Gone in 5.15 Seconds

rcam72 · Apr 7, 2011

I recently bought a PB-E2 for my EOS3. I got it mainly to be able to use AA batteries instead of the 2CR5, which I had the misfortune of finding out aren't as common as AAs. As I waited for it to arrive I started wondering...7fps, 36 in a roll, what do I need that kind of speed for? Then I thought it would be an interesting excercise to set the camera up, hold the shutter release down and see what comes out. I prefer to capture something that can be completed in that time frame, but I'm having a hard time coming up with any ideas.

So to finally get to the point, what would you shoot 36 continuous frames of? Pretend your making a flip book recording 5.15 seconds of history.

-Raul

perkeleellinen · Apr 7, 2011

Skateboarding. I used to do this with an F3 but that was 'only' 6fps. I always lusted after some of the more exotic fps set ups like the F3 H (13.5fps) and the EOS 1RS (10fps) but then all my friends got too old to pull off the more impressive skate stuff consistently and the dream faded.

Rol_Lei Nut · Apr 7, 2011

About 5 seconds should be enough to record an 10(?) storey fall into a dumpster...

TheFlyingCamera · Apr 7, 2011

I'd love to go back and shoot some better jousting shots. Jousting is the Maryland state sport - no, not the kind where knights get on horses and try to knock each other off with poles (although you can watch that at the Maryland Renaissance Festival, as well as pay way too much to watch it while eating really mediocre food at Medieval Times), but the jousting where they hang a set of fairly small diameter rings from a series of crossbars and then you ride your horse under the crossbars at speed and try to spear the rings on a (homemade) lance. As the competition progresses, the rings get progressively smaller. They keep going until pretty much everyone is eliminated. I did some shots of it with a camera that had a 3 fps motor drive, so I got lucky a couple of times and caught the moment of the lance catching the ring, but just as often I got before and after shots.

Steve Smith · Apr 7, 2011

TheFlyingCamera said:
the jousting where they hang a set of fairly small diameter rings from a series of crossbars and then you ride your horse under the crossbars at speed and try to spear the rings on a (homemade) lance.

That sounds excellent. I would like to try that on a bicycle.

Steve.

TheFlyingCamera · Apr 7, 2011

I've even seen people do it from cars... one drives, the other one leans out the opposite window and tries to knock over traffic cones or somesuch.

Kevin Caulfield · Apr 7, 2011

A full golf swing from the address into the backswing and continuing into the follow-through should be pretty much 5.15s. I think that would be ideal.

markbarendt · Apr 7, 2011

A drag race.

Wade D · Apr 7, 2011

Planes flying by at an airshow.

Les Sarile · Apr 7, 2011

A cheerleader being thrown in the air or tumbling across the floor? With the first one you'll have to include some before the throw and after the catch as they only stay in the air about a second as shown by my EOS3+PBE2 series below . . .

Larger version -> Up in the air

I also have the cheerleaders tumbling across the floor, the full golf swing, airplane sequence from the Reno Air Races and a water balloon drop and they're all very cool.

I was also thinking of another series to conduct as I just picked up the 1V+PBE2 10fps high speed mode using only lithium batteries instead of the rechargeable pack.

elekm · Apr 7, 2011

My dog loves to leap into the air to catch a bouncing tennis ball. This would be excellent for that.

Jeff Kubach · Apr 7, 2011

I have an old Canon A-1 with a motor drive(can't remember how fast it was). I also use it for airshows.

Jeff

frobozz · Apr 7, 2011

I've got a couple of 16mm high speed cameras. The Photec is a rotating prism camera that can go up to 10,000 fps. The Traid is a regular claw movement camera that goes 200fps. Boy, you sure need a lot of light at those speeds, and the amount of film consumed is ridiculous. If you run the Photec at its top speed, you waste the first half of the 400 ft roll just getting it up to speed!

Some stuff I've done:

http://backglass.org/duncan/slomo/

(Yes, kind of off-topic for a still camera forum, but it's a very analog photography process, and the inevitable extension of the ideas being discussed here...)

Duncan

Thomas Bertilsson · Apr 7, 2011

I remember studying an exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, where the photographer had set up a lot of cameras (over 100 years ago) and sequentially recorded the movements of humans and animals. As a study in anatomy it was extremely interesting, and I'm sure that a lot of moving objects could be studied this way with great interest.
Or how about setting up on a tripod and do a 'round-shot' of 360 degrees while you rotate the camera one full rotation in the 5 seconds you have?
Or how about using a zoom lens and zoom as you go through the frames?

