Make a Virtual Finger

The G-Series "continuous" mode is great for doing time-lapse. All you have to do is hold down the shutter button to capture a long sequence of images, but it's not practical to stand there with your finger on the button for more than about a minute. What's needed is a "Virtual Finger" to press the shutter button.

I built a "Virtual Finger" from a cheap pair of sunglasses and a camera spirit level. I drilled a hole in the level and attached one side of the sunglasses' frame. That way I can swing it into position to press the button. The spirit level also comes in handy to level the camera when setting up the shot.

The attached photos show one on a G2 and a G5. You can see on I made for a Pro1 at
http://www.granitebays​oftware.com …pfinger/fingerp​ressed.jpg

If you haven't done any time-lapse you should give it a try. It's amazing what these Canon cameras can do. If you have a broadband connection and Windows Media Player, take a look at this short (8 second) High-Definition video clip of downtown San Francisco that I made using a G5. The file is about 16MB.

http://www.granitebays​oftware.com …ipworkflow/HDSa​mpleSF.wmv

I've posted detailed instructions on how to make your own Virtual Finger at

http://www.granitebays​oftware.com/TipFinger.​aspx

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but isn't this what the g5's built in intervalometer does for you anyway? i don't understand...



j.

Yes, but the intervalometer is limited to 100 shots. With this device it will run until your memory card is full or until the battery dies.

I don't have a G series camera so I have no need for a Virtual Finger, but it looks like a cool solution nevertheless!

I downloaded your movie clip, very cool. The tiny cars at the bottom made me chuckle, they looked more like a line of ants! Good work!

The title made me look! This is a very inventive hack that further expands the G-series' capabilties. Thanks for the tip!

"inventive hack" - Thank you for the complement!

Sorry bro, by hack, I was reffering to the method, not the person. It is a complement

I love it when people figure out ways to do something without spending tons of money. I dont' know about the G5 but the minimum interval on the G6 is ONE MINUTE. I was very disappointed when I found that out. Another way (but cumbersome) is to hook to a computer and use Canon Remote Capture or Breeze PSR Remote.

Very nice film. How many shots are included and at what interval?

ah-ha! now i get it.

j.

I think the SF clip was free running at about 2 seconds between shots (using the finger device). That's the speed my G5 runs at when shooting 1600x1200 in superfine mode.

BTW, your signature refers to a motorized pan/tilt head and 40' pole. What kind of head?

I'm into pole photography. I'm trying to take pictures from 40 feet up. Last year I made a very crude 30' rig that used a string to take pictures. I had a lot of fun and took some pretty good shots.
http://www.pbase.com …9/pole_aerial_p​hotography
It had no video link. Just take a picture, turn it , lean it , and take another shot.
This year I've got a 40' pole with a remeote pan/tilt head and am running Breeze PSR Remote through a laptop on the ground. I've built a mount off the receiver hitch on my car, but I'm not happy with it. I still have some minor technical problems to overcome.

I like your time lapse thing but the camera moves around a lot at 40' (for single shots that can be overcome with a fast shutter speed and a lot of shots) and doesn't make a very stable tripod base for that kind of shot.

lefturn99 wrote:
I had a lot of fun and took some pretty good shots.
http://www.pbase.com …9/pole_aerial_p​hotography

Those are great shots. I really like that perspective and its a very clever idea.