Atli Eon Review: A Timelapse Specialist
MSRP: $179.99
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Disclaimer: Atli sent us a unit of the Eon free of charge to review, but all thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are our own and were not discussed with the company prior to publishing.
Generally, if somebody wanted to film a timelapse in 2022, they probably are using their smartphone to do it. A company called Atli reached out to us and wanted us to rethink how we handle timelapses. In one of their marketing videos, Atli makes the argument that using a phone as a timelapse camera reduces productivity that can be done on that device. Their solution is to have a dedicated camera that specifically does timelapses and does it well. That brings us to the Atli Eon timelapse camera, which is surprisingly a very productive little guy.
What it Does
So what exactly is the Eon camera and what can it do? Sized slightly larger and thicker than a GoPro, the Eon has a single lens, 1080P sensor. The compact body houses a rechargeable battery that can be juiced up through a USB-C port on the right side of the body. You can also keep it plugged in for those week long timelapses. If you’re using this camera on the battery alone, expect about 10-14 hours off a single charge. That’s what it seems like I’ve been getting over the last month. There’s a power saving mode available for longer endurance jobs as well. What sets the Eon apart from other similarly bodied cameras is that Atli has thrown in a lens that can be manually focused. When filming at a 7cm macro view, having the ability to change focus with your actual hand is an underrated benefit in a world populated by action cameras with set views. While action cameras like GoPros can also take timelapses as well as regular video, there are some scenarios that I find having this manual focus option to triumph over having the extra video capabilities of competitors. Don’t get me wrong, the Eon can still take single photos and record regular video formats, but that isn’t the specialty that the folks at Atli designed the Eon to be masterful with.
All About The App
Another seemingly added benefit is the app implementation. Actually it’s a bit of a mixed bag if I’m being honest. Like many other small cameras without a viewfinder or display, the Eon relies on a smartphone companion app to frame a shot. The Atli app isn’t the most user friendly interface, but there are enough added functions that make it useful to the user experience.
However, connecting the camera to the app can be a little annoying the first few times before you get a feel for how the kinks work. First, you have to power the camera on and then open the app. The pairing process relies on the phone switching its Wi-Fi connection to that of the signal coming out of the Eon. I’ve found the pairing to be reliable and strong once connected, but the main drawback is that it is a bit too slow of a process for my liking. The Eon frequently takes more than a minute to be found on my app. Through repetition, I’ve found that by canceling and restarting the pairing process, the Eon will appear much faster. Normally this wouldn’t be too big of an issue to wait a bit longer for the device to pair, but when all of the camera’s functionality lie within the use of the application, the quickness in which the camera pairs up with the app should be paramount.
Once you do get things set up, things are pretty straight forward. A live view of what the camera sees is available for the user to adjust various things like ISO and shutter speed. You can also swap between a full auto mode or take manual control. The battery life and connection strength are located on the top left corner. Pressing the shutter button will bring up a menu that will ask how long the camera should record as well as the interval in which the camera takes the shot. Different combinations of these things will drastically change the type of timelapse that you produce.
Timelapse Scenarios
I’ve played around with a few different scenarios and use cases during my testing time with the Eon. I left it sitting next to my Lettuce Grow Farmstand for a week to document the plant growth of 7 days. I had the camera shoot once every 30 minutes for that 7 day period. In that scenario, I had to keep the camera plugged into a wall outlet. I then plopped it onto the dashboard of my Tesla Model 3 and took it for a ride in LA traffic. The duration was 30 minutes at an interval of every 5 seconds. The results were quite enjoyable to view. Atli provides a mini tripod with the Eon that is rather sturdy and versatile. For an add-on, I was pretty surprised at how useful it was. Of course, you can use the Eon with any tripod of your choosing as it has a standard tripod thread size.
There’s also a rubber case you can enclose the camera into with flaps that open for the USB-C slot and 2.5 mm jack used for connecting with accessories. I would have liked a flap to open for the micro-SD slot as well so I don’t need to remove the silicone case to get to the card, but I do understand why sealing that off would be a safer solution. I’m mentioning this now because both of these accessories are actually beneficial to the use cases of the Eon. When I set the camera down on grass or whatever surface I want to catch a timelapse at, I’m not too worried about the camera falling or getting dirty. Once again, for add-ons they’re surprisingly well made.
A timelapse of lettuce growing on the Farmstand
Back to timelapse scenarios, I took a timelapse of me filming a video review. I also set the camera down in my room to get a glimpse of a day in the life of my dogs as their Dad works from home. This is all stuff that may seem trivial, but when you view it after it’s completed, there’s a fascinating dynamic behind it that is addicting. I’ve never really embraced the timelapse format outside of work related use cases (mostly for wedding videos), but something about having a dedicated timelapse camera makes me want to use it for so many different potential scenarios. I didn’t get a chance to take this into the wilderness and plop it down for days on end, but I do want to eventually attempt that piece. The Atli Eon has a photo sequencing format that they call time slice, where it will combine parts of images throughout multiple points of recording to blend in an amazing post-production picture. This would be absolutely breathtaking to attempt at a high rise building like a hotel in New York. I wish I had this camera when I was there a couple months ago, but you can be sure I will be bringing it along with me on future trips.
Is it Special Enough?
While you can technically leave your Eon somewhere and let it do its thing, I do find it a bit risky. I have anxiety worrying that a random person will just walk by a bridge and take home my camera. If you do find a great spot to do this, you’re able to remotely view the live view of the camera through the app. The camera is also open for OTA updates from the company.
You can leave the Eon alone for days
There is something to be said for just how simple it is to get a timelapse going with the Eon. You just drop the camera down, connect to the app, toggle two settings and come back however long you decided to film for. My phone is then free for the entire duration of the timelapse for me to do whatever I want. I also do find the Eon to be rather cute in appearance. It’s a neatly shaped rectangle with an oversized lens that has a satisfyingly smooth focus motion. I would have liked to see a different finish on the plastic housing as the glossy black gets really dirty with dust and greasy fingerprints. I do keep the camera in the silicone case most of the time so at the very least this is mitigated a bit. However, the camera does feel a little cheap as it doesn't have much weight behind the plastic body. When outside or in the vicinity of sunlight, the Eon in its glossy black body does retain heat. It’s a product that is nearing the $200 threshold that some of the other action cameras occupy that feel better built overall in direct comparison.
Ultimately, there is a niche market for timelapse specialty cameras that are convenient to get running all the while being ultra-portable. While the Atli Eon accomplishes those things, there are inconveniences holding it back from being a default consensus purchase. The fact that you absolutely have to connect the device every time to the app in order to operate the camera brings me back to the early GoPro days. Swapping Wi-Fi networks to connect to cameras is just not a great way to go about this. Sadly, that’s how most of these products currently work and until there is a next wave breakthrough in mainstream tech to make this quicker and more seamless, products like the Eon will always suffer in the user experience department. Still, I do think the Eon contributes enough in visual quality as well as operational ease, to deserve consideration if timelapsing is a major part of your life.
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Alex
Caught in between the conundrum of his fascination with retro and the future, Alex has a very unique taste in technology. Never one to follow trends like his millennial peers yet constantly desiring to get ahead of the curve, he sees technology like he does his other love: comic books. Always looking for the best value or a hidden gem, his collector mindset reflects on some of his favorite gadgets: the Moto X (2015), HTC U11 and the Google Pixelbook. If there’s a good tech deal out there, Alex is on the hunt!