Enlaps Tikee 3 - Long Term Imaging Solution for Projects & Timelapse
My thoughts on the Tikee 3 Pro + long term imaging and Timelapse solution.
Over the years (many years in fact, my first ones were shot in 2011), I’ve enjoyed recording timelapse videos, compressing the progression of time and making resulting changes visible to the human observer.
One of my latest projects uses many different timelapse and recording techniques and combining them into a single video, documenting one of the many small Oktoberfest-like beer festivals in Germany, see below.
A few ago I was contacted by Enlaps, maker of a long term imaging solution ecosystem, including timelapse projects for construction, events, nature, weather, and similar scenes that can be interesting to observe, document, and analyze many hours, days, months, or even years.
They asked me if I’d be interested in having a go at using their camera and creating a small review. How could I say no to trying some new technology? See below the resulting (German with English subtitles) video, or read on for the English review.
Enlaps Tikee 3 Pro +
The product it's all about is a time-lapse camera called the Tikee 3 Pro +, which is the version I got from Enlaps. And this is a product that I find quite exciting, and would have liked to have had it myself a few years ago.
It didn't exist then, or rather I didn't know that the first versions already existed, so when Enlaps offered me this camera to test, I was immediately interested.
The Tikee is a time-lapse camera that can record all kinds of time-lapses, but is primarily designed for longer time-lapses, for example outdoors. That's a good thing, because my parents are currently building a new house here in Germany, and I intend to install the Tikee there on the construction site as well, to be able to test it in real life in a real operation.
Features & Cost
First, let's take a closer look at the camera - Enlaps provided me with a Tikee 3 Pro+, which is the more feature-rich and also slightly more expensive of the two available variations. The difference is particularly evident in the flexibility of the recording modes, more on that later, the exterior and the general principle of the two cameras as well as the quality is more or less identical.
The camera in this version costs 1800 euros. Also, Enlaps sent me a stainless steel mounting arm, which normally costs 180 EUR, and a mounting kit for 42 EUR. There are other useful accessories, such as an anti-theft chain and lens protectors, which I think would be particularly useful in the field.
Where we are on the subject of costs, the Tikee is available with a cloud platform. There's a free version, but the really interesting stuff starts at €59 per month per camera, or €35 per month if you buy a full year. More expensive variants for enterprise functions, such as access management and automatic person blurring can also be very useful, but are not absolutely necessary for everyone.
At first you might think that 1800 EUR plus accessories and monthly software costs is quite a handsome price, but that always depends on what you want to achieve and what you compare the whole thing to.
Personally, I don't know of any comparable product that seems so sophisticated in this simplicity, but let's take a closer look at why I think that: The Tikee itself is quite small and light, weighing less than 2kg, 20 square centimeters in size and 7cm high.
And it has some exciting built-in features: First of all, it has 2 built-in lenses with an aperture of 2.8 and a sensor of 16 MP each. This gives wide-angle panorama shots with a viewing angle of 220 degrees and a resolution of 6k.
The viewing angles of the two lenses will also be merged automatically, which means you don't have to do it manually, which can get really annoying. I've tried this before ;) With a resolution of 6k you can zoom and pan in the viewing angle and still have acceptable quality. In addition, the Tikee has a built-in directional solar panel that you can fold up and rotate and swivel here, and powers the built-in battery so that you can record your time-lapse in almost all configurations independent of a power source. Appropriately, it is also connected to the Internet either with WiFi or 4G LTE, which means you don’t necessarily need a wired Internet connection to load the pictures onto the cloud platform. The exception to this is DNG format images, if you want to use them to get more dynamic range and edit the images manually you have to save them internally and then download them from the camera, only JPGs are sent to the cloud.
On the back we find an SD card slot next to the SIM card, a power button and a manual trigger, as well as an input for an additional solar panel and a USB port that can also be used for charging. In addition, a fastening ring for the anti-theft device, as well as the possibility of screwing on the underside. The camera is IP66 ratedand also has built in GPS so you always know where it is even when you are out in the field.
