The GVM Motorized Slider: Understanding Timelapse
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- The GVM motorized slider is well made and gives beautifully smooth camera movement. The documentation that comes with it, however, leaves much to be desired. This is particularly true of the timelapse function. This video is intended to clarify how to set up the GVM to do this successfully.
AMAZON LINKS for the GVM 31" Carbon Fiber Motorized Slider:
Canada - amazon.ca/dp/B0...
US - amazon.com/dp/B...
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So helpful!! I was completely lost with the instructions from GVM.
thanks so much. never would have figured this out from the documentation!
Very well done Sir! I really like your diagram which helped mentally break down parameters across the entire time lapse sequence. I have a non motorized slider and am looking at buying the GVM motorized slider. Thanks again! I like your style calm and informative.
Thanks very much. The GVM in my opinion is great value for money, and gives very smooth "dolly" shots. Have fun with it!
Thank you very much, GVM should compensate you for the great work... well done
Very good presentation. Subscribed!
Thank you! "Time Lapse" on my GVM GP-80QD had me totally bewildered. GVM certainly dropped the ball on this. My slider is different, but the controller appears to be exactly the same.
Thanks mate, it helped a lot as I'm gonna do my first time lapse on the GVM 31" in these days in Scotland and realised I'm totally clueless about the parameters to set😁
I was about to test how long it will actually take to move from start to end point (using the whole length). After watching your video all I need is a little bit of math if I want to have longer or shorter timelapse and I'm good to go. That saved me a lot of time. Thanks so much
Glad to help!
Thank you so much for taking the time to make this!
Thanks for this! Very helpful. I just got a GVM slider and those parameters are not intuitive at all. They make a lot more sense now.
Thanks!!! Very helpful! Mystery solved.
Thank you!
Thank you very much for posting this. I rather doubt I would have been able to figure this out. Can you tell me how I would work it ( best way ) if I wanted to do a 20 sec exposure and have 5 seconds in-between shots? Thank you
Great video. The diagram does indeed help. I bought a GVM 1.5D used and also found the instructions to be totally worthless. My WiFi controller looks a bit different than in this video. Under "Timelapse" the first menu item is "Times," which shows a whole set of undecipherable digits. I have zero clue on what is going on. If anyone has a simple chart on the numbers I need to enter into my remote, please let me know!! All I need is a finished 10 or 12-second video (@ 24fps) that covers approximately 45 minutes of "real time" and uses one pass of the 31" slider (A-->B). So I guess I need about 240 total snaps of the shutter spaced 11 or 12 seconds apart. Why does GVM make it this hard?
I bought a different slider but this helped me out , big thumbs up 👍👍👍 ok 3 thumbs
Thanks, man! Your explanation is clear and helpfull!:)
thanks a lot for your help , I understand now evrything !!!
Think u explain timelapse on the GVM 80 slider. Asking for a friend.
Thank You for this great video. Clearly your timelapse videos are more than 3 minutes long. I must be missing a big step here.
A 6 second NTSC video (29/97fps) will have 180 frames in it (per the math). So in a 1 hour timelapse, I want to set up the camera to take a photo every 20 seconds. I set my GVM to A and B and 1% . So, I have my accessory cable plugged in and my camera timelapse set for a 20 second interval and 180 photos,, then I hit start.
And the GVM doesn't respond. Am I missing a step?
Hi Harvey. Your math assumptions are correct, but I'm not sure I know what you mean by A and B and 1%. I tried to replicate your problem, so here is my setup:
1. I selected Settings mode with the down arrow button, held the round button down, then selected Set Start with the round button. At this time, you can use the up/down arrow keys to set the Speed if you want. I use 75% by default. If you want to start from the A end (right hand end when the carriage motor is facing you), use the right arrow button to start the carriage moving toward the right...but CAUTION...be ready to hit the round button to stop it when it gets within 1-2 cm of the end. Then push and hold the round button to lock that setting in. You may have to repeat the process a couple of times to get the start point where you want it. Push and hold the round button to back out of Set Start.
2. Scroll down to Set End and hit the round button. Now, use the left arrow key to move the carriage to with 1-2 cm of the left end and hit the round button to stop it. Press and hold the round button to lock in that position as your end. Push and hold the round button to back out to the top menu. You can move the carriage to the right (Start or A) end at this time if you wish using Video Shot>Manual> right arrow key. It will stop when it reached the start point, even if you hold the right arrow key down.
