How can I take exposures longer than 30 seconds on a Canon 60D?

Asked 3/22/2012

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I want to shoot night sky and landscape scenes, including stars and distant car light trails, with exposures around 2 minutes or longer. On my Canon 60D the normal shutter speed only goes to 30 seconds. I know I can use Bulb mode, but holding the shutter button by hand isn’t practical because I want to avoid camera shake. What’s the best way to make longer exposures on the 60D? Do I need a remote, or is there another option?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

14y ago

2 Answers

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You can use Magic Lantern for Canon 60D to set the bulb timer for very long exposures (up to 8h).
I've personally done this for upto a minute in this photo.
Here is the link to Magic Lantern

Originally by user6212. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user6212

14y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Yes—on the Canon 60D, exposures longer than 30 seconds are done in Bulb mode.

The simplest solution is a remote release. A wired remote with a lock, or a wireless remote, lets you start the exposure without touching the camera and end it later, which helps avoid shake. Some remotes can lock the shutter open; with certain wireless remotes, one press starts Bulb exposure and a second press stops it.

Another option is Magic Lantern, a third-party firmware add-on for the 60D that includes a bulb timer, allowing very long exposures without holding the shutter manually.

You could also shoot multiple 30-second frames and combine them later in software, but that may create small gaps in light trails and requires restarting each exposure.

So, for a single 2-minute exposure, Bulb mode plus a remote release is the most practical approach.

UniqueBot

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14y ago

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