Shooting Time-lapse Movies (EOS 6D Mark II)

Still photos shot at a set interval can be stitched together automatically to create a 4K or Full HD time-lapse movie. A time-lapse movie shows how a subject changes in a much shorter period of time than the actual time it took. It is effective for a fixed-point observation of changing scenery, growing plants, celestial motion, etc.

Time-lapse movies will be recorded in the MOV format at the following quality: (NTSC)/ (PAL) for 4K, and (NTSC)/ (PAL) for Full HD.

Note that the frame rate will be switched automatically according to the [ : Video system] setting.

Shooting Time-lapse Movies

1. Set the camera's power switch to ⋖ON⋗.

2. Turn the Mode Dial to select the shooting mode.

As with normal movie shooting, in the ⋖ ⋗, ⋖ ⋗, ⋖ ⋗, ⋖ ⋗, ⋖ ⋗ and ⋖ ⋗ modes, autoexposure shooting takes effect. In the ⋖ ⋗ mode, manual exposure shooting takes effect.

: Press the lock release button

: Turn the Mode Dial

3. Set the Live View shooting/Movie shooting switch to ⋖ ⋗.

4. Press the ⋖MENU⋗ button to display the menu screen.

5. Press the ⋖ ⋗ button, then select the [ ] tab.

6. Under the [ ] tab (the [ ] tab in ⋖ ⋗ and ⋖ ⋗ modes), select [Time-lapse movie], then press ⋖ ⋗.

Modes other than ⋖ ⋗, ⋖ ⋗

⋖ ⋗, ⋖ ⋗ modes

7. Select [Time-lapse].

8. Select [Enable (3840×2160)] or [Enable (1920×1080)].

Enable (3840×2160)

The movie is recorded in 4K quality. The aspect ratio is 16:9. The frame rate of the recorded movie is 29.97fps () for NTSC and 25.00fps () for PAL, and its recording format is Motion JPEG () and its movie file format is MOV ().

Enable (1920×1080)

The movie is recorded in Full High-Definition (Full HD) quality. The aspect ratio is 16:9. The frame rate of the recorded movie is 29.97fps () for NTSC and 25.00fps () for PAL, and its recording format is ALL-I (), and its movie file format is MOV ().

9. Select [Interval].

10. Select the hour, minute, or second, then press ⋖ ⋗ to display ⋖ ⋗.

11. Set the desired number, then press ⋖ ⋗. (Returns to ⋖ ⋗.)

Check the [ : Time required] ( ) and [ : Playback time] ( ) displayed at the bottom of the screen to set the number.

12. Select [OK] to set the shooting interval.

13. Select [No. of shots].

14. Select the digit, press ⋖ ⋗ to display ⋖ ⋗.

15. Set the desired number, then press ⋖ ⋗. (Returns to ⋖ ⋗.)

Check the [ : Time required] and [ : Playback time] displayed at the bottom of the screen to set the number.

16. Check that [ : Playback time] is not displayed in red, and then select [OK] to set the number of shots.

Caution

17. Select [Auto exposure].

18. When you select the exposure’s setting method, press ⋖ ⋗.

19. Select [LCD auto off].

20. Set whether the image is to be displayed, then press ⋖ ⋗.

Caution

21. Select [Beep as img taken].

22. Set the beeper.

Caution

23. Check the settings.

: Time required

Indicates the time required to shoot the set number of shots with the set interval. If it exceeds 24 hours, "*** days" will be displayed.

: Playback time

Indicates the movie recording time (time required to play back the movie) when creating the time-lapse movie in 4K movie or Full HD movie from the still photos taken with the set intervals.

24. Press the ⋖MENU⋗ button to turn off the menu screen.

25. Read the message and select [OK].

26. As with Live View shooting, set the exposure and shooting functions, then press the shutter button halfway to focus.

27. Press the shutter button completely to take test shots. The still photos will be recorded to the card.

28. Press the ⋖ ⋗ button.

To return to step 25, press the ⋖ ⋗ button again.

29. Press the ⋖INFO⋗ button and check again the "Time required" and "Interval" displayed on the screen.

: Number of shots : Time required : Interval

30. Press the shutter button halfway to check the focus and exposure.

31. Press the shutter button completely to start shooting the time-lapse movie.

During time-lapse movie shooting, ⋖ ⋗ will blink on the LCD panel. Also, ⋖ ⋗ will appear on the left of "".

: Shots remaining　: Time-lapse movie

Caution

Do not point the camera toward an intense light source, such as the sun or an intense artificial light source. Doing so may damage the image sensor or the camera’s internal components.

If the camera is connected to a computer with the interface cable (sold separately), or if an HDMI cable is connected to the camera, you cannot select [Enable].

In the ⋖ ⋗, ⋖ ⋗, ⋖ ⋗, and ⋖ ⋗ modes or with the ⋖ ⋗ mode + ISO Auto setting, you can set the maximum limit for the ISO speed to be set automatically for time-lapse movie shooting. The default setting is [Max.:12800]. You can set the maximum limit within [Max.:400] to [Max.:25600].

Movie Servo AF will not function.

If the shutter speed is 1/30 sec. or slower, the exposure of the movie may not be displayed properly (may differ from that of the resulting movie).

Do not zoom the lens during time-lapse movie shooting. Zooming the lens may cause the image to be out of focus, the exposure to change, or the lens aberration correction not to function properly.

When shooting a time-lapse movie under a flickering light, noticeable image flickering, horizontal stripes (noise), or irregular exposures may be recorded.

The image displayed during time-lapse movie shooting and the resulting movie may look different (in terms of flicker, depth of field, etc.).

