JUMP IN
the quick start section
Thank you for purchasing from TimeLapseCameras.com.
To get you running with your camera, each camera purchased from TimeLapseCameras has been tested, four AA batteries and a16GB card are pre-installed for you.
Your camera has been optimized for your first project with the following settings: the latest firmware update installed, timestamp turned off, Quality set to +4, full HDR, 30 fps, 16:9 ratio and the capture interval is set at 10 seconds.
To get started first download the App from either Apple or Google.
Everything you need to
KNOW IN DETAIL
This is the place where you can find the answer to:
what it is, how to, and the source of information about the
Afidus Time Lapse Camera full app functions and how to work with it.
QUICK START:
1) Download the Afidus Time Lapse app.
2) Turn on the camera with a long press of the power button.
3) Connect to the camera’s wi-fi network within your device’s wi-fi settings. Look for and select the ATL network. Enter the default password, 87654321
4) With the connection established, go to the Afidus app & touch “camera”. The camera controls appear along with a preview of your scene.
5) IMPORTANT: Be sure to Select OK to allow the Afidus App to communicate with your device. For all iOS users this is: "PLEASE ALLOW ACCESS TO YOUR PHOTO LIBRARY. Otherwise the App will not connect with your device.
6) From here, you have total control of the camera. You can turn your device horizontal for a full screen preview. Tap the screen for zoom and focus controls. The app allows you to set the capture interval, timer, day of the week schedule and much more.
7) Start a time lapse video with the red dot camera icon at the bottom of the main screen. Select record, confirm the settings, tap Ok and you will receive a double beep confirmation. The LED indicator on the top of the camera will flash every five seconds to verify operation.
8) To stop a recording, simply press and hold the top camera power button and wait for a long beep.
CONNECTING TO WIFI
Power on your camera by holding down the power button until you hear a “beep”. The LED will light green to indicate power is on, and the camera is broadcasting its Wifi signal. Go back to your phone and search for the cameras Wifi network. It will be listed as “ATL200_xxxxxxxxx” (this is the cameras unique ID number). Connect your phone to this network and enter the TimeLapseCamera password “87654321”.
Cameras shipped from TimeLapseCameras.com have been tested and set with a new password, 87654321.
*Important* - Do not do anything for 30 secs as you might get a message saying “this wifi connection does not have an internet connection” . Make sure you hit “ok” otherwise the camera will not connect to your mobile phone / tablet. If the camera does not connect , just “forget” the wifi network.
If you did not purchase your camera from us: Due to new government GDPR rules (General Data Protection) you might be asked to change your password to a new, personal one. You will be instructed by the App to enter a new password. Once this is done, go back to your wifi network list and click “Forget Network” for your ATL. Lastly, simply reconnect to the ATL-xxxxxxx network using your new, personal password. You should now have a connection between your camera and your phone / tablet. To test this, go to the App main screen and tap the bottom left icon “Camera”. If successful, you should be taken to the viewfinder and settings screen of the App.
Please note, the camera will automatically turn off its Wifi after 4 minutes of wifi inactivity. This is indicated by the camera emitting a long beep and then it will shut down.
HELP!!! MY CAMERA STILL WONT CONNECT!!!
If, by accident you entered the manufacturer password (12345678)
your camera will not connect to WiFi. To resolve this, please forget the camera connection in your settings and enter the current TimeLapseCamera password, 87654321.
If you need to change your password please watch this tutorial video.
HOME SCREEN
SCREEN ICONS
APP ICONS EXPLAINED
SETTINGS MENU
Digging deeper into the belly and programing of the Afidus Camera App. This is the critical hub location for calendar scheduling, firmware update and unlocking the cameras potential.
SYSTEM:
This is the first location where you find your camera serial number and firmware version currently on the camera. If the FW Update button is blue then you need to do a firmware update.
SD Card:
Check this area for the card usage stats. Selecting FORMAT will format and erase all the content on your card.
LENS CALIBRATION:
If you feel your lens is off focus or your camera has suffered a fall then use this.
WIDE ANGLE:
Switch to ON if you want the Wide Angle Correction turned on. This will remove most of the fish-eye bowing as seen in the widest angle of the view.
ROTATE 180:
This little feature comes in handy in those awkward posting situations where you might find yourself hanging your camera like a bat. Select this to ON and it will rotate the footage in the camera saving one more step in the post editing process.
VIDEO COMPRESSION:
We leave this setting as standard. By selecting this to High then you will be compressing your footage to fit into a tiny-tiny cocktail straw as you upload it to your social media platform of choice.
LED INDICATOR:
This is the only external visual indicator on the camera signifying that it is recording or needs to be checked. More about the LED indicator is here.
BUZZER
We generally keep this turned on for acknowledgment to ensure the camera is implementing all the changes. For each change you make the camera will have an audible 'Beep'.
RECORDING SCHEDULE:
This is where the magic happens.
