We’re huge fans of great time-lapse travel video (maybe a little too huge). It’s not all that surprising because, let’s be honest, time-lapse videos are awesome.
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Brinno’s new TLC200 Pro claims to be the world’s first HDR time-lapse camera, which is pretty cool in its own right. But the big win for budding travel photographers is its incredible ease-of-use.
The Skinny
In Brinno’s own words, the elevator pitch for the TLC200 Pro is that it’s:
… built with an HDR ( High Dynamic Range: 115dB) image sensor making the creation of high-quality Time Lapse Videos a snap! With Brinno ready-to-view technology, we give you a real Time Lapse Video, not thousands separate photos, no complicated post-processing! Even you can upload your time lapse video to Youtube or Vimeo immediately!
On paper, it has a lot going for it:
- Professional grade, but easy enough for beginners to use
- High Dynamic Range (HDR) image sensor produces stunning 720p time-lapse video under virtually any lighting conditions, from low-light to intense backlighting
- Aspherical 19 mm f/2.0 glass lens for 2X sharpness and 4X low light performance
- Additional CS mount lenses are sold separately
- Unlike DSLR cameras, the TLC200 Pro creates the AVI file in the camera so it is instantly available with no post-processing required
The Traveler’s Take
The first thing I noticed in the unboxing is its size — more specifically, its lack of it. It’s about half the size I expected after seeing the pictures. The footprint is comparable to a larger point-and-shoot camera — just small enough to throw in your shirt pocket.
Brinno includes everything you need to get started in the box — batteries, a lens cover, 4GB SD card, and a printed user manual (I didn’t know these still existed). An included Quick Start Guide also provides straightforward instructions for getting started, as well as a couple of presets for popular shooting scenarios like “Sunset” and “Low-light Environment”. From unboxing to shooting took me less than five minutes.
As mentioned above, the feature set for the TLC200 Pro is lengthy. But a few points in particular stand out, particularly for travel photographers:
- Diminutive size: it’s almost an afterthought to toss in your existing camera bag
- Ability to mount different lenses: the kit lens is pretty solid, but the ability to swap additional lens types is a nice feature
- Creates an actual AVI file, rather than the (typical) string of JPGs for much higher quality output and with zero post-processing necessary
- Long battery life: of course this ultimately depends on a variety of factors, but it’s capable of up to 7 straight days of filming
- Fully adjustable settings, including exposure, saturation, contrast, sharpness, and white balance
In practice, the TLC200 produces quite good results, however, I wouldn’t call them great. But, when considering the very affordable price tag, it’s a solid choice for amateur photographers looking to add a bit of time-lapse to their photography repertoire.
Pricing + Availability
Available now for around $230 (USD) direct from Amazon.