diff --git a/src/io_pipeline.c b/src/io_pipeline.c
index 4f8790e..1e46f97 100644
--- a/src/io_pipeline.c
+++ b/src/io_pipeline.c
@@ -388,7 +388,7 @@ capture(MPPipeline *pipeline, const void *data)
         // for manual gain you can go up to 11 frames
         gain = mp_camera_control_get_int32(info->camera, V4L2_CID_GAIN);
         gain_norm = (float)gain / (float)info->gain_max;
-        burst_length = (int)(sqrt(gain_norm) * 10) + 1;
+        burst_length = (int)fmax(sqrt(gain_norm) * 10, 1) + 1;
         captures_remaining = burst_length;
 
         // Change camera mode for capturing