Shooting Fantasmic!

[keishashadow]

Thought I'd check in here for advice from the experts before I treked off to Ritz camera w/my malfunctioning camcorder.

I got a few years old JVC digital model.

Was trying to film Fantasmic for my elderly mother & noticed that the screen shot would start to take on a cloudy appearance. The 1st few times, I'd either pause it or re-direct the shot to the floor to clear it. Before the show ended, the entire feed was cloudy.

Neither DH or I are well-versed in camera knowledge. He thought "...I blew out the sensors..."???? We took the battery off & reset the camera but, still the image appears to be shot thru a white/fade out filter.

Guess I should of known better & stopped when the problem arose but, I really wanted to capture it for mom...boo-hoo!

Is it worth my while to get it looked over @ Ritz? Or, should I chalk this one up to another instance of my bad judgement & buy one of the new ones that tapes directly to disc?

[YEKCIM]

Depending on what is wrong with it, you may find that repair cost would be a significant amount of money, and might be a large percentage of what a new 'corder would cost. I'm not an authority on this, but have read in several places, including this board, that the quality of miniDV videos is much better than direct-to-DVD. Mine is a miniDV, and I transfer to DVD, after finishing the tape, which I keep as an archive copy. Quality is very good, and I'm very happy with the arrangement. You can pick up a MiniDV camcorder model online for as little as $300 or so...maybe even less. Of course, you can spend a lot more, as well. Anyway, the point is that if it is going to cost $200 to repair (and it may not..), you'd probably be better off to go shopping for a new one.

www.camcorderinfo.com is a good resource...

~YEKCIM

[keishashadow]

Depending on what is wrong with it, you may find that repair cost would be a significant amount of money, and might be a large percentage of what a new 'corder would cost. I'm not an authority on this, but have read in several places, including this board, that the quality of miniDV videos is much better than direct-to-DVD. Mine is a miniDV, and I transfer to DVD, after finishing the tape, which I keep as an archive copy. Quality is very good, and I'm very happy with the arrangement. You can pick up a MiniDV camcorder model online for as little as $300 or so...maybe even less. Of course, you can spend a lot more, as well. Anyway, the point is that if it is going to cost $200 to repair (and it may not..), you'd probably be better off to go shopping for a new one.

www.camcorderinfo.com (http://www.camcorderinfo.com/) is a good resource...

~YEKCIM
Thanks, exactly what I was afraid of!

They MinDV were almost $800 last Xmas, glad to see the price is dropping.

What brand do you have?

[YEKCIM]

I have a Canon Optura 30, which we bought almost two years ago. I *really* debated between this cam and the Sony HC40, and finallly decided on the Canon, based on the 2MP still imager. The Sony, according to the reviews, is better in low light. The Canon's low-light performance is not the best but, overall, I've been very happy with the Optura. I think you can get a lower-end Canon or Sony for $300-400, online. I'd suggest you look at some reviews.

If interested, samples of the digital stills produced by the Optura at Mickey's World are here: http://s76.photobucket.com/albums/j11/fasteddiew/DisneyWorld/

We leave for The World on Satuday so I'll have a HUGE new photobucket folder in a couple weeks...but pix will be from a Fuji digicam, not the Optura.

~YEKCIM

[keishashadow]

thanks - still phots seem very high quality to me (esp. like shot/composition of Liberty Bell).

[YEKCIM]

For a two megapixel imager, it ain't bad, *as long as* lighting is optimal. If the light is not good, the pix suffer a great deal, which is why I bought the Finepix. Other pix on my photobucket site were made with it.

Good luck on getting your 'corder repaired or replaced.

~YEKCIM

[left210]

Mine is a miniDV, and I transfer to DVD, after finishing the tape, which I keep as an archive copy. ~YEKCIM

I dont know if you have seen my other thread but I am having trouble transferring from my camcorder to DVD. Can you tell me how you do it? I have finally figured out how to hook it up properly and it is recording to the DVD but it will not play on other DVD players. Is there a special setting I need to change? Sorry to hijack this thread but I am desperate to figure this out because I want to give a copy of my sons preschool graduation to all of the parents before he switches schools this fall.

[JR6ooo4]

I dont know if you have seen my other thread but I am having trouble transferring from my camcorder to DVD. Can you tell me how you do it? I have finally figured out how to hook it up properly and it is recording to the DVD but it will not play on other DVD players. Is there a special setting I need to change? Sorry to hijack this thread but I am desperate to figure this out because I want to give a copy of my sons preschool graduation to all of the parents before he switches schools this fall.

copy the files to your computer, specificaly named folders makes finding what you want later on, much easier.
Then use a DVD burning program or better yet a movie creator program that probably came with the camera. Add the files you want to the dvd, then keep clicking "next".
With CDs and DVDs the disc must be "closed" before another machine can read it. Maybe that was the problem you are having...
Mikeeee

[Kelly Grannell]

Or, should I chalk this one up to another instance of my bad judgement & buy one of the new ones that tapes directly to disc?

See sticky for miniDV vs HDD vs DVD camcorders.

[Mrs Grumpy]

I know nothing about this stuff. Can something like the fireworks hurt a camera? Going in Sept. and would hate to ruin mine.

[Kelly Grannell]

nope because it's not constant exposure to bright light

[Nik's Mom]

We have a minidv camcorder made by JVC and were very disappointed. We could never record in low light situations (not even SpectroMagic), and the humidity from FLorida kept causing the camcorder to shut down. It finally never turned back on. Never again will I buy a JVC. We're looking into either the Sony 96 (mini-dv) and the Sony 405 (dvd).

[Mickey_Maniac]

I recently purchased a Sony HC96 and will be bringing it to WDW for our August trip. I would love to be able to get a good video of either Wishes, Fantasmic, or maybe even Illuminations.

Any pointers for how to get something we would enjoy watching later?

Any suggestions for where to stand to get a good shot?

Thanks in advance for any help...

MM

[YEKCIM]

I've video-ed Wishes a couple times before, the most recent in December 04, with my Canon Optura 30. I don't recall whether I used any special exposure setting, but don't think I did. If you can use a tripod or monopod, I think that would be a huge help. Mine suffered from camera movement and focus-hunt, so would suggest manual focus as well.

There are lots of good places to watch from, I'm sure. We just happened to be in TomorrowLand when Wishes started, so that's where we watched from. Angle was not the best, as the bursts were not directly behind the castle, viewed from that angle. I think someplace closer to the "Main Street - Castle" axis would be better, though not sure where that might be. Railroad station platform is probably a good place, but I would imagine you would have to get there pretty early to stake out a spot.

Not sure where the best view of Illuminations is. We staked out a spot at the Mexico counter service food place in time to get what we thought would be a good spot, only to realize, too late, that tree branches obscured many of the air bursts. Keep that in mind. On Fantasmic, I would think that a seat close to the center of the ampitheatre, and a few rows back from the front, would be best (to avoid the railing). I can tell you more in a week, as we are headed to Mickey's World tomorrow morning, for a week with the Big Cheese.

~YEKCIM

[keishashadow]

We have a minidv camcorder made by JVC and were very disappointed. We could never record in low light situations (not even SpectroMagic), and the humidity from FLorida kept causing the camcorder to shut down. It finally never turned back on. Never again will I buy a JVC. We're looking into either the Sony 96 (mini-dv) and the Sony 405 (dvd).
Sounds familiar :furious:

[starrock77]

Turn off electronic image stabiliztion if your camera has that feature. Use a small tripod and turn off automatic focusing. Zoom all the way in to the rocks and focus. Then you should not need to refocus when you zoom out. You can try playing with this before you even go to disney.

[blackjackdelta]

Had a minidv by JVC that lasted for 8 years ubtil the little latch on the battery door broke. Bought a Panasonic gs-35 with a 30x optical zoom and have put 80 plus tapes thru it and it is still going strong. Taking still photo's is not its forte, I have a digicam for that. You need to go and look at them and then see what price you can find it online from a dealer you can trust.

