Shooting Timelapse Just Got Insanely Simple: Meet the Pico Timelapse Controller

Timelapse has never been particularly difficult. You set exposure, figure out an interval, program an intervalometer to snap off a photo at that interval, and then you wait. As easy as that is, a startup called Mindarin is streamlining and simplifying the process even further with the Pico Timelapse Controller, which packs all of the features (and then some) of a traditional intervalometer into a tiny device that interfaces directly with your smartphone. Check out their Kickstarter video below.

What sets Pico apart from the absurd amount of timelapse controllers on the market is both its size and its ease of use. As you can see in the above video, the Pico has two distinct modes of operation. The first, and most intriguing, is the advanced mode in which the Pico plugs directly into your smartphone. You can create timelapse profiles that include all of the basics parameters, as well as more advanced functionality like speed-ramping, HDR, and bulb ramping, which is used to compensate for changes in light during your timelapse. Once the Pico has been programmed by your smartphone, you just attach it to your camera with the included cable and it starts your timelapse.

Pico also works as a standalone device with no need to be programmed by a smartphone. In this mode of operation, Pico is easily the simplest and most foolproof intervalometer on the market. All you have to do is plug it into your camera and press and hold the button on the device in order to set your interval, and then Pico does its thing. Of course, you lose some of the advanced features in this mode, but it still affords you the ability to capture timelapse videos in the absence of a physical or firmware intervalometer.

Although many high-end intervalometers these days offer more advanced functionality and customizability than Pico, and some cameras have basic timelapse functionality built into them, the Pico controller is small enough, powerful enough, and inexpensive enough at $50 to warrant a place in the kit of timelapse pros and amateurs alike, even if it's just as a backup to more expensive gear.

If you're interested in learning more about Pico or picking one up for yourself, head on over to their Kickstarter page.