1

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Scientific Investigations Report 2008–5117

A Versatile Time-Lapse Camera System Developed by 

the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory for Use at Kïlauea 

Volcano, Hawaiÿi
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A Versatile Time-Lapse Camera System 

Developed by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 

for Use at Kïlauea Volcano, Hawaiÿi

By Tim R. Orr and Richard P. Hoblitt

Prepared in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation

Scientific Investigations Report 2008–5117

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
ii 

U.S. Department of the Interior

DIRK KEMPTHORNE, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

Mark D. Myers, Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2008

This report and any updates to it are available online at:

http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2008/5117/

For product and ordering information:

World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod

Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS

For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, 

natural hazards, and the environment:

World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov

Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS

Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the 

U.S. Government.

Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to 

reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this report.

Suggested citation:

Orr, Tim R. and Hoblitt, Richard P., 2008, A versatile time-lapse camera system developed by the Hawaiian Volcano 

Observatory for use at Kïlauea Volcano, Hawaiÿi: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5117, 8 p. 

Cataloging-in-publication data are on file with the Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov/).

Produced in the Western Region, Menlo Park, California

Manuscript approved for publication, July 3, 2008

Text edited by Tracey Suzuki

Layout by David R. Jones
 iii

Contents

Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................1

Previous Time-Lapse Camera Systems at Kïlauea...................................................................................1

Time-Lapse Camera System Components.................................................................................................1

Intervalometer.......................................................................................................................................2

Digital Camera.......................................................................................................................................2

Camera Enclosure.................................................................................................................................2

Device Power Requirements .......................................................................................................................4

Power Options................................................................................................................................................4

Internal Battery Without Solar Panel ................................................................................................4

External Battery Without Solar Panel ...............................................................................................5

Internal Battery With Solar Panel......................................................................................................5

External Battery With Solar Panel .....................................................................................................5

System Operation...........................................................................................................................................5

Camera Settings....................................................................................................................................6

Intervalometer Settings .......................................................................................................................6

Operating Procedure............................................................................................................................6

Image Review.................................................................................................................................................7

To the Future ...................................................................................................................................................7

References Cited............................................................................................................................................8

Figures

1. An example of a long-term time-lapse camera system deployment on the 

steep flank of Pu‘u ÿÖÿö cone, Hawai‘i. ..................................................................................................1

2. The major components of the time-lapse camera system described in this report.......................2

3. Digital cameras used in the time-lapse camera systems deployed by the 

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory...............................................................................................................2

4. This view of the hinge-side of the Pelican 1400 case..........................................................................3

5. This view shows the screws protruding from the bottom of the Pelican 1400 case......................3

6. The ABS plate mounted inside the Pelican 1400 case. .......................................................................4

7. Basic wiring diagram for the time-lapse camera system...................................................................5
 

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A Versatile Time-Lapse Camera System Developed 

by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory for Use at 

Kïlauea Volcano, Hawaiÿi

By Tim R. Orr and Richard P. Hoblitt

Introduction

Volcanoes can be difficult to study up close. Because it 

may be days, weeks, or even years between important events, 

direct observation is often impractical. In addition, volcanoes 

are often inaccessible due to their remote location and (or) 

harsh environmental conditions. An eruption adds another 

level of complexity to what already may be a difficult and 

dangerous situation.

For these reasons, scientists at the U.S. Geological 

Survey (USGS) Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) have, 

for years, built camera systems to act as surrogate eyes. With 

the recent advances in digital-camera technology, these eyes 

are rapidly improving. One type of photographic monitoring 

involves the use of near-real-time network-enabled cameras 

installed at permanent sites (Hoblitt and others, in press). 

Time-lapse camera-systems, on the other hand, provide an 

inexpensive, easily transportable monitoring option that offers 

more versatility in site location. While time-lapse systems 

lack near-real-time capability, they provide higher image 

resolution and can be rapidly deployed in areas where the use 

of sophisticated telemetry required by the networked cameras 

systems is not practical.

This report describes the latest generation (as of 2008) 

time-lapse camera system used by HVO for photograph 

acquisition in remote and hazardous sites on Kïlauea Volcano. 