Jack pirate:

[YEKCIM]

You need to go and look at them and then see what price you can find it online from a dealer you can trust.

Jack pirate:

Just my opinion, but isn't that a bit unfair, to sample a brick and mortar retailer's wares and then buy online?

~YEKCIM

[JR6ooo4]

Just my opinion, but isn't that a bit unfair, to sample a brick and mortar retailer's wares and then buy online?

~YEKCIM

exactly. and tax plus any difference, since best buy price matched B&H, pays for schools, police, fire, roads anything else?
I buy online but also local when it is fair.

Mikeeee

[blackjackdelta]

Then I guess I feel sorry for you. They all are in business to make a profit and they could be an online reatilers price if it were competative if they wanted to, some will, most won't. I like many others do not have money to donate to merchants. I try to keep the money I spend in the community I live, but I can save money I do...I have never had a problem buying from a reputable on line merchant.
There are not many B and M stores where I work.

Have a great day,

Jack pirate:

[seashoreCM]

Was trying to film Fantasmic for my elderly mother & noticed that the screen shot would start to take on a cloudy appearance. The 1st few times, I'd either pause it or re-direct the shot to the floor to clear it. Before the show ended, the entire feed was cloudy.?
I do not think any part of Fantasmic (other than water spray) ruined your camcorder.

Most night time subjects require that the camera or camcorder be set to "night mode" or set manually so the picture in an electronic viewfinder looks like night. Otherwise colors may be washed out.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

[disney_for_life]

I finally took the plunge into the world of digital photography :cool1: and bought my first digital camera :thumbsup2 it is a Canon Power Shot S2IS. My question to all you experts on the board is what is the best way to take pictures of Fantasmic? :confused3 When I went last year all I had was a disposable camera and none of the pictures of Fantasmic came out :furious: pirate: :sad2: Can someone please help a newbie to the world of DP get it right this time :p

[MarkBarbieri]

I don't have any good advice. I just want to say that it's really tough to shoot.

[disney_for_life]

that's what I was afraid of, but any tips would be helpful to someone with very little knowlege about the digial camera world.

[MarkBarbieri]

OK, just don't expect too much. It might help to ask other people for their favorite Fantasmic shots and then ask how they shot them. I've only tried to shoot Fanstamic! once and I didn't get any half-way decent photos.

Here's what I've shot:

http://barbieri.smugmug.com/photos/15321743-M.jpg
http://barbieri.smugmug.com/photos/15321744-M.jpg
http://barbieri.smugmug.com/photos/15321745-M.jpg
http://barbieri.smugmug.com/photos/15321746-M.jpg
http://barbieri.smugmug.com/photos/15321747-M.jpg
http://barbieri.smugmug.com/photos/15321748-M.jpg
http://barbieri.smugmug.com/photos/15321749-M.jpg

Try to shoot things that are well illuminated. Lack of light is your biggest problem with Fanstasmic!. The other is that the action is pretty far away. When you combine long zooms and low light, you've got a recipe for disaster.

Everything is moving, so IS doesn't help as much as you might like. Sure, it may help you hold the camera steady for a 1/8 second shot, but motion blur will probably ruin the shot anyway.

[landmark]

Fantasmic is a non-flash environment so the biggest problem is that you need to be able to do longer exposures to allow more light into the camera. However, with the action during fantasmic this makes it hard so the trick is your ISO settings and capabilities of your camera. I'm not sure of the specifics on your cameras abilities... I'm barely scratching the surface on my own. Start doing research on tips for shooting fireworks. I first started researching that and then applied what I learned to the night shows/non-flash shows as well and it's worked so so for me. I hope that someone with more experience will have some good advice that we both can use!

I'm going to practice as well before my next trip by going out into town and taking more night shots of anything that illuminated such as McDonalds etc. Night shots are my biggest challenge and I'd like to improve greatly in that department.

Also... review this thread and take notice of the settings that are being used. I will be making more notes.....

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1186626


Here are three of my fairly good shots from Mar 2005. I did get several not great shots along with these as well. I used my Nikon D70 with no flash and a 50mm 1.8 lens.

http://www.ourmagicalmemories.com/fantasmic1.jpg

http://www.ourmagicalmemories.com/fantasmic2.jpg

http://www.ourmagicalmemories.com/fantasmic3.jpg

[Groucho]

If you have a tripod, you can try setting it up between your legs as you sit there, with the tripod's legs open just enough to give it a stable surface. This will (mostly) take care of the shaking issues. Since there's a lot of movement, you'll have to crank up the ISO as high as you're confortable with (before image noise become too bad) and go with the lowest F-stop possible. If your camera can do manual focus, it might be worth setting that, too, so it doesn't spend time hunting for focus or focus on the wrong thing. I know that manual focus on PnS cameras can be a real pain but it might be worth it, especially since most stuff will be approximately the same distance from you. I would suspect that you'll have to use manual settings as much as possible.

I haven't tried, but I've only ever seen a few photos that turned out really well that others have taken. It's definitely tough and especially tough for even the best point-n-shoot. Surely not impossible - but tough!

But I promise that your photos will look lightyears better than anything taken with a disposable camera.:thumbsup2

[Tiggerlover48]

I looked at the above and WOW there were some awesome pictures. I just bought a Sony H-5 - I've never had a digital and have only had a point and shoot!!! So that makes me pretty clueless!!!! So help me. I saw posts that said "Canon 50mm 1.8 set at f2.8, ISO 800, 1/125 sec" "1/6s f/5.6 at 48.0mm iso1600"

Help what does all of that mean!!! And how do I get my camera to do it!!!!

[Groucho]

None of those numbers have anything to do with the camera being a digital, you'd have all the same numbers with a film camera. (But you wouldn't be able to look it all up afterwards!)

Your best bet is to check a general camera FAQ (to explain ISOs, f-stops, etc), or read through your owner's manual cover-to-cover - it probably explains most of the basics. If you are intrigued enough, check for a photography 101 class at a nearby community college or similar place, that will probably be an enormous help.

[Master Mason]

I looked at the above and WOW there were some awesome pictures. I just bought a Sony H-5 - I've never had a digital and have only had a point and shoot!!! So that makes me pretty clueless!!!! So help me. I saw posts that said "Canon 50mm 1.8 set at f2.8, ISO 800, 1/125 sec" "1/6s f/5.6 at 48.0mm iso1600"

Help what does all of that mean!!! And how do I get my camera to do it!!!!


Quick version....

50mm this is the lenses focal lenth
1.8 is the maximum appature of the lens
f2.8 was the acctual appature of the lens when used
ISO 800 is a film speed number
1/125th sec is the time of exposure.

Basically photography is all about light. There are different factors that go into capturing that light.

Apature is how wide an opening do you have in your lens for the light to come through. The smaller the number the bigger the hole that light can get through. This also effects depth of field for focusing as well.

IS0 This is a carry over from film, the faster the film could record information, the higher the ISO. The faster it can record information, the less light that is required for the picture. There is a trade off though, as the faster the film or sensor in our case, the grainer or noisyer the picture will be. (not as clear)

Exposure time. This is simple, how long is the lens open to expose the sesor to light. The longer the time, the more likely you or your subject will move, thereby creating blurr. Rule of thumb for sharp pictures is the speed should be faster than 1/focal lengh of the lens.

Hope that helps a little bit.

[ldibo]

I took pictures of Fantasmic last fall with my S2IS. I used the night mode. For sitting way up in the back, I think they came out well!

You can see them here...

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=ldibo2002&aid=576460762307650583&pid=&wtok=NlaNXKt6FipyXka6gwgF8Q--&ts=1158348245&.src=ph

or here

http://ldibo.phanfare.com/album/58903


Lynn

[all4fun]

sorry, duplicate

[all4fun]

I looked at the above and WOW there were some awesome pictures. I just bought a Sony H-5 - I've never had a digital and have only had a point and shoot!!! So that makes me pretty clueless!!!! So help me. I saw posts that said "Canon 50mm 1.8 set at f2.8, ISO 800, 1/125 sec" "1/6s f/5.6 at 48.0mm iso1600"

Help what does all of that mean!!! And how do I get my camera to do it!!!!



