Slider timelapse video with a GVM GT-60D motorized camera slider
Here’s how I create slider timelapses with a GVM GT-60D motorized camera slider. Yes, it pains me to write “motorized” rather than “motorised”, but that’s what it’s called!
Here’s proof - GVM-GT60D
The GVM GT-60D is a wonderful little 2ft long, cheap as chips, motorized camera slider made by GVM, “Great Video Maker”, yes… really!
You can pick them up here for around £200. It’s a bargain IMO.
GVM GT-60D
I’ve made a separate review and overview post and video of the GVM GT-60D in the past, you’ll find that BLOG POST HERE.
In this post, I’ll talk you through how I use it to make slider timelapses, and demystify the confusing menu settings on the built-in GVM intervalometer.
Slider Timelapse with a GVM GT-60D YouTube Video
To see some sample footage, or for those of you who prefer to watch than read, I’ve made this into a YouTube video.
You may find it useful to refer back here for some more detailed notes on the interval, speed and timelapse settings.
Creating a slider timelapse with the GVM GT-60D motorized camera slider
Slider Setup
Firstly, and importantly, getting the setup correct is crucial.
You have a few options here…
The GVM GT-60D has a few tripod mounting points across its length and one on the end. These are really useful for ensuring a good solid rig when using the slider to create anything with an incline or a decline, or even at height, from one tripod to another, onto a wall or however you can imagine using it.
Get creative, move alongside walls, through windows or whatever. It’s brilliant for that.
For this example though, I’m creating a simple left-to-right sliding timelapse of the four stones on the summit of the Clent Hills, my local hill.
I’m positioning the slider on the ground, looking up at the standing stones through a wide-angle 16-35mm lens on my old trusty Sony A7iii.
The GVM GT-60D has 4 adjustable feet to help keep it stable on slightly uneven ground. I say slightly because they’re not very long and only allow for minor adjustments. In this case, though, they’re fine.
An important step here is to leave the slider unpowered (power engages the brake) and test the carriage along the full range of motion of the slider. Ensure that the feet stay firmly on the ground with no lift, and that there is no debris obstructing the carriage, belt or motors.
It’s also a great opportunity to check the belt tightness. The belt on the GT-60D is somewhat cheap and flimsy, it tends to stretch. A saggy belt will mean the slider loses accuracy, and may even cause it to slip.
Camera Settings
This is not a timelapse tutorial. I’ll keep this section basic.
IMO, you’ll want to be in full manual mode, with manual ISO, manual shutter speed, manual aperture, manual white balance and manual focus.
You’ll want any IBIS (In-Body-Image-Stabilisation) turned off, along with any lens stabilisation.
You’ll want to be shooting in RAW, not JPEG. (We’re professionals here….)
And you’ll want to be shooting 16:9, not 4:3, because it’s the 21st century.
I’d also recommend, that if you have the technology, you shoot in either silent or electronic shutter mode whenever shooting timelapse.
It’ll avoid unnecessary wear and tear on your mechanical camera shutter, and also help avoid shake and vibration.
Shutter Release Cable
The GVM GT-60D comes with a shutter release cable, kind of….
It comes with half of it.
I needed to buy a separate cable to connect it to my Sony Alpha. I used THIS ONE.
It’ll work with a whole bunch of Sony cameras, and give you an idea of what’s needed if not.
The Mysterious Slider Timelapse Settings
Brace yourselves. I don’t know where to start with this.
GVM, in my opinion, has made a bit of a mess of it.
I know I’m a bit simple, but it really isn’t straightforward. My guess is that there is a bit of bad translation going on here, but this is what you need to know….
The controller has a built-in timelapse setting, which when used with a shutter release cable, it also serves as an intervalometer. Great!
Interval, Timelapse, Stop Time
The main available settings, however, are like this -
INTERVAL 0.1 - 999
TIMELAPSE 0.1 - 999
STOP TIME 1.0 - 999
The best way I can explain it is like this.
INTERVAL is not interval. INTERVAL means carriage moving time.
TIMELAPSE means shutter interval.
And STOP TIME means carriage stop time.