MyTikee Cloud
On the myTikee Web Platform, you can view and configure the data from your Tikee camera, as well as create and group portfolios of multiple Tikees. By the way, there is also the possibility to add a normal IP camera, of course not with all the functions that the Tikee offers, but that can still be useful. If you want to generate timelapse videos, there is of course the option to only select certain days or times, such as only weekdays or working hours, but also functions with artificial intelligence, such as automatic selection of only sunny days.
Of course, this can be very exciting for long-term recordings, where you don't want to have the switch between sun and clouds all the time. The system also generates a kind of best of list of selected videos and photos of the best scenes or weather conditions, which lend themselves to further editing and direct sharing without much effort.
There are also somewhat more advanced functions such as a “before \ after” split image, i.e. different periods of time on the left and right of the image or automatic fade between different periods of time. usable eg for building site progress or winter/summer, good/bad weather, etc. For commercial purposes there is also the blur people or certain areas function to guarantee data protection. Since recently there are also AI-supported analysis functions such as recognizing people and counting them, and automatic recognition of construction equipment, vehicles, which can then be visualized etc.
The link to the feed can be shared privately and publicly and also in your own / others websites are integrated, as well as exported with up to 6k for further processing. Incidentally, the web app will soon also be available in German, says Enlaps, currently it is in English and French.
Summary
All in all, as far as I can tell, the Tikee is a very mature product, which is aimed at quite specific areas of application, but thanks to some flexibility it can be used very widely. Comparable results and functions for a similar price are difficult to find, or involve a lot of personal effort and handicraft work, even in post-processing. Of course, such options offer more flexibility, e.g. to choose a focal length, etc., but never the same simplicity and possibly more costs.
If you are looking for a camera that is easy to install and use to document projects such as construction site time-lapse, weather and wave conditions on the beach, snow in the mountains, setting up events, etc., I think you are in the right place. Little infrastructure requirements due to the built-in solar panel, battery and 4G LTE make it very easy.
If I had to criticize a few points, I would probably say that the camera delivers night shots of acceptable quality, but of course it is not suitable for things like the Milky Way etc. A small personal annoyance for me is the USB connection, which is a micro USB - most of my products have already been converted to USB-C and the extra cable is sometimes annoying, but not so dramatic as you rarely have to connect to the Tikee.
A theoretical problem that I could still see is that the lenses fog up when shooting in high humidity or frost. Some external solution with a kind of heating sleeve controlled by the Tikee, for example 10 minutes before the start of the recording, could be desirable. Of course, this has consequences for battery life, one would have to consider that.
Nevertheless, in my opinion, Enlaps has built a very exciting product that enables new recording scenarios and, above all, makes long-term time-lapse easier and more accessible. The many interesting aspects of the mytikee platform also make me positive that a lot of functions are still being developed here, so the options for data analysis are of course endless.
In any case, I am very positively impressed. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments, I will definitely create more videos in the next few weeks, particularly on setting up and configuring the Tikee.
Happy Days - HIPA Winner & Smithsonian Finalist 🥳
The award gods were kind to me this year, as my work has received a 1st place recognition at HIPA’s Worlds Coolest Winter Season 2 contest.
From time to time I submit my work to photography contests around the world. There are many sub-par money-grab competitions out there, so it’s important to be selective when choosing where to submit. HIPA of course is beyond such a doubt, running the world’s highest priced global photography competition, for instance. Their World’s Coolest Winter campaign doesn’t quite reach the same prestige (and price money) but it was still a competition of amazing images from all around the United Arab Emirates.
All the more exciting is it to be among the winners, and I managed to claim a 1st price this year with the five images below. Some of them happen to be among my favorite photographs ever, not only from the UAE, but in general, so I’m glad they’ve been recognized.
On this note, a shoutout to my friend Neelima Azad, who won the second price. She’s one of my favorite photographers in the UAE, so I’m very happy we’re sharing the stage on this one! Funnily enough it’s not the first time, as we also both had images featured at the RAK Fine Art Festival last year, and they happened to be exhibited next to each other.
If any of you feel like one of the photos would make your home a nicer place (or someone else’s - good gifts!), the works from this competition are available as signed prints with certificates. Just contact me and we will figure out which options work best. If prints on the wall are not your thing, some of these images are going to be part of my upcoming photo book “Wonders of the Globe” - more on that soon!