Hi, I am just learning myself. I found this site to be extremely helpful in explaining some of the basics. It's aimed at the D-SLR user but can be applied to general photography.

here's the link:

http://www.canon.co.jp/Imaging/enjoydslr/

hth!

[handicap18]

Here are three of my fairly good shots from Mar 2005. I did get several not great shots along with these as well. I used my Nikon D70 with no flash and a 50mm 1.8 lens.

http://www.ourmagicalmemories.com/fantasmic2.jpg

http://www.ourmagicalmemories.com/fantasmic3.jpg

Ok, this is exactly what can drive me nuts about this board. I have the 50mm f/1.8. So now, for next years trip, I need to go out and get the 85mm f/1.8 just so I can get that much closer. (try arriving earlier you say, yah right, with 3 kids, hahahaha I laugh at your nonsense!)

I actually have been considering getting the 85 f/1.8. It gets great reviews on the nikonians board and its not that expensive. Just what I need though, right, another new lens! DOH!

To the OP re: the 50mm f/1.8 1/125th 800. For your camera, these numbers are pretty much insignificant. On SLR camera's (film and digital) there is a specific lens available that is 50mm in focal length and has a maximum aperture opening (basically the lens' pupil) of f/1.8, which is VERY wide (a bigger hole opening in the lens allowing more light to pass though). The f/1.8 on a P&S like your's is not possible. So don't worry yourself over it.

For your camera, I would set the ISO (equilivent of film speed) at its highest (don't know if its 800 or 1600). Use shutter priority and chose 1/30th or 1/40th. Hold the camera as still as possible (I don't recall if it has any type of image stabilization) and slowly release the shutter with your finger. In the shots w/Mickey in them he should be still long enough that if you do it right he wont be blury from movement, but you may get a cool effect of the fireworks shooting from his fingers (talking about only a few specific parts of the show).

I would definately practice before going down. If you have kids or someone who would be a willing participant, maybe try some shots at night with your volunteer (sp?) in an area outside that has a light, like a porch or something. With you standing a good distance away. Play around with the settings and see what works best. Just a thought.

[Groucho]

Ok, this is exactly what can drive me nuts about this board. I have the 50mm f/1.8. So now, for next years trip, I need to go out and get the 85mm f/1.8 just so I can get that much closer. (try arriving earlier you say, yah right, with 3 kids, hahahaha I laugh at your nonsense!)
One problem with getting close to Fantasmic (as we found the first time I saw it, sitting in the "dinner package" section on a very chilly late November night) was that if the wind's right, you can get a lot of mist hitting you from the water curtains that they project onto.

Just one more potential complication to keep in mind...

[disney_for_life]

I can't say thank you enough for all your tips, advice and help.I am still taking notes on what everyone has said so far. I still have a long way to go and a lot to learn. Hopefully I will get it before we go to WDW in Feb. :thanks: :thanks: :thanks:

[disney_for_life]

another quick question: What does it mean when a picture is noisier? I have seen that term on this board a number of times, but don't really know what it means?

[Master Mason]

another quick question: What does it mean when a picture is noisier? I have seen that term on this board a number of times, but don't really know what it means?


Noise in a picture is like static on a record..... they are small distortions that keep the picture from being as clear as it can.

[handicap18]

One problem with getting close to Fantasmic (as we found the first time I saw it, sitting in the "dinner package" section on a very chilly late November night) was that if the wind's right, you can get a lot of mist hitting you from the water curtains that they project onto.

Just one more potential complication to keep in mind...

Ok, so now your telling me to get the 200mm f/2 lens. Great just what my wallet needs! ;)

You are right about being close. Those water screens can spray pretty far on a breezy night.

Fantasmic is one of the more harder shows/things to photograph at Disney. Although with any camera and good timing you can get good shots.

As for noise, it is the digital equilivent of grain. The picture isn't sharp. It may be in focus, but overall it looks "grainy". It is especially noticable in lesser expensive digital cameras where the picture was taken with a high ISO (more so in night shots) and even more so in enlargements. How much noise and at what settings varies from camera to camera. Some are better and some are worse. Acceptable amounts of noise also varies from person to person. What might be fine for one person might be the picture version of scraping fingernails on a chalkboard to another. If you've ever used a disposable film camera you might find pictures taken with it somewhat grainy, not as sharp as pictures taken with a camera with a glass lens.

[Cap'n Keel]

http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/data/500/118051033-Fantasmic.jpg
Canon EOS 5D, 70mm focal length w/IS, 3200 ISO, Spot metered to Bell, 4.6f@1/50th sec

The 3200 ISO of the 5D and an IS lens works wonders for such shots. We were sitting about halfway up.

I have found an easier and less costly way to get great Fantasmic shots. For non-commercial means of course. Just pluck them off the Dis Board. Lots of good shots posted here with many in the 300k range. Genuine Fractals will work wonders with such size photos. :thumbsup2

Below is another showing pretty good detail and not so bad of grain for such a high ISO.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/data/500/118051Fantasmic-Mickey.jpg

[disneyscootergal]

I KNOW I saw one, maybe in a thread about posting pictures of favorite DL foods, but I can't find it now. I promised another poster I'd find it for them, but I need help...please?!:flower3:

[JR6ooo4]

Instead of linking the photos to this thread, without asking the owner...

Here is a thread with two pictures. Post #10

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=19787529

Looks good enough to eat! hehehehehee

MIkeeee

[disneyscootergal]

Oh, awesome, Mikeeee, you ROCK!!!:thanks:

[JR6ooo4]

Oh, awesome, Mikeeee, you ROCK!!!:thanks:

You are welcome.

[DaveCN]

Drat! Search function seems not to be working (again).

I am sure it has been covered already, but I could not find anything.

I am looking for some tips for taking photos at Fantasmic. I am shooting with a Sony DSC-F717 non-DSLR. It has fairly good options for manual settings, so I have a lot I can do - just not sure what I should do to get the best pictures at Fantasmic.

I have always had decent luck with fireworks photos, but my Fantasmic photos are iffy at best. Always been handheld before. I will be taking my tripod this time though.

Basically, advice on location and camera settings are what I am after.

[Groucho]

I've never really tried to shoot Fantasmic, so I'm hardly the voice of experience on this one.

That being said, the show is almost non-stop movement, so you'd need a pretty fast shutter speed to get a clear photo. It's also pretty dark. And, it's far away. And if you sit near the front to get closer, you will get wet. You just can't win! :lmao:

All those are reasons why I haven't bothered trying to shoot it yet. But I am planning on giving it a try on my next trip. My current thinking is to use my 70-210mm F2.8-F4.0 manual-focus lens and probably ISO 1600, hopefully I'll be able to get shutter speeds around 1/250th or so (which may be tricky). Those are settings that generally don't work so well on PnS cameras, so it may be a tall order.

That being said, I think I've seen some pretty decent results that people have gotten with PnSs, so maybe you should be OK. I would think that the big thing is to try to keep the shutter speed up. This will probably require shooting in shutter priority (Tv) mode.

Others who have more experience shooting Fantasmic may have better suggestions and I'd be happy to hear those, too. :)

[MarkBarbieri]

I've had some limited success shooting Fantasmic!. It is hard for all of the reasons that Groucho said. In addition, much of the action is relatively small and distant, so metering can be a problem. If you subject is only a small portion of an otherwise dark photo, your camera will have a tendency to overexpose. This would be a good time for spot metering.

I was shooting at an equivalent focal length of 260mm most of the time. I shot much of the show at f/2.8 and an ISO of 1600. You can get away with less, but you'll need to be pickier about when you shoot. Try to time your shots for moments, however brief, when your subject "poses" or stops moving. I had to crop many of the shots rather substantially, even at 260mm.