Previous Time-Lapse Camera Systems 

at Kïlauea

Time-lapse camera systems were first employed by 

HVO in the early 1970s during the Mauna Ulu eruption on 

the upper east rift zone of Kïlauea. This system used Super 8 

movie cameras with a time-lapse setting. The cameras were 

mounted inside surplus military ammunition boxes fitted 

with glass windows and attached to surveyor’s tripods. This 

system was used by HVO until 1997, when it was superseded 

by a telemetered volcano-imaging system installed at Pu‘u 

ÿÖÿö (Thornber, 1997).

Despite the success of the telemetered imaging system, 

these cameras were tethered by cables to telemetry/power stations and, thus, were not portable. For this reason, retirement 

of the Super 8 time-lapse cameras effectively removed HVO’s 

portable time-lapse capability. The construction of the new 

time-lapse camera system described here (fig. 1), which takes 

advantage of the recent advances in digital-camera technology, was motivated by the desire to recover that portable 

time-lapse capability. Like the Super 8 system before it, this 

new system requires that the recording medium be changed 

regularly. However, unlike the Super 8 system which used film 

that required photo-lab developing, the digital camera in the 

new system uses CompactFlash memory cards, which can be 

downloaded and viewed using any modern computer.

Time-Lapse Camera System Components

The major components of the camera system are shown 

in figure 2. The intervalometer, which controls timing for the 

shutter release, was the component that made assembly of 

the time-lapse system possible. As the brain of the system, it 

was the first component that we selected. Because only one 

Figure 1. An example of a long-term time-lapse camera system 

deployment, as described in this report, on the steep flank of Pu‘u 

ÿÖÿö cone, Hawai‘i.
2 A Versatile Time-Lapse Camera System for Use at Kïlauea Volcano, Hawaiÿi

type of intervalometer was available when we began to design 

the system, the camera choices were limited. The size of the 

camera selected was then used to determine the dimensions for 

the system enclosure. The individual system components are 

described below.

Intervalometer

The intervalometer used in this system is the Harbortronics Digisnap 2000 (fig. 2). This programmable device operates with a wide variety of digital cameras, but it is designed 

around the Nikon COOLPIX camera series. The Digisnap 

controls many camera functions, but we have used it only to 

control the shutter release. The shutter release interval can be 

programmed to a maximum of 255 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 

seconds. The minimum interval is limited only by the length 

of time required for the camera to write the previous picture to 

memory—nominally 15 seconds for a one-megapixel image.

The Digisnap is programmed by attaching a null-modem 

cable between a computer and the male DB-9 serial port on 

one side of the intervalometer. A terminal emulator program, 

such as HyperTerminal, bundled with the Microsoft Windows 

operating system, is used to configure the shutter release. Likewise, to control a digital camera, a camera-specific serial cable 

attaches the Digisnap to the camera through the same port.

Digital Camera

As noted above, the Digisnap was designed especially 

for the Nikon COOLPIX series. After much testing, we settled 

on the Nikon COOLPIX4300 and Nikon COOLPIX8700 as 

the preferred cameras within this series (fig. 3). Each camera 

offers distinct advantages, and both are interchangeable in 

our system. The salient features of each of these cameras are 

compared below:

Nikon COOLPIX4300 Nikon COOLPIX8700

4.0 megapixels 8.0 megapixels

3x optical zoom 8x optical zoom

CompactFlash card ≤ 2GB CompactFlash card > 2GB

Cost = ~$325 (new) Cost = ~$800 (new)

Although the number of megapixels and the increased 

zoom capacity make the COOLPIX8700 more versatile, we 

have rarely utilized these capabilities in our deployments. 

The main reason for using the COOLPIX8700 is that it uses 

the FAT32 file system. This is important because the Fat16 

file system, used by the COOLPIX4300, limits its maximum 

effective storage to 2 GB, while a FAT32 partition does not 

have this limitation. Thus, while the Nikon 4300 can only use 

CompactFlash memory cards with a capacity of 2 GB or less, 

the Nikon 8700 can use CompactFlash cards with a capacity greater than 2 GB. One trade-off then, between these two 

cameras, is memory capacity versus cost.

Operationally, we have experienced numerous reliability 

problems with the Nikon COOLPIX8700 cameras. Each of 

the five COOLPIX8700 cameras that we have used in timelapse deployments has failed at least once. In each failure, the 

symptoms have been the same: pronounced horizontal banding 

on the recorded images that makes them nearly unusable. This 

banding appears only during the daytime when the amount 

of available light is high. In low-light situations, the banding 

disappears, and the images look normal.

