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Best Method to take pictures of fireworks using CHDK?

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Offline JoJa15

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Best Method to take pictures of fireworks using CHDK?
« on: 03 / July / 2008, 21:03:35 »
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With the 4th of July coming up in America tomorrow I was wondering what would be the best way to take pictures of fireworks using CHDK? I am assuming that using the motion detection script similar to how it is used for lightning would be the best method. Since I am new to photography and CHDK can anyone give me some tips on settings for the camera, script I should use, and settings for the script to get me started? I am currently using a S5-IS with the latest allbest development build.

Thanks in advance for any help provided.

- John
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Offline LjL

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Re: Best Method to take pictures of fireworks using CHDK?
« Reply #1 on: 04 / July / 2008, 07:55:20 »
Well, on top of my mind, the most important thing is using a motion detection script that half-presses before going into motion detection mode - scripts that don't are very much slower, as the camera wastes time focusing and checking exposure just before shooting (yes, it still wastes some time even if you lock focus and exposure).

I use the script that's available here, I'd say it does a good job.

You could also check the various tips to make motion detection faster, but I'd say that, in the case of fireworks, instant shooting isn't vital, it just shouldn't bee way too slow.

Actually, maybe you want to adjust - as in, increase - the shooting delay, to avoid getting the fireworks when it's still not extended. I'm not sure there's a param for that in the script, but it should be a matter of adding a "sleep" instruction to it if there isn't...

To be sure, you could shoot three or four frames in continuous mode, too.

You want focus to be at infinity, of course, so set manual focus in advance. If you use the built-in "Fireworks" mode, it will do that automatically, but it will also (at least on my camera) expose for 2 seconds at minimum aperture... which I suppose might give you some impressing effects perhaps, but definitely won't "freeze" the fireworks at all!

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Offline glutto

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Re: Best Method to take pictures of fireworks using CHDK?
« Reply #2 on: 04 / July / 2008, 20:41:48 »
The method which I used was I loaded the Ultra Intervalometer script onto my camera and had it repeat until interrupted.  I had it taking 5 second shots every 5 tenths of a second, with noise reduction disabled.

Perhaps it's not the best method, but it worked decently for me.  It's more of a brute-force style rather than graceful.. 

If you use a similar method, be sure to take a picture with your lens cap on, then later use dark frame subtraction to reduce noise.  Disabling noise reduction will halve the delay between shots, since the camera takes slightly longer than twice the exposure time to perform noise reduction, eg, a 10-second shot would take around 21-22 seconds with noise reduction before you could take another shot.
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