5DSr Bulb Mode & Interval Timer

[John_Hennessy]

Why can't you use both Bulb Mode & Interval Timer at the same time? With an intervalometer you can, but with the new internal camera settings you cannot. If one is set, the other is grayed out. In the manual is says you can't, but why? Canon did not bother to program it that way or didn't think of it? There are possible incompatible combinations, but that is true of the interval timer by itself or the intervalometer too. For instance, if the interval is too short for processing and writing to the card it just aborts.

So the question is why can a Canon intervalometer do what a Canon camera won't do?

 

[apersson850]

The simple answer must be because it's not implemented that way.

Why, well, only the specification author can answer that.

The fact that the camera can't shoot with a certain interval if the processing between shots, including actual exposure, takes longer than the interval is of course obvious.

 

[Andy01]

I can sort of understand why you can't use bulb and interval timer at the same time (because bulb may not be entirely consistent because it is "manually" opened), but you also can't use 2 second timer and interval timer at the same time (which is mildly useful for astro shooting, or Live View and interval timer either.

Colin

 

[apersson850]

I've not used any of these cameras with the interval timer built-in, but from a quick glance in the user's manual it seems that the way they implemented it, live view wouldn't work. The display would be on far too much, and drain the battery beforehand.

 

[Le Kilt]

Why can't you use both Bulb Mode & Interval Timer at the same time? With an intervalometer you can, but with the new internal camera settings you cannot. If one is set, the other is grayed out. In the manual is says you can't, but why? Canon did not bother to program it that way or didn't think of it? There are possible incompatible combinations, but that is true of the interval timer by itself or the intervalometer too. For instance, if the interval is too short for processing and writing to the card it just aborts.

So the question is why can a Canon intervalometer do what a Canon camera won't do?

Simple, the Bulb exposure time is, by design, not controled by the camera and lets the photographer or gadget open the shutter and close it again. It can't know how long the exposure will be.

With the intervalometer, it is the one that opens the shutter for exposure.

 

[John_Hennessy]

"the Bulb exposure time is, by design, not controled by the camera"

Not so on some newer cameras including the one in question. Bulb mode can be set for over four days on the 5DSr and others. The interval timer too.

The question is: why not both as on an intervalometer? Clearly it wasn't designed that way, but my bet is it was just overlooked.

 

[Le Kilt]

"the Bulb exposure time is, by design, not controled by the camera"

Not so on some newer cameras including the one in question. Bulb mode can be set for over four days on the 5DSr and others. The interval timer too.

Indeed, excellent. Curiously I hadn't heard of the "Bulb timer", yet having a look it's been out at least since the 7DII. Oh well, missed that, doesn't seem to get mentioned much :-/

The question is: why not both as on an intervalometer? Clearly it wasn't designed that way, but my bet is it was just overlooked.

yes, I would find that most useful in some cases.
I'm sure a few nifty lines of code could implement it in the firmware.

An alternative would be to add an extra "CTv" (Custom Time value) exposure time after the max 30 seconds, that could be set to a custom value... Canon, please?

 

[apersson850]

The separate TC-80N3 does allow both setting the time between exposure starts, as well as how long the timer will press the trigger button. So it can hold Bulb open for several minutes, or whatever you want.