Unfortunately, my Sony A6000 camera, which I would like to use for KAP recordings due to its higher resolution, does not have a built in interval timer function. Although I have an infrared RC LED from Flytron, which I can use to trigger the infrared LED and thus the camera via a remote control, this is not a solution when I fly my minimal rig, which does not require any additional support. This means that there is no power supply and therefore no receiver and no servos onboard.
So I searched and after some time I found what I was looking for. On github there is a time-lapse app for Sony Alpha cameras that uses the OpenMemories framework.
During the installation, I had to spend some time experimenting and looking for a lot of explanations, but in the end everything worked to my satisfaction.
The app is easy to use. It doesn’t have any controls for shutter speed, aperture, ISO, picture quality etc. Adjust all this settings before starting the app, it will use them. If you don’t want the camera to focus before each shot, set the camera to manual mod.
Then start the app set the shoot interval and the amount of pictures it should take. Below the seek bars you can see how long it will take to shoot all the photos and how long the video will be. The fps setting only changes the calculation of the video length, the app doesn’t produce a video.
Finally click the start button and wait.
You can stop by clicking the MENU button on the camera.
This app does not only run on the A6000. In this list you will find all suitable models.
SS (Silent Shutter)
The silent shutter option is functionless on cameras without silent shutter mode.
MF (Manual Focus)
This sets focus mode to manual. Be sure to have focused before starting the app!
AEL (Auto Exposure Lock)
This locks the exposure to the exposure of the first shot.
BRC3
The app supports exposure bracketing. Set the mode to three-image exposure bracketing outside of the app and check BRC3 checkbox in the app. The app will always take three pictures. Keep in mind that the interval time must be large enough to take all three pictures.
DOFF (Display Off)
Turn the display off between each shot. This doesn’t change the battery consumption but it can be healthy for the display when taking very long time lapses.
Burst mode
When selecting the lowest interval the camera is in burst mode. In this mode it takes pictures as fast as it can write to the SD card for the duration set by the second slider.
Have fun!
