On my 50mm that's the only way I HAVEN'T got flickering ... in manual why would the camera change anything at all when your intervalometer triggers? Internal software change or something?

No, every time you take a picture the aperture closes down to f8 (or whatever you set it to) and then it opens back up to fully open (1.8 on your 50 mm perhaps?). The aperture blades are mechanical and do not close down EXACTLY the same every time = flicker. Just look into your lens and you can see it yourself.

That is why the lens twist method is used, to lock the aperture in place.

Quote from: DallasP on September 06, 2017, 22:46

On my 50mm that's the only way I HAVEN'T got flickering ... in manual why would the camera change anything at all when your intervalometer triggers? Internal software change or something?

No, every time you take a picture the aperture closes down to f8 (or whatever you set it to) and then it opens back up to fully open (1.8 on your 50 mm perhaps?). The aperture blades are mechanical and do not close down EXACTLY the same every time = flicker. Just look into your lens and you can see it yourself.

That is why the lens twist method is used, to lock the aperture in place.

Old manual focus (and manual aperture) lenses should avoid that problem and are available really cheap. Nikkors seem to be best and almost all will fit to Canon dslrs via an adapter (the 28mm f3.5 has a light baffle that would need removing to avoid fouling the mirror on full frame) There are good Zeiss Jena lenses, too, but you need to be sure your mirror won't clip the back of them if you use full-frame, and they are more likely to get  mechanical problems than the Nikkors.  If you want a really cheap but good zoom lens there is the Zoom-Nikkor 80-200 mm f/4.5 that can be picked up in "like new" condition for much less than $100. Mine gives excellent images with just a tiny bit of CA on a Canon 6D, the only problem with it is that if it is pointed up or down the zoom ring will creep.
For a really good assessment of legacy nikkor lenses check out http://www.naturfotograf.com/lens_surv.html

Quote from: BaldricksTrousers on September 07, 2017, 02:53

the only problem with it is that if it is pointed up or down the zoom ring will creep.

That's a pretty big problem for timelapse... 

...but I guess a little piece of tape will fix it. 

Yeah, that's why I mentioned it. Of course, I've only got one sample of that lens and it was made 40 years ago, others might have a tighter barrel. Tape would be one answer.

Quote from: DallasP on September 06, 2017, 22:46

Quote from: Zero Talent on September 01, 2017, 17:41

Quote from: DallasP on September 01, 2017, 16:34

Or, you can just set it out there at something like ... iso 100, f/8 and 1/30s put the lens at infinity, set it and forget it ... but, whatever ...

I'm afraid I was not clear enough. Let me try once more:

When you set your aperture at f/8, you don't always get f/8. You get +/- 1/3 stops (maybe even +/- 2/3 stops) because of the unavoidable mechanical imperfections of your diaphragm.
This exposure variation will result in a nasty, annoying flickering. Yeah, you can run the final sequence through a flickering reduction software, but it is much better to eliminate it from its cradle, if you can.

On my 50mm that's the only way I HAVEN'T got flickering ... in manual why would the camera change anything at all when your intervalometer triggers? Internal software change or something?

I'm sorry, I can't explain better that what I already wrote above. I suggest you do your own research to find out more.

Remember that with SLRs the camera always opens the diaphragm to full open regardless of your f/# setting so you have a bright image in the viewfinder. As the picture is taken, it stops the opening down (to the f/# you have set) just before opening and closing the shutter, so this full open diaphragm to stopped down diaphragm (to whatever f/# you have set) happens every time a shot is taken. This is what causes the  variation or flickering because the mechanical diaphragm will not close to the exact opening every time. Not a problem for stills because it is close, but flickering will show up in a timelapse due to the small variations in actual diaphragm opening.

Quote from: Zero Talent on August 30, 2017, 08:49

Quote from: increasingdifficulty on August 30, 2017, 03:40

Quote from: Zero Talent on August 29, 2017, 19:38

LRTimelapse is NOT free (except for the trial version able to use only 400 frames)

Only 400 frames? I don't have a single timelapse / hyperlapse for sale as stock longer than 400 frames. For a beginner who doesn't even have a tool to put together an image sequence I would say that is plenty. 

And by the time they have made even close to €500 they will have realized that After Effects is the way to go.

Maybe that's why you have not reached 500 euros 
To properly capture a sunset or a sunrise, stretching over 2 hours in real time, you need something between 1,200 to 1,800 frames.

1,200 to 1,800 frames @30fps represents 40-60 seconds. Viewers are not willing to invest that much time in viewing a clip. I produce day to night timelapses of 8-10 seconds. Even then a buyer will often cut it to three seconds or less, especially when using it as a transition between real time video.

Have a look at what is being used in television shows, the timelapses are very short. A good example is the series Breaking Bad. It has hundreds of sequences which are very short but they are very effective.

Sure! Keep doing that! Our customers must have choices!
Besides, nobody knows better that yourself, what is better for you!

Just remember that, regardless of the duration, LRTimelapse is not free to be used for commercial purposes (wrongly advised on the first reply to OP's question)

Quote from: Zero Talent on September 07, 2017, 14:58

Just remember that, regardless of the duration, LRTimelapse is not free to be used for commercial purposes (wrongly advised on the first reply to OP's question)

Not at all wrongly advised. Can you please point out to me where OP wrote that his friend was going to make timelapses for commercial purposes?

I think you need to read posts more carefully or you might miss something.

Ok. I give you that.
Nevertheless, I believe it is only fair to assume that asking the question on a microstock forum denotes the intent to use the product for microstock.

And if you are honest with yourself, you should admit that this is exactly what you thought.

Anyway, in the best case for you, your advice was not technically wrong, but misleading.

Quote from: Zero Talent on September 08, 2017, 06:58

Ok. I give you that.
Nevertheless, I believe it is only fair to assume that asking the question on a microstock forum denotes the intent to use the product for microstock.

And if you are honest with yourself, you should admit that this is exactly what you thought.

Anyway, in the best case, your advise was misleading.

Just admit you were wrong and went on a train of thought to the planet Insania, involving minimum frame requirements, sunsets lasting 3 hours and so much else. Out of the blue really. I doubt a beginner who doesn't even know how to put together a timelapse would start with the holy grail with 1,600 pictures... 

You see, many people at this forum have friends who are not interested in pursuing a commercial career in photography or videography. They might just want to do it for fun (hence willing to use free software).

And no, that is not exactly what I thought. I'm sure anyone interested in the software can read the license agreement and decide for themselves.

Sure, that's exactly what your advice was about, lol!

Quote from: Zero Talent on September 08, 2017, 07:14

Sure, that's exactly what your advice was about, lol!

I'm sure you're a good photographer, but reading comprehension might not be your forte.

This is exactly what my advice was:

Question: Free software to put together timelapse. (no other information specified, other than the assumption the friend is a beginner).
Answer (one among others): LRTimelapse.

That is all. 

That's exactly what I said:
"Sure, that's exactly what your advice was about, lol!"

Why do you assume I was sarcastic?

Technically, I was not.

That's all. Lol!

Even if you use the free version of LRTimelapse, you still need Lightroom....

No. You don't.

You need an image sequence. How you obtain that is up to you.

Just tried it, to confirm.

It's fun arguing about pointless details, but at least just do a tiny bit of research before posting whatever comes to mind.