I want to create greenhouse time-lapse videos over a two-day period but I don't want photographs of the black black night! Is there a way to only take photographs when there is sufficient light? I'm using an Arducam V3 (imx708) on a Pi Zero 2 W, if that makes any difference. Can the light level be detected by the camera?
You're asking the wrong question. Of course the camera can detect the light level. It has to in order to calculate which exposure and ISO (gain) settings to use.
The question you want to ask is how to access that information without taking a picture, what format it is in, and what values to look for.
Unfortunately I'm unable to help with that.
A non-camera approach might be an LDR coupled to an ADC. Or, to expand on what has already suggested find sunrise and sunset times (or appropriate twilight times) for your location and use those to start/stop the timelapse.
Statistics: Posted by thagrol — Tue Jul 08, 2025 12:19 am