see also:

• the Olympus OM-D system and how to make the most of it
• timelapse photography

• the main purpose of timelapse photography is to create a series of images over time which can then be recompiled into a movie format where time appears to have been sped up
• it is also used in astrophotography to create multiple exposures of the same subject which are then “stacked” on top of each other to build up a image to bring out more detail in dim subjects such as deep sky nebulae and glaxies
• traditionally, photographers resorted to various methods of achieving this:
  • manually pressing the shutter release for each shot
  • using a cable remote control device with computerised algorithm to act as an intervalometer
  • using a laptop connected via a USB cable to act as a remote control device
  • using a smartphone via a special cable from the headphone socket to act as a triggering device (eg. Trigger Trap for iOS)
  • using a smartphone via WiFi to act as a remote device
  • older Olympus cameras could have a pseudo-intervalometer mode by using the “Antishock” setting as the interval, and setting the drive mode to continual burst see here for instructions on the antishock method for the E-M5
• many cameras including the Olympus OM-D cameras now have a dedicated built in intervalometer mode which makes this much easier

• NB. NOT available on the E-M5 - must use the AntiShock method
• in the Menu, go to camera 2 and select Time Lapse Settings ON
  • then right arrow button to select options:
    • Frame count = how many shots you want to shoot (up to 999 on the latest cameras)
    • Start Waiting Time = initial delay to start shooting
    • Interval Time = time between shots
    • Time Lapse Movie = if ON, then in addition to recording the individual stills, it automatically converts them into a 720p 15fps movie in the camera
      • most people would prefer to create the movie on a computer so they can choose their own movie size and frame rates, post-processing, etc.
      • you could potentially create your own 1080 or 4K HD timelapse video on a computer

• the Olympus Live Composite mode is an extension of the Time Lapse mode, Olympus Live Time mode and multiple exposure photography with Olympus OM-D cameras, but instead of recording sequential shots, automatically “stacks” them on top of each other but only adding the brighter areas in each subsequent image