Camera Enclosure

Because of the extremely corrosive conditions typically 

found near active vents on Kïlauea, we selected a Pelican 

Products model 1400 environmental case (fig. 4). These rugA

C

B

D

E

F

G

A

C

B

D

E

F

G

Figure 2. The major components of the time-lapse camera system 

described in this report include the A, intervalometer, B, power 

inverter, C, 12-volt battery, D, waterproof enclosure, E, digital 

camera, F, charge controller for solar recharging deployments 

(optional), and G, solar panel (optional).

A B

Figure 3. Digital cameras used in the time-lapse camera systems 

deployed by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory at Kïlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i. A, Nikon COOLPIX4300; B, Nikon COOLPIX8700.
Time-Lapse Camera System Components 3

ged cases, constructed of polyethylene, are weather-tight and 

impervious to acidic volcanic gases. The 1400 case is large 

enough to accommodate either model of COOLPIX camera 

described above and allows sufficient room for the other system components.

We customized the enclosure by cutting a 2-inch by 

3-inch rectangular hole in the end of the case, with the long 

axis of the rectangle parallel to the case’s bottom. A 3⁄16-inchthick piece of clear window glass is glued over the rectangular 

opening with silicone adhesive/sealant. Holes drilled in each 

corner of the glass with a diamond hole saw bit allow the 

window to be firmly attached to the enclosure with stainless 

steel machine screws (fig. 5). The window opening is centered 

on the camera lens.

Figure 4. This view of the hinge-side of the Pelican 1400 case 

shows the Conxall 2-pin, panel-mount receptacle connector used 

in the time-lapse camera system at Kïlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i.

Because of the difficulty of working with glass, we will 

likely explore other products for constructing windows for 

future enclosures. Lexan polycarbonate is the most obvious 

alternative. Although not as fragile as the window glass, it is 

softer and prone to being scratched when the window is cleaned.

Other external modifications include a rain/sun shield 

constructed from 3

⁄16-inch-thick Acylonitrile Butadiene Styrene 

(ABS) plastic because it is easy to cut and easily welded 

using ABS cement. The shield is placed around the window 

opening and attached to the box using the same machine 

screws that hold the window glass in place (fig. 5). On the 

hinge side of the enclosure, adjacent to the window, a Conxall 

(Switchcraft, Inc.) two-pin, panel-mount receptacle connector 

(Conxall CXS3102A14S-9S-300) is installed (fig. 4) to attach 

an external power source. These small environmental connectors are pin-for-pin compatible with aluminum shelled, U.S. 

MIL-SPEC ones, but our experience has shown that the plastic 

construction of these Conxall connectors makes them more 

durable under the wet and corrosive conditions typically found 

near volcanic vents.

A mounting system for the external tripod bracket and 

internal camera/battery support plate is constructed by drilling a hole through each of the four feet on the bottom of the 

Pelican case. A two-inch-long stainless steel machine screw, 

with the head cut off, is inserted through each hole (fig. 5). 

The screw length left exposed inside and outside the case 

should be the same. A dab of silicon sealant is applied to each 

machine screw at the hole, and stainless steel nuts are used on 

both the inside and the outside of the box to hold the machine 

screws in place. This allows the ABS sheet mounted inside the 

box (holding the camera, battery, and intervalometer) to be 

removed for maintenance without removing the external tripod 

mounting plate (both described below), and vice versa.

The internal camera mounting plate, with attached 

standoffs, is constructed from a 3

⁄16-inch-thick ABS plastic 

Figure 5. This view shows the screws protruding from the bottom 

of the Pelican 1400 case, which are used to attach the polyethylene sheet that may be used to mount the camera enclosure on a 

standard surveyor’s tripod. The rain/sun shield and the window 

are attached over the window opening by using a single set of 4 

stainless steel machine screws.
4 A Versatile Time-Lapse Camera System for Use at Kïlauea Volcano, Hawaiÿi

sheet (fig. 6). The plate is fastened to the inside bottom of 

the case using the machine screws described in the previous 

paragraph. A vertical divider made from ABS is cemented to 

the mounting plate to provide a separated space for a (7-amphour or smaller) 12-volt sealed lead-acid battery. ABS is also 

used to construct a small platform to support the camera and 

to position it vertically within the box. The camera platform 

is glued off-center on the mounting plate such that, when the 

camera is attached, the camera memory card slot is easily 

accessible.