When shooting a time-lapse movie under low light, the image displayed during shooting may look different from what is actually recorded in the movie. In such cases, the ⋖ ⋗ icon will blink.

If you move the camera from left to right (panning) or shoot a moving subject during time-lapse movie shooting, the image may look extremely distorted.

During time-lapse movie shooting, auto power off will not take effect. Also, you cannot adjust the shooting function and menu function settings, play back images, etc.

Sound is not recorded for time-lapse movies.

If a shutter speed longer than the shooting interval such as when the long exposure is set, or if a slow shutter speed is set automatically, the camera may not be able to shoot at the set interval. Also, shooting may not be performed when the shutter speed and the shooting interval are nearly the same.

If the next scheduled shot is not possible, it will be skipped. This may shorten the recording time of the created time-lapse movie.

If the time it takes to record to the card exceeds the shooting interval due to the shooting functions set or card performance, some of the shots may not be taken with the set intervals.

The captured images are not recorded as still photos. Even if you cancel the time-lapse movie shooting after only one shot is taken, it will be recorded as a movie file.

If the card does not have enough free space to record the set number of shots, [Playback time] will be displayed in red. Although the camera can continue shooting, the shooting will stop when the card becomes full.

If you connect the camera to a computer with the interface cable (sold separately) and use EOS Utility (EOS software), set [ : Time-lapse movie] to [Disable]. If it is set to [Enable], the camera cannot communicate with the computer.

During time-lapse movie shooting, the lens’s Image Stabilizer will not operate.

If the power switch is set to ⋖OFF⋗, the Live View shooting/Movie shooting switch is operated, etc. time-lapse movie shooting will be terminated and the setting will be switched to [Disable].

Even if a flash is used, it will not fire.

Shooting-ready state of the time-lapse movie is canceled and the setting is switched to [Disable] with the following operations:

- Selecting either [Clean manually] or [Clean now] under [ : Sensor cleaning] or selecting [ : Clear all camera settings].

- Selecting the ⋖ ⋗, ⋖ ⋗, or ⋖ ⋗ shooting mode.

When time-lapse movie shooting ends, the settings are cleared automatically, and the camera returns to normal movie shooting. Note that if you set a slow shutter speed for time-lapse movie shooting and the settings are automatically cleared, the shutter speed may be automatically changed to a speed within the settable range for normal movie shooting.

If you start time-lapse movie shooting while the white ⋖ ⋗ temperature warning is displayed, the image quality of the time-lapse movie may deteriorate. It is recommended that you start time-lapse movie shooting after the white ⋖ ⋗ disappears (camera’s internal temperature decreases).

If you play back a 4K time-lapse movie with the camera or select [Slow motion] and set it to the fastest speed (by turning ⋖ ⋗ all the way to the right), every other frame will be skipped for playback.

You cannot extract the frames from 4K time-lapse movie during playback (no 4K frame grab feature).

When shooting with [Auto Exposure] set to [Each frame], the following will not be recorded in the time-lapse movie’s Exif information.

　- Autoexposure shooting: Shutter speed, Aperture

Caution

Using a tripod is recommended.

Taking test shots for still photos as in steps 26 and 27 and shooting test movies for time-lapse movies beforehand is recommended.

Regardless of the [ : Movie rec. size] setting, 4K time-lapse movies are recorded in (NTSC)/(PAL), while Full HD time-lapse movies are recorded in (NTSC)/(PAL).

To cancel the time-lapse movie shooting in progress, either press the shutter button completely or press the ⋖ ⋗ button ([Disable] will be set). The time-lapse movie shot so far will be recorded on the card.

If the time required for shooting is more than 24 hours but not more than 48 hours, "2 days" will be indicated. If three or more days are required, the number of days will be indicated in 24-hour increments.

Even if the time-lapse movie’s playback time is less than 1 sec., a movie file will still be created. For [Playback time], "00:00:00" will be displayed.

If the shooting time is long, using DC Coupler DR-E6 (sold separately) and AC Adapter AC-E6N (sold separately) is recommended.

In the ⋖ ⋗ and ⋖ ⋗ modes, the scene icon for the scene detected by the camera is displayed on the upper left of the screen.

Total Possible Time for Time-lapse Movie Shooting

You can shoot time-lapse movies with a fully-charged Battery Pack LP-E6N for roughly as long as shown in the table below (approx. time from start of shooting until the battery becomes exhausted). The possible movie shooting time varies depending on the shooting conditions.

Using a Remote Controller

You can use Remote Controller RC-6 (sold separately) or Wireless Remote Control BR-E1 (sold separately) to start and stop the timelapse movie shooting. Set [ : Remote control] to [Enable] beforehand.

● With Remote Controller RC-6

Camera Status/Remote Control Setting	< 2 > (2-sec. delay)	< >(Immediate release)
Test-shooting screen	To shooting-ready	Shoots still photo
Shooting-ready	To test-shooting screen	Starts shooting
During time-lapse movie shooting	Ends shooting	Ends shooting

● With Wireless Remote Control BR-E1

Take test shots, then when the camera is ready to shoot, set the BR-E1’s release mode/movie shooting switch to ⋖ ⋗ (immediate release) or ⋖2⋗ (release after 2-sec. delay).

If the remote controller’s switch has been set to ⋖ ⋗, the time-lapse movie shooting cannot start.

Camera Status/ Remote Control Setting	<2> (2-sec. delay) < > (Immediate release)	< > (Movie shooting)
Test-shooting screen	Shoots still photo	To shooting-ready
Shooting-ready	Starts shooting	To test-shooting screen
During time-lapse movie shooting	Ends shooting	Ends shooting