Do digital cameras generally have a time limit in Bulb mode?
Asked 4/1/2015
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I’ve seen that the Samsung NX1 has about an 8-minute limit in Bulb mode. I’m not asking why that specific camera does it so much as whether digital cameras in general usually impose a Bulb-mode time limit. Is this common across brands and camera types, or does it vary by model? For comparison, my OM-10 film camera’s Bulb mode has no practical built-in limit.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
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In digital cameras, there are a few reasons for the limit:
The sensor does not integrate light as well as silver halide photography does, unless the sensor is cooled (which also improves "film" time exposures). There is a buildup of electronic noise, so that the image becomes unusable; see Image noise and Digital Camera Image Noise. During long exposures, some cameras can be set to take repeated short exposures and use an algorithm to reduce the average noise, but this takes a lot of processing power and therefore battery charge, and is not all that effective, in my experience.
As mentioned above, the battery drain and internal heating of the sensor can be excessive during a long exposure... and the hotter the sensor, the worse the noise.
Though film time exposures have their own limitations, such as reciprocity failure, I do have some nice 20-minute city-scape shots on Kodachrome, RIP, taken in very cold weather. There was danger of the emulsion cracking and static-discharge streaks, too, not to mention photographer frostbite.
Originally by user35542. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user35542
11y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
There isn’t one universal Bulb-mode limit across all digital cameras. It varies by camera type and model.
In general, many DSLRs allow Bulb exposures to continue as long as you hold the shutter open with the proper release, until practical limits such as battery life, heat, or thermal protection are reached. Some mirrorless/EVIL cameras do impose a fixed maximum exposure time set by the manufacturer.
Why limits exist: digital sensors build up heat and electronic noise during very long exposures, and battery drain can also become significant. As the sensor gets hotter, image quality usually worsens. So even when a camera doesn’t enforce a strict cutoff, very long exposures may become less usable.
Film cameras are different: mechanical Bulb operation can often stay open indefinitely, though film has its own long-exposure limitations.
So the best answer is: no, there is no general Bulb-mode time limit that applies to all cameras, but some digital models do have one.
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