Two terminal strips (four-circuit, double-row) and a 

fuse holder are attached to the internal mounting plate using 

glue or screws. One terminal strip connects the camera and 

intervalometer to power. A Schottky diode is placed across 

the power inputs with a fuse in series with the positive input. 

This provides polarity and over-voltage protection for the 

camera and intervalometer. The other terminal strip handles 

connections from either internal or external power sources. 

Figure 7 is a simple wiring diagram showing the electrical 

system.

In spite of the weathertight design of the Pelican case, moisture can enter the enclosure when memory cards are changed. 

A porous bag containing silica gel desiccant, placed inside the 

enclosure, is recommended to prevent corrosion of sensitive electronic components and fogging of the glass window.

When deployed, the camera system can either be placed 

on the ground or mounted on a tripod. To facilitate tripod 

mounting, we use a 3

⁄16-inch-thick polyethylene sheet (kitchen 

cutting board) with the center tapped to accommodate the 

mounting screw of a standard surveyor’s tripod (fig. 5). 

Slightly oversized holes are drilled in the corners of the sheet 

to align with the mounting system machine screws protruding 

from the bottom of the Pelican case (described above). The 

polyethylene sheet was chosen because it is inexpensive, easy 

to work, and virtually impervious to volcanic gases.

Device Power Requirements

To operate, the digital camera and the Digisnap 2000 

require different voltages, and neither is directly compatible 

with the voltage supplied by the 12-volt battery that powers 

the system. The Digisnap requires 5 volts to operate, whereas 

the Nikon COOLPIX cameras need 8.4 volts to operate when 

externally powered. Though the COOLPIX4300 will operate 

properly using 12 volts, the excess voltage causes the LCD 

monitor on the COOLPIX8700 to light up, wasting power and 

possibly damaging the camera.

These power issues are circumvented by using the battery 

converter available through Harbortronics LLC, the company 

that makes the intervalometer. This dual 5-volt/8.5-volt power 

converter (fig. 2) is designed to power both the intervalometer 

and the camera. Though separate custom regulators for both 

the intervalometer and digital camera can be easily built, the 

Harbortronics device is a much cleaner solution. The power 

converter should be firmly attached to the internal ABS 

mounting plate to keep it from moving around and potentially 

shorting out the system during transport.

Power Options

We experimented with several different configurations 

for providing power to the camera systems—each suited to a 

particular type and (or) length of deployment. Each configuration involves a 12-volt D.C. power source located inside or 

outside the camera enclosure, with an optional solar recharging system. The configurations we have used are described 

below, along with their various pros and cons.

For this discussion, “internal” refers to a sealed lead-acid 

or gel-electrolyte battery located inside the Pelican enclosure—not to the camera’s internal battery—while “external” 

refers to a battery located outside the enclosure. For longerterm deployments where power is an issue, the camera’s small 

internal battery should be removed. Tests by Harbortronics 

LLC have shown that, with the camera’s internal battery 

removed, the camera will operate at a lower voltage before 

shutting down.

Internal Battery Without Solar Panel

The simplest configuration relies solely on a small, 12-volt 

7-amp-hour battery (for example, Power-Sonic Model PS-1270 

F1) inside the enclosure. This configuration—our prototype 

design—is the least expensive to build and easiest to deploy, 

Camera platform

Bubble level

Diode

1A fuse

Battery

compartment

(+) In(-) In

(+) Out (-) Out

Camera platform

Bubble level

Diode

1A fuse

Battery

compartment

(+) In(-) In

(+) Out (-) Out

Figure 6. The ABS plate mounted inside the Pelican 1400 case is 

used for attaching the camera and electrical components and 

provides a separate space for a small 12-volt battery and other 

components used in the time-lapse camera system at Kïlauea 

Volcano, Hawai‘i.
System Operation 5

requiring only the camera enclosure with or without a tripod. 

