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Author Topic: Aperture priority mode not working during time-lapse with A7R2  (Read 3736 times)

luong

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Last summer, I photographed a time-lapse of the solar eclipse using the Sony App on the A7R2. The exposure was set at A mode (aperture priority).  Although the letter “A” was displayed, the camera app had acted as if the exposure mode was manual, and the shutter had remained at 1/400s for the whole sequence, which resulted of an underexposure of 8 f/stops during totality. This link has more about the eclipse and the video: https://www.terragalleria.com/blog/photographing-the-real-solar-eclipse-over-the-tetons/

I assumed that the failure was due to the use of the time-lapse app. However, I recently set up the camera for two night-to-day time lapse sequences using an external intervalometer, and each time the same thing happened. Despite being in A mode, the camera did not vary the exposure as the light got brighter.

Do you know what causes that problem, and a possible workaround?
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E.J. Peiker

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Re: Aperture priority mode not working during time-lapse with A7R2
« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2018, 10:35:41 am »

It's not very intuitive but the Time Lapse app overrides whatever the camera dials are set to.  You have to actually go to the app settings for the timelapse mode that you use and under AE you have to select something other than Lock.  In your case, it would seem, from your description that the AE value was locked rather than set to tracking.  Completely unintuitive I know but basically just realize that it makes absolutely no difference what you have your camera settings set to external to the app, every single thing must be controlled within the app.
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luong

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Re: Aperture priority mode not working during time-lapse with A7R2
« Reply #2 on: March 22, 2018, 05:14:24 pm »

It's not very intuitive but the Time Lapse app overrides whatever the camera dials are set to.  You have to actually go to the app settings for the timelapse mode that you use and under AE you have to select something other than Lock.  In your case, it would seem, from your description that the AE value was locked rather than set to tracking.  Completely unintuitive I know but basically just realize that it makes absolutely no difference what you have your camera settings set to external to the app, every single thing must be controlled within the app.

Thank you, that what I suspected for the Time Lapse app. However, how would you explain that the exposure is also locked when NOT using the app, and instead an external, third-party intervalometer?
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E.J. Peiker

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Re: Aperture priority mode not working during time-lapse with A7R2
« Reply #3 on: March 22, 2018, 07:48:38 pm »

Thank you, that what I suspected for the Time Lapse app. However, how would you explain that the exposure is also locked when NOT using the app, and instead an external, third-party intervalometer?
I don't have any experience with a set-up like that so I can't really comment.  It does seem odd though unless the intervalometer is locking the exposure somehow to insure that exposures stay constant.  If so, that might be a feature youc an turn off on the intervalometer.
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