My first recommendation is to get the sign in the daytime. It's an easy shot and can be used for scrapbooking, slideshows, or any other case where you want to introduce the subject.

http://barbieri.smugmug.com/photos/117525058_TeK4z-L.jpg

Here's a shot of Mickey "posing" with some fireworks. It was at 1/800 of second but could easily have been shot at a slower speed.
http://barbieri.smugmug.com/photos/117525150_qJoxh-L.jpg

I tried a few shots of the "water screens", but nothing came out very well. It might work better to go wider to capture more of the context.
http://barbieri.smugmug.com/photos/117525156_6ubDN-L.jpg

This shot demonstrates a few more problems that you need to deal with. The shot is at 1/100s, f/2.8, ISO 1600, so it's pretty low light. That's even with a relatively bright light on the scene. The other problem is that the lighting is very uneven. The bad guy is brightly lit but much of the rest of the scene is dim. You have not choice but to either tolerate the difference, crop closer, or spend ages in photoshop.
http://barbieri.smugmug.com/photos/117525159_Nywox-L.jpg

The parade on the water is similar to shooting Spectromagic, only it's further away. This was a 1/80s and, aside from not being a particuarly good composition, can't hold up to be enlarged at all well.
http://barbieri.smugmug.com/photos/117525164_nEack-L.jpg

Here's one at 1/320s. It's a much better shot of the characters, but it doesn't show as much context.
http://barbieri.smugmug.com/photos/117525181_Rs35R-L.jpg

The witch is a good "poser" and the cauldrun photographs well. This is a 1/200 second shot, so the light was pretty low. She was also pretty distant, so this is substantially cropped. It's my personal favorite of my Fantasmic! shots.
http://barbieri.smugmug.com/photos/117525191_gj4Uk-L.jpg

This was a mere 1/20s shot (even at f/2.8 and ISO 1600), so it really didn't come out very sharp. It's saving grace is that the subject isn't very detailed and the eye beams are what catch your attention anyway. So even as relatively blurry shot, it still works OK.
http://barbieri.smugmug.com/photos/117525197_yjy9r-L.jpg

I got this shot of my wife and son at 1/50. It's not the sharpest, but it was a good expression capture. I think I was using the illumination from the fire on the water for this shot. If you don't think your gear is up to really shooting the show well, you might try capturing more shots like this and some easier wide angle shots and then just borrowing specific show shots. After all, we're all shooting the same show. You're welcome to my shots and many people here will let you use theirs for personal use if you ask their permission.
http://barbieri.smugmug.com/photos/117525199_AsAxW-L.jpg

Mickey with the sword is another good "posed" shot and one with plenty of light (1/500s). The shot suffers a bit from the heat waves coming off of the water, which was burning moments before. I've seen some shots where the effect is much more pronounced and adds an interesting twist to the picture.
http://barbieri.smugmug.com/photos/117525201_BNmxM-L.jpg

The shots of the character boats aren't too hard because they are relatively close and well lit. I just couldn't come up with any interesting compositions.
http://barbieri.smugmug.com/photos/117525211_NSFE2-L.jpg

The final shot I took is another Mickey "pose" shot. It's relatively dim though and very distant. I think this was significantly cropped.
http://barbieri.smugmug.com/photos/117525219_VaVv8-L.jpg

If you want to see more shots or look at the EXIF on the originals, you can see them on my Smugmug site. The Fantasmic! shots start here (http://barbieri.smugmug.com/gallery/2251902_CeUXV#P-9-12) and continue for a couple of pages.

With all that said, I think that Fantasmic! is one of the very hardest things to shoot well at WDW. It's dark, distant, and full of motion. The context is hard to capture along with the detail. I'd love to get a shot of the auditorium just before the show starts. I'd also like more wide shots, but I was too lazy to swap lenses during the show. I think that shooting with a non-DSLR is going to be extremely challenging and that you shouldn't expect to have too many keepers. Still, it doesn't hurt to try and you might prove me very wrong. If not, just download some of mine and tell everyone that you took them. They'll never know and I won't care.

[Groucho]

With all that said, I think that Fantasmic! is one of the very hardest things to shoot well at WDW. It's dark, distant, and full of motion. The context is hard to capture along with the detail. I'd love to get a shot of the auditorium just before the show starts.
That's actually one of my plans for my upcoming trip, various crowd shots, most likely with the fisheye. Of course, it's usually standing-room-only as people file in, so it'd be tough to get the shot from the center behind the last row of seats (probably the best place for such a shot), but I'll see what I can come up with. :)

And I love changing lenses, so that's not a concern. I would expect that if I really get fired up to try to get good Fantasmic shots, I may try a couple different lenses.

[MarkBarbieri]

That's actually one of my plans for my upcoming trip, various crowd shots, most likely with the fisheye.

I would love to see that. I'm not generally a big fan of fisheye shots, but you have an amazing eye for them.

[DaveCN]

Still, it doesn't hurt to try and you might prove me very wrong. If not, just download some of mine and tell everyone that you took them. They'll never know and I won't care.


Thanks!!!! :lmao:

I have had mixed success in the past - and the motion seemed to be the biggest challenge. I'd post some to show you, but they are all on my laptop currently after I recently had to replace my HDD in the desktop. (Recovering all of the pics and other important files was a task indeed! - Taught me to backup!)

I'll try to get some up and maybe you guys can critique and see where I went wrong.

The camera I use is really kind of a "bridge" camera as it has a lot of manual settings and high quality lens, but is not an SLR. So sometimes, I surprise myself with what I can make with it.

[LPZ_Stitch!]

Here's one of the fairly decent Fantasmic! pics I took on our last vacation with my Canon S3 (which is a bridge camera):
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t122/DirePenguin2007/Disney/Fantasmic.jpg

And, here's one of the floats:
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t122/DirePenguin2007/Disney/FantasmicFloat.jpg

Most of these were ISO400, Av mode with Av 2.7 (or 3.5 if zoomed) and spot metering. As far as PP, I've only run the second image through Noiseware and done a Auto Levels ... I could probably tweak it a little more, but I haven't, yet....

Of course, they aren't as nice as Mark's but his camera gear is probably worth about $5,500 more than mine! :lmao:

[YEKCIM]

As Mark pointed out, spot metering is VERY helpful; maybe even essential. Otherwise, the meter sees all the black background and biases the exposure to try and compensate for that, meaning that the spotlit characters will be over-exposed, big time.

Y

[Mischa]

Groucho & LZP_Stitch - fantastic pics! Thanks for sharing!

[handicap18]

This is hard to shoot. I did ok with my 70-300mm VR lens at f/5.6 in some spots. Though using a high ISO adds a lot of noise to the image.

Biggest tip I can think of.... Get a spot in the middle of the auditorium near the front. Not right in front, but closer. To close and you'll get spray from the show that might hurt your camera.

We were way to the left (or in theater speak, stage right).

Here's what I was able to capture:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c351/kgendron12/2007%20Trip%20Photos%20-%20Nov-Dec/MGM%20Studios/DSD_2182.jpg
ISO 1600, f/5.6, 1/40th at 300mm with VR lens

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c351/kgendron12/2007%20Trip%20Photos%20-%20Nov-Dec/MGM%20Studios/DSD_2197.jpg
ISO 1600, f/4.8, 1/25th at 125mm with VR lens

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c351/kgendron12/2007%20Trip%20Photos%20-%20Nov-Dec/MGM%20Studios/DSD_2200.jpg
ISO1600, f/5.6, 1/60th at 300mm w/ VR lens

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c351/kgendron12/2007%20Trip%20Photos%20-%20Nov-Dec/MGM%20Studios/DSD_2202.jpg
ISO1600, f/5.6, 1/13th at 220mm w/ VR lens

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c351/kgendron12/2007%20Trip%20Photos%20-%20Nov-Dec/MGM%20Studios/DSD_2214.jpg
ISO1600, f/5.6, 1/250, at 300mm w/ VR lens

The characters on the boat do a lot of fast moving, the boat is moving and there is NOT a lot of light. Very hard to get a non-blury picture. This was the best I got:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c351/kgendron12/2007%20Trip%20Photos%20-%20Nov-Dec/MGM%20Studios/DSD_2221.jpg
ISO1600, f/4.8, 1/60th, at 116mm w/ VR lens

Here is the part of the show when Mickey gets the sword. Our seats were terrible for getting a nice shot. Thus the better idea is sitting in the middle, not way off to the side:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c351/kgendron12/2007%20Trip%20Photos%20-%20Nov-Dec/MGM%20Studios/DSD_2207.jpg
ISO1600, f/5.6, 1/50th at 300mm w/ VR lens.

