Two time series of photos were taken during the afternoon on 15 June 2026 using my Fujifilm X-T1 camera and a Meike 6.5mm circular fisheye lens. Apple "QuickTime Player" was used to render the JPEG images from each photo set into a time lapse video. Both videos were edited using Apple "Photos." The two video clips were combined to make a movie using "DaVinci Resolve."
The camera was mounted on a tripod with the lens facing the zenith. The entire dome of the sky is shown in the circular field of view; the horizon is located around the outer rim of the circle.
The "Scene 1" time lapse video was created from 432 photos: first image = 1:29 PM; last image = 1:50 PM. The "Scene 2" time lapse video was created from 473 photos: first image = 2:35 PM; last image = 2:58 PM. My GoPro HERO4 Black action camera was used to record a panoramic sky lapse video during a break between "Scene 1" and "Scene 2."
15 June 2026 | Fairfax County, Virginia USA
When I started using the Meike 6.5mm circular fisheye lens for "all sky" time lapsing, I mounted the camera on a tripod with the center column fully extended. The idea was to raise the camera/lens high enough that I could stand by the tripod without appearing in the fisheye photos. As expected, this resulted in camera shake and noticeably "jittery" video. I lowered the center column so there's no extension, making the camera steadier. That's a good thing. The trade-off is now you can see me in some photos at times. I can live with that.
Test Shot
It's very difficult to see the LCD screen of the X-T1 in bright sunlight, so I went to a shady place where I could take a few test shots to be sure exposure was set correctly.
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| 15 JUN 2026 | 1:21 PM | f/8 | 1/3,200 s | ISO 200 | 4896 x 3264 pixels |
Camera Settings
The camera was set for manual exposure and manual focus. The Meike lens features a "clickless" aperture ring. The Aperture was set for the f/8 mark on the aperture ring. The manual focus ring was set near the 3 ft mark. The Shutter Speed was set for 1/3,200 s.
The camera was set to record FINE+RAW, in L 3:2 format (6240 x 4160 pixels). A three (3) second interval was used to allow sufficient time for the camera to save the photo files to a memory card.
Panorama Photo
The following panoramic composite image was taken using the "Camera" app on my Apple iPad mini 6, set for "Pano" mode. The iPad was mounted on a tripod located at my usual vantage point on top of a seven-story parking garage.
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| 15 JUN 2026. 3:17 PM. Panoramic view. (16350 x 3906 pixels.) |
Wind (mph), Weather and Sky Condition
"Wind (mph)," "Weather" and "Sky Cond." are highlighted by red rectangles in the following excerpt from a table of three-day weather observations for KDCA on 15 June 2026 nearest the times when I recorded the time lapse videos and panoramic composite photo.
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| Source Credit: KDCA | National Weather Service |
Low-, middle-, and high level clouds were streaming across the sky the north-northwest to south-southeast.
Tech Tips
Everything You Need to Know About SD Cards by B&H eXplora provides a clear and concise explanation of the numbers and symbols that appear on SD memory cards. Although the article is a good resource it's the kind of information that makes my head feel like it's going to explode! So I just assumed the fastest memory cards I own were incompatible with my older Fujifilm X-T1. Turns out I was wrong.
After reading my blog post entitled Field testing an X-T1 for time lapsing - an after action report my good friend Luis Acosta suggested I try using one of the fastest memory cards I own in my X-T1. I did, and much to my surprise it worked. In fact it works so well I could probably record FINE+RAW files using a two-second interval. So I decided to give the X-T1 another chance for time lapsing. The following photo shows the memory card I'm currently using with my X-T1.
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| SanDisk 64 GB SDXC memory card. |
Sometimes the little things make a big difference. I repurposed the lens cap strap from an old Kodak digital camera (now that's old!) to make a safety tether for the lens cap that covers my Meike 6.5mm circular fisheye lens. It's not elegant yet seems to work well. Also notice the green plastic spirit level mounted on the X-T1 hot shoe. I use it to level the camera body when the lens is pointed at the zenith.
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| Lens cap tether for Meike 6.5mm circular fisheye lens. |
Finally let's transition to a brief discussion about "DaVinci Resolve." I have learned two hard lessons from my early struggles to get up-to-speed with DaVinci: 1. Always spec the "Project Settings" before you begin editing ("Timeline resolution" most importantly); and 2. DO NOT move or rename media files on your computer after adding them to the timeline.
Related Resources
- Field testing an X-T1 for time lapsing - after action report - a blog post by Walter Sanford
- More Fisheye on the Sky - a blog post by Walter Sanford
- Fisheye on the Sky - a blog post by Walter Sanford
Copyright © 2026 by Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