Here is each of the photos with its story for your viewing pleasure:
The Smithsonian & the Nature of Viral Posts
A few weeks earlier, I heard from the Smithsonian Magazine, which selected one of my submissions as a Finalist in the Drone category. “Suburban Dystopia” is a photograph I also took in the UAE, scouting the location on Google and Apple Maps, as I often do. Once it was published on the Smithsonian’s website, it quickly went viral on Facebook and Reddit with ten thousands of likes and comments. Sadly - as it often goes on social media and the wider internet - it’s mainly controversy that drives engagement. A bland suburban robotic copy-paste housing complex in a place like Dubai (which as a city itself is always a well-loved subject for online debate) seems to attract a lot of people feeling the need to voice their often less-than-qualified opinion, and this is seemingly what it takes for the algorithms to surface content high up in the feeds.
This villa complex is in Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, and one of the many master planned gated communities in the city, built to quickly and effectively counter the housing shortages resulting from the growing population.
🥇 The Epson 2022 Panorama Awards
I woke up to some excellent news a few days ago, telling me that I had won the overall Amateur Award at the 2022 Epson Panorama Awards.
I woke up to some excellent news a few days ago, telling me that I had won the overall Amateur Award at the 2022 Epson Panorama Awards, among 1876 entries, with three images scoring Gold medals, including 1st and 2nd place.
The Winning Image - In Formation 🐘
The dried-up lake bed of Lake Amboseli in Kenya is home to a regular ritual for large elephant families: In the mornings, they cross from the forest areas on one side towards the swamp lands on the other, in search for water. With a bit of patience you can photograph their amazing formations as they walk in line, and if you’re brave enough you might be able to do so from the ground for that extra special perspective. The experience of observing the behavior of these magnificent creatures and how it reflects their social ties and emotions has been very impactful for me, and their plight for survival in a world that continues to hunt them for ivory is a topic that deserves more attention - hopefully this image will help.
The quality of the submissions has been extremely high, as was the case in the previous years. Last year I was able to win the Built Up Environment Amateur category with my “City in the Clouds” panorama (more Dubai fog images here - available as prints!) and in the previous years two of my Timeblend Dubai series collected Silver and Bronze awards, so it’s amazing to see an overall win this year.
Runner Up - The Confrontation
This image is available as a limited edition print of 100 signed editions - contact me for details!
A journey of patience led me to this image, as it took many scouting trips to identify this spot, and even more visits to the location to finally find clear skies adorned by clouds, while a pair of oryx was engaging in their territorial rivalry. The resulting photograph is meant to represent both the confrontation of the animals, but also the contrast of harsh urban shapes of Dubai, with the natural soft outlines of the dunes of the UAE desert.
Sunrise in the Clouds
A panoramic view of Downtown Dubai, Business Bay, and the Sheikh Zayed Road skyline, as the beautiful blue hues of the morning light slowly turn orange and yellow from the rising sun in the east, illuminating the world's tallest building while thick fog rolling in from the desert covers the ground, creating the illusion of a city in the clouds. While many images of this rare phenomenon exist by now, I’ve always been looking for a new angle and composition during my time in Dubai - through persistence and patience I’ve been able to achieve this goal through a panoramic photo from the roof of a skyscraper that’s a little bit set back from the rest of the skyline.
Congratulations to all other winners and listed entries, make sure you check out the full gallery of the Awards here - incredible photography!
The 2022 Lunar Eclipse - As the Lions Roar
My time in Zimbabwe coincided with the a full lunar eclipse on 16th of May, 2022,
My time in Zimbabwe coincided with the a full lunar eclipse on 16th of May, 2022, and luckily our location was just about within the area of the globe that could experience this rare phenomenon, so I had to find a way to capture it. What a sight it was - and not only that, also an audible experience, read on below…
The Location
The night before the Lunar Eclipse I arrived in the Chewore area of northern Zimbabwe, for entirely different reasons than seeing the earth cast a shadow on the moon - see my blog linked above to find out what they were. Nevertheless, I couldn’t miss this occasion, and went out in the afternoon to find a suitable elevated area in the African bush. We found a clearing 20min from camp, with views towards the hills in the distance. This was going to be our spot, starting from 3am.
