Time lapses are unequivocally one of the finest ways to capture and showcase a scene/scenario (particularly a construction project). And, while you can capture time-lapse with a good DSLR – the real trick is in finding the RIGHT camera; the one that’s meant solely for the time-lapsing purpose.

After all, you do have a lot of factors to think about – environmental consideration, duration of the project, quality aspect, memory size, etc.

Construction cameras are designed specifically for time lapsing projects that are typically spread over days, weeks, sometimes months and even years. Just think about the kind of editing you are looking at while working on such elaborate projects. A regular camera might not do justice.

Here are some more reasons why construction cameras make sense for one such project –

No need to be around

The thing about construction cameras is that you can mount them and then forget about it. The fact they remain situated in one place guarantees you minimal deviation from the place of capture (to put in one way).

This is the reason they work better than a filming camera because they completely eliminate the need for you to be around.

HUGE difference in terms of quality

Since construction cameras capture still images they turn out to be way better quality and also of higher resolution than shots/frames taken from a video file. You can stack long exposure images or work from RAW files as well.

Encourages you to ‘set it and forget it’

Projects panning over weeks and months can be painful in the sense you may have to check on them again and again. Construction cameras remove that pain point altogether – since they basically need to be set up and forgotten about. Even if you have to go back and check the progress, there’s always an option to access camera data/images from a remote location with the help of cloud-based data uploading.

What about bad/harsh weather conditions?

That’s the thing! Constructions cameras are of super-sturdy make. They are meant to withstand harsh conditions that a regular camera might not be able to. Rain, hailstorms, windstorms – the photographer doesn’t need to be bothered about such worries.

Super long-lasting batteries and solar panel powered options

The battery backup of construction cameras is beyond superb. A good camera will have 12,000 mAh or more battery power. What’s more, you can always go with a camera that runs on solar energy. You might be wondering – but what about the days when the sun doesn’t show or it’s just cloud with not much sunshine? Don’t worry for these cameras do have back-ups enough to handle those particular days.

Ok, but won’t it make workers at the construction site nervous?

That’s a good point worth talking about. The thing is – cameras are a part of everyday life. No matter where you work or go (be it a grocery store or a mall) – they are everywhere.

However, a time-lapse camera is mounted strategically at a place that’s usually out of everyone’s sight. And you know what they say – out of sight, out of mind.

Let’s not forget that mounting a camera considerably reduces the chance of illegal dumping and also discourages dishonest behavior such as theft.

There can be instances where workers may HAVE to remove the camera to finish a particular task. In that case, be sure they ask your permission first because a wrongly placed camera or an upside-down one can disrupt the entire project. As you very well may know – there can’t be any do-overs with projects that carry as heavy momentum as those in construction.

The ongoing maintenance requirements you need to be mindful of

It’s highly recommended to get into the practice of checking your camera every once in a while. For projects that take months to finish, it’s okay to check every month or every other month.

Since the batteries last a LONG time, that’s not something you would have to be particularly concerned about. But, you might have to be on the lookout for strange and weird occurrences that randomly affect the footage and camera quality.

We’re talking about something as silly as pigeon poop wrecking months of footage. Think about the camera accidentally getting covered in paint. It can happen. Other than that, construction cameras are really easy to work with.

Key takeaway

Having touched on all these important factors, let’s also point out that editing with a construction camera is a real piece of cake.

Using the timer function, you can record footage for certain hours of a day or certain days of the week. Each day would have a separate data. In terms of editing, you would have to eliminate bad weather, weekend, and non-working footage which should be easy with the right editing software. iMovie for Mac and Windows iMovie Maker for personal computers would do just fine.