3. Select Time Lapse from the top menu and hit the round button. Use the up/down arrow keys to choose the parameter you want to set, then left/right to set the value. I set Time Lapse to 1 sec., interval to 0.2 and Photo to 180. Then I tap the round button (don't hold) which brings me to the Time Lapse screen with the Speed setting. By pressing the left arrow key (assuming I have moved the carriage back to the right hand end) it will index to the first position and say 'Photo 1' on the display. If you decided to start from the left end (B-A) you can do so by pressing the right arrow key when in the Time Lapse screen. It will index (move) every 20 sec. from then on and will stop when it reaches your stop point (whether or not it has taken 180 shots). This is where the tweaking of Time Lapse parameters may be necessary to get all 180 shots done before it runs out of carriage.
Nothing about this controller is intuitive. I hope this gets you on your way with the GVM's time lapse function. If not, feel free to contact me again.
Thank You for your reply! And Your Reply is detailed and helpful!
One difference though is that I bought the GVM with the app. And I think the app works differently. It is more intuitive. BUT that isn't my original problem!
My original problem (I just realized after writing to you) is that I'm a bonehead. I was trying to get my Nikon to control the GVM,, or at least work with it via the timelapse functionality of my Nikon,, (oops). When I realized that the GVM totally controls my Nikon, then the GVM App really started to make sense. And it works. ,, -sometimes.
--my latest problem now is that it will randomly NOT take a photo. Argh! Taking 214 photos when there should be 300 makes for jittery junk timelapses.
So thank you for your helpful reply! , but now I'm off to more problems with my motorized slider.
-H
@@phototopics1156 Nikon has informed me that the trigger skipping is my GVM. And GVM is blaming it on my Nikon. Argh! I'm going to run a test on a different camara,, as soon as I can find another one/buy one with an accessory port. !!
@@intriguingmegalithicperspe1764 bought recently a GVM 80 slider and was skipping around 16 fr. It turned out I had Auto focus on. Food for thought…!
Thank you very much for the time you've spent in this. Much appreciated. It works pretty well. But i have difficulties to find the simple way to ... "launch" the timelaps at the end of the parameters... I click on A to B but nothing happens... And after 2 minutes, without knowing how i did it, it began to run. Anybody in this case?
I am about to buy this unit but i was told you cannot do a long overnight or full day timelapse from A to B. If you set to take a photo lets say every 10 seconds with a 2 second pause before the camera moves, it is impossible to take a 24 hour timelapse that creates a video of 24fps longer than roughly 30 seconds. Is this so, or is there a way make a 5 minute time lapse video at 24fps over a 24hour period only going from A to B one time? Your answer is greatly appreciated!
Thanks for your enquiry. Just to verify, I'll do the math to make sure I understand. If you're shooting every 10 seconds with a 2 second pause, you will be shooting 5 shots/minute or 300 shots per hour. Over 24 hours, that's 7200 shots. Assuming your camera's card can store that, and that both camera and slider are powered up by a power supply, the GVM controller will certainly allow you to program that number of shots. At 24fps, 7200 frames will give you a 5 minute video. The question is whether or not you can squeeze 7200 shots over about 60cm of slider distance, which is about as much realistically that you're going to get with an 80cm slider. That means the carriage must only move about 0.08mm between shots. That's where the challenge is. I tested this by setting Interval to 0.1 and Speed to 1%, which is as slow as it will go, and I notice that it moves a minimum of about 1mm (just by eyeballing it). That would mean you could only get about 600 or so shots max. over the length of the carriage, resulting in a 25 second video at 24 fps.
So, there may be some truth to what you were told, unfortunately.
I want to do time lapse for the growing fruits. Take about 2 months to ripe. Is it possible if I can set up the slider for that long period? (of course I know that I have to use DC power to plug in). Thanks
Interesting project. Yes - a power supply would be required for both slider and camera over that period. I couldn't say for sure if it would work over 2 months, but if you set the Interval to maximum, the Speed to minimum and the Stop time to maximum, that would give you the longest possible time to do a time lapse. I would experiment with these settings to see if they will give you a long enough period (see how long it takes to go a quarter of the way and multiply by four to test it). Don't forget to set the start and end points carefully before you start. Best of luck!