I think I also had at least a -1 exposure compensation on all the shots. Some may have had a -2.

[Groucho]

Groucho & LZP_Stitch - fantastic pics! Thanks for sharing!
I wish I could take credit but I haven't posted any pics in this thread. That'd be Mark. (I'm not comfortable taking credit for his, even with permission!)

I would love to see that. I'm not generally a big fan of fisheye shots, but you have an amazing eye for them.
Thanks! I don't think I'd give myself that much credit, but I do really enjoy using the fisheye lens, especially somewhere like WDW. I've got a small checklist of shots that I want to remember to get next trip, and probably half or more are fishy ones. :teeth: The fisheye really does make you look at things differently, since it's so different than what the naked eye sees.

[figment1986]

I got some interesting shots of Fantasmic at WDW...

http://figment1986.smugmug.com/gallery/4324308_eUSPv

Don't know what I did actually to get some of the better ones... It was hit or miss and I did weird things...

Generally:
1600 iso, f 5.6, and maybe 1/100th a second?

Cannon Digital Rebel XTi, Telephoto 300mm lens.

[Mischa]

I wish I could take credit but I haven't posted any pics in this thread. That'd be Mark. (I'm not comfortable taking credit for his, even with permission!)

.

Oops...I stand corrected. Thanks Mark for sharing!

[Master Mason]

Last weekend I took a few shots at Fantasmic. Thought some of them turned out pretty well.

http://gregghall.smugmug.com/photos/280084528_FRzDP-L.jpg

http://gregghall.smugmug.com/photos/280102062_X8iDx-L.jpg

http://gregghall.smugmug.com/photos/279943156_WB6Eh-L.jpg

The rest can be seen here (http://ghsportphoto.com/gallery/4726204_y4kGn/1/279840290_GuS5T) if your interested

[Super]

Awsome, thanks for sharing :)

How often do you visit the parks?

[We-Luv-Disney]

:thumbsup2 Great shots!! What lens did you use!?

[Master Mason]

Awsome, thanks for sharing :)

How often do you visit the parks?

I went a lot in the last year, 31 days in the parks in the last 12 months :) But my AP expires today, so next time I go down I'll have to pony up again. I am 5 hours away, so it is a pretty easy getaway for me and the kid. The best part is most of the trips have been at his request, including last weekend. We got home from his game friday night and he said, "man I wish we could go to Disney this weekend", so a couple of phone calls later to the hotels and we were in the car heading down at 2am. Very very hard to say no to a 15 year old that wants to spend a weekend somewhere with you, because you know those days are fading fast.

:thumbsup2 Great shots!! What lens did you use!?

Thanks I was using a 70-200 f/2.8 this time, and I actually posted up pretty early (for us) to get down close on the Rivers of America

[Pea-n-Me]

The best part is most of the trips have been at his request, including last weekend. We got home from his game friday night and he said, "man I wish we could go to Disney this weekend", so a couple of phone calls later to the hotels and we were in the car heading down at 2am. Very very hard to say no to a 15 year old that wants to spend a weekend somewhere with you, because you know those days are fading fast.

That's awesome. Great shots.

[NostalgicDad]

Nice shots, Gregg. I looked through your gallery and all of your Fantasmic shots turned out really well. I know you were using ISO3200 and f/2.8 but I also noticed a really fast shutter with several around 1/2000-1/3200 and at least one of them even being 1/5000. Were you also perhaps using Spot Metering?

[Master Mason]

Nice shots, Gregg. I looked through your gallery and all of your Fantasmic shots turned out really well. I know you were using ISO3200 and f/2.8 but I also noticed a really fast shutter with several around 1/2000-1/3200 and at least one of them even being 1/5000. Were you also perhaps using Spot Metering?


Yes I use spot metering for Fantasmic, to me it works better. With the spotlights being so bright, and the rest of the shot being so dark, the spot metering keeps me from blowing out faces and some of the brighter costumes.

[Mischa]

:worship: Fantastic pictures - thank you for sharing!

[kaypee]

Those are really great. I'm impressed.

[Mckymousefn]

Very nice.. thanks for sharing!!!

[Todd_H]

Very, very nice shots! :thumbsup2

Did you do any post-processing to cut down on the noise, or are they coming out of your 40D looking that good at ISO 3200?

[Master Mason]

Very, very nice shots! :thumbsup2

Did you do any post-processing to cut down on the noise, or are they coming out of your 40D looking that good at ISO 3200?


No noise reduction, I cropped them and I have a standard bump the contrast by 10 and the saturation by 15 in Lightroom that I do to all of my shots.

[geetey]

Excellent shots, Gregg! I love the ones you were able to capture of Steamboat Willie. He's one of my favs. :goodvibes I have major lens envy!!

We are visiting DL for the first time ever soon. Any great hotel recommendations? I find it is harder to plan for DL versus WDW!

[Master Mason]

Excellent shots, Gregg! I love the ones you were able to capture of Steamboat Willie. He's one of my favs. :goodvibes I have major lens envy!!

We are visiting DL for the first time ever soon. Any great hotel recommendations? I find it is harder to plan for DL versus WDW!

I have been going to DL for almost 43 years now, and I have yet to stay at any of the Disney Hotels. It is a very different place than WDW with respect to the hotels.

All things being equal, I would say your best choice is the HOJO. You can get some really good rates, sometimes as low as $59 a night with the entertainment rate. Big clean rooms and they just put in a Pirates theamed pool. It is .5 miles from the gate, so a very easy walk.

Of the 3 Disney Hotels, the Grand Californian is the best and most expensive, then the DL Hotel, and then the Paradise Pier.

At WDW part of the experience is the Hotel and the amenities there, at DL, the Hotel is really just where you sleep shower, and possibly play in the pool for a bit.

If you haven't already, go to the DL boards and look at the stickys there are a few that would be a great read for someone that is a WDW vet but never been to DL.

Feel free to ask me what ever you need as well.

[geetey]

Thanks! We are currently holding reservations at HoJo's and Camelot - leaning more towards HoJo because of the excellent Entertainment rate. :thumbsup2 We have 6 in our party which has made planning tricky.

I have been over to the DL boards; they just don't get as much traffic as most of the DIS. I may have to pm you some questions! Thanks for the offer.

[PoohJen]

Great pictures Gregg! Fantasmic is such an excellent show! Mind if I share a few? I was much more satisfied with this last trip's Fantasmic! pics than before, since this time I brought a monopod! These were taken from way back in the arena...

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k86/PoohJen_2006/MVMCP2007323.jpg


I was most pleased with the relative clarity of this one...

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k86/PoohJen_2006/MVMCP2007330.jpg

[Groucho]

On our last DL trip (August 07), we spent the first night at the HoJo's and the next three nights at the DL Hotel. I agree with MM, the Hojo's appears to be the best bet for "off-site" accomodations, we had a terrific view of the Matterhorn from our room and a good view of the fireworks, too. (I have pics if you're interested.)

