In this article, we will help you find the best camera for time lapse video.
With a camera that has the best time-lapse features, you can create stunning visuals by capturing moments that would otherwise be missed or forgotten.
Whether you’re looking to document a project over time or just capture the beauty of nature, these cameras will help you do just that. With their easy setup and operation, anyone can take advantage of this technology and start creating amazing visuals.
I tested 5 of the greatest cameras currently on the market with impressive time-lapse functionality and found the GoPro Hero 11 to be the best camera for time-lapse.
This camera has impressive time-lapse features, even in nighttime conditions, and records in stunning 5.3K resolution.
As an added bonus, this versatile camera is also exceptionally impressive for traditional photo and video recording.
Alternatively, there are other cameras that may suit an individual’s requirements more.
Through trying and testing multiple different cameras, I have found a number of impressive cameras for time-lapse. These include the best for battery life, the best value for money, and the best for low-light conditions.
If you’re in the market for a camera for time-lapse, you may be wondering;
- Do you need a special camera for time-lapse?
- How long can I record a time-lapse?
- What do we look for in time-lapse cameras?
This guide will help you find the answers to those questions, keep reading to find out more about these impressive cameras.
Best Camera for Time-Lapse – Reviews
After trying and testing some of the greatest cameras on the market, we have found the best ones for time-lapse.
From affordability to ease of use, we have discovered that these 5 cameras are great for time-lapse.
GoPro Hero 11 – Best Time-Lapse Camera Overall
The most powerful GoPro yet, the GoPro Hero 11 is the perfect camera for capturing stunning time-lapse shots.
With its advanced features and powerful image stabilization, it can capture smooth and detailed time-lapse videos with ease.
The Hero 11 also has a wide range of settings and options to choose from, making it ideal for any type of time-lapse project.
To enhance your time-lapse imagery, the GoPro Hero 11 boasts three new night modes allowing you to get creative after dark. Star trails, light painting, and vehicle light trails allow you to capture incredible time lapses in low-light conditions.
4k Resolution – Records in stunning 5.3K resolution for capturing crisp and clear images. With 4K resolution, you can capture detailed landscapes, smooth motion shots, and time-lapse videos.
Fisheye & Wide Angle – With the fisheye and wide-angle lenses, you can capture a wider field of vision than ever before. You can take panoramic time-lapse videos without having to adjust your camera. This means that you can capture more of the environment in one shot and create beautiful visuals that will wow your viewers.
Frame Rate – Supports frame rates up to 240fps.
Slow Motion – Up to 8x slow-mo at 2.5K resolution or 4x slow-mo at 4K. Variety of slow motion options with frame rates up to 240fps.
Video Stabilization – Comes with HyperSmooth 5.0 technology, GoPro’s built-in image stabilization system. This advanced technology analyzes the motion in your clips and adjusts the frames to make them look smoother.
Exposure Compensation – Advanced Protune controls automatically adjust the brightness and are highly impressive in difficult lighting conditions.
ISO range – 100-6400
Auto Focus – Fixed focus lens.
Battery life – Minimum battery life of one hour when recording at 5.3K. Maximum battery life of two hours when recording at 1080p.
Sound – Native microphone is decent.
“The GoPro Hero 11 is more than just a camera; it is an all-in-one filmmaking tool that allows you to capture stunning visuals with ease.”
Brinno TLC130 – Best Time-Lapse Camera for Battery Life
Specifically designed for capturing time-lapse videos, the Brinno TLC130 is at the forefront of time-lapse recording.
The Brinno TLC130 is an innovative time-lapse camera that captures stunning images of landscapes and scenes over a period of time.
It is perfect for capturing the beauty of nature or documenting the progress of construction projects.
With its easy-to-use design, the Brinno TLC130 can be used to capture amazing time-lapse videos in no time.
This camera is also capable of taking continuous shots, making it a great tool for capturing unique moments and events. You can create an impressive time-lapse video with no need to edit.
4k Resolution – Supports resolution up to 1080p.
Fisheye & Wide Angle – 138° field of view for stunning wide-angle images.
