the WiFi as described above.
Refer to the sidebar for a detailed description of all status indicators.
Setting Up SAM
Before SAM can be used for a particular application (e.g., astrophotography)
it needs to be mounted on a tripod, have the camera gear attached, and then
be configured using the Star Adventurer mini Console. The following sections
explain how to do these things for regular-exposure time-lapse photography,
long-exposure time-lapse photography and astrophotography.
Setting Up SAM for Regular-Exposure Time-Lapse Photography
Attaching SAM To Your Tripod
Set up your tripod according to the directions it came with. Ensure it is stable
and set at the height you wish to use it.
For regular-exposure time-lapse photography SAM is mounted directly to a
level tripod via the 3/8 inch tripod mounting bolt. Your tripod may have a ball
head or pan-tilt head attached. We recommend you remove this and attach
SAM directly to the tripod using the 3/8 inch threaded base socket that is on
the side opposite the saddle (see top photo on this page).
Mounting Your Camera Gear
Now you can attach your camera gear (see bottom photo). Note that an
optional ball mount is shown. This is a highly recommended option to give you
far more creative control when composing your shots.
Once SAM is attached to your tripod, and your camera gear is attached to SAM,
you are ready to start making videos with the Star Adventurer mini Console.
The last step is to attach SAM to your camera using the SNAP cable. One end
plugs into the port for a wired shutter remote on your camera and the other
into the SNAP port on SAM.
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-..._ Attach to
tripod via
3/8 inch base
socket.
Gear mounted
�sing optional
ball mount.
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1:30 PM
Star Adventurer mini Console
Astrophotography
Astra Time-lapse
Regular-Exposure Time-lapse
Long-Exposure Time-lapse
Manual Control
Polar Clock Utility
Settings
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-
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Time-Lapse Photography with the Star Adventurer mini Console
Now that you have SAM set up with your camera gear attached it's time to
learn how to use the Star Adventurer mini Console. This section assumes
that you installed the app on your device. If you have not, please refer back
to the section titled
Installing the Star Adventurer mini Console.
The main screen of the control app divides SAM's functions into separate
sections. To select a function just tap on it. There are separate sections
for astrophotography and for different types of time-lapse photography.
The app also provides for
Manual Control
of SAM, assists you with
Polar
Alignment
(see astrophotography section), and lets you alter
Settings,
such
as making a WiFi connection with SAM.
For now, select
Regular-Exposure Time-Lapse
by tapping on it. This is the
simplest mode for SAM and a good one for helping you understand how to
set the control options.
Regular-Exposure Time-Lapse
mode is for capturing
time-lapse videos under daylight or well-lit conditions where long exposure
times are not necessary. In this mode, exposure settings are set on your
camera. The Star Adventurer mini Console pans your camera and sends
signals to trigger the shutter as it creates your time-lapse video.
In the
Long-Exposure Time-Lapse
mode SAM controls the exposure time
instead of your camera. This way you can use exposure� that exceed 30
seconds, which are often needed in low light conditions, especially with
small aperture settings on your lens. Whenever you use
Long-Exposure
Time-Lapse
mode set your shutter to BULB mode. If it is not set on BULB
mode the camera shutter speed setting will be used instead.
You can make time-lapse videos using SAM to control the shutter only (no
panning), or to pan continuously while firing the shutter of your camera at
intervals set by you. Use the first of these techniques to produce a time
lapse video from a fixed perspective and the second to create a time-lapse
video in which the perspective changes as the video is recorded.
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