The DL Hotel was quite nice but I probably wouldn't have stayed there except that we used DVC points as it is pretty expensive. But it was fun, and the character breakfast was good. Of course, it is further away from the park itself than the HoJo's but probably slightly closer to the actual entrance, but not by much. You are fairly close to the Downtown Disney monorail station - but the DL monorail kind of pales compared to the WDW one, if you're used to that. It does do a nice run through the park, but it's not as comfortable and I don't think that it's as efficient in terms of pure transportation.

I didn't really consider the Grand Californian as the decor really doesn't do a lot for me (I feel the same way about the Wilderness Lodge in WDW - nice and all, but not my cup of tea), but that's purely a taste thing. I imagine that in future trips, we will stay on the upcoming DVC section of GC though, since it'll almost certainly be the best use of DVC points. I have zero interest in staying at Paradise Pier, and I think many others agree as it seems to consistently rate at the bottom of the three. Perhaps the CA Adventure view will be more compelling once the big makeover is done, especially if you'll be able to see the new water show from your room.

[geetey]

Groucho, I would love to see any pictures from there!

[Groucho]

Groucho, I would love to see any pictures from there!
I have some pictures from our HJ room here (http://www.totalsham.com/gallery/vacations/2007dlr/), on page one and two. If you go in the "Other DLR areas" gallery that's the first thing on that page, you'll find some photos of the Disneyland Hotel near the end. I don't want to put them in this thread as this is MM's Fantasmic thread and I don't want to hijack it too much. :)

Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks!

[Master Mason]

I don't want to put them in this thread as this is MM's Fantasmic thread and I don't want to hijack it too much. :)



Personally I don't care about "hijacked" threads, infact I find most often I learn the most from the tangents that various threads often take. JMHO.

[Groucho]

In that case... :)

This was our view from our HoJo's room:

http://www.totalsham.com/pics/gallery/21715-4/2007DLR-004.jpg

http://www.totalsham.com/pics/gallery/21771-4/2007DLR-018.jpg

...which gave us good views of the fireworks.

http://www.totalsham.com/pics/gallery/21727-4/2007DLR-007.jpg

http://www.totalsham.com/pics/gallery/21739-4/2007DLR-010.jpg

Here's the DL Hotel as seen from Downtown Disney.

http://www.totalsham.com/pics/gallery/22826-4/2007DLR-other-57.jpg

It has three buildings with a themed pool in the center. Our room's view was nothing particularly exciting so I don't have any photos from it online. The room itself was fine, with some cute DL theming like Mickey hands holding the lights in the bathroom and early drawings of DL on the headboard and various attractions on the comforter.

http://www.totalsham.com/pics/gallery/22726-4/2007DLR-other-32.jpg

[WDWFreak07]

Those are some awesome shots!

[JR6ooo4]

Sounds like my uncle, well just the five hour away part. He is in Monterey. We are trying to find a week we can hook up with him at DL.

Thanks for sharing the shots, it is the closest I have ever been to fantasmic.

Mikeee

[PixieDust32]

Here some of the pics I took. I haven't upload them all, I think they're OK.Thanks for all the tips.

http://a409.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/54/l_a42cfef7e226bfc167d1077d539359b8.jpg

http://a415.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/13/l_70e4979129329c56c11e510db2bad026.jpg

http://a204.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/28/l_0484c60cb1789f173c5e36684502ee7b.jpg


http://a112.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/103/l_6b76ac5ae6b5dc91eca693079175bc37.jpg


http://a807.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/34/l_cc33523cbd5230e27e2496388afc1d96.jpg



http://a788.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/111/l_987fef314da900a6950af1a44f3097a3.jpg

[OU1247]

Great Job. We had the fantasmic package so our seats were to much to the right for me to get good center pictures.

[PixieDust32]

Thank you. I know, we did the dinner in 2005 and I didn't like the seats.

[PixieDust32]

:wizard:

[Laneychris]

great pictures!

[PixieDust32]

Thank you! I don't have a super nice camera...yet :)

[oregondaddyof2]

I was not able to see this show on my last visit and am hoping to see it this time. Does anyone have any shots from this show? I am hoping to get some good shots, but not sure how well they will turn out. Also, anyone have any recommendations on where to sit to get the best angle? I am thinking about doing the dinner package, and from what i have read, you get seated on the far right, but not sure. Any help from the pro's :thumbsup2 out here would be great...

Thanks

[NateNLogansDad]

Just saw it last week. I am not one of the "photo gods" but I have plenty of pics that I think turned out ok for a P&S camera. How much of a spoiler are you looking for?

[MarkBarbieri]

I have several posted here (http://photos.barbierifamily.org/gallery/5545240_t4QWP#339699974_2se6e). Here a few samples.

http://photos.barbierifamily.org/photos/339699974_2se6e-L.jpg

http://photos.barbierifamily.org/photos/339702681_3vAqd-L.jpg

http://photos.barbierifamily.org/photos/339702924_2efNy-L.jpg

http://photos.barbierifamily.org/photos/339703610_jH2wZ-L.jpg

I recommend the center section near the front. It also calls for a fairly long, fast lens.

[oregondaddyof2]

Thanks to both of you... Mark - Love the pics!! I will be checking out your link you posted after work tonight...I am looking for any pics... I do not care about spoiling it as it will be awesome in person anyways... i have already seen a few youtube videos to get a sample of what to expect, just curious about seeing shots made from a few different angles so I know where to sit when I get there... Anyone else have any?

[Gdad]

I did the 'Preferred Seating' thing once with a meal from the Brown Derby. You are correct that they seat yo off to the far side which I was not too crazy about. I think the best seating is near the center- although I don't think there are really any BAD seats in there. Both of these with a D300- 200mm @ f2.8

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3307/3204722773_24eca092f9_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3525/3204722963_a711c32ac0_b.jpg

[MICKEY88]

http://www.starrrshots.com/img/v6/p6625687-4.jpg
http://www.starrrshots.com/img/v5/p345337552-4.jpg
http://www.starrrshots.com/img/v7/p911394574-4.jpg
http://www.starrrshots.com/img/v5/p414348335-4.jpg
http://www.starrrshots.com/img/v5/p570811464-4.jpg
http://www.starrrshots.com/img/v8/p587170246-4.jpg

[NateNLogansDad]

Here's a couple......

This is TOT you see while walking with 10,000 other people to F!
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/fantasmic/dis146.jpg

Remember, just a P&S camera....

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/fantasmic/dis150.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/fantasmic/dis151.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/fantasmic/dis152.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/fantasmic/dis154.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/fantasmic/dis155.jpg

These are all images projected on a wall of water shooting straight up during the show...
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/fantasmic/dis166.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/fantasmic/dis167.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/fantasmic/dis168.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/fantasmic/dis176.jpg

[NateNLogansDad]

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/fantasmic/dis178.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/fantasmic/dis180.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/fantasmic/dis181.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/fantasmic/dis192.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/fantasmic/dis198.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/fantasmic/dis208.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/fantasmic/dis218.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/fantasmic/dis258.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/fantasmic/dis264.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/fantasmic/dis290.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/fantasmic/dis316.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/fantasmic/dis319.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/fantasmic/dis335.jpg

[oregondaddyof2]

Great pics everyone... Thanks for sharing... GDad, those are absolutely amazing! Sounds like I will try to get seated as close to the middle as possible... We will see here in a few days what happens with our ADR's and if we get a dinner package or not...

[Dr. Hans Reinhardt]

From the bottom left corner:

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z222/vmaxinid/100_1516.jpg

[Groucho]

In case it wasn't clear - you have absolutely no control over where you sit (except for the dinner package, which only guarantees you somewhere in the right-most area.) The place is completely full 45-60 minutes before show nearly every show, and generally speaking, you sit where they ask you to. Last trip, we were there at least 45 minutes early and were stuck in SRO way in the back.

I suppose if you get in line before anybody else, you might be able to pick your location...

But honestly, if it's your first time seeing the show - I would forget about taking pictures and just enjoy the show, it's a great one! Save photos for the next time. You owe it to yourself to see it at least once without photography distractions.

