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I have a Canon 4000D and I would like to take some long exposure photography. It only allows shutter speeds up to 30 seconds and I would prefer to have the ability to take shots that are exposed for 1 minute or more. Is it possible? I'm OK with using 3rd party software like CHDK if I have to.

UnicornsOnLSD
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  • Have you looked at MagicLantern? Are you opposed to the simple method: a remote shutter release? There are simple models that simply lock the button down and fancier ones where the exposure is set in the release. – OnBreak. Jan 14 '19 at 16:48
  • Slightly different camera model, same question and same answer. – Michael C Jan 14 '19 at 18:35
  • @MichaelC Maybe the other question can be modified to cover both, now it is not the same question. – Orbit Jan 14 '19 at 22:10
  • @Orbit How do the two questions differ? – Michael C Jan 15 '19 at 01:04
  • @MichaelC Because it is about a different camera model, and people may not know the answer is the same. But I just learned that most duplicates won't be deleted, so nevermind. – Orbit Jan 15 '19 at 18:01
  • They are dIfferent camera models that are identical in all respects that are applicable to this question. – Michael C Jan 15 '19 at 18:06

1 Answers1

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It is not possible to select exposure times longer than 30 seconds on most DSLR's.

If you want an exposure time longer than 30 seconds, you have to use "Bulb" mode. You set the camera to bulb mode, and hold the shutter button as long as you want your exposure to be. Because this is not very convenient, most people use a remote control to open and close the shutter. This can be a wired remote, a wireless remote control or a telephone app(although one could say that that is also a wireless remote).

Orbit
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  • You can get a IR remote for most Canon models for $10-$30. – Robin Jan 14 '19 at 17:48
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    You can get a wired remote that works much better for most use cases for about $5. You can get a wired remote with built-in intervalometer for $15. – Michael C Jan 14 '19 at 18:33
  • Cheap Chinese IR remotes for 5 dollar also seem to work just fine ;) I think the 4000D also has wifi built in. Maybe a free Canon app will do the trick too. – Orbit Jan 14 '19 at 18:35
  • An IR remote is not unlikely to drain its battery real quick if used that way ... and stray infrared can be a problem with long exposures. – rackandboneman Jan 14 '19 at 20:19
  • @rackandboneman I always use an IR remote. I press once to open the shutter, and once to close. I use Nikon though, no idea how it works on other brands. – Orbit Jan 14 '19 at 20:38
  • @Orbit IR remotes don't work so well if you want to do automatic continuous bursts , if you want to stand well behind the camera in an environment that does not allow the IR signal to bounce off walls or mirrors to reach the front of the camera in sufficient strength to be detected by the camera, you want to use mirror lockup, or you want to do a shutter button half-press with the remote. – Michael C Jan 15 '19 at 01:14
  • @Orbit IR remotes don't work at all with Canon EOS 1-series cameras, since they have no IR receiver. – Michael C Jan 15 '19 at 01:28
  • @MichaelC I suppose it depends on the camera and personal preference. I like IR because it is about the size of a post stamp, so it it always in my bag. I don't have any problem with reception because my camera has a second receiver at the back. I generally love wires, because they never run out of battery, but since I don't use it very often, IR works for me. It's nice to have it when I need it. – Orbit Jan 15 '19 at 18:13