The Progression
After a very short night, we headed out into the bush in my guide’s trusty 1962 Land Rover, always on the lookout for elephants, buffalo, baboons, and lions, which roam in this area. Luckily, we only heard them in the distance, which made the experience all the more special, as the occasional roar accompanied the spectacle in the sky. The moon stood high as the eclipse started around 3:30am. It progressed until earth’s umbra covered the moon completely around 5:30am. This total eclipse continued until moonset, and at the same time the sun rose on the opposite side, casting an orange hue into the sky.
Below is a timeslice of this period, using 10 individual photographs.
The Phases
The four images below show the progression of earth’s shadow on the moon. The first three photos were exposed for the bright side of the moon, where the sunlight was still able to illuminate our celestial companion. The last image is exposed for the shadow side of the moon, which in fact starts to glow red due to a phenomenon called Rayleigh Scattering - any sunlight reaching the moon passes through earth’s atmosphere, which lets red light pass more easily than other colors in the spectrum.
A composite of 6 images and their corresponding timestamps.
Totality
The full eclipse, as earth moved in between the sun and moon. If you look closely, you are able to observe some stars around the moon, visible as white dots. This is one of the only times you can photograph other celestial objects in the same exposure as the full moon, which normally shines much brighter than most stars and planets.
A Coincidence
Aside from close ups of the moon, I also had a camera set up for a wide angle view of the landscape. And good thing I did, because it captured this very special moment, combining the blood moon, a hint of the Milky Way as a white band, the colors of the African sunrise, and a meteor crossing the frame, all in one exposure. I love it when things come together, and this will probably be one of my all time favorite photos.
In Motion
Here’s a video of the entire spectacle, both from a wider view as well as a close up of the moon.
All the images shown here were shot with OM System Cameras, specifically an OM-1 and two E-M1 III. No tracker was used.
The Dubai Fog
One of the most elusive sights of cityscape photography is the infamous Dubai fog. It’s a yearly occurrence, usually from November to February, but often limited to a handful of days during this time.
One of the most elusive sights of cityscape photography is the infamous Dubai fog. It’s a yearly occurrence, usually from November to February, but often limited to a handful of days during this time. Predicting it is a gamble of combining various forecast websites and tools, comparing dew points, humidity and temperature forecasts, and even then you need to hope for a little bit of luck.
On top of that, you need to secure a location to shoot from. While some people live in high rise towers above the 40th floor with great views, the rest of us will struggle to get permits, ask hotels, check with friends, and convince security guards. The unpredictable nature of the fog makes that even harder - sometimes it is so patch that a building 5km left or right will be floating above the clouds while you have a clear view of the ground.
If you do manage to get everything right, the rewards are spectacular. I’ve been able to shoot the fog five or six times this winter, and will certainly never get enough of it. To me, not other city can top the combination of Dubai’s amazing skyline (in fact, there are more than one skylines) with the feeling of floating above the clouds.
Contact me if you’d like to purchase prints of the photos in this post.
The Great Conjunction - Jupiter and Saturn passing Burj Khalifa
On December 21st 2020 something very rare is happening: The largest planets in our solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, will be at their closest observable in 800 years.
On December 21st 2020 something very rare is happening: The largest planets in our solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, will be at their closest observable in 800 years. This event, dubbed the “Great Conjunction”, happens regularly, but the planets have not been this close and at the same time visible from the earth since then.
I set out to try and capture this event in a different perspective 2 days before the date, where the planets were already incredibly close. The goal was to photograph them passing the world’s tallest building Burj Khalifa, in Dubai.
It was a cloudy evening but due to travels this was my only chance, and luckily some gaps in the sky enabled me to capture the videos and photos below. This was truly one of the most mind-blowing things I’ve ever seen through my camera’s viewfinder.
Enjoy.
The iPhone X and the Maldives Underwater World
A week of relaxing in the Maldives with some snorkeling and the iPhone X resulted in the shots below - took the phone under water without a case, around 1-2m deep.
A week of relaxing in the Maldives with some snorkeling and the iPhone X resulted in the shots below - took the phone under water without a case, around 1-2m deep. These photos were taken at Jumeirah Vittaveli.