Here's how the seating looks from the far left...

http://www.groucho.org/pics/gallery/39893-6/WDW2009-138.jpg

...and just before it begins:

http://www.groucho.org/pics/gallery/39897-6/WDW2009-139.jpg

[KCmike]

We're you talking about Disneyland's new version?

[oregondaddyof2]

But honestly, if it's your first time seeing the show - I would forget about taking pictures and just enjoy the show, it's a great one! Save photos for the next time. You owe it to yourself to see it at least once without photography distractions.


Good point Groucho... I will most likely do just that, and just watch the first time... I don't think my camera will be able to get good enough pics to worry much about it...

[KarenAylwood]

I have several posted here (http://photos.barbierifamily.org/gallery/5545240_t4QWP#339699974_2se6e). Here a few samples.

I recommend the center section near the front. It also calls for a fairly long, fast lens.


Love your pics Mark! Gdad- yours are also awesome!! I see you said you used 200mm at f/2.8. What ISO did you use? I have a 18-200mm lens, 3.5-5.6 though. I'm looking to get some good Fantasmic pics this year. Also, did you use a tripod? I was wondering about the possiblity of even setting one up.

[lizet313]

On my Feb. Trip I went to see Fantasmic. I had dinner reservations at 5:30 thinking it was going to take about an hour to eat and around 6:45 or 7 we left to get in line for the 2nd show they have two one at 7 and 8:30 I don't know what the hours are for Sept. anyways we got there right before 7 and just hung out until they closed the rope because the first show was full and started to make line for the second show I practically stood in line for like an hour until they started to let ppl in to take seats. I did get to choose the front row center of the place I loved it I will look for my photos and post them later. Be prepare to wait for a long period of time if you want good seats.

[The Sloan Ranger]

Fantasmic is Disney's best show IMO. Nice pictures everyone.

[alan]

I was quite plased to get a few decent shots of Fantasmic this time, having failed so dismally last time I was there.

Equipment: Canon EOS350D (aka Rebel XT) and Canon 50mm f/1.8 prime lens


It's all about Mickey
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2624/3766359031_4e61337938_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/atp/3766359031/)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2526/3766359349_aceac2f0eb_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/atp/3766359349/)

Videos are projected onto fountains... immensely clever.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2588/3766359589_1f455222b8_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/atp/3766359589/)

I think that these Britons are baddies, but I was cheering them on!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2632/3766359895_1dbf62577e_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/atp/3766359895/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3453/3767157688_845bd8d0e2_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/atp/3767157688/)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2422/3766360367_ccd148b614_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/atp/3766360367/)

A dragon around is never a good sign
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2563/3766360599_14dec7d114_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/atp/3766360599/)

Especially when s/he sets fire to the lake. And believe me, when you're near the front, you can really feel the heat from these flames!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2446/3767158350_17d61401a6_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/atp/3767158350/)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2644/3767158684_ca118ebc16_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/atp/3767158684/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3548/3767158956_7c07c6ab74_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/atp/3767158956/)

Guess what? Mickey wins in the end
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3510/3767159268_106a0d41ff_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/atp/3767159268/)


regards,
/alan

[Code]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2422/3766360367_ccd148b614_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/atp/3766360367/)


Nice job, love this one!

[Sewfun]

Great pictures!! This is another reason I need to invest in a prime lens before going back at Christmas!

[saturndb]

those pictures came out really nice


Dave pirate:

[fitzperry]

Nice work! Where were you sitting? It looks close--or did you crop a lot?

[contenttob]

Looks fantastic. I hope I can do even half as well when we are there in Sept.

[Evad]

Well done!! We always enjoy this show. Thanks for sharing. :thumbsup2

[karen l]

Love your pics! Maybe I'll win the lottery & upgrade my camera equipment.
Thanks for posting!

[alan]

Thank you for all the kind comments! I was quite pleased with how well they came out.

The equipment used was a Canon 350D (or Rebel XT), and Canon's cheapest separate lens - the 50mm f/1.8, with some post processing in Corel Paint Shop Pro X2.

regards,
/alan

[thesimson01]

Thank you for all the kind comments! I was quite pleased with how well they came out.

The equipment used was a Canon 350D (or Rebel XT), and Canon's cheapest separate lens - the 50mm f/1.8, with some post processing in Corel Paint Shop Pro X2.

regards,
/alan


What was you iso setting?



Great pics by the way:thumbsup2

[alan]

1600 - I did use some noise reduction, then resized down to 1024 and sharpened once I had resized. But it still looks pretty good at 2700 pixels, suitable for a 9x6 inch print.

regards,
/alan

[thesimson01]

1600 - I did use some noise reduction, then resized down to 1024 and sharpened once I had resized. But it still looks pretty good at 2700 pixels, suitable for a 9x6 inch print.

regards,
/alan


Thanks, i'm 25 days away from my next trip.

So i'm reading a lot of advice to get the best picture i can...:surfweb:


At witch row you were?

[alan]

About the third row back, in the special seating area reserved for those who have eaten at one of the "special" restaurants (the ones that take part in the Fantasmic Dinner Package)

Have a great trip!

regads,
/alan

[tink,too]

Great pics, Alan! :thumbsup2

I especially like the one with Belle and the Beast's float - it looks great! princess:

:worship: For capturing the heat from the flames on camera - Mickey looks all destorted and out of focus but it makes the viewer feel like they are actually at the show! :goodvibes

[firefox2]

I was quite plased to get a few decent shots of Fantasmic this time, having failed so dismally last time I was there.

Equipment: Canon EOS350D (aka Rebel XT) and Canon 50mm f/1.8 prime lens

Did you use an external flash?

[alan]

Did you use an external flash?

No, the flash was switched off all the time.

regards,
/alan

[coloneldebugger]

No, the flash was switched off all the time.

regards,
/alan


a lot of people don't understand that one tiny camera flash isn't going to light something up that is hundreds of feet away and takes massive professional lighting for you to see in the first place.

my wife one time was complaining to me that the picture she took of a stage completely across a mostly dark arena didn't show up even with the flash on. i pointed up to all the lights hanging from the rafters and asked if she thought the flash on the little point and shoot was as strong as all those lights.

[blackjackdelta]

Going to F tonight, any good settings for shooting this show. I am going to use a Nikon D5000. Even using a high iso I do not get what I want and prefer not to pp.

Jack

[Steve's Girl]

Going to F tonight, any good settings for shooting this show. I am going to use a Nikon D5000. Even using a high iso I do not get what I want and prefer not to pp.

Jack

What lenses do you have? I've had pretty good luck shooting it with an f/2.8 lens. I generally shoot at ISO 1600, spot metering, aperture priority.

[JimbobJimbo]

What lenses do you have? I've had pretty good luck shooting it with an f/2.8 lens. I generally shoot at ISO 1600, spot metering, aperture priority.

I agree, you need at least ISO 1600, higher if you don't have a fast lens. My last trip I got good shots at f4 using ISO 3200 and 6400. You definately want to us Spot Metering.

Some examples:

http://hinkel.smugmug.com/Walt-Disney-World/April-Trip-2010/Hollywood-Studios/MG2808/910395931_RmS6W-M-1.jpg

http://hinkel.smugmug.com/Walt-Disney-World/April-Trip-2010/Hollywood-Studios/MG2848/910398449_qJwrk-M-1.jpg

http://hinkel.smugmug.com/Walt-Disney-World/April-Trip-2010/Hollywood-Studios/MG2861/910401147_DGbmH-M-1.jpg

[Raindown]

Going to echo the spot metering. It will limit your ability to frame the shot, but it will avoid clipped highlights when those powerful spotlights shine on the characters. I'd also recommend AI servo focusing. One thing to note with the spot metering is that when the dragon does his fire, it comes down to exposing for the fire or the dragon.

I use ISO 1600, shutter priority set to 1/400 on a 135mm f/2 lens. Its end up being 216mm on my crop camera and less that 1/400 and I might see camera shake.

