Take photographs at the selected interval until the specified number of shots has been recorded. Select a release mode other than Self-timer (E) when using the interval timer.
Selecting Interval timer shooting displays the options below.
- Start: Start interval timer shooting, either after 3 s (Now selected for Choose start day/time) or at a selected date and time (Choose day/time). Shooting will continue at the selected interval until all shots have been taken.
- Choose start day/time: Choose a start option. To start shooting immediately, select Now. To start shooting at a chosen date and time, select Choose day/time.
- Interval: Choose the interval (hours, minutes, and seconds) between shots.
- Intervals×shots/interval: Choose the number of intervals and the number of shots per interval.
- Exposure smoothing: Selecting On allows the camera to adjust exposure to match previous shot in modes other than M (note that exposure smoothing only takes effect in mode M if auto ISO sensitivity control is on). Large changes in subject brightness during shooting may result in apparent variations in exposure, in which case it may be necessary to shorten the interval between shots.
- Silent photography: Select On to silence the shutter during shooting.
- Interval priority: Select On to ensure that photos shot in modes P and A are taken at the chosen interval, Off to ensure that photos are correctly exposed. If On is selected, choose a focus mode of MF or AF-C and check that the minimum shutter speed chosen for ISO sensitivity settings > Auto ISO sensitivity control in the photo shooting menu is faster than the interval. If AF-C is selected for focus mode, check that Release is chosen for Custom Setting a1(AF-C priority selection).
- Starting storage folder: Highlight options and press 2 to select or deselect. Choose New folder to create a new folder for each new sequence, Reset file numbering to reset file numbering to 0001 when a new folder is created.
Interval Timer Photography
Before Shooting
Before beginning interval timer photography, take a test shot at current settings and view the results. Before choosing a starting time, select Time zone and date in the setup menu and make sure that the camera clock is set to the correct time and date. To ensure that shooting is not interrupted, be sure the camera battery is fully charged. If in doubt, charge the battery before use.
-
Select Interval timer shooting.
Highlight Interval timer shooting in the photo shooting menu and press 2.
Interval timer shooting options will be displayed.
-
Adjust interval timer settings.
Adjust the following settings:
-
Choose start day/time: Choose the starting date and time.
Highlight Choose start day/time and press 2.
Highlight an option and press J.
To start shooting immediately, select Now. To start shooting at a chosen date and time, select Choose day/time, then choose the date and time and press J.
-
Interval: Choose the interval, in hours, minutes, and seconds.
Highlight Interval and press 2.
Choose an interval and press J.
-
Intervals×shots/interval: Choose the number of intervals and the number of shots per interval.
Highlight Intervals×shots/interval and press 2.
Choose the number of intervals and shots/interval and press J.
In single frame release mode, the photographs for each interval will be taken at the rate for continuous high-speed release mode. When silent photography is enabled, the number of shots per interval is fixed at one.
-
Exposure smoothing: Enable or disable exposure smoothing.
Highlight Exposure smoothing and press 2.
Highlight an option and press J.
-
Silent photography: Enable or disable silent photography.
Highlight Silent photography and press 2.
Highlight an option and press J.
-
Interval priority: Enable or disable Interval priority.
Highlight Interval priority and press 2.
Highlight an option and press J.
-
Starting storage folder: Choose starting folder options.
Highlight Starting storage folder and press 2.
Highlight options and press 2 to select or deselect; press J to proceed.
-
-
Start shooting.
Highlight Start and press J. The first series of shots will be taken at the specified starting time, or after about 3 s if Now was selected for Choose start day/time in Step 2. The display turns off during shooting; shooting will continue at the selected interval until all shots have been taken.
During Shooting
During interval timer photography, the memory card access lamp will flash.
If the display is turned on by pressing the shutter-release button halfway, the message “Interval timer shooting“ will be displayed and the Q icon will flash. Settings can be adjusted, the menus used, and pictures played back while interval timer photography is in progress. The display will turn off automatically shortly before each interval. Note that changing camera settings while the interval timer is active may cause shooting to end.
Pausing Interval Timer Photography
Interval timer photography can be paused between intervals as follows:
- If Now is selected for Choose start day/time, interval timer photography can be paused by pressing J (pressing J between shots may have no effect if the time selected for Interval is very short, in which case interval timer photography can be paused by turning the camera off)
- If Choose day/time is selected for Choose start day/time, interval timer photography can be paused by selecting Interval timer shooting in the photo shooting menu, highlighting Pause, and pressing J
Resuming Interval Timer Photography
To resume shooting immediately, select Restart.
Highlight Restart and press J.
To resume shooting at a specified time:
In the interval timer menu, highlight Choose day/time and press 2.
Choose a starting date and time and press J.
Highlight Restart and press J.
Ending Interval Timer Shooting
Interval timer photography can be ended as follows:
- If Now is selected for Choose start day/time, interval timer photography can be ended by pressing J between shots to pause shooting and then highlighting Off in the Interval timer shooting menu and pressing J (pressing J between shots may have no effect if the time selected for Interval is very short, in which case interval timer photography can be paused by turning the camera off)
- If Choose day/time is selected for Choose start day/time, interval timer photography can be paused by selecting Interval timer shooting in the photo shooting menu, highlighting Pause, and pressing J
No Photograph
Photographs will not be taken at the selected interval if the current interval ends before the photograph or photographs for the previous interval have been taken or the memory card is full.
Out of Memory
If the memory card is full, the interval timer will remain active but no pictures will be taken. Resume shooting after deleting some pictures or turning the camera off and inserting another memory card.
Interval Timer Photography
Choose an interval longer than the time needed to take the selected number of shots and, if you are using a flash, the time needed for the flash to charge. If the interval is too short, the number of photos taken may be less than the total listed in Step 2 (the number of intervals multiplied by the number of shots per interval) or the flash may fire at less than the power needed for full exposure. Interval timer photography will not start if the interval is set to 00:00’0.5” and both Silent photography and Interval priority are enabled. Interval timer photography cannot be combined with some camera features, including movie recording, time-lapse movies, long time-exposures (bulb or time photography), multiple exposure, and HDR (high dynamic range). Note that because the shutter speed, frame rate, and time needed to record images may vary from one interval to the next, the time between the end of one interval and the beginning of the next may vary. If shooting cannot proceed or changes cannot be applied at current settings (for example, if a shutter speed of Bulb or Time is currently selected in mode M, the interval is zero, or the start time is in less than a minute), a warning will be displayed.
Interval timer shooting will pause when Self-timer (E) is selected for release mode or if the camera is turned off and then on again (when the camera is off, batteries and memory cards can be replaced without ending interval timer photography). Pausing shooting does not affect interval timer settings.
Release Mode
Regardless of the release mode selected, the camera will take the specified number of shots at each interval.
Bracketing
Adjust bracketing settings before starting interval timer photography. If exposure or ADL bracketing is active while interval timer photography is in effect, the camera will take the number of shots in the bracketing program at each interval, regardless of the number of shots specified in the interval timer menu. If white balance bracketing is active while interval timer photography is in effect, the camera will take one shot at each interval and process it to create the number of copies specified in the bracketing program. Note that bracketing cannot be used during interval timer photography when On is selected for Interval priority.
Silent Photography
Selecting On for Silent photography disables some camera features, including:
- ISO sensitivities of Hi 1 and Hi 2
- Flash photography
- Long exposure noise reduction
- Flicker reduction