Canon 200D - Remote shutter issues

[brenski]

My 200D works fine with a basic shutter release cable (the kind that take single-shots), until recently it also worked well with a basic intervalometer.
However, I recently purchased an better quality intervalometer: Hahnel Captur.

With the camera in Manual Mode and shutter set at bulb.
I'd set it up to take multiple 2-sec shots - with a 1sec interval.

Hahnel Captur settings:
DELAY: 00:00'00"
LONG: 00:00'02"
INTVL 00:00'03"
INTVL1 N 77
INTVL2: 00:00'01" <<< i cannot remove this setting, even removing batteries the value returns when powered up
INTVL2 N:

Basic Intervalometer settings:
DELAY: 00:00'00"
LONG: 00:00'02"
INTVL: 00:00'03"
N 77

In both cases the results are 2 single shots - and not the 77 as input. what am I doing wrong? or, is there some 200D setting i need to change?
Camera is NOT in Drive Mode.

thanks

[Claire Barrett]

Looking at the instructions for the Hahnel Captur Timer Remote, to achieve multiple 2-second shots with a 1-second interval, your settings should be as follows:

Camera: manual mode, 2 second shutter speed (plus ISO/aperture on desired settings), continuous drive mode to allow for the burst of shots. The camera needs to control the shutter speed duration, unless you're shooting exposures longer than 30 seconds (=Bulb). Depending on your subject (and desired end result), manual focus is usually better so that the focus can't change between shots.

Captur Timer:
DELAY: = 00:00':00"
LONG: = 00:00':00"
INTVL1 = 00:00':01"
INTVL1 N: = 77
INTVL2: = 00:00':01"
INTVL2 N: 0

Where the settings mean as follows:
DELAY: = how long before shooting commences
LONG: = this setting would be used for a single timed Bulb exposure, e.g. 35 seconds, or to set for how long you wanted the burst to last, e.g. 24 hours
INTVL1 = this is the interval between shots
INTVL1 N: = no of shots to be taken with interval 1
INTVL2: = delay between first and subsequent bursts of shots – only relevant if a number is programmed into INTVL2 N.
INTVL2 N: = no of times to repeat the set

Link to the Hahnel manual is here, albeit you have to somewhat decode the instructions!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rSz_AjNGThH6D2uhMLxZixJxrAmw82tt/view

If you have a camera setting such as long exposure noise reduction on, then you won't be able to achieve a one-second interval between exposures of two seconds long. This is because the camera will need as long as the length of the exposure to process the image – so in this instance, two seconds to process a two-second exposure. Other settings may also affect the processing time, so you may need to modify the interval time.

There's a detailed article in the April-June issue for more information on time-lapse and on remotes:
https://www.eos-magazine.com/magazine/2021/april-june.html
Screenshot 2021-03-25 at 12.54.28.png

[brenski]

thanks very much for a detailed and very helpful reply. re: your advice
Camera: manual mode, 2 second shutter speed (plus ISO/aperture on desired settings), continuous drive mode to allow for the burst of shots. The camera needs to control the shutter speed duration, unless you're shooting exposures longer than 30 seconds (=Bulb). Depending on your subject (and desired end result), manual focus is usually better so that the focus can't change between shots.

Captur Timer:
DELAY: = 00:00':00"
LONG: = 00:00':00"
INTVL1 = 00:00':01"
INTVL1 N: = 77
INTVL2: = 00:00':01"
INTVL2 N: 0

The hahnel manual (in a very incomprehensible way) says that the length of shot should be entered into "LONG", but your advice suggests leaving LONG as 00:00:00 and entering the value directly into the camera? i'm confused.
I'm not quite getting why drive mode is required? with a single-shot cable release, Drive Mode isn't required - as the shutter reacts to the button on the cable release controller. I assumed that the same would apply to the Hahnel...if it's instructed (via INTVL1 N: = 77) to fire 77 times for two seconds with a 1-second interval between shots , then would it not just do so?

I'm suspecting there's something (maybe a bug) in the Hahnel hardware that will not let it handle short interval multi-exposures? Maybe it needs a little longer to process an image. My understanding is that INTVL1should = the total time of the exposure and the interval combined. As the interval is measuring the actual gap between each time the shutter is fired. I wonder if it would work correctly if the 77 shots were 2-sec exposures @ 2-sec intervals?
what do you think to these settings:
Captur Timer:
DELAY: = 00:00':00"
LONG: = 00:00':02"
INTVL1 = 00:00':04"
INTVL1 N: = 77
INTVL2: = 00:00':01"
INTVL2 N: 0

cheers

[BobSapey]

If your exposure is anything up to 30 seconds I would use manual mode and set the time on the camera. But I think you are right about not being in continuous mode. You may also have a point about the interval needing to be longer than the processing time, in my experience that will disrupt the sequence. I've only used an intervalometer for star trails and as my exposures are usually abour 20 seconds, I've played safe and gone for a 5 second interval.

I came across another issue when I got an EOS 80D with the intervalometer built in, as Canon set the interval as the time between the start of one exposure and the start of the next rather than the time between them. All designed to confuse us when we're in the dark

[brenski]

I came across another issue when I got an EOS 80D with the intervalometer built in, as Canon set the interval as the time between the start of one exposure and the start of the next rather than the time between them. All designed to confuse us when we're in the dark

thanks Bob. that's exactly what I feel the Hahnel Captur is doing - calculating interval as time between each firing of the shutter - rather than end of previous fire and start of next.

[BobSapey]

thanks Bob. that's exactly what I feel the Hahnel Captur is doing - calculating interval as time between each firing of the shutter - rather than end of previous fire and start of next.

When I'm taking 20 sec exposures I set the interval to 25.

[brenski]

and the 5 secs extra is enough for the camera to process/save the image?