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remote timer for M8/M9


mattpelletier

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I'm trying to see if there is an off-the-shelf (read: non-Lego, heh) timer / intervalometer solution for an M8/M9. I'd like the option to do time-lapse with my M9 but have not found anything. Coming from DSLRs I was hoping there would be an external electronic timer that would let me set exposures every X seconds for a period of time (so I don't have to sit by the camera and set the self-timer 1000x). Since the shutter release has the mechanical release in it I know it's possible, but who knows if someone makes/sells one. I assumed there might be something like this since people did time lapse before the digital era when mechanical releases were still common. However I've looked around here and in other forums but it looks like there is no electronic releases of any kind; there are only manual cable releases.

 

Since some more time has passed since the last threads I saw about it I thought I'd post about the topic again.

 

Has anyone else heard of a solution? Thanks!

 

Matt

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I'm not sure how practical / reliable a mechanical intervalometer would be.

 

If you set the camera to PTP, you should be able to trigger it over USB. I don't know of any commercial available USB intervalometers, but plugging in a laptop would work.

 

Image Capture and Automator on the Mac can trigger a M9, apparently, though I've never done it myself.

 

See http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-72721.html

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I'm trying to see if there is an off-the-shelf (read: non-Lego, heh) timer / intervalometer solution for an M8/M9. I'd like the option to do time-lapse with my M9 but have not found anything.

 

Hey Matt, are you on PC or Mac?

 

With PC on Windows 7 you can use my software. It has timed shooting with repeat function, minimal interval 70 seconds. I designed that function specifically for something like timelapse.

 

http://www.mymymyohmy.com/software/m9tether.html

 

Obviously, if you're using Apple this isn't much help :-)

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  • 2 years later...

I've caught the timelapse bug as well. The NEX-6 has an app that just installs and lets you set all the parameters, then it outputs to an AVI file. I've been looking for some kind of electronic timer that would screw into the M9 shutter button or clip onto the mechanical release cable. So far no luck. I'll give this tethering software a try, but I don't really want to lug a laptop out into the middle of nowhere for these shots.

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Forgive my intrusion, as I am not contributing any solution. Genuinely curious why you would want to do a time lapse with an M8 or M9, rather than using an easier camera system. Is it to achieve a certain look that wouldn't be possible otherwise?

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  • 2 weeks later...

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I already own the M9. It's a full frame sensor, and my Voigtlander 15mm will give me a true 15mm wide angle when shooting timelapse of stars, sunrises, sunsets, etc.

 

Yes, I can use the Sony as it is much easier, but it crops the scene to ~21mm. If I could find a compatible intervalometer for the M9 I could get a much more spectacular view of the night sky.

 

Considering intervalometers range $15- $100, it's a much cheaper option than buying a different FF camera system.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I built an intervall timer last year; but that´s far from "off the shelf" and might be only of interest if tinkering is part off the fun for you, too :-)

 

Nutshell: automatic cable release timer, remote control and external triggered photo sensor for birds etc. The whole thing is build on a lift magnet pushing a old cable release. The rest is done by an oversized AtMega8, 4*16 digit display and a rotary switch.

 

Drawbacks: i also tried external triggering to catch some birds. The magnet/cable-lift has a max-to-max lifting time somewhere between some non too-accurate 1-1.5sec which is way to slow to catch a bird flying but works fine around a food spot. For invervall triggering i did set the min interval to 5 sec.

Another practical drawback: now i have several GB nightsky pictures waiting to be put together...

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Again.. not contributing to OP's question but I also caught timelapse bug and wondered about timer for M9. Finally I gave up due to convenience of NEX6+15mm which creates movie directly and I can leave it overnight without worrying about it and go to sleep. :)

 

And I used NEX since it acts as backup camera to my M9 and for tele lenses.

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