@@phototopics1156 Thank you for replying.
Thank you for this video. Have you figured out how to get the most shots (I need about 800) out of the time lapse function?
The Photo counter will go into the thousands if you want it to, so 800 is no problem. The trick then becomes finding the Speed and Interval settings that will allow you to fit 800 images along the length of the slider. With the Interval set at minimum (0.1), the speed may have to be in the 20-30 percent range to make this happen. A word of caution though, the Speed setting is anything but linear, so my estimate may be way off. It's something you need to play with until you find the sweet spot.
Hey, how do you save the start and end points so you don't have to set the points again after you turn off the remote?
I wish there was a way, Jermaine, but unfortunately as soon as you turn off the controller, those settings are gone.
Thanks so unfortunate. Hopefully they send an update. I’ll try calling them about it.
Im trying to do a 7 day lapes and it moves from a to b over that time while taking pictures every 20 mins...can this be done? I have this unit..having a hard time figuring it out
The maximum Stop time you can set is 999.9 seconds, or less than 17 minutes, but that's fairly close to your goal of 20. Sounds like you intended to take a little over 500 shots during those 7 days, but with a 17 minute interval, you would shoot around 590 shots over 7 days. So if you try setting Stop time to 999.9, Interval to 0.1, Speed to 1%, number of shots to 590 and Time Lapse to, say, 1 second (not critical), that should give you the 590 shots over the 60cm that you realistically have for the carriage to travel.
That said, I would test it out over a short period of time (maybe half a day) using these parameters, then extrapolate the distance it actually travels to a seven day period to see if the total distance travelled will come out to about 60cm. If not, play with Interval and/or Speed until you get the result you want. And, don't forget to set the start and end points as close to the end of travel beforehand in order to get the full 60cm of travel.
@@phototopics1156 thanks so much. I have another question my unit never came with a 12 V adapter so I went and bought one it doesn’t seem to work do I need to have the battery fully charged??
@@kaitlinheartballs
I suspect the connector on your 12V adapter is the wrong type. First, ensure that the centre conductor on the barrel connector is + and the outer -. Connectors may fit, but the size of the inner opening varies in diameter. I had the same result as you (ie. nothing) until I realized the connector inner diameter is too large and wasn't contacting the inner pin on the controller jack. I would recommend taking the controller with you when you source an adapter to make sure it works.
still dont understandit . i almost bought this thing. why they made it so complicated
Nice video and explanation, this is a great slider but as you say the documentation is not good. Any chance you can post the chart for download?
Thanks, Christopher. I've looked for a way to add the charts in the description for download, but haven't had any luck. Do you know how to do it? I would be happy to email them to you if not.
Hey i don't understand how can i start the timelapse
After you've set up the time lapse parameters on the controller, just hit either the left or right arrow key to start the carriage moving in the intended direction.
Hello mate good video - been making some time lapse video with this slider and it’s really bizarre that sometimes I get the Settings perfect but other times not and quit annoying - I use it in manual mode??? is it better in bulb mode ? So the controller does everything rather than the manual mode
Hi Hawkeye. Yeah, it can be tricky figuring out the settings to get an exact number of frames in your time lapse. Your camera settings in manual mode determine how long the shutter is open. Bulb won't work because the slider controller only puts out a short pulse and therefore doesn't hold the shutter open for more than a fraction of a second. The controller only triggers the camera shutter and doesn't hold it open for the desired 20 seconds or so.
i just brought this exact slider, however when i set it on loop once it reaches the end of rail it stays stuck nd starts grinding the belt, shouldn't it reach the end of rail A-B and reveres back in to a loop?
You need to set end points before running it. The end points should be just inside each end of the slider's travel. Once set, it will loop between the end points you set.
@@phototopics1156 thnx🤙🤙🤙
Thanks for making this video. I tried using logic on those parameters and found it was useless since the instruction tell you next to nothing.
What model is this?
It's the 80cm version (~31")
Veeery helpful thanks, and I actually found you and another guy gave slightly different info that complements each other, this guy Corey gave a chart to work out what speed % settings to use depending on how many shots. ua-cam.com/video/px0NzbjjBH8/v-deo.html Your explanation about 'timelapse' setting (delay between moving and shutter opening) slightly clearer and great graphic thanks!