Quiet, budget Nikon F-mount camera options for long-term timelapse
Asked 4/21/2013
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2 answers
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I want to set up a long-running timelapse from an office building, taking a frame every 30ā60 minutes without disturbing nearby coworkers. I already have a Nikon D70 and an F-mount lens, but Iād like the camera to be as quiet as possible. Can the D70 keep its mirror locked up and still shoot for timelapse, or is that not possible? If not, what affordable camera options would let me use Nikon F-mount lenses while keeping shutter noise very low? Bracketing would also be useful.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source Ā· Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
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Have you considered using a Nikon J1 with an adapter? The J1 has an electronic (rather than mechanical) shutter and is totally silent.
The J1 can be had for a song these days, as it's one or two generations behind the current model, and it even has a time-lapse function (something most older DSLRs will lack).
However, Nikon's adapter (called FT-1) is unfortunately as expensive as the camera. So depending on the focal length needed, you might be better off buying a used J1 with a kit lens, which doesn't add much to the price, rather than using the F-mount lens you had in mind.
If you're fine with losing all automatic functions (metering, focusing), you can also substitute a cheap mechanical adapter for the FT-1. See for instance here: http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3389573
In the event that compact camera quality is sufficient, you might consider using a Canon compact with the CHDK firmware, which essentially makes the camera programmable, so time-lapses are no problem, and since compacts are silent, that requirement is fulfilled too.
Originally by user19528. Source Ā· Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user19528
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community ā verify before relying on it.
The Nikon D70 does not appear to offer mirror lock-up for this use, so itās not a practical way to make it quiet for unattended timelapse. More generally, DSLR mirror lock-up is usually meant for reducing vibration before a shot, not for leaving the mirror up permanently during normal shooting.
From the suggestions given, two realistic directions are:
- Used Nikon D200 ā inexpensive on the used market and supports mirror lock-up, but itās still a DSLR with a mechanical shutter, so it wonāt be silent.
- Nikon 1 J1 + F-mount adapter ā the J1 uses an electronic shutter and can be effectively silent, which makes it a much better fit if noise is the main concern. It also includes timelapse functionality. The downside is that Nikonās FT-1 F-mount adapter can cost as much as the camera itself. A cheap mechanical adapter is possible if you can live without autofocus and metering.
If silence is the priority, the J1-style solution is the best match from the options mentioned. If keeping native F-mount handling matters more than silence, a used DSLR like the D200 is the budget route.
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