Imagine skies of purple, lightening to all shades of peaches, and then morphing into clear blues. Wouldn’t you want to see that, over and over again? Indeed, when we were in Ireland, staying at Pier Cottage on the Ring of Kerry, I woke early each morning just to see the show that Apollo would put on, riding amongst the mountains of the Beara Peninsula across the sea from our home. Sometimes he’d ride high, avoiding the clouds darkening the morning hours, or focus on a single color (those dusky oranges). Other times, the sky was splattered with all shades, as if Jasper Johns himself was tagging along. I tried to capture these otherworldly colors and transitions with my camera, but it wasn’t enough to truly explore the essence of what I was seeing.

Recently, we were sent a time lapse camera to review, the Brinno TLC200.

First, Ed took a jaunt on his bike around our lake with the camera firmly attached to the handlebars (bike mount and other accessories available online) – 2.5 miles on the private road, some sections paved and others bumpy, potholed dirt. He avoided those dogs that chase, this time, as well as the ubiquitous golf carts (secret: go early). What you see is a fun ride – with a photo taken every 1 second – around the lake.

Another morning, we set it up on our deck overlooking the lake, and then headed back inside to catch a few more zzzs – it was a case of the sandman beating Apollo that day. Somehow, mornings aren’t as exciting when they are there for the taking every day. We recorded the sunrise and the whole busy day on the lake, with ten second intervals. 

Now I understand what was missing all those early mornings in Ireland – the movement, you see. A camera can capture a scene, yes. A video camera can capture a moment. But a time lapse camera can capture the essence of place. The subtle movements, quiet animals, branches rustling in the wind, people moving through (whether a kayak, stand up paddleboard, or boat), flags waving sinuously, raft eddying about – all of these things make up a view that truly tells the story of a place.

And so. This camera is a useful addition to any photographer’s kit. It’s better than a video camera at sharing long times – seminal moments in a day (or longer). We love them for sunrises and sunsets (the latter, especially over Lake Michigan’s Sunset Coast), and for lake action – busy Saturdays, replete with wakeboarders, stand up paddleboarders, kayaks, jetskis, swimmers, waterskiiers, and even the old fishing boat or two.

What would you use a time lapse camera to capture?

Details: It’s the world’s first HDR time lapse video camera, and is a sturdy camera, with many options for time lapse photography (from every second to every 24 hours). The screen is minimal and has very intuitive controls. It is compact and fits easily onto your tripod. The camera uses 4 AA batteries, which seem to last a long time (meaning minimal energy consumption), and are inexpensive to replace. The standard lens does allow for super wide angle shots (112° field of view), and is very clear with an HDR video sensor, an ultra-high pixel size, and ultra-high light sensitivity. You can add other lenses – the camera has a CS mount interface. The camera comes with a 4G SD card. The best feature? The camera takes the photos and converts them into a video – you won’t have to spend any time mucking about with converting those photos. Yahoo! The camera can be purchased on Amazon.

More information: http://www.brinno.com/html/TLC200pro.html

and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrinnoInc

Notes:

Thanks so much to Brinno for the camera for review! We love it.

Bike video - Take 5, played by Mike Miles
Lake video - River Flows in You, played by Lena Miles
Thank you, my talented family!