Pentax K3 Time Lapse Issue!

Korus · 02-26-2015, 04:28 PM

I've had my Pentax K3 for about 10 months now and until recently I hadn't really used it that much. I have started doing quite a bit of time lapse photography over the last few months and I did encounter the old rapid shutter problem which I sorted out with the most recent software update.

Now I've started to get a problem with the camera just deciding to stop shooting and gives me a msg that the interval is complete? Most of the time I'm shooting about 500 shots or so and my K3 seems to be stopping anywhere from 50-110 shots into the time lapse. I don't get any issues with the shutter just the message that my interval shooting is complete.

Does anyone have any ideas or has encountered this problem? I've tried a few differently worded google searches but cant seem to find anything.

Cheers

Steve.Ledger · 02-26-2015, 04:36 PM

I've had this happen with the Q, even with the AC power adapter connected, so it wasn't a low battery issue. All I can put it down to is a software bug as there was no other reason why.

Adam · 02-26-2015, 04:49 PM

Originally posted by Korus

I've had my Pentax K3 for about 10 months now and until recently I hadn't really used it that much. I have started doing quite a bit of time lapse photography over the last few months and I did encounter the old rapid shutter problem which I sorted out with the most recent software update.

Now I've started to get a problem with the camera just deciding to stop shooting and gives me a msg that the interval is complete? Most of the time I'm shooting about 500 shots or so and my K3 seems to be stopping anywhere from 50-110 shots into the time lapse. I don't get any issues with the shutter just the message that my interval shooting is complete.

Does anyone have any ideas or has encountered this problem? I've tried a few differently worded google searches but cant seem to find anything.

Cheers

The way the interval is set up is a little bit confusing. For example, if you wanted to shoot photos at a shutter speed of 2s each 5s apart, you would need to use an interval of 7s (2+5), since the interval does not stack on top of the shutter speed.

Korus · 02-26-2015, 05:46 PM

Originally posted by Adam

The way the interval is set up is a little bit confusing. For example, if you wanted to shoot photos at a shutter speed of 2s each 5s apart, you would need to use an interval of 7s (2+5), since the interval does not stack on top of the shutter speed.

I don't understand how that would make a difference? Are you saying that for example I started out shooting at 2s exposure on 2s intervals in AV mode and then as it gets darker the exposure is 10s the camera is missing out on those extra 2 exposures? (2+2=4 / 2+10=12 4/12=3). It still wouldn't add up though as its random every time because I just restart it when it stops.

What i think is happening is that the software fix for the runaway shutter is doing its job by not making the shutter go crazy, but it seems to be stopping my intervals? That would explain the randomness of the frames its shooting.

---------- Post added 02-27-15 at 01:04 AM ----------

Originally posted by Korus

I don't understand how that would make a difference? Are you saying that for example I started out shooting at 2s exposure on 2s intervals in AV mode and then as it gets darker the exposure is 10s the camera is missing out on those extra 2 exposures? (2+2=4 / 2+10=12 4/12=3). It still wouldn't add up though as its random every time because I just restart it when it stops.

What i think is happening is that the software fix for the runaway shutter is doing its job by not making the shutter go crazy, but it seems to be stopping my intervals? That would explain the randomness of the frames its shooting.

For instance when I was out tonight it happened the first time after 113 shots, second time 100 and the third time 48. Exposure time started at 2s and went to 8s over a few hours, interval time was 4s. Overall shot number was set at 500.

If intervals don't stack on top of the shutter speed then in makes AV mode pretty much unusable, unless off course I set the intervals to the maximum exposure/interval combo of 1 min per interval (30s Exp / 30s Int). You can obviously go longer on the exposures with bulb, but I'm not really at the level yet and I don't think I'll be giving it a shot anytime soon if thats the case with the K3.

Hopefully thats not the case but I see you have over 30k posts so I'm guessing you know Pentax inside out by now

stevebrot · 02-26-2015, 07:14 PM

Originally posted by Korus

I did encounter the old rapid shutter problem which I sorted out with the most recent software update.

I know this is probably not related directly to your interval shooting problem, but are you aware that the firmware update (v1.11) does not cure the runaway mirror issue. What it does do is dump the exposure if the runaway state is detected. (A dark frame is recorded.) This could be problematic when doing interval work since your total time will be appropriate, but the number of images smaller than what you intended.

If you are still under warranty, Ricoh does have a durable fix for the problem, but it requires the camera be sent to the service center. The fix involves a low-level re-flash of the mirror controller. This firmware is not accessible to the normal firmware update process.

Steve

Adam · 02-26-2015, 07:17 PM

Originally posted by Korus

I don't understand how that would make a difference? Are you saying that for example I started out shooting at 2s exposure on 2s intervals in AV mode and then as it gets darker the exposure is 10s the camera is missing out on those extra 2 exposures? (2+2=4 / 2+10=12 4/12=3). It still wouldn't add up though as its random every time because I just restart it when it stops.