Frame Rate – Captures fast motion footage between 1fps to 30fps.
Slow Motion – As this camera is designed for time-lapse recording, slow-motion footage is not supported.
Video Stabilization – This device does not offer video stabilization.
Exposure Compensation – Captures well in both dark and bright lighting conditions. Offers manual scene settings of; daylight, twilight, night, moon, and star.
Auto Focus – Fixed focus lens.
Battery life – Features a record-breaking battery life lasting up to 6 days.
Sound – Supports two-way audio.
“With its long battery life and durable construction, the Brinno TLC130 is sure to provide you with years of reliable use. “
GoPro Hero 10 – Best Time-Lapse Camera for Value for Money
The previous generation of the GoPro Hero is one of the most versatile cameras on the market.
A cheaper alternative to the GoPro Hero 11, the GoPro Hero 10 has many of the same outstanding features as its successor.
Capturing time-lapse videos has never been easier with the GoPro Hero 10.
The GoPro Hero 10 takes your time lapses to the next level with TimeWarp 3.0 and Night Lapse.
TimeWarp 3.0 adds GoPro’s HyperSmooth technology to time-lapse recordings allowing you to capture smooth footage whilst in motion.
Meanwhile, Night Lapse offers exceptional time-lapse recording in low light.
It offers a range of features that make it easy to capture stunning time-lapse footage quickly and effortlessly.
With its fast shutter speeds, high-resolution images, and advanced stabilization technology, the GoPro Hero 10 is the perfect choice for capturing beautiful time-lapse videos.
4k Resolution – Shoots up to 5.3K resolution at 60fps and 4K resolution at 120fps.
Fisheye & Wide Angle – Features Max SuperView technology, GoPro’s widest angle shot.
Frame Rate – Supports frame rates up to 240fps.
Slow Motion – Up to 8x slow-mo at 2.7K resolution or 4x slow-mo at 4K. Supports slow motion frame rates up to 240fps.
Video Stabilization – Features GoPro’s HyperSmooth 4.0 technology. This advanced technology offers unbreakable stabilization.
Exposure Compensation – Exceptional exposure compensation through GoPro’s Protune technology. Performs brilliantly in low light and dim, cloudy conditions.
ISO range – 100-6400
Auto Focus – Fixed focus lens.
Battery life – Lasts between 90 minutes to 2 hours depending on quality setting.
Sound – Native microphone is decent and supports external microphones.
“Whether you’re shooting a sunset or an entire day’s worth of activities, the GoPro Hero 10 will help you capture every moment in stunning detail.”
DJI Action 2 – Best Time-Lapse Camera for Durability
With the use of a DJI Action 2, time-lapse photography is an incredible way to create remarkable visuals.
Offering powerful features and impressive image quality, the DJI Action 2 is an ideal choice for creating stunning time-lapse videos.
Featuring a range of advanced settings, you can easily create dynamic and captivating time-lapse videos that will be sure to impress your viewers.
Waterproof and shatterproof, the DJI Action 2 is suitable for capturing time-lapse videos of all types of action and adventure. Compact and wearable, this incredible camera can record a time-lapse in any environment and at any angle.
4k Resolution – Supports 4K resolution up to 120fps.
Fisheye & Wide Angle – Offers super wide 155° field of view with a custom aspheric lens to reduce image distortion and sharpen images.
Frame Rate – Records 4K and 2.7K up to 120fps and 1080p up to 240fps.
Slow Motion – Supports slow motion frame rates up to 240fps.
Video Stabilization – A superior camera for action, the DJI Action 2 has multiple stabilization modes. Horizon Steady, Horizon Balancing, and Rock Steady offer phenomenal video stabilization at different quality levels. However, a downfall of this camera is that video stabilization is not available in time-lapse mode.
Exposure Compensation – Automatic exposure compensation but can get better quality lighting through the Pro setting.
ISO range – 100-3200
Auto Focus – Great autofocus including eye detection in video mode.
Battery life – Approximately 70 minutes.
Sound – Delivers exceptional sound quality up to 250m away.