The disadvantage of this configuration is that the system will 

operate only for a few days to perhaps a few weeks, depending on the image-acquisition interval, before the battery is 

exhausted. The image frequency must be adjusted carefully to 

allow the system to run throughout the desired interval, and if 

continued operation is desired, the battery must be exchanged 

with a fully-charged battery before this interval expires.

If the battery does become exhausted, the camera and intervalometer shut down, and no damage to the system is incurred. 

Images saved to the camera’s memory card are not lost.

External Battery Without Solar Panel

In many circumstances, the operational duration of the 

internal battery is inadequate. One simple solution to this 

problem is to use a much larger external battery. The external 

power connector on the enclosure allows the attachment of a 

deep-cycle, high-capacity, 12-volt storage battery (for example, ACDelco M27MF). With this configuration, again depending on the image interval, the system can last for weeks, or 

even months, before the battery must be replaced. An example 

of this configuration is shown in figure 1.

Internal Battery With Solar Panel

In this configuration, a small solar panel (for example, 

BP Solar BPSX5M 5W/12V solar module) is mounted on the 

lid of the camera enclosure. The 5-watt solar-panel cable is 

threaded through a hole drilled through the back edge of the 

enclosure lid and attached to a small charge controller (for 

example, Morningstar SunGuard 4.5A 12V solar controller) 

inside the enclosure. The charge controller is then attached to 

the internal battery. The hole drilled for the solar-panel cable is 

sealed with silicone adhesive.

This configuration is compact, easily deployed, and has 

a longer operational time than an internal battery alone. For 

long-term deployments, especially when the image acquisition interval was set to about 10 minutes or more, the batteries could recharge, and the system was able to run almost 

indefinitely. For short-term deployments with a short imageacquisition interval, the solar panel, while not keeping up with 

the total power demand of the system, prolonged functional 

operation of the system.

External Battery With Solar Panel

This is the best solution for long-term, or open-ended, 

deployments. In this configuration, a larger solar panel (for 

example, BP Solar BPSX30 30W/12V solar module), with 

a higher rated charge controller (for example, Morningstar 

SunSaver-10 10A 12V solar controller), is connected to an 

external high-capacity 12-volt storage battery (for example, 

ACDelco M27MF). The battery is then connected to the 

external power connector on the enclosure (fig. 4). The solar 

panel can be attached to the tripod, mounted to a simple 

solar-panel rack, or simply placed upon the ground.

At HVO, this configuration provides ample power to run 

reliable, long-term deployments with a high image-acquisition 

frequency. Thus, the capacity of the memory card, rather than 

the capacity of the battery, dictates when the camera site must 

be revisited.

System Operation

Through numerous tests and deployments, a general operating procedure was developed to allow anyone to successfully deploy a time-lapse camera system and avoid a number 

of potential pitfalls. Still, it is important that every system be 

+

-

+

-

2A fuse

12V

12V

20V/3A diode

Power

inverter

Camera

Intervalometer

5V

8.5V

Figure 7. Basic wiring diagram for the time-lapse camera system, excluding the optional solar module charge 

controller, Kïlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i. The two 12-volt batteries are not intended to be run simultaneously, but 

they illustrate the two power options available—one for a battery inside the enclosure, the other for a battery 

external to the enclosure.
6 A Versatile Time-Lapse Camera System for Use at Kïlauea Volcano, Hawaiÿi

tested with the intended settings by letting it run for at least a 

week before field deployment. Some problems may not appear 

until several days have passed. Typical device settings and the 

general operating procedure are described below.

Camera Settings

The camera’s internal clock battery, which is different 

from the battery that operates the camera’s functions, takes 

about 10 hours to charge. It will hold a charge for several days 

when the camera is not attached to some other power supply. 

If this battery becomes exhausted, the camera will revert to its 

default settings, including default date and time. Checking the 

camera a day or two before the system is deployed is strongly 

recommended. If necessary, a power supply can be attached 

to the camera to recharge the clock battery. Take the camera’s 

manual into the field just in case the camera gets reset or other 

settings need to be changed.

There are several typical camera settings that we have 

used for time-lapse setups that are observing distant objects, 

both day and night. These settings include the following:

•	 Confirm that the shooting mode is set to auto.

•	 Set the focus to infinity.

•	 Turn the flash off (this is the default when the camera is 

set to infinity).

•	 Set the desired image quality and image size.

