DSMC3 - Timelapse functions - Frame Summing/Averaging

[Sean Crowley]

I've been messing with the time-lapse functions on the Komodo since updating to it, and I feel like I'm missing something. The lowest possible shutter time is 1/24ish, and you can set an interval, as well as how many frames to take within that interval. This seems like it would be used for frame summing or frame averaging, like was present in the DSMC2 cameras (though I can't say I ever used it), but there's no in camera option for this, and nothing in RedcineX as far as I can tell either.

Is the setting just there to offer sub-second time intervals? Or are we likely to see those DSMC2 features added to the camera or at least post software?

 

[Alex Zeder]

The frames per interval are all shot in one sequence, not distributed equally and spread over the whole interval. At least this would be a good basis for average/sum and I would love to see avg/sum added in an upcoming FW update because it's quite tricky in post to only avg/sum these frame cluster and not mix them with the previous/next frame cluster.

→
https://support.red.com/hc/en-us/articles/360058924434-Feature-Requests

 

[Sean Crowley]

I should have mentioned that in the initial post, you're totally correct about the frame pacing! It takes them without any gap when shooting the lowest shutter speed (basically a 360 degree shutter at 24fps).

However, if you shoot say, 1/48, in a 24p project, and 1 second intervals with 3 frames, you'll still get the gaps between frames, as if it's just shooting chunks of 24p video. So it's the first 3 frames from that second of a clip, but with the 1/48th gap between them as well. It's not evenly spaced, but it's also not back to back; I don't know if that's intentional or not. If the goal is to be able to do frame-blending/averaging/etc, then I would assume it would be something you want to avoid, or at least be able to control somewhat. Otherwise you'll end up with gaps in the motion blur once you blend the frames.

If they're not gonna add the in camera frame blending, I'd love to at least get the option to do exposure bracketing: let me do a stop over and under, so that sunset doesn't completely mess me up. (since I can't exposure ramp in camera right now either, lol) HDRX used to be an in camera thing, seems like 3 or 5 frame brackets should be very much doable via RedcineX at least.

I'd love if they'd do a Reducation video on time-lapse functions for the DSMC3, cause the DSMC2 one talks about doing it all in the camera, to save time while keeping a consistent look. I'd quite like to be able to do that on the Komodo too I suspect they're not done adding all the timelapse features though, so it'll probably be a bit before we see a tutorial on them.

 

[dankingstudios]

I wouldn't mind if some of this were even a Red Control Pro feature, but I would also love to see more programmatic use of the new RED RF to PL Adapter w/ Electronic ND. One could imagine programming a smooth day-to-night setup with the marriage of more powerful exposure and ND controls for timelapse... and stills in general.