“With the help of the DJI Action 2, you can capture beautiful scenes in motion and bring them to life in your videos.”
Nikon D850 – Best Time-Lapse Camera for Low Light Conditions
The Nikon D850 is an incredibly powerful camera that allows you to capture stunning time-lapse images.
With its advanced features, the D850 can be used to create beautiful and unique time-lapse videos.
Featuring high-resolution recording and a fast shutter speed, it can capture amazing detail in any scene.
The Nikon D850 also offers a variety of settings for creating different types of time-lapse photography, such as star trails or day-to-night transitions.
4k Resolution – Records stunning footage in both incredible 4K and 1080p high-definition detail.
Fisheye & Wide Angle – This camera supports a number of incredible wide-angle and fish-eye Nikon lenses. A popular choice for wide angle is the Nikon AF-S 14-24mm or alternatively, Sigma 10-20mm for incredible panoramic captures. When it comes to fisheye lenses, the Nikon D850 supports the Sigma EX 8mm lens for unique detail.
Frame Rate – The camera can capture 4K up to 30fps and 1080 up to 120fps. However, the Nikon D850 shoots continuously at 7fps by default.
Slow Motion – Captures up to 120fps for outstanding slow-motion footage.
Video Stabilization – This camera does not have built-in image stabilization.
Exposure Compensation – Exposure compensation is one of the most impressive features of this time-lapse camera. With an easy-to-use command dial, it is easy to manually adjust the lighting on the Nikon D850.
Autofocus – The Nikon D850 is one of the few impressive time-lapse cameras that feature autofocus. However, the auto focus on this camera tends to be jumpy and bounces around if multiple objects are featured.
Battery life – Up to two hours of live view on a single charge or 1840 shots.
Sound – Built-in microphone with auto sensitivity and port for an external microphone.
“Whether you are a professional photographer or just starting out, the Nikon D850 is an excellent choice for capturing stunning time-lapse footage.”
How to Buy the Best Camera for Time-Lapse
If you’re in the market for a time-lapse camera, you may be lost for where to start.
In order to make your life even easier, here is the list of features you’d want to look for in a time-lapse camera.
These features are the most important things to look for in a camera for time-lapse.
4K Resolution
With 4k resolution, time-lapse videos become more crisp, clear, and detailed.
The higher the resolution of a video, the better the quality. 4k resolution is four times higher than 1080p HD resolution and provides an incredibly high level of detail that can be used to capture stunning visuals in time lapses.
With 4k resolution, you can capture more details and create more captivating visuals that will draw viewers in.
Additionally, 4k resolution allows for larger screens to be used without losing any quality or detail. This makes it perfect for professional projects creating large-scale displays, presentations, or time-lapse advertising.
To level the quality of your time-lapse footage up even further, both the GoPro Hero 10 and 11 capture in quality up to a stunning 5.3K resolution.
Fisheye and Wide Angle Lense
Traditionally, a time-lapse captures a wide panoramic scene such as a landscape. To capture this greater field of view, fisheye, and wide-angle lenses are extremely helpful.
Wide-angle lenses are essential for creating dynamic and engaging time-lapse videos whilst a fisheye adds a unique perspective.
Wide-angle lenses allow you to capture a wide field of view, which is key in creating a sense of movement and drama in your time-lapse footage.
They also provide more flexibility when framing the scene, allowing you to capture more details and create more dynamic compositions.
With the help of wide-angle lenses, you can create stunning time-lapse videos that will captivate your audience and keep them engaged.
Whether your time lapse camera requires interchangeable lenses or has a built-in varying field of view, width flexibility is key for capturing impressive time lapses.
Frame Rate
Frame rate is one of the most important aspects of creating a successful time-lapse.
The frame rate determines how quickly or slowly the frames transition, which impacts the overall look and feel of the video.
A higher frame rate will create a smoother motion while a lower frame rate will create a choppier motion.
By understanding and controlling your frame rate, you can make sure that your time-lapse looks exactly as you imagined it.
A camera with various frame rates provides you with greater flexibility.