•	 Disable the shutter sound to save power.

•	 Disable the shot confirmation lamp to save power.

•	 Set the camera’s “auto off” feature to the maximum 

limit (it is uncertain if this really matters).

The camera settings for image quality and image size 

play an important role in every time-lapse deployment. No 

specific settings can be recommended as these are entirely 

dependent on the desired image resolution, the image-acquisition interval, the length of the deployment, the power available, and the capacity of the memory card. In general, however, some quick testing suggests that sacrificing image size is 

preferable to sacrificing image quality.

The Nikon COOLPIX manuals, as do most digitalcamera manuals, include an image quality versus image size 

grid. This is useful for estimating the number of images a 

memory card of a specified size can hold. The information 

presented in these grids, however, is based on memory cards 

much smaller than those used in typical time-lapse deployments. For example, a typical deployment with a Nikon 

COOLPIX4300 might use an image quality of “Normal” and 

an image size of “1280 × 960.” The manual suggests that, 

with these settings, a 128 MB CompactFlash card will hold 

381 pictures. Multiplying this number of pictures by sixteen 

(128 MB × 16 = 2 GB) will provide a quick estimate of how 

many pictures will fit on a 2 GB card (6,096 pictures). The 

same procedure can be applied to the Nikon COOLPIX8700 

to calculate the number of pictures that can be written to the 

larger-sized CompactFlash cards.

Intervalometer Settings

Using HyperTerminal or another terminal emulator, 

attach the intervalometer to the serial communication port on a 

computer with a null modem cable. The communication configuration is specified in the intervalometer manual. Turning 

on the intervalometer initiates communication with HyperTerminal, and the main Digisnap programming menu appears. 

Each of the intervalometer menus and options is discussed in 

detail in the manual.

For our deployments, we have only run the Digisnap in 

simple time-lapse mode. This mode specifies a fixed time-lapse 

interval. The Digisnap also has an advanced time-lapse mode 

that runs variable acquisition intervals that repeat each day.

Another basic setting for the Digisnap is the protocol setting, which determines what functions are available 

to the camera. For an intervalometer attached to a Nikon 

COOLPIX4300 camera, the best performance was achieved 

with the “minimum protocol” setting. For the Nikon 

COOLPIX8700 camera, however, the best performance and 

power savings were achieved when using the “extended protocol” setting.

In addition, the “camera check period” constant, found 

in the operation menu, should be set to 0 for the Nikon 

COOLPIX8700. The camera-check period determines how 

frequently the Digisnap will poll the camera to see if it is still 

connected. For the Nikon COOLPIX4300, the default period 

is adequate. The default values for the other constants in the 

operation menu can be used for both cameras.

Operating Procedure

The basic steps to start the time-lapse process are to (1) 

turn on the camera, (2) plug in the serial cable that attaches the 

intervalometer to the camera, and (3) start the intervalometer.

 (1) Turn on the camera:

•	 Remove the lens cap and turn on the camera. Watch to 

see that the camera lens extends.

•	 Check the camera’s LCD monitor to make sure the 

desired settings appear. If you have to readjust the settings, also check the camera time—the clock battery 

may have discharged and reset the camera to default 

settings (see the discussion above).

•	 Adjust the orientation of the camera box and zoom the 

camera to frame the view you want. The LCD screen 

of both cameras is visible when either one is mounted 
To the Future 7

in the enclosure. The only accurately repeatable zoom 

settings are either all the way in or all the way out.

 (2) Attach the intervalometer to the camera:

•	 Attach the intervalometer to the camera with the serial 

cable. This cable has a DB9 connector on one end and a 

Nikon mini-USB connector on the other. The camera’s 

LCD monitor should go blank when the cable is attached.

 (3) Start the intervalometer:

•	 Watching the LED on the intervalometer, press any button on the device to wake it up. The LED will immediately flash yellow once as the Digisnap begins to 

establish communication with the camera.

•	 Listen and watch closely. The camera will make some 

clicking noises as the intervalometer communicates 

with it, and the camera will take a picture. This process 

takes about 20 seconds; the LED will periodically flash 

green during this period. If the LED flashes red, something is wrong. Turn off the camera, cycle the power by 

removing and replacing the fuse or power supply, and 

try again.