Lots of possibilities.

rjbuzzclick · Apr 7, 2011

Steve Smith said:
That sounds excellent. I would like to try that on a bicycle.

Steve.

I hate to say this, but when I was a young, a friend of mine and I used to do a similar thing trying to knock each other off of our unicycles with boxing gloves attached to the end of long bamboo poles. I was kind of a geeky kid...

frobozz · Apr 7, 2011

Thomas Bertilsson said:
I remember studying an exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, where the photographer had set up a lot of cameras (over 100 years ago) and sequentially recorded the movements of humans and animals. As a study in anatomy it was extremely interesting, and I'm sure that a lot of moving objects could be studied this way with great interest.

Almost certainly Muybridge...

http://www.muybridge.org/

Duncan

Marco B · Apr 7, 2011

rcam72 said:
So to finally get to the point, what would you shoot 36 continuous frames of? Pretend your making a flip book recording 5.15 seconds of history.

-Raul

One's 5.15 seconds of personal fame?

You had not better miss it!

j-dogg · Apr 7, 2011

Any sporting event.

I believe the Canon F-1N when properly equipped could do 14fps.

frobozz · Apr 7, 2011

j-dogg said:
Any sporting event.

I believe the Canon F-1N when properly equipped could do 14fps.

It wasn't a matter of equipping it, it was a matter of buying the special version:

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/canonf1/html/canonf1nhighspeed.htm

While I understand the logistical issues (separate motor in the film chamber would also have to be made faster, and syncing them would be nigh well impossible), I never really understood why Canon didn't make this, and its earlier F-1 counterpart, usable with their era's Film Chamber (250 for earlier, 100 for later) or at least a similarly modified Film Chamber. As it stands you can get 4 (F-1) or 2 (F-1N) seconds worth of shooting with them and then you're out of film.

Duncan

fstop · Apr 7, 2011

rcam72 said:
I recently bought a PB-E2 for my EOS3. I got it mainly to be able to use AA batteries instead of the 2CR5, which I had the misfortune of finding out aren't as common as AAs. As I waited for it to arrive I started wondering...7fps, 36 in a roll, what do I need that kind of speed for? Then I thought it would be an interesting excercise to set the camera up, hold the shutter release down and see what comes out. I prefer to capture something that can be completed in that time frame, but I'm having a hard time coming up with any ideas.

So to finally get to the point, what would you shoot 36 continuous frames of? Pretend your making a flip book recording 5.15 seconds of history.

-Raul

The batts aren't too expensive, I found a bunch on amazon.

Sanyo 2CR5

http://www.amazon.com/Sanyo-2CR5-Photo-Lithium-Battery/dp/B000165FEY

5.15 seconds thats why in the 70s motor drives were called "film burners"
Sports is the best application for a motor drive.

Les Sarile · Apr 7, 2011

frobozz said:
Some stuff I've done:
http://backglass.org/duncan/slomo/

That's really something I would like to try!

I particularly like the egg and lightbulb movies, exceptional!

rphenning · Apr 7, 2011

someone laughing really hard, if you can keep focus.

TimmyMac · Apr 7, 2011

I had thought about this too. I use the PB-E2 mainly for the vertical grip, although it's also nice that it balances so well with an 80-200L on the end. To be honest I'm not sure I've ever used the 7 or 10fps, which is why I'm selling my 1V!

keithwms · Apr 7, 2011

Yep, Muybridge was my thought too...

flatulent1 · Apr 7, 2011

markbarendt said:
A drag race.

You mean men in skirts and high heels running? Tried that, twisted my ankle. Never again. Not a pretty picture.

Gone in 5.15 Seconds

rcam72

perkeleellinen

Rol_Lei Nut

TheFlyingCamera

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Steve Smith

TheFlyingCamera

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Kevin Caulfield

markbarendt

Wade D

Les Sarile

elekm

Jeff Kubach

frobozz

Thomas Bertilsson

rjbuzzclick

frobozz

Marco B

j-dogg

frobozz

fstop

Les Sarile

rphenning

TimmyMac

keithwms

flatulent1

Gone in 5.15 Seconds

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