By technical editor Matt Allard:
At CP+ in Japan, Toast Technology were showing their new TP-7 Motion Time-Lapse Mount that can be attached to a wide range of sliders. According to Toast Technology the TP-7 can be mounted on any companies mounting plate and you can then attach a timing belt to a slider to do motion time-lapses. By connecting your camera to the TP-7 using a special cable you can automate and control the movement of the camera and the shutter. By adding an optional TP-7 attachment you can also ad camera rotation (pan and tilt) to your time-lapse.
The TP-7 was beautifully made and built like a tank. Being able to take the TP-7 and attach it to a wide variety of sliders makes this device very versatile. The belt length can be made to work on sliders of any length.
The TP-7 weighs in at 480grams and is expected to retail for around 100,000YEN ($838 US). There is no indication yet of a shipping date. It can be powered by any 5-12 volt DC source including various rechargeable batteries (Ni-MH battery) and low-cost yet high performance USB lithium ion batteries.
The company were also showing their updated TP-2 Version 3. The TP-2 is an advanced auto star tracking and motion time-lapse photography device in an all in one mount. Combining the TP-2 with the new Nikon D810A looks to be a very good solution for capturing stars and the night sky.
New Functions
The rotary switch lets you choose from 10 different modes of automatic star tracking photography, such as the STAR, SUN, or MOON mode. Select the STAR-LANDSCAPE mode and you can simultaneously photograph still images of the landscape and the stars.
The MOTION TIMELAPSE mode enables smooth camerawork during time-lapse shoots. TP-2 comes with the new worm wheel and a boost circuit that helps make high-level torque drive possible. It has also been designed to be compatible to various rechargeable batteries like the popular eneloop* (Ni-MH battery) and low-cost yet high performance USB lithium ion batteries. A battery warning feature will tell you the perfect time to change the your AA size or eneloop battery. Battery life will be up to 7-10 hrs at room temperature when used with four AA size Alkaline batteries.
Automatic Star Tracking Mount
TP-2 matches its own rotational shaft to the earth’s rotational axis to automatically track the stars in sync with the earth’s diurnal motion.
With this function, you can project stars in a point image during long exposure shooting. TP-2 can also mount digital cameras with a wide array of lenses from fish-eye lenses to super telephoto lenses. Shoot celestial images of the Milky Way, constellations, nebulae, clusters, comets, meteors, lunar and solar eclipses by long exposure.
According to Toast Technology With its excellent durability and portability, you can use TP-2 anywhere in the world to make high precision, automatic star tracking photography a reality.
TP-2 Motion Time-Lapse Function
TP-2 is also compatible for motion time-lapse during daytime and nighttime. By simply changing the set up, you can freely pan and tilt your camera during time-lapse photography. In addition to the six degrees (10ﾟ/h, 30ﾟ/h, 45ﾟ/h, 90ﾟ/h, 180ﾟ/h, 360ﾟ/h) of motion time-lapse, when you are shooting stars in the background you can use the auto star tracking mode (Star/Sun/Moon 15ﾟ/h) or Star-Landscape mode (7.5ﾟ/h). With this rich variation of speed you can select the most suitable mode for your image, depending where you are.
Star-Landscape Mode
TP-2’s STAR-LANDSCAPE MODE will give you still images of the landscape and sky respectively. Many photographers have presented beautiful pieces of their work by using this mode, which was first equipped on TOAST TECHNOLOGY’s mobile equatorial mount. Other than the STAR LANDSCAPE MODE that can track stars at 0.5 x speed of fixed stars, there is the 10ﾟ/h（0.67x speed）mode for motion time-lapse. These two choices of speed will let you make your photography work even more creative.