When I use a short focal length 16-35mm, I'll stay in AP mode, but I did use a my tripod as a monopod (one leg extended) in those cases.

[MICKEY88]

Going to echo the spot metering. It will limit your ability to frame the shot,.

a good time to use exposure lock if your camera has it, ..spot meter, lock exposure, recompose and shoot

[Raindown]

a good time to use exposure lock if your camera has it, ..spot meter, lock exposure, recompose and shoot

Yes, very handy feature. Just don't forget about it the lighting changes quickly in that show.

[Gianna'sPapa]

Going to F tonight, any good settings for shooting this show. I am going to use a Nikon D5000. Even using a high iso I do not get what I want and prefer not to pp.

Jack

I was wondering how you did? Any images to post?

[MarkBarbieri]

Given how cheap memory is these days, I'd add one more thing to the approaches listed above. I'd shoot in exposure bracketing mode with a +/- 1 stop or maybe +/-1.5 stop spread and fire 3 shot bursts.

[poplover777]

what is spot metering? thanks

[mom2rtk]

what is spot metering? thanks

May cameras have a setting available to you to set how the camera "meters" the available light to compute the best settings.

On my Canon DSLR, I can choose from several, including evaluative, spot, center weighted and such.

In the evaluative mode, the camera weighs most of the scene to compute the best average exposusre.

In center weighted, the camera puts more emphasis on what is in the middle portion of the frame

In spot metering, the camera considers a much smaller area around the focal button you have chosen. This is being suggested for Fantasmic because there is generally a small portion of the scene that is brightly lit, surrounded by a lot of darkness. If you used evaluative, which considers the entire scene, it would overexpose your subject because of the dark background. With spot metering, the subject (in this case, the most important part of the scene) will be properly exposed.

I finally started getting good shots at Disney on Ice, and other stage shows when I started adjusting how my camera meters.

[blackjackdelta]

I was wondering how you did? Any images to post?


Have not looked at most of my photo's yet. Just spent the last two days on the road back home. I will post results at a later date.

Jack

[Commando2319]

I am heading to the world in a few weeks and plan to see the Fantasmic show for the first time. I am bringing a tripod to the park as well. And wondering to those who have been...

Is it worth my time setting up the tripod for Fantasmic! Or will I be fine with the shows lighting to take decent pictures without one?

How many people use tripods for Fantastic? Or don't?

[mom2rtk]

Your goal for Fantasmic should probably be to get as fast a shutter speed as possible for the conditions. That would then stop the action of the show, and as a side benefit, a tripod won't be necessary.

[Uncle Greg]

I didnt use a tripod...then again my shots sucked.

There may be the odd spot where it would help but the problem with a tripod (other than where you plan on setting it up) is that there's motion everywhere in the show. Might make for an interesting effect in the end but the characters are going to have motion blur if you use a tripod and slower shutter speeds.

You know what...now I want to know what it would look like with sharp backgrounds and movement in the characters.

Prove me wrong.

[Docarino]

I used my tripod more as a monopod. I figured I might as well, since I was sitting anyway, to gain a little extra stability. Not sure if it made a difference but it made me feel better!

[ColleenG]

You really do want to get a fast shutter speed, so you'll also need a pretty high ISO. A tripod at the faster shutter speeds won't matter. Here are two of the better ones I got on our last trip. I will use a higher shutter speed if I can the next time we go.

f/7.1, 1/50 sec, ISO 6400 at 250 mm
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh15/jettabrain/2009%20Disney%20Pics/Disney_2009_1797.jpg

f/8, 1/60 sec, ISO 6400 at 250 mm
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh15/jettabrain/2009%20Disney%20Pics/Disney_2009_1809.jpg

The boats that the characters are on at the end move pretty quick.

[Marlton Mom]

I used my tripod and remote release.

I positioned the camera where I wanted it and I cranked up the camera so that it was over the heads of the audience in front of me. I sat towards the back rows and I had the camera set up so that the people that were seated after me in the rear rows could see what I intended on doing. No one complained.

Knowing how the show went I periodically cranked the camera back down to adjust the zoom and direction for the next shot that I wanted to get.

I fired away with the remote release so there was no reason for me to stand up.

I have to say that this worked beautifully. My only problem was that Mickey was over exposed due to the spot light and that had nothing to do with positioning.

By using the tripod and remote release my camera was instantly ready at the push of a button. It gets tedious holding the camera in position for such a long show.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4002/4364340686_6b675bc461_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marlton-mom/4364340686/)

I hope that helps,

:grouphug:
Marlton Mom

[ColleenG]

Awesome shot Marlton Mom! BTW I am at the other end of Rt 70 from you, in Point Pleasant! DH and I lived in Maple Shade when we first got married.

[boBQuincy]

Monopod.

http://www.suzieandbob.com/wdw/feb2010/mickey_6603.jpg

[mom2rtk]

I used my tripod and remote release.

I positioned the camera where I wanted it and I cranked up the camera so that it was over the heads of the audience in front of me. I sat towards the back rows and I had the camera set up so that the people that were seated after me in the rear rows could see what I intended on doing. No one complained.

Knowing how the show went I periodically cranked the camera back down to adjust the zoom and direction for the next shot that I wanted to get.

I fired away with the remote release so there was no reason for me to stand up.

I have to say that this worked beautifully. My only problem was that Mickey was over exposed due to the spot light and that had nothing to do with positioning.

By using the tripod and remote release my camera was instantly ready at the push of a button. It gets tedious holding the camera in position for such a long show.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4002/4364340686_6b675bc461_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marlton-mom/4364340686/)

I hope that helps,

:grouphug:
Marlton Mom

Nice shot! I've never seen one like this. Heck, you almost have me wanting to sit in the back next time! :thumbsup2

[MarkBarbieri]

I think that a tripod would be very awkward in the stadium unless you went when it wasn't very crowded. I like Bob's idea of a monopod. Even if you have a tripod, you could use it like a monopod. I could see how a tripod would be useful for really wide shots, but it wouldn't do much good for close in shots.

Here are a some that I got about four years ago with no tripod or monopod.

http://photos.barbierifamily.org/Disney/Hollywood-Studios/Fantasmic/NB0H6686/339702681_3vAqd-L.jpg

http://photos.barbierifamily.org/Disney/Hollywood-Studios/Fantasmic/NB0H6723/339703610_jH2wZ-L.jpg

http://photos.barbierifamily.org/Disney/Hollywood-Studios/Fantasmic/NB0H6701/339703166_tfcZW-L.jpg

http://photos.barbierifamily.org/Disney/Hollywood-Studios/Fantasmic/NB0H6657/339700913_5W9Ap-L.jpg

http://photos.barbierifamily.org/Disney/Hollywood-Studios/Fantasmic/NB0H6749/339704870_cuCsu-L.jpg

I'd love to go back and shoot it again with newer gear. Sadly, the last time we went it was shut down because of a fierce electrical storm directly overhead.

[ColleenG]

Mark, what lens did you use? Your shots are so crystal clear!

[Marlton Mom]

Awesome shot Marlton Mom! BTW I am at the other end of Rt 70 from you, in Point Pleasant! DH and I lived in Maple Shade when we first got married.

Oooh! that's near Seaside heights! Say hi to Pauly D and Snookie for me. We never get anybody famous down in Ocean City :confused3.

I'm thinking of going down to O.C tomorrow and bringing my camera. My 11 year old son is back in school so I've lost my beach buddy. I guess I'll have to make the 50 minute ride on my own :thumbsup2

mom2rtk Quote: Nice shot! I've never seen one like this. Heck, you almost have me wanting to sit in the back next time!

Thanks Moms! That was taken with my Tokina 11-16 F2.8 Nice and wide for my favorite Fantasmic effect which is the fire on the water!

[MarkBarbieri]

Mark, what lens did you use? Your shots are so crystal clear!

I used a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS lens. It is my favorite lens. Canon replaced it this year with a better version.