Here's an example. 24 pics a day (1 pic an hour) for 90 days (typical cycle) = 2160 pics. Lets say you're running the animation at 3 frames per second. You'll have a ~12 minute presentation. That's a little long, IMO. Most of the time-lapse animations we see of the sun moving across the sky or a flower in bloom are less than 15 seconds.

One of the reasons folks take so many pics (only to edit later) is inconsistency in movement or in this case, growth. Your plants can grow as fast as an inch a day but average growth may be more like 1/4". To avoid large jumps in the animation, individual frames are selected for size and the rest are deleted. Hope this helps.

 

[konstantgrdnr]

I researched this for a while and this is what i came up with. I have not started filming so i cannot give great info on these methods.Though from looking through them here is my review. I hope it helps.


This is the option i like the most.relatively inexpensive if you consider the alternatives.

http://digitalurban.blogspot.com/2008/11/tutorial-torch-webcam-hd-timelapse.html

This site will explain the concept in better detail and give you an understanding in whats involved to get good results.

http://www.playingwithtime.org/

This is a must see if your serious in making plant films. They have a time lapse article which helps you zero in on capture times. They also have timelapse footage on this site which is great.

http://plantsinmotion.bio.indiana.edu/plantmotion/earlygrowth/germination/germ.html


Here is a project from Cal Berkeley, This also is good info about the subject and besides the first link. This would be the second best option to make your films. imo

http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~ddgarcia/tl/#movies

 

[Kanye WeED]

hey just seen then posts guys but im on my way to work, ill elaborate more on how much i appreciate ur guys help

i think ill do the 1 pic a day

from the time lapses i saw though looked liked they took pics like every dang minute

they did a great job

this guy on youtube!!!!!!

 

[B. Self Reliant]

You might need an SLR camera to do it the way you want (simply). Put your SLR on a tripod and frame the shot so the plant can grow into the frame and fill it up, or break the growth stages into sections and plan accordingly. Buy and attach an intervalometer to your camera (these might work with point and shoot cameras but I'm not sure). The intervalometer will take a shot as often as you set it to (say, every hour). You probably want to use an AC adapter with your camera so it doesn't run out of juice, especially if you're using flash.

Certain point & shoot cameras might offer some sort of cheesy feature that does something similar, but an intervalometer and an SLR is your best bet.

 

[sirbudsalot]

I suggest using a Canon digital camera with the CHDK firmware loaded onto it. Basically, it "unlocks" a lot of features that the camera (i.e. hardware) is capable of but that the factory software doesn't let you use.

I've used it to create a time lapse video similar to the one posted here:
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=139488

I've got a Canon SD400 and an AC adaptor. I can program the camera to take a picture every 5 minutes, every 10 seconds, every two days... you get the idea

You can read about the CHDK here:
http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK

The total cost of the camera, memory card, and AC adaptor is probably less than an intervalometer for an SLR would be!