03 October 2025. (0.28 seconds)
The 4K video was created using my GoPro HERO4 Black action camera set for "Video" mode / "Time Lapse Video" submode -- the simplest of several ways to create time lapse videos using the HERO4. I used an interval of five seconds. In retrospect I think two seconds would have been better.
Two classes of clouds are shown in the video: lower altitude cumuliform clouds; and higher altitude cirroform clouds. Notice the cumuliform clouds seem to form and dissipate without moving. (My good friend Luis Acosta was the first person who made this observation.) I speculate this might be the result of the Sun heating the Earth's surface, causing convection cells in the lower atmosphere.
Time Lapse or Hyperlapse?
By definition the camera is mounted in a fixed position when making time lapses; the camera moves for hyperlapses.
My action camera is mounted on a one-hour mechanical kitchen timer that rotates 360° counterclockwise, so the camera pans in the same direction. Yet the entire rig is connected to a camera tripod, so I think the line between time lapse and hyperlapse is somewhat blurry in this case. Time lapse expert Matthew Vandeputte calls the type of video I shot a "Motion Control Time Lapse." What's your opinion?
Tech Tips
The following photograph shows my Rube Goldberg machine "Sky Lapse 360 © 2025" time lapse/hyperlapse rig.
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| "Sky Lapse 360 © 2025" time lapse/hyperlapse rig. |
The component parts, numbered in the preceding photo, are listed below.
- GoPro HERO4 Black action camera
- GoPro tripod mount adapter
- Suction cup camera mount (repurposed from RTL-SDR Antenna Kit)
- Kitchen timer (Amazon)
- Ulanzi R101 Universl MagSafe to 1/4 20 Tripod Base Mount for iPhone
- Manfrotto 323 RC2 Quick Release Adapter with 200PL-14 323
- Safety strap
The suction cup camera mount (3) is shown in the following photo. The suction cup itself is approximately the same diameter as the top of the kitchen timer (4). Most suction cups are too wide to work with the timer.
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| Suction cup included with RTL-SDR Antenna Kit. |
Another possible source for a suction cup is available from AliExpress: 6 Types Mini Suction Cup Mount Tripod (select Color Name: 5). The price for a single suction cup seems to be a great bargain but the cost for shipping and handling plus the time it takes for delivery from China might make the "RTL-SDR Antenna Kit" the better option for obtaining a suction cup that fits the kitchen timer.
Of course you might simply use one of the flat adhesive mounts available from GoPro to connect a camera mount to the top of the kitchen timer (4), more or less permanently. I didn't want to go that route since adhesive mounts are difficult to remove.
The Ulanzi MagSafe tripod mount (5) is magnetic on one side and connects to the magnet on the bottom of the kitchen timer (4). I wish both magnets were stronger, but the grip seems to be strong enough to hold the time lapse/hyperlapse camera rig securely.
I used the clip on the GoPro HERO4 Black camera protective housing to connect a safety strap to the camera/camera rig. Better safe than sorry, right?
The Backstory
Quite a while ago I watched several YouTube videos that demonstrated how to make panoramic time lapse videos using an inexpensive IKEA "Ordning" kitchen timer. (See "Related Resources, below.) That particular model is no longer available so I searched for similar timers with a flat top and bottom. The one available from Amazon is the closest match I found.
Related Resources
- GoPro Hero - 360 Degree Panning Timer - IKEA - Ordning - Part 1 (3:50) - a YouTube video by Travel with Brynmag
- How I Used $10 Egg Timer To Create Spinning Time Lapse - Filmmaking Tips (5:10) - a YouTube video Russo Mutuc {Editor's Note: Believe it or not, I discovered this video after I bought a similar timer.]
- Hyperlapse vs Timelapse EXPLAINED (3:49) - a YouTube video by Matthew Vandeputte
Copyright © 2025 by Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
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