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A self timer is a device on a
{{DEFAULTSORT:Self Timer Camera features Timers Selfies
A self timer is a device on a camera
A camera is an optical instrument that can capture an image. Most cameras can capture 2D images, with some more advanced models being able to capture 3D images. At a basic level, most cameras consist of sealed boxes (the camera body), with ...
that gives a delay between pressing the shutter release and the shutter's firing. It is most commonly used to let the photographer to take a photo of themselves (often with a group of other people), hence the name.
The self-timer is also used to reduce camera shake
Image stabilization (IS) is a family of techniques that reduce blurring associated with the motion of a camera or other imaging device during exposure.
Generally, it compensates for pan and tilt (angular movement, equivalent to yaw and pit ...
when taking photographs in low light or with long (telephoto
A telephoto lens, in photography and cinematography, is a specific type of a long-focus lens in which the physical length of the lens is shorter than the focal length. This is achieved by incorporating a special lens group known as a ''telephoto ...
) lenses. The timer's delay gives the photographer time to steady the camera before the shutter fires, and allows vibrations from the mirror flipping up (on SLRs) to die out. It also eliminates any photographer-induced camera motion when the shutter button is pressed.
Most modern cameras with a self-timer flash a light during the countdown, emit a beeping sound, or both. These warnings generally increase in speed or intensity during the last few seconds, to warn that the shutter is about to fire.
The most common delay is ten seconds. Some cameras also have a two-second and five-second settings. A few cameras provide continuously variable
delay.
Single-lens reflex
A single-lens reflex camera (SLR) is a camera that typically uses a mirror and prism system (hence "reflex" from the mirror's reflection) that permits the photographer to view through the lens and see exactly what will be captured. With twin l ...
cameras have to flip up the viewing mirror before the picture is taken, which can also shake the camera. It is not uncommon for a camera to combine mirror lockup with the two-second self-timer mode, which reduces camera shake still further.
Alternatives to the self-timer include a cable release, and infrared or radio remote control.
On some leaf-shutter cameras, the self-timer mode is selected with the flash-sync lever, and is marked V, for the German word ''Vorlaufwerk''.
See also
*Bulb (photography)
The Bulb setting (abbreviated B) on camera shutters is a momentary-action mode that holds shutters open for as long as a photographer depresses the shutter-release button. The Bulb setting is distinct from shutter's Time (T) setting, which is a ...
*Intervalometer
An intervalometer, also called an interval meter or interval timer, is a device that measures short intervals of time. People commonly use such devices to signal, in accurate time intervals, the operation of some other device. The intervalomet ...
*Long-exposure photography
Long-exposure, time-exposure, or slow-shutter photography involves using a long-duration shutter speed to sharply capture the stationary elements of images while blurring, smearing, or obscuring the moving elements. Long-exposure photography ...
External Links
* Faries Manufacturing Company: Autopoze - An Early Self-tim{{DEFAULTSORT:Self Timer Camera features Timers Selfies