•	 Continue to watch the LED. After the first picture has 

snapped, the LED will begin to blink green with a 

four-second interval indicating that the intervalometer 

is functioning properly in simple time-lapse mode. 

The green flashes can be subtle in bright light, so look 

closely. The chosen time-lapse interval begins when the 

first picture is taken.

Image Review

Because the camera systems described here are not 

telemetered, it is necessary to exchange used CompactFlash 

memory cards with blank ones and to download the images 

from the cards manually. However, because the images are in 

a digital format, they can be readily reviewed and studied.

The Nikon COOLPIX cameras assign alphanumeric 

names to image files and place them in folders on the 

memory cards. We have found it useful to have the file name 

for the images correspond to the date and time at which 

the photo was taken. A typical deployment might produce 

thousands of photos in dozens of folders, and moving and 

renaming these images manually is too time-consuming. To 

streamline the process, we created a simple Windows XP 

batch file that renames the images to the date and time they 

were taken (based on the information stored in each image’s 

EXIF tags), extracts the image files from the downloaded 

folders, and deletes the subsequently empty folders. Photos 

are renamed to the date and time of acquisition through a call 

in the batch file to Jhead.exe, a command-line executable 

that manipulates EXIF data. Jhead.exe is freeware and can be 

downloaded from numerous internet sites.

The images collected may be viewed as static images, 

or as animation sequences. We typically review each 

download of images as an animation sequence and tabulate 

interesting phenomena. This only takes a few tens of minutes for a typical set of images captured during a period of a 

few weeks with an acquisition interval of 5 minutes. When 

something unusually interesting or exciting is encountered, 

the pertinent sequence of images is clipped out and converted into a short movie.

With time, the internal clock for the Nikon digital 

cameras drifts, and thus assigns incorrect times to images. To 

correct for the drift, we periodically hold a GPS unit showing 

the correct time in front of the time-lapse camera to capture 

images showing the correct time. By comparing a picture 

showing the actual GPS time to the time imprinted in the 

picture’s EXIF data, we can calculate clock drift. Simple EXIF 

data manipulation programs, such as EXIF Date Changer, 

are freely available on the Internet and can be used to adjust 

the EXIF time for all the images in a particular sequence for 

which the incorrect time applies. To minimize time offsets due 

to clock drift, the camera’s clock should be reset frequently. 

In Hawai‘i, where ambient temperature variations that cause 

camera-clock drift are minimal, we typically experience drift 

of only a few seconds per month.

To the Future

The time-lapse camera systems described above have 

proven invaluable. The systems have provided scientists at the 

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory with an exciting new way to 

record and study numerous volcanic phenomena—some of 

which have never before been observed, much less recorded—

in unprecedented detail. Many particularly interesting 

sequences have been posted to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Web site and are viewable as time-lapse movies (http://

hvo.wr.usgs.gov/gallery/kilauea/volcanomovies/, last accessed 

June 25, 2008).

The rapid pace of progress has already outrun the 

technology described here. The Harbortronics intervalometer 

requires a serial communication port. Although the Nikon 

COOLPIX series cameras described above have a dual USB/

serial communication capability, the newest models only 

allow USB communication. For these newer cameras, the 

Harbortronics intervalometer will not work. Until another 

solution arrives, we must purchase older, used cameras as 

the current time-lapse systems wear out. Fortunately, internet 

reseller sites that commonly offer new or lightly used cameras will likely extend the useful operational life of systems 

built on the components described here for at least the next 

couple of years.
8 A Versatile Time-Lapse Camera System for Use at Kïlauea Volcano, Hawaiÿi

References Cited

Thornber, C.R., 1997, HVO/RVTS-1; a prototype remote 

video telemetry system for monitoring the Kīlauea east rift 

zone eruption, 1997: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File 

Report 97-0537, 18 p. [http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/products/

OF97537/contents.html, (last accessed June 25, 2008)].

Hoblitt, R.P., Orr, T.R., Castella, Frederic, and Cervelli, P.F., 

in press, Remote-controlled pan, tilt, zoom cameras at 

Kīlauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes, Hawai‘i: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5129.
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To the Future 10

Orr and Hoblitt—

Use at K

A Versatile Time-Lapse Camera System Developed by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory for 

ïlauea Volcano, Hawaiÿi—Scientific Investigations Report 2008–5117