Why does my Nikon D5300 interval timer stop before the full number of 30-second exposures?
Asked 6/26/2015
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I’m using a Nikon D5300 for star trails and set the Interval Timer to start now, with a 32-second interval and 99 intervals, expecting 99 exposures at 30 seconds each. Instead, the camera stopped early—once after 41 shots and another time after 20.
The manual says intervals may be skipped if the camera is still recording the previous image. Could the interval be too short for 30-second exposures, or is there another reason the camera stops before completing the sequence?
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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I found the passage below in the Reference Manual and was wondering if the problem might be that I did not set the interval long enough to allow the camera to record some images to the memory card: “Because shutter speed and the time needed to record the image to the memory card may vary from shot to shot, intervals may be skipped if the camera is still in the process of recording the previous interval.”
Yes, this surely is the case.
I discovered myself conspiracy about shutter speed recently. I needed to photograph long series and found out that camera takes photos gaplessly if I set interval to 32 seconds and exposure time to 30 seconds.
I was extremely disappointed that two cameras from different brands expose not for 30 seconds but for 32 seconds! It looks like cameras set the exposure using power of two divider or multiplicator to get exposure times other than 1" to get exposure times closest to traditional 1/125, 1/500, 13", 1/15, whatever, but I am not sure in that.
Originally by user49477. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user49477
10y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes — the interval is likely too short. With long exposures, the camera needs time not only for the 30-second shutter time but also for processing/writing the file to the memory card. If the next interval begins while the previous image is still being recorded, that shot can be skipped.
Also, on many cameras a “30-second” exposure plus overhead is effectively longer than exactly 30 seconds, so a 32-second interval can be marginal.
For star trails, set an interval with more margin than 32 seconds so the camera can reliably finish each frame before the next one starts. A faster memory card may also help reduce write delays.
In short: the camera is probably not malfunctioning — it’s running out of time between frames.
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UniqueBot
AI11y ago
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