Video Stabilization
When recording many time lapses, video stabilization is not an essential feature for your camera to have.
For many time-lapse recordings, your camera will be placed on a flat, stable surface and therefore image stabilization is unrequired.
However, for action time lapses, video stabilization is crucial.
Whether you’re driving, walking, running, or recording footage on an unstable surface, video stabilization helps you to capture smoother footage.
If you are going to capture action time lapses, image stabilization is key for eliminating camera shake and creating higher-quality content.
Exposure Compensation
Exposure compensation is an important aspect of time-lapse photography.
It helps photographers adjust the brightness of their images to get the best results.
Exposure compensation also helps to avoid common issues such as flicker, motion blur, and overexposure.
With exposure compensation, photographers can control the shutter speed and aperture settings to create a more dynamic time-lapse video.
By taking advantage of this feature, photographers can capture stunning time-lapse videos with greater ease and accuracy.
ISO Range
Time-lapse photography is a creative and powerful technique used to capture changes in a scene over a period of time.
To achieve the desired effect, photographers need to ensure that their exposure settings remain consistent throughout the entire sequence.
ISO range is an important factor when it comes to capturing time-lapse images. It determines how much light is captured by the camera, and therefore affects the quality of the image.
When shooting time-lapse, it’s important to choose an ISO range that will allow you to capture high-quality images without introducing too much noise.
Additionally, it helps them to maintain the same level of brightness across all frames in the sequence.
In short, the ISO range plays an important role in creating beautiful and captivating time-lapse sequences.
Autofocus
Autofocus is a helpful tool for creating time-lapse videos.
It allows the camera to automatically adjust the focus of the lens so that your footage remains in sharp focus throughout the duration of your video.
This helps you capture stunning shots without having to manually adjust the focus every few seconds, making it a crucial element for creating professional-looking time-lapse videos.
However, many time-lapse cameras have a fixed focus lens which is rarely a hindrance for this type of shot.
Battery Life
A decent battery life is absolutely essential for time lapses.
As time-lapse photography involves capturing multiple images over a period of time. The camera needs to be able to take all of these images without running out of battery power.
That’s why it’s important to have a good battery that can last through the entire shoot.
Battery life is important for time-lapse because it allows you to capture longer sequences and more complex shots without having to worry about running out of power mid-way through the shoot.
With good battery life, you can capture stunning scenes with ease and confidence knowing that your footage will not be lost or hindered due to a dying battery.
Things to Ignore
Some camera features may be of high importance when shopping for a traditional camera, but may not be essential for time lapses.
Sound – Sound is not a key element for time-lapse recording and as such. The majority of time-lapse modes and/or time-lapse recordings do not record sound.
Any audio recorded during a time-lapse would be distorted and therefore it is not usually an element of time-lapse recording.
However, if you are in the market for a versatile camera that you can use for more than just time lapses, the sound quality may be essential for you.
Slow Motion – As time-lapse is fast motion, slow-motion capabilities are not essential when looking for a time-lapse camera.
However, whilst slow motion is not typically a key element for time-lapse videos, it can be a great addition to more creative projects.
Best Camera for Time Lapse – My Verdict
After researching and testing all five cameras, it is clear that there are currently some excellent time-lapse cameras on the market.
However, it is the GoPro Hero 11 that has won us over as the best camera for time-lapse.
With incredible quality imagery and exceptional time-lapse capabilities, the GoPro Hero 11 captures incredible time lapses at any time of day or night.
In addition, this camera is highly versatile and not restricted to just time-lapse capabilities.
GoPro Hero 11 – Best Time-Lapse Camera Overall
However, every individual has unique camera requirements and the GoPro Hero 11 may not be the one for you.
Thankfully, there are four other incredible cameras to choose from.
If you are looking for the best value for money, the GoPro Hero 10 offers many of the same features and the same great quality as its successor for a fraction of the price.
Alternatively, the Brinno TLC130 is the most outstanding in terms of battery life, one of the most important parts of capturing time-lapse footage.
If you are to choose any of these five devices for your time lapse camera, you can rest assured the result will be impressive, with quality time lapses.