What i think is happening is that the software fix for the runaway shutter is doing its job by not making the shutter go crazy, but it seems to be stopping my intervals? That would explain the randomness of the frames its shooting.

---------- Post added 02-27-15 at 01:04 AM ----------

For instance when I was out tonight it happened the first time after 113 shots, second time 100 and the third time 48. Exposure time started at 2s and went to 8s over a few hours, interval time was 4s. Overall shot number was set at 500.

If intervals don't stack on top of the shutter speed then in makes AV mode pretty much unusable, unless off course I set the intervals to the maximum exposure/interval combo of 1 min per interval (30s Exp / 30s Int). You can obviously go longer on the exposures with bulb, but I'm not really at the level yet and I don't think I'll be giving it a shot anytime soon if thats the case with the K3.

Hopefully thats not the case but I see you have over 30k posts so I'm guessing you know Pentax inside out by now

I've only used interval shooting a handful of times on the K-3, but if the exposure time is longer than the interval, it will just skip over the shots that would have happened during that time. I'm not 100% sure on this but I seem to recall that that's what happened to me. So with an 8s exposure, your interval should be at least 9s for you to be guaranteed the set number of shots. I'd increase the ISO perhaps.

In addition, the anti mirror flop protection could possibly be getting in the way, but I'd be inclined to attribute it to low battery voltage rather than a random occurrence.

derekkite · 02-26-2015, 07:30 PM

Originally posted by stevebrot

I know this is probably not related directly to your interval shooting problem, but are you aware that the firmware update (v1.11) does not cure the runaway mirror issue. What it does do is dump the exposure if the runaway state is detected. (A dark frame is recorded.) This could be problematic when doing interval work since your total time will be appropriate, but the number of images smaller than what you intended.

If you are still under warranty, Ricoh does have a durable fix for the problem, but it requires the camera be sent to the service center. The fix involves a low-level re-flash of the mirror controller. This firmware is not accessible to the normal firmware update process.

Steve

This. The 1.11 firmware fix resets the camera if it detects a problem, so any process in progress stops. It needs service. Make sure you document and describe very accurately what is happening.

Aaron28 · 02-26-2015, 09:49 PM

whether you want an interval session of a 100 shots or 500 shots the interval time must exceed the longest exposure time by atleast a second (or double the longest exposure time if noise reduction is turned on)........so if you want a 500 shot session taken and your exposures will range from 2 seconds to 8 seconds the minimum interval will be 9 seconds for the entire 500 shot session when noise reduction is not turned on.......if noise reduction is turned on then the minimum interval will 17 seconds........if the interval is not set above the maximum exposure time for a given interval session it will not complete the number of shots (500) you asked it to do it will stop once exposure time exceeds the interval time........I use the function often and had to learn that the interval time is inclusive of the exposure time......took me a few to understand that if I wanted 30 second exposures the interval must be 31 seconds (not using noise reduction) to do star trails........I have not done an interval session with a 2 second to 8 second variation in exposure time but if I did the minimum interval time would be set to 9 seconds (again with noise reduction off)..............good luck and happy shooting

Korus · 02-27-2015, 09:07 AM

Many thanks for all the info guys, I've studied and done photography for quite a few years, however I'm new to the whole time lapse stuff and I guess I'm still getting my head around everything. I guess I just assumed that the intervals would stack on top of the exposures as that would be the most logic thing (in my mind), however after reading more about intervalometers it seems that it works like that for external one's too.

Again thanks for the info & explanations I will put it to good use

P.s The update v1.11 seems to have sorted my problem & I haven't had any blank images yet (touch wood), I will continue to monitor this as I still have a few months on the warranty.

Cheers

Scott

Aaron28 · 02-27-2015, 08:19 PM

good deal

willskywalker93 · 08-13-2015, 10:31 PM

Glad I found this. I tried my first time lapse of the milky way tonight and it stopped about four hours too soon. Luckily I was paranoid and went back into the woods to check it! Only lost 13 minutes of shots, hopefully not detrimental to a five hour lapse.

Manadh · 08-17-2015, 01:37 AM

I was out on Saturday attempting star trails for the first time.
I'd done the maths for how many shots I would need, set it all up and was bamboozled when it only shot 4 images.
Finally set it to 2000 then stopped it after half an hour as I couldn't figure out what it was doing.

Thanks for the clarification on this, I know what I need to do next time I give it a go!