So for the slider timelapse that I created in the YouTube video, I wanted a camera shutter speed of 1/640th of a second.
The settings I used were -
INTERVAL (Carriage move time) 0.1
TIMELAPSE (Shutter interval) 0.5
STOP TIME 1.0
The way I understand this, which may not be entirely accurate, but it represents a logical method of making this work, is that the carriage will move for 0.1”, shoot a frame at 0.5”, and then move on at 1”.
It’ll then repeat this for the number of photos that you tell it to, or until it hits the slider end stops.
There’s also an AUTO LOOP option if you wanted to use that, but make sure your end-stops are correctly set and the belt is tight before doing so.
These are my go-to settings for a quick daylight timelapse with the GT-60D slider. The only adjustments I’d personally make, are when I either want something longer or shorter, that’s a SPEED adjustment (I’ll come to that next), or when I want to use it in low light, at night or when shooting astrophotography.
Basically, anything that needs a camera shutter speed of near or above half a second will need different settings.
For example, if I wanted a 15-second shutter speed for some astrophotography. I’d set the camera shutter speed to 15 seconds, and then try…
INTERVAL (Carriage move time) 0.1*
TIMELAPSE (Shutter interval) 5.0
STOP TIME 30.0
This would move the carriage for 0.1, allow a few seconds for it to settle, shoot a 15-second exposure, allow 10 seconds for the camera to buffer and then move on and repeat.
I’ll get some astrophotography timelapse documented in the future and make another video.
*Note that I again use an INTERVAL of 0.1.
I recommend always using 0.1 for the INTERVAL, this will simplify things later on, and I see no reason to ever use anything different.
So…..
is that clear?
Good.
Because after you’ve set INTERVAL, TIMELAPSE & STOP TIME you need to move on to the next setting, SPEED.
Slider SPEED Settings
At the next setting screen, you’re given a choice of SPEED, as a percentage.
This is the speed at which the carriage will move during the INTERVAL duration that you input earlier. (Which should always be 0.1).
Now here’s a problem. GVM does not include any additional documentation on how the combination of INTERVAL and SPEED determines how far the carriage moves along the slider, or how many images it expects to capture before running out of rail.
A slow speed will mean that it moves a lot less distance per INTERVAL than it would with a fast speed, but there’s no real way on knowing unless you test a load of different settings.
Luckily for you, I’ve done that for you.
Disclaimer - I would think that the reason GVM decided not to include more instruction is that it will vary with each and every slider variation that they sell, and potentially, with each and every individual slider that they produce.
It’s likely that the stepper motors and belts used just don’t offer the accuracy to go giving out figures that people are going to take as gospel.
Belts stretch and slip, motors wear, and with people attaching very expensive rigs to their inexpensive motorised camera sliders, I can see why they might avoid it.
Much better to dish out the kit with basic and confusing instructions and then let people like us figure it out….!
Anyway, that is to say, don’t hold me responsible for stripped belts or dropped payloads.
Set the digital limits, and always watch the slider during operation.
Don’t leave it in loop mode.
GVM GT-60D Timelapse Speed Test Results
Here are the results of my testing that I find to be most useful.
They’re specific to MY slider, but if you have a GVM GT-60D, it’ll likely be pretty close for you too. I keep these in my Apple Notes for reference -
At 30% speed, with a 0.1 interval, it’ll give you 690 shots.
At 50% speed, with a 0.1 interval, It’ll give you 520 shots.
At 70% speed, with a 0.1 interval, It’ll give you 345 shots.
At 90% speed, with a 0.1 interval, it’ll give you 168 shots.
I need my timelapse videos to be in 25P, 25 frames per second. So I use these rules of thumb -
30% speed for a 26-second timelapse.
50% speed for a 20-second timelapse.
70% speed for a 12-second timelapse.
90% speed for a 6-second timelapse.
GVM GT-60D Summary
In summary, I love this annoying little thing.
It has created some wonderful shots, incredible establishing moves, and terrific timelapse, but also a few headaches.
I hope you find this post useful, please check out the YouTube video and if you haven’t already purchased A GVM slider, I highly recommend the GT-60D.
It’s small, light and great value for money.
Cheers
GVM GT-60D
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