What is the camera you use for WDW? Which one is great for the dark?

[WL Lover]

Ok, so my family and I will be leaving for WDW soon and are in desperate need of a new camera. I was wondering which camera you and your family use, for WDW and everyday use. We really need a camera that takes good nightime/dark room and motion photos and good recordings. Which camera is the best one out there, that you get the most bang for your buck?

Also, how is the Canon Powershot SX130 Camera? Does anyone have this camera? If so how is it? Thank you in advance!

 

[zackiedawg]

All cameras are capable of very decent overall vacation, travel, and family shots - even P&S, and all brands make good and OK cameras within their lineups (very few if any make 'poor' cameras anymore). However as you get into low light/high ISO/night handheld/dark interior shooting, you move into the realm of large sensor cameras...P&S simply can't keep up due to the smallness of their tiny little sensors. So, DSLRs and mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras are the only real capable low light cameras, due to very large sensors and ability to change to ultrafast lenses.

Once again, stepping into the DSLR/mirrorless realm, no one brand is better than another - they all have basic good models, and better upgrade models. All have excellent low light cameras, and all have very fast lenses for that specialized purpose. Each user needs to check out the brands - Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax, Olympus, Panasonic - and decide which has key features they like, ergonomics that feel best to them, and price to match their budget.

The Canon SX130 is a well-rated, nice P&S model...it should be fine for most standard shooting needs...it won't be a low-light, dark room camera though. It may be a touch better than some other P&S cameras, but not by much and a very far cry from the big-sensor beasts.

 

[photo_chick]

Most of the time it's not the camera that gets the shot, it's the photographer. Someone who knows how to use a camera well can get amazing shots with a low end point and shoot (even low light shots if you really push the equipment). Someone who is clueless can buy the most expensive camera on the market and still not get a good shot. Understanding how to use whatever equipment you have will go a long way to getting any shot.

To find the right camera or you, make a list of features you want. Get specific if you can. Then look at the cameras that have those features that fit your budget. Go to the store and try those cameras out and get the one that you like the best.

 

[Theosus]

Ok, so my family and I will be leaving for WDW soon and are in desperate need of a new camera. I was wondering which camera you and your family use, for WDW and everyday use. We really need a camera that takes good nightime/dark room and motion photos and good recordings. Which camera is the best one out there, that you get the most bang for your buck?

Also, how is the Canon Powershot SX130 Camera? Does anyone have this camera? If so how is it? Thank you in advance!

Didn't you post a very Similar question already?
I would try Digital Photography School forums... There are a lot of pros on there that can give more camera specific help for all of your photo problems.
Beware, they can get snooty, and talk out of both sides of their mouth.

 

[ukcatfan]

Didn't you post a very Similar question already?
I would try Digital Photography School forums... There are a lot of pros on there that can give more camera specific help for all of your photo problems.
Beware, they can get snooty, and talk out of both sides of their mouth.

I believe the OP can get great information here from people much nicer than boards like that. Why exactly are you doubting our knowledge and abilities when you just joined and have only 8 posts? How could you possibly know about us?

 

[zackiedawg]

It's true - some folks who don't know this forum very well might not realize there are quite a few pros who like to hang here too. Just because we like to photograph Disney doesn't mean some of us don't have experience in photography and those other forums. I love camera-specific tech and pro forums, but I'd be a bit cautious throwing a newbie over there, as they often very quickly turn into shark attack victims!

 

[Theosus]

I believe the OP can get great information here from people much nicer than boards like that. Why exactly are you doubting our knowledge and abilities when you just joined and have only 8 posts? How could you possibly know about us?

I was just giving her some advice about another more photography-specific board. Its all photography, without having to wade through all the other stuff on this board.
Evidently, the DPS board isn't the only place with easily offended people.

 

[ukcatfan]

I was just giving her some advice about another more photography-specific board. Its all photography, without having to wade through all the other stuff on this board.
Evidently, the DPS board isn't the only place with easily offended people.

This is the "Photography" board.

Not offended, just pointing out that you do not know us or anything about us, so don't pretend like you do.

 

[zackiedawg]

No offense from me...just thought since you were new, you might want to know a bit about this forum and some of the folks here. It's nowhere near as touchy here as on most dedicated photography forums, and thankfully often avoids the brand-war recommendations common on those types of boards. For someone who doesn't want to go into photography professionally, they can actually do a little better sometimes in a forum like this where they get a mix of advice from pros and amateurs alike, without the brand-fanatics and egos that too often overtake the pro photography forums.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I've been doing camera research and I thought the X130 was fine for motion pictures but it didn't do well for dark photos. It also did ok for recording. I would've loved to test it on fireworks and parades but alas, there were none handy. I think it's a good camera but it wasn't the right camera for me.

I decided to check out the x230 instead because I've been taking alot of low light pictures lately and I liked that much better. It had a faster shutter speed, better indoor photos and took great motion pictures. It used stitch assist for panorama photos which is fine, I've used that many times before. I never did test it for recording.

It led me to the Nikon Coolpix S9100 that I fell in love with. I've had it for 4 days so far and the motion pictures are great, it does really well with low light photos and love how I can choose either stitch assist or panning for panoramic pictures. It does ok for recording but you can hear the zoom on the recording if you zoom while recording. Since I don't record much, it didn't bother me.
I think this camera may be a keeper for me. At least for a couple of years before I fall in love with another camera.

Oh and I'm not a photography expert by any means, I just enjoy taking pictures and prefer a point and shoot kind of camera.

 

[disneyboy2003]

Ok, so my family and I will be leaving for WDW soon and are in desperate need of a new camera. I was wondering which camera you and your family use, for WDW and everyday use. We really need a camera that takes good nightime/dark room and motion photos and good recordings. Which camera is the best one out there, that you get the most bang for your buck?

I'm not sure if my answers are what you're looking for, but I'll go ahead and answer your questions as you asked them.

Which camera do I use for WDW and everyday use? I use the Canon 7D paired with the Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 lens. I really like all the features that are packed into the 7D. It's a super-fast camera that can also take photos at 8 frames per second. I like all the different auto-focus features. I just recently discovered that this camera can control an external flash that's off-camera. I like the layout of the menu. I also like the resolution of the LCD screen in the back. The buttons & wheel on the camera are familiar & intuitive to me.

I like the Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 lens because it's a very versatile walk-around lens for me. I typically take photos in low-light situations, so the large f/2.8 aperture and the image stabilization on this lens really helps. Of course, in very-low-light situations, I'll turn to the Canon 50mm f/1.4 lens. With either of these lenses + the Canon 7D camera, I can take the "good nighttime/dark room and motion photos" that you mention.

Which camera is the best one out there? I guess that's pretty subjective. I, personally, like my camera and I feel it's the best one for me. I guess I could have considered a much more expensive camera (apparently, pictures from full-frame cameras like the Canon 5D are to die for). But at some point, the law of diminishing returns says that I'd be spending tons of $$$$$ for a small improvement in getting a "better photo."

Of course, my post here is biased toward Canon only because that's what I shoot. Others will have to chime in about other brands' cameras. Honestly, though, I think you can get very very good photos from *any* brand's dSLR, as long as you learn the basics of photography (ie. shutter speed, aperture, ISO) and you invest in some quality lenses.

Again, I'm not sure if this was the answer you were looking for, but I went ahead and answered the specific questions you asked.