The first time I remember seeing a time lapse video was on a David Attenborough nature programme, the combination of the clouds rushing across the beautiful African landscape and his soothing voice made such an impression on me I can still picture it to this day. When the Brinno EMPOWER TLC2000 arrived I was so excited to be able to reproduce my very own time lapse image and yes, I am aware of how sad that sounds. This super-compact little camera looks more like an action cam but it is so much more, measuring up at just 2.4w x 2.8h x 1.7d inches and weighing just 3oz (without battery) this makes it easy to set up anywhere to get your shot. There are three different shooting modes: Time Lapse Mode takes a sequence of photos at intervals and shooting schedules you decide to set up, the camera then auto-captures and edits frames into project documentation video; Step Video Mode records short video clips at selected intervals, the camera auto combines clips creating multiple individual short clips that tell a story rather than a long continuous shot. Lastly, there is the Stop Motion Mode which lets you manually take multiple photos one frame at a time, the camera will then auto combine these photos into an animated video so you can get your stop motion animation on.
The TLC2000 has HDR and FHD sensors to improve images of high contrast scenes both outdoors and indoors, daytime and night, the flexible schedule setup makes it suitable for a whole range of projects including worksite monitoring, documentation, security observations, promotional videos and creative tasks. The camera is powered by two AA batteries, we would much rather see a rechargeable battery in here but you can always invest in some high quality rechargeable AAs, we would recommend at least four so there is always a pair fully charged, ready to replace the current ones. Brinno state that you can get up to 17 hours at 3 sec interval and up to 33 days at 5 min intervals with these batteries but this very much depends on the quality of the batteries. The CS-mount interface makes this camera compatible with Brinno BCS zoom lenses, giving you more flexibility over your project.
Other features include the 2” LCD display, up to 1080p resolution, F2.0 aperture, 118° field of view, still photo options, tripod thread and up to 128GB storage with a microSD. For the price a few extra features would be appreciated, including built-in WiFi (currently you can only share data via the included cable or by removing the microSD), a rechargeable battery with battery life indicator and maybe a handful of mounts to get you started. All things considered, the TLC2000 is easy to use, it works well in both bright and low light conditions and has multiple shooting modes, the limited features might disappoint some, but it does manage to redeem itself with the footage it produces. RRP $349.99
4 out of 5
Pros
1080P resolution
Performs well in low light
4 shooting modes
Adjustable schedule set up
Interchangeable lens
Auto-editing
HDR and FHD sensor
Cons
No WiFi
No rechargeable batteries
No mounts included
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