Custom Time section:
Select Custom Time. Which will turn blue when it is on.
Scroll the wheel to select your start time and end time.
The camera is set to Military Time.
Select Set
Custom Day section:
If you select Custom Day and turn it on (blue) then this will give you an additional option to enter a specific number of days to record. This feature comes in handy when you know you will only need to record for precisely two weeks etc.
Weekday section:
Select the days you want to record. If the days are gray, the camera will NOT record. In this example you can see both Sunday and Saturday are grayed out. Therefore the camera will record Monday through Friday.
Select SET to confirm the camera has been set. You will hear an audible 'beep' and see a visual checkmark confirming this has been set.
TIP: You can check the camera's set recording schedule in the information flyout screen.
BURST LENGTH:
This is where you need to pay attention. Burst Length is applicable only in the Video Lapse Recording Mode. This will record a video burst set to the duration you choose.
Typically you will not need this feature, unless you intent to do a drivelapse. See Video Lapse under recording modes for more detailed information.
TIME STAMP:
This is an optional handy little feature useful if you want to include date/time information or include your custom name for your project/business on the video. When this is switched ON you enter your custom text and set the position to where you would like it to be displayed on the video. Select SET to confim this setting.
You will then be able to See the this added to your preview screen.
ANTI-FLICKER:
Various forms of lights flicker at different frequencies. After reviewing your footage, if you notice flickering change the selection from 50hz to 60hz. For more information on this read this great article which diving deeper into how to Avoid Video Flicker.
This feature is helpful for routine recording conditions where you will not change your light course. Ie. Workshop, laboratory, Studio, Kitchen or Office Area.
WiFi PASSWORD:
You can change your camera's password here. Cameras purchased and shipped from us at have their cameras password set to 87654321.
Once you've framed your subject and entered your shoot settings from the settings menu, you are ready to start recording. Hit the "red dot" icon to enter record modes.
Select the recording mode you require from the icons along the bottom of the screen. Tap your chosen record mode and the camera will confirm your entered shoot settings. Tap to confirm these are correct and the camera will beep twice to confirm it is recording. You can double check the camera is recording as the LED will flash every 6 seconds. If the LED is NOT flashing every 6 secs, please restart the recording procedure again. Just remember, if the LED is blinking every 6 seconds you’re fine. It’s always worth double checking before leaving the camera!
To stop recording, simply press and hold the power button for 2 secs. The camera will emit a long beep, and the LED will illuminate green. This indicates that the camera has written the time-lapse video file and has turned the Wifi on. You can now connect your phone / tablet to download files, or change settings.
QUICK TIP - you can quickly enter record mode without using the APP. Turn the camera on as normal (green LED light), then short press (<1sec) the power button again. The camera will enter record mode with the last shoot settings entered.
Again, it’s worth remembering, if the camera is left alone, or no settings are changed, it will turn itself off after 4 minutes of inactivity.
START YOUR RECORDING
ATL-200 Record Modes
Select RECORD to start your typical time lapse. All record modes are explained below. There's a difference, choose wisely friend and read on.
RECOMENDED INTERVAL SETTINGS
For every project, we always ask the following questions:
-
What are you recording?
-
How long is your project?
-
How much footage do you want to capture?
Based off these questions the following chart is a great start to get you going.
All information is based off of 30fps. For recording working hours at 8 hours a day, the schedule feature is used within the settings. This is commonly based off of recording 9 am - 5 pm
RECORDING MODES
This section briefly describes what each record mode does, and when you might want to use it.
PIR Mode (motion sensing)
Snapshot Mode
Hybrid Mode
Video Lapse Mode
Record Mode (Standard Time Lapse)
OPERATING BEST PRACTICES
First screen of the
Afidus App
Menu Flyout contains the Setting Menu, Tools and Home
Information Screen.
This is a critical location to double check all your settings.
-
Get to know the Afidus App features and your camera. Test it before you start a larger project. Consider making an easy time lapse test recording at an interval of 10 seconds for 2 hours.
-
Check your card and battery status in the upper right hand corner of the app. Always start your projects with a fresh set of leading name brand batteries and a cleared card.
-
For long term daytime projects, and after inclement weather, we recommend checking your camera more frequently. In most cases, if you are recording during weekday hours Monday – Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm at an interval of one minute, check your cameras monthly.
-
Use lithium batteries when temperatures drop below 30F/0C to extend the run time and prevent unwanted voltage drops.
-
It is always better to have more footage than not enough. You don’t want an editing nightmare, but you don’t want to wish you had captured more. Many customers come to us and say they have a year long project, only to find out, the major action happens over a few months. Plan for the major action, everything else is a bonus. We are happy to discuss your settings at any time.
-
For a long term project, there is no reason to capture during dusk to dawn hours. Dark-light-dark-light transitions can be annoying in a time lapse. You won’t notice an hour cut out of everyday, concentrate on the best light and save yourself an editing headache. We recommend setting your camera’s timer for daylight hours only.
