Stop Motion Lens Flicker

Flicker: The Hidden Enemy of Stop Motion

In stop motion animation, consistency is king. When you capture frame-by-frame animation, even tiny changes in exposure or lens behaviour can create unwanted flicker. Even the subtlest variations between frames can have a huge impact.

One of the most common causes are electronically controlled lens apertures. These are amazing for stills photography, because they are designed to fully open to allow maximum light for the framing of a photo, before closing back down to the desired F Stop on the press of the Shutter Button. 

For stills photography this is fantastic, for Stop Motion it causes a headache. This is because, the iris never quite goes back to exactly the same position each time. We're talking fractions of a millimeter, but it's enough to drive you mad and make your Stop Motion flicker.

Manual Aperture Lenses: Flicker-Fighting Tools

Most animators overcome this by using a lens with a manual aperture. This gives full physical control of the iris position and ensures it stays unchanged for each shot. Nikon "D" lens are a popular choice and can be used with Canon DSLR cameras with the addition of a lens adaptor. 

Nikon camera users can also use Nikon manual aperture lens. As these lenses fit directly onto the camera without the need of an adaptor, however you need to fool the camera by covering the lens' electrical contacts with making tape. This will prevent the camera from controlling the aperture of the lens.

Canon’s Stop Motion Firmware: The Workflow Boost

Canon has responded to stop motion filmmakers with a special Stop Motion Animation Firmware upgrade for select EOS cameras (R series etc.). Key benefits include:

• Live View resolution increased from ~960 × 640 to 1920 × 1280.

• USB Manual Focus Peaking and Focus Position Memory, offering precision focus control. 

• Aperture Lock function (on compatible RF lenses) so the software controls the iris and prevents inadvertent changes between frames.

This is a welcome addition from Canon, but the upgrade isn't free and requires your camera to be sent to them. It can only be applied to their latest cameras and the aperture lock only works with their RF lenses which tend to be more expensive. 

Our View

For stop motion, controlling every frame matters. A manual aperture lens ensures you don’t let the iris wander. Canon’s firmware upgrade provides workflow enhancements and iris-lock support for compatible setups. It's expensive however and although a welcome addition from Canon, we still believe a true manual aperture lens represents the best solution for most Stop Motion animators.

Flicker might be subtle, but it’s visible and avoidable. Lock your lens, lock your iris, and let your characters move smoothly, beautifully, and flicker-free.

If you are looking for a Stop Motion Animation software package we offer both Dragonframe and Stop Motion Pro.