Maybe a silly question, but why no camera offer more than 30" shooting ? Of course we have bulb mode, and I use it with an external meter, but why metering/shutter could go down to 10min ?
You need a minimum amount of light to be able to get an accurate metering out of the high tech instruments known as DSLR metering systems. Those are very small because they can only occupy a small fraction of the space and weight of a DSLR.
The Olympus OM-2N from the 1970s went to 2 minutes. (I might add, in about half the size and weight of a Canon 5D.) AFAIK that is the longest of any production camera ever made, and it was done, in Av only, by measuring light reflected off the film during exposure. You did have to carry a table of reciprocity failure adjustments with you, and set the exposure compensation dial appropriately; with ISO 100 film that set a practical upper limit on the exposure time anyway.
It was said that the limit on the OM-2 and OM-2N was there so as not to confuse the photographer too much if they pressed the shutter with the lens cap on. (There was a separate limiting circuit to implement it.) My guess is this is why Canon do it.
I really don't think the limit has anything to do with metering capabilities. Most likely just an arbritrary limit imposed by Canon. With ND filters there are many situations where you can exceed the 30 seconds limit so out come a watch and bulb settings. Pain in the ass if this is really just an arbitrary limit.
Monito wrote:
Not a problem at all. Perhaps you should see a proctologist for your ailment.
Monito, seems like you have a constant burr up your butt. Maybe you should just take your own advice and get yourself checked out. You just might become a more likable fellow...but I have my doubts.
For me where I do quite often have exposures of more than 30 seconds...yes it is a pain to need to time the exposure with your watch. I'd much rather just click the shutter and have my multi-thousand dollar camera time the exposure for me.
melcat wrote:
The Olympus OM-2N from the 1970s went to 2 minutes. (I might add, in about half the size and weight of a Canon 5D.) AFAIK that is the longest of any production camera ever made, and it was done, in Av only, by measuring light reflected off the film during exposure.
My Nikon FE2 will happily expose for 15-20 minutes (or more) in Av mode, and it does it quite accurately, too (assuming you correct for reciprocity).
Your multi thousand dollar camera does keep track of the time of the exposure, it's in the small window on top of the camera
Whats a pain is that canon doesn't allow for permanent illumination of said LCD panel on any but the 1 series cameras, so when working at night you either use a watch(or smart phone) or buy a timer release
chez wrote:
Pain in the ass if this is really just an arbitrary limit. Monito wrote:
Not a problem at all. Perhaps you should see a proctologist for your ailment. chez wrote:
Monito, seems like you have a constant burr up your butt. Maybe you should just take your own advice and get yourself checked out. You just might become a more likable fellow...but I have my doubts. For me where I do quite often have exposures of more than 30 seconds...yes it is a pain to need to time the exposure with your watch. I'd much rather just click the shutter and have my multi-thousand dollar camera time the exposure for me.
No problems or pains here; you are the one experiencing them.
If a watch is too much trouble for you, get a remote timer. Seems painless enough either way.
Chris Anthony wrote:
Whats a pain is that canon doesn't allow for permanent illumination of said LCD panel on any but the 1 series cameras, so when working at night you either use a watch(or smart phone) or buy a timer release
... or an LED flashlight at the Dollar store. A smart phone can beep you when the time is up. It's a "21st century pocket watch".
you'd think they could make a menu in bulb mode where you enter whatever time you want
i just bought a $30 remote control and do it that way in the few instances when i need it. works great. just time it off my phone or in my head. once you get up there in time an extra second here and there doesn't matter much
molson wrote:
My Nikon FE2 will happily expose for 15-20 minutes (or more) in Av mode, and it does it quite accurately, too (assuming you correct for reciprocity).
REally, that must be where the FM3A inherited that feature from. I don't have a FE2 but I have a FE, FM and FM3A. They all have only 1 second on the dial as the max setting. Anything longer in M mode requires bulb with a locking cable thingie. Oddly, A (Av) mode goes much longer. The specs say 8 seconds for the FM3A in A mode but it seems to be closer to 2 minutes (at least that's all it gave under the conditions I tried).
For long exposures I just use the $30 intervalometer I bought from eBay. It will handle up to 99 minutes, repeat the sequence as many times as I want, delay between starting a sequence, etc.