02-26-2015, 04:28 PM	#1
Korus New Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 3	Pentax K3 Time Lapse Issue! I've had my Pentax K3 for about 10 months now and until recently I hadn't really used it that much. I have started doing quite a bit of time lapse photography over the last few months and I did encounter the old rapid shutter problem which I sorted out with the most recent software update. Now I've started to get a problem with the camera just deciding to stop shooting and gives me a msg that the interval is complete? Most of the time I'm shooting about 500 shots or so and my K3 seems to be stopping anywhere from 50-110 shots into the time lapse. I don't get any issues with the shutter just the message that my interval shooting is complete. Does anyone have any ideas or has encountered this problem? I've tried a few differently worded google searches but cant seem to find anything. Cheers

02-26-2015, 04:49 PM	#3
Adam Administrator Site Webmaster Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 51,595	Originally posted by Korus I've had my Pentax K3 for about 10 months now and until recently I hadn't really used it that much. I have started doing quite a bit of time lapse photography over the last few months and I did encounter the old rapid shutter problem which I sorted out with the most recent software update. Now I've started to get a problem with the camera just deciding to stop shooting and gives me a msg that the interval is complete? Most of the time I'm shooting about 500 shots or so and my K3 seems to be stopping anywhere from 50-110 shots into the time lapse. I don't get any issues with the shutter just the message that my interval shooting is complete. Does anyone have any ideas or has encountered this problem? I've tried a few differently worded google searches but cant seem to find anything. Cheers The way the interval is set up is a little bit confusing. For example, if you wanted to shoot photos at a shutter speed of 2s each 5s apart, you would need to use an interval of 7s (2+5), since the interval does not stack on top of the shutter speed. Adam PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide \| Site Help \| My Photography) PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:

02-26-2015, 07:17 PM	#6
Adam Administrator Site Webmaster Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 51,595	Originally posted by Korus I don't understand how that would make a difference? Are you saying that for example I started out shooting at 2s exposure on 2s intervals in AV mode and then as it gets darker the exposure is 10s the camera is missing out on those extra 2 exposures? (2+2=4 / 2+10=12 4/12=3). It still wouldn't add up though as its random every time because I just restart it when it stops. What i think is happening is that the software fix for the runaway shutter is doing its job by not making the shutter go crazy, but it seems to be stopping my intervals? That would explain the randomness of the frames its shooting. ---------- Post added 02-27-15 at 01:04 AM ---------- For instance when I was out tonight it happened the first time after 113 shots, second time 100 and the third time 48. Exposure time started at 2s and went to 8s over a few hours, interval time was 4s. Overall shot number was set at 500. If intervals don't stack on top of the shutter speed then in makes AV mode pretty much unusable, unless off course I set the intervals to the maximum exposure/interval combo of 1 min per interval (30s Exp / 30s Int). You can obviously go longer on the exposures with bulb, but I'm not really at the level yet and I don't think I'll be giving it a shot anytime soon if thats the case with the K3. Hopefully thats not the case but I see you have over 30k posts so I'm guessing you know Pentax inside out by now I've only used interval shooting a handful of times on the K-3, but if the exposure time is longer than the interval, it will just skip over the shots that would have happened during that time. I'm not 100% sure on this but I seem to recall that that's what happened to me. So with an 8s exposure, your interval should be at least 9s for you to be guaranteed the set number of shots. I'd increase the ISO perhaps. In addition, the anti mirror flop protection could possibly be getting in the way, but I'd be inclined to attribute it to low battery voltage rather than a random occurrence. Adam PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide \| Site Help \| My Photography) PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:

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02-26-2015, 04:36 PM	#2
Steve.Ledger Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Far North Qld Posts: 3,301	I've had this happen with the Q, even with the AC power adapter connected, so it wasn't a low battery issue. All I can put it down to is a software bug as there was no other reason why.

02-26-2015, 05:46 PM	#4
Korus New Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 3 Original Poster	Originally posted by Adam The way the interval is set up is a little bit confusing. For example, if you wanted to shoot photos at a shutter speed of 2s each 5s apart, you would need to use an interval of 7s (2+5), since the interval does not stack on top of the shutter speed. I don't understand how that would make a difference? Are you saying that for example I started out shooting at 2s exposure on 2s intervals in AV mode and then as it gets darker the exposure is 10s the camera is missing out on those extra 2 exposures? (2+2=4 / 2+10=12 4/12=3). It still wouldn't add up though as its random every time because I just restart it when it stops. What i think is happening is that the software fix for the runaway shutter is doing its job by not making the shutter go crazy, but it seems to be stopping my intervals? That would explain the randomness of the frames its shooting. ---------- Post added 02-27-15 at 01:04 AM ---------- Originally posted by Korus I don't understand how that would make a difference? Are you saying that for example I started out shooting at 2s exposure on 2s intervals in AV mode and then as it gets darker the exposure is 10s the camera is missing out on those extra 2 exposures? (2+2=4 / 2+10=12 4/12=3). It still wouldn't add up though as its random every time because I just restart it when it stops. What i think is happening is that the software fix for the runaway shutter is doing its job by not making the shutter go crazy, but it seems to be stopping my intervals? That would explain the randomness of the frames its shooting. For instance when I was out tonight it happened the first time after 113 shots, second time 100 and the third time 48. Exposure time started at 2s and went to 8s over a few hours, interval time was 4s. Overall shot number was set at 500. If intervals don't stack on top of the shutter speed then in makes AV mode pretty much unusable, unless off course I set the intervals to the maximum exposure/interval combo of 1 min per interval (30s Exp / 30s Int). You can obviously go longer on the exposures with bulb, but I'm not really at the level yet and I don't think I'll be giving it a shot anytime soon if thats the case with the K3. Hopefully thats not the case but I see you have over 30k posts so I'm guessing you know Pentax inside out by now

