wsg-1 optio help with time laps movies.

[Mr Felix]

Folks,


I have a WSG-1 optio and it has two "time laps" options.

Picture and video.

For the sake of learning I pointed it out the window and was going to do some time laps videos.

Ofcourse the "time between" shots is unknown tome at this time, but it is the learning curve, so hey.

Set the camera into video mode and went into the menu. Found time laps and went in and set the values.

Now it is strange that this didn't seem to work.

Getting out the manual, it says you press the up arrow on the "multiway button" - which I get - and select time laps.

THEN you set the values.

Here is the kicker:
In the way I went, I could get down to SECONDS how often the camera took shots.
The way described in the manual I can only do down to 1 minute.

Please, anyone?

[ameerat42]

For a start, Mr Felix, are you talking about one of these? (http://www.tomsguide.com/us/pentax-k-01-ILC-marc-newson-viewfinder,news-14068.html)

It was the only 1/2 meaningful link that came up when I searched on "WSG-1 optio" in your post.

If it is - or isn't - would you have a link to an on-line user manual for whatever it is?

Ta, Am.

[Mr Felix]

No,

This one:

http://www.pentaximaging.com/digital-camera/Optio_WG-1_GPS_Gray/

The "user manual" is confusing.

It says one thing, the camera's menus are different and when I go one way, I see one set of options which can go down to seconds, where as following the manual I can only get 1 minute as the "fastest" time to take pictures in the movie.

Sorry, I put in the WSG instead of saying it was the WG-1 optio.

One of those kind of days.

[ameerat42]

I had to dig a bit to find the downloadable manual.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://c758710.r10.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/support/manual/1318886426_wg-1_official_guide.pdf

It appears that what you want is on page 136 of same. I must say it is annoying in that the manual is just an image turned into a pdf. You need to scroll thru the lot and you cannot search for words.

OK, now what is your problem? Please describe it clearly, as I don't get it.
Am.

[Mr Felix]

Thanks.

When I thumbed through the paper manual the idex pointed me to page 154.

Putting the manual aside for a second, with the camera in movie mode, I press Menu then scrolled to interval shooting.

That screen is akin to what is on page 136. So I set things up and it doesn't work.

Going to page 154 it does it a different way, and the quickest time is one minute.

So there seems to be dis-continuity between the camera menus and the manual. Maybe.

P.s.
Page 108 also mentions taking pictures at timed intervals.

[arthurking83]

I also don't fully understand the problem .. but from the manual:


" .. Set the total time, from 10 minutes to 359 hours. The total time and the settable units change depending on the interval set. The interval can be set in increments of 1 min, 10 min, 30 min or 1 hour ... "

obviously the available units are dependent on each other.
I suspect that at some point between the manual being printed out and the camera being produced there was a firmware update that changed the handling of the time lapse feature(not uncommon to offer better feature support via firmware updates).

[Mr Felix]

Yes,

I shall have to download the PDF so we all see the same manual. Shall do that soon.
Some of the replies are along the lines of what I am also seeing.

I accept that how many shots I can take and how often are dependent on one another, and how big the card is.

So: With a new (empty) 8 gig card, I want to play with time laps shots to see what they look like as a movie.

The camera can do time laps pictures and time laps pictures which are compiled into a movie.

From what I have done with it, 1 minute is pretty good for weather shots: Clouds in particular.
But if I want the camera taking pictures every 3 seconds, I can't get that frequency.

I picked only 45 minutes as the total time, then the interval. But it wouldn't go below 1 minute if I do it how the manual describes it. And alas this is the only way I can seem to get it working.

I won't continue with this until I have the PDF and read it my self and maybe tried what it says.

I guess: Push coming to shove, I sholud maybe ring Pentax and ask them. The "problem" is remembering to bring the camera to work and getting enough time to do it while at work and not getting into trouble as well.

Oh well.

:o

- - - Updated - - -

Page 156:
Recording a movie from pictures taken at a set interval (interval movie)

In this mode you can record multiple still pictures taken automatically at a set interval from a set time, as a movie file.

Interval:
You can set this to 1 min, 5 min, 10 min, 30 min or 1 hour.


Darts!

Seems I am kind of bound to those times in that mode.

I shall have to see if I can take "still pictures" and combine them into a movie another way.



Sorry folks. Guess I just didn't get my head around the time limits set.

[ricktas]

I reckon a call to pentax might at least confirm what you can and cannot do with this camera, then work within the limitations of the gear to achieve your goals.

[Mr Felix]

Rick,

Yeah, did that eventually.

Correct. The quickest time is one minute.

If anyone is still reading this:
Does anyone make time laps movies here?

What I feel I may have to do is put the camera in photo mode and take picutres at shorter intervals and then get those pictures and make a movie form them.

The "problem" is: Which program can do that?

I have downloaded one, but it is pretty lame. It is more a picture slide show maker than a "picture to movie" maker. Though weirdly enough it is called "pitcture to movie".