1.6 Section 1: The Core Exposure Triangle

Bulb auto-lock via gyro when steady

Timer waits for the phone to stop wobbling before it starts the count.

Where to find it

Tools tab Bulb Timer Gyro auto-start toggle

Summary

When the Bulb Timer is armed with auto-start enabled, the accelerometer watches for a steady period (about 120 ms of low motion) before kicking off the countdown. Eliminates the half-second of timer drift that comes from pressing the shutter and the start button at once.

Tap to zoom — actual screenshot from the app

Detail

How it works

What it does

Arm the timer, place the phone on or near the camera, and press the shutter release. The accelerometer watches for the brief pause between you taking your hand off the camera and the exposure actually beginning. Once it sees the phone go still, it starts the count.

How steady is detected

The phone's accelerometer streams motion samples; the timer waits for roughly 120 milliseconds of low-motion readings before flipping bulbTimerSteady true. That is short enough to feel responsive but long enough to filter out the bump of you releasing the camera.

When to use it

Long exposures where the start moment matters: an 8-second sharp street scene at night, a four-minute astro frame, a pinhole exposure where you are also operating an off-camera flash trigger. Every exposure where the difference between '60.0 seconds' and '60.4 seconds' actually shows up.

When to leave it off

Studio work with a cable release where you are already in control of the start moment, or any exposure too short for the gyro settling window to matter (under a second).

Pairs with 1.5

This feature is a behaviour of the Bulb Timer modal, not a separate mode. The toggle is in the same modal and the same haptic/voice cues from 1.5 fire once the count actually starts.

Implementation notes (for developers)
bulbTimerSteady uses accelerometer check; pairs with 1.5 to start the timer only when the phone is held still.

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