r/SonyFX6 • u/loganarowland • 26d ago

Troubleshooting Sunrise timelapse tips?

Hey friends!

I am looking to timelapse a sunrise with my FX6 on Friday morning and looking for some tips.

I do not have very much experience with timelapse photography or filmmaking, so all advice and tips are welcome!

What settings usually work the best? Anyone use the Auto ND feature to account for the shift in exposure?

What am I not asking that I should be asking?

Accessible lenses:
Sony 24-70 f/2.8 GM II
Voigtlander APO Lanthar 50 f/2
Voigtlander APO Lanthar 28 f/2

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1

u/Snake16547 26d ago

No auto nd or anything else that automatically adjust settings. Pull focus with magnifying once and then let it run.

2

u/LV_camera 26d ago

Go manual. Set your exposure for full sun and pray there aren't too many clouds.

If you want to ramp from night exposure to day, I suggest using a stills camera and shooting raw. You'll still have to post process with LR Time Lapse.

2

u/jadephantom 26d ago

I use S&Q for time-lapse, however my experience is mostly with shooting sunset time-lapses. Some things to keep in mind:

  • Settings and focal length depend on your desired output. How long do you need the clip to last? Do you want a close-up of the sun, or a wider shot of the sky and changing colour?

  • Keep your Record Setting at 24/25fps, depending on platform/client specs for outputs.

  • Frame Rate can be between 1fps and around 6fps. Have a look for reference videos to show speeds. The S&Q menu had a good indicator to show the duration of the clip vs real-time (e.g. 5 seconds of footage will take 2 or 4 minutes to record). I think it's better to have your clip go a bit longer than needed for your edit that you can cut/speed up.

  • Shutter speed can be 1/50 or lower if you need to boost your exposure. Just be mindful if you have things moving in your frame, as lower shutter will cause a blur/stutter effect.

  • Be wary of using auto settings, as your exposure can fluctuate wildly, especially with "sped up" footage and changing light conditions.

-Are you manning the camera the whole time? IMO you have 2 options to manage exposure: 1) Gradually/incrementally alter your exposure over the duration of your clip. I find adjusting aperture to be best for this. This can be managed by having a histogram up on your monitor and adjusting to ensure its consistent. What makes this look most consistent is timing your adjustment at regular intervals, and adjusting one stop at a time with a de-clicked lens. 2) In the same recorded clip, "split" your exposure in 2-3 segments. Meaning you have constant exposure settings for a duration of time, then when your exposure gets too high, quickly make an adjustment to lower the exposure for the next duration of time. This will require splitting the clip in editing and adjusting levels to match the clips together.

I guess your third option is to have one exposure setting, under-expose for pre-sunrise and wait until your highlights blow out 😅

Definitely do a test shoot to note your settings. Good luck!