-
If you need to install your camera a good distance from the ground out of arms reach, install the camera upside down. Use the Afidus App to rotate the footage180 degrees. This allows you to check the LED indicator from the ground. Video link on this feature.
-
Using your mobile device, take screenshots of your settings and a snapshot of the frame using the Afidus App to assist you with repositioning the camera in the event it must be moved. To take a Snapshot and use Image Alignment please watch this video.
-
After selecting record, listen for the "Beep-Beep" audible noise from the camera. Look for the blinking green LED light to verify the camera is recording.
-
Check your cameras. For long term projects we recommend checking your cameras monthly. Arrive to your site with an extra set of batteries and card-just in case. Any job sites can be tricky, you never know when the camera may be bumped or moved from it's initial location. Taking screen shots as mentioned above and using the Snap shot feature from the camera will allow you to match your initial camera position.
BATTERY LIFE OVERVIEW:
-
ATL-200 / Day Scene / 24 Hrs per day / Full HD / Time lapse mode
-
4xAA Alkaline batteries (battery brand: Duracell Ultra)
* Manufacturer claim:
1. The table is base on an ATL-200 manufactured from Feb 2019 or later
2. The estimated battery life is tested under temperature 77F (25C).
3. Battery life may vary based on battery brand, environmental conditions, operating temperature, and other factors.
4. Rechargeable batteries are NOT recommended for time-lapse projects.
5.Use lithium batteries when temperatures drop below 30F/0C.
LED INDICATOR
Wait what does this mean?
Power on: Green on
Firmware update: flash/1 sec.
Hardware Reset: flash 3 times
No SD card: Red
System Breakdown: Red flash /1 sec.
Battery Low: Red Flash/10 sec.
Recording Modes:
Recording: Green flash/6 sec.
Schedule Snapshot On Demand, Step Video: Flash 0.2 sec. x1
PIR, Hybrid: Flash 0.2 sec. x2
Power on: Green on
Firmware update: flash/1 sec.
Hardware Reset: flash 3 times
No SD card: Red
System Breakdown: Red flash /1 sec.
Battery Low: Red Flash/10 sec.
Blinking red led? NOW WHAT DO I DO?
If happen to have a flashing red light 1/sec. then the best course of action would be to remove and change all the batteries to fresh brand name batteries. It doesn't hurt to reseat the card at this time as well. Then continue to power on the camera and connect it to your mobile devise with the Wi-fi
FIRMWARE UPDATE
Afidus has been instrumental in the advancement of TimeLapse technology remaining competitive and current in the demands of the industry and customers. Without pro-level requests and feedback they cannot continue to advance their product.
In the past year, 2019, Afidus has had four major firmware updates to their system. All for the betterment of their camera and how it responds to the ever changing iOS and Android updates. When you receive your camera from us at TimeLapseCameras.com we ensure each camera has been updated to the newest firmware.
In this video we walk you through step-by-step how to update your firmware.
TRANSFERING FOOTAGE
There are several ways to transfer your footage from the camera.
Method 1: Pull the Card
When the project is complete and you can pull your camera from the site you may (with patience of a saint who has small fingers or use tweezers, not supplied) remove the card from the interior of the camera and save your footage using a micro SD adapter to your computer. TimeLapseCameras has found this is the fastest transfer method.
Method 2: Use the cord
If you don't want to pull the card from the camera you may transfer the footage via MicroUSB cord supplied. The camera will be detected by your computer and you will be given the option to explore the cameras DCIM folder for the files you want to transfer. Select, or drag and drop, the files you want to transfer.
Please note, you will not be able to enter transfer mode if the camera is still recording. Either turn the camera off, or have the camera in standby (Green LED on) before you can access transfer mode.
Method 3: Use the WiFi app.
Instructions below:
Transfer Via WiFi app
Note: Transfering a large 512 MB file will take time.
Approximately five minutes to download the single file to your mobile device.
On the viewfinder page, click the bottom left-hand icon, as shown in the picture.
This will take you to a page with two options.
-
The top icon relates to files on your camera
-
The bottom icon relates to (transferred) files on your phone / tablet
Simply tap the top camera icon to access all the files stored on your cameras internal SD card.
Here you will see a list of all the files stored and their accompanying snapshot icons. Note - tapping the image will playback the video file.
Choose the file you would like to transfer by tapping its download icon. Your file will begin to download to your phone / tablet and you will be given the transfer progress until the file is completely transferred.
To view transferred files on your phone or tablet, simply select the “gallery” icon on the main page.
You will be given three ‘types’ of files to choose from – Snapshot, time-lapse, PIR triggered. These folder types are purely there to help you find the file you’re looking for.
Select the file you would like to view. Once selected, you are given the option to playback the footage. You are also given the option to convert the video file to MP4 format, or to send the file to: email, Google drive, Instagram, etc, etc.