02-26-2015, 07:14 PM	#5
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	Originally posted by Korus I did encounter the old rapid shutter problem which I sorted out with the most recent software update. I know this is probably not related directly to your interval shooting problem, but are you aware that the firmware update (v1.11) does not cure the runaway mirror issue. What it does do is dump the exposure if the runaway state is detected. (A dark frame is recorded.) This could be problematic when doing interval work since your total time will be appropriate, but the number of images smaller than what you intended. If you are still under warranty, Ricoh does have a durable fix for the problem, but it requires the camera be sent to the service center. The fix involves a low-level re-flash of the mirror controller. This firmware is not accessible to the normal firmware update process. Steve

02-26-2015, 07:30 PM	#7
derekkite Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Nelson B.C. Posts: 3,782	Originally posted by stevebrot I know this is probably not related directly to your interval shooting problem, but are you aware that the firmware update (v1.11) does not cure the runaway mirror issue. What it does do is dump the exposure if the runaway state is detected. (A dark frame is recorded.) This could be problematic when doing interval work since your total time will be appropriate, but the number of images smaller than what you intended. If you are still under warranty, Ricoh does have a durable fix for the problem, but it requires the camera be sent to the service center. The fix involves a low-level re-flash of the mirror controller. This firmware is not accessible to the normal firmware update process. Steve This. The 1.11 firmware fix resets the camera if it detects a problem, so any process in progress stops. It needs service. Make sure you document and describe very accurately what is happening.

02-26-2015, 09:49 PM	#8
Aaron28 Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Huntsville, Al Posts: 7,131	whether you want an interval session of a 100 shots or 500 shots the interval time must exceed the longest exposure time by atleast a second (or double the longest exposure time if noise reduction is turned on)........so if you want a 500 shot session taken and your exposures will range from 2 seconds to 8 seconds the minimum interval will be 9 seconds for the entire 500 shot session when noise reduction is not turned on.......if noise reduction is turned on then the minimum interval will 17 seconds........if the interval is not set above the maximum exposure time for a given interval session it will not complete the number of shots (500) you asked it to do it will stop once exposure time exceeds the interval time........I use the function often and had to learn that the interval time is inclusive of the exposure time......took me a few to understand that if I wanted 30 second exposures the interval must be 31 seconds (not using noise reduction) to do star trails........I have not done an interval session with a 2 second to 8 second variation in exposure time but if I did the minimum interval time would be set to 9 seconds (again with noise reduction off)..............good luck and happy shooting

02-27-2015, 09:07 AM	#9
Korus New Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 3 Original Poster	Many thanks for all the info guys, I've studied and done photography for quite a few years, however I'm new to the whole time lapse stuff and I guess I'm still getting my head around everything. I guess I just assumed that the intervals would stack on top of the exposures as that would be the most logic thing (in my mind), however after reading more about intervalometers it seems that it works like that for external one's too. Again thanks for the info & explanations I will put it to good use P.s The update v1.11 seems to have sorted my problem & I haven't had any blank images yet (touch wood), I will continue to monitor this as I still have a few months on the warranty. Cheers Scott

02-27-2015, 08:19 PM	#10
Aaron28 Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Huntsville, Al Posts: 7,131	good deal

08-13-2015, 10:31 PM	#11
willskywalker93 Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 407	Glad I found this. I tried my first time lapse of the milky way tonight and it stopped about four hours too soon. Luckily I was paranoid and went back into the woods to check it! Only lost 13 minutes of shots, hopefully not detrimental to a five hour lapse.

08-17-2015, 01:37 AM	#12
Manadh New Member Join Date: May 2013 Posts: 2	I was out on Saturday attempting star trails for the first time. I'd done the maths for how many shots I would need, set it all up and was bamboozled when it only shot 4 images. Finally set it to 2000 then stopped it after half an hour as I couldn't figure out what it was doing. Thanks for the clarification on this, I know what I need to do next time I give it a go!