Anyone Here take Camcorders?

[BeckWhy]

I bought my MiniDV and brought it too my 2004 trip. I rarely used it (but I found out you can use your video camera on more rides now than before). But if I would of had it on my 2002 trip I would of used it a lot. And would have had a lot of great memories.

I would only bring it if its something special, like juniors first trip to Disney or something.

My 2004 trip was with my sister, nothing special. But my 2002 trip was with some cheerleaders who I never met before. I ended up hooking up with some of them and MAN O MAN the memories. I wish I got them all on video.

 

[tink2]

Go to WDW and NOT take a camcorder????? Wow- I didn't think that was possible!
Seriously, we've taken one every trip. My kids, 5 and 3, LOVE to watch all the videos over and over and over and over- you get the picture. We didn't tape as much of the park so to speak this last trip b/c we have all of that already- and certain shows and parades. But we did tape the character meals and meet and greets and the stuff my kids really loved- Dumbo, Buzz ride, etc. I say go for it. The week at WDW was the shortest of the year- and has been every time. We love to get home and relive our favorite memories! Is it a hassle- sometimes. Our camera is small- but it does get bothersome at times- like if something spontaneous happens and it isn't ready. But is it worth it? Well, when our children and grown and gone, we'll be able to pull out these old tapes- or whatever we have to transfer them to to watch them- and remember when they were young and the magic was real and relive our WDW memories. JMO

 

[tjkraz]

...my 2002 trip was with some cheerleaders who I never met before. I ended up hooking up with some of them and MAN O MAN the memories. I wish I got them all on video.

Gee, I kinda do too...

 

[madalex]

The camcorder is an essential part of any trip we take to WDW. I have a medium size one that I carry everywhere we go. It is not an inconvenience at all (no more so than the bag of stuff my wife carries) and it has allowed us to capture some wonderful memories of WDW (and we do watch the movies we take all the time). Without the camcorder, I can watch the original Tapestry of Nations whenever I want!

One problem I have experienced, however, is that my rechargable battery does not recharge at WDW. I plug the charger into the outlet in the hotel room and, for some reason, this does not recharge the battery. I have even tried taking the camera to the laundry facilities when I do laundry and recharging the battery there, but no luck. The battery recharges at home just fine, but not at WDW for some reason. This has been the case numerous times on numerous trips at different hotels and I have no idea what the reason is.

 

[Docsknotinn]

We used to always take it but found that we typically took very little video. I always thought it was a pain. One more thing in carry on luggage, etc. Now I just take the digital. I can't even imagine lugging around the old Nikon SLR any more let alone a video cam. I never use it but I think most digital cameras take video clips any how. That sure seems like a better option, buy a bigger memory stick and only carry one camera. I guess it really depends on if you have kids and how old they are. With young kids I'd definately carry one. Now everyone is older I'm more than happy to lighten the load.

 

[MazdaUK]

I've planned to do a video diary at the beginning and end of the day (what are we going to do today/what did we do) plus taking it for the character meals we've booked and maybe ONE day at each park (we've got a 10 day ticket for Disney + 3 days Universal/IOA). I don't want to be tied to it (and DH has said HE'S not carrying it!) but this is a special holiday and its nice to have the memories. Photos don't have voices!

 

[jillybeanjo]

We have taken our video camera with us on three trips to WDW and have decided we don't use it enough to justify carrying it around all day every day. So now we just take it to the parks for a day or maybe two out of the week for some highlights.

 

[Carrieberry]

Oh yeahm they are great unless you do what my DH did and drop it and break it on the first day of your trip! Now the tape is stuck in there and there is some error message. Warranty on parts is 12 months (JVC) but only 90 days on labor so it will probably cost us more to fix it then it did to buy it!

 

[lauran cameron]

Warranty on parts is 12 months (JVC) but only 90 days on labor so it will probably cost us more to fix it then it did to buy it!

Story of my life right there ^

My DD always used to Video Tape us up until I was old enough to take over. Its been a few years since either of us has recorded. But as I grew I became interested in movie making. About 3 yrs back I bought a computer program called Pinnacle Studios, its a video editing program. One day I was cleaning out my closet and there was a stack of video camera tapes from WDW! So I got this idea to feed the video onto the computer/edit/and put music pictures sounds and words into the video.

They are great keep sakes and my friends and I LOVE watcing them!

 

[WDWprincessloyola]

Almost two years ago on my last WDW trip I asked my family to bring along the camcorder. My mother used to be the one taking pictures and usually took so many you could have a flip book. The camcorder was very easy to bring around. My father would usually carry it but I was the one always filming. It is a great way to remember parades, shows, characters, and rides. I used it on everything I could. It is great to have those memories on tape and I think you should do it at least once. You can always go back and watch your favorite show or your favorite character interaction. It is great when you want that quick trip down WDW memory lane.

 

[MamaLema]

I guess I'm in the minority here. The camcorder was a total nuicance to us on our trip. It was our very first trip so we thought we would tape EVERYTHING. Well we taped the Welcome to DisneyWorld sign and the castle and after that we were so excited that neither me or DH wanted to tape anything.

We were just so excited to see and do everything.

 

[lclark0621]

We take ours' with us. Of course we have an 18 month old so we always have the videocamera at the ready anyway...LOL!

We also take our SLR camera (which I am hoping to convice DH we need the digital SLR instead...LOL).

We have a stroller with us, so we have them at the ready in the basket under the stroller.

We have the best video from our last trip of Dale rocking our then 9 month old DS to sleep in O'hana's.

I love watching the video of our last trip with our DS now. He gets so excited whenever he sees himself ("the baby") & we talk about our upcomming trip!

 

[HopperFan]

Just hit the market. Runs about $25 but CVS has this week for $19.99. Records for 20 minutes, has a screen, playback and delete capability. Take back to CVS and get it processed to DVD. I saw it and it isn't any bigger than a disposable camera.

I think it's perfect if you don't have one or don't want to take your camera to places like the beach, boating etc.

 

[WheresGoofy]

We take both a digital camera and a video camera. To save money, we reuse the tapes until the quality becomes an issue. Between vacations, I transfer the video highlights to the computer and compile vacation DVDs. I mix digital pictures and video to music. We enjoy watching them from time to time. I, also, keep the full recordings on VHS in case I decide to do something with another sample of video or we want to watch the VHS copy.

 

[civileng68]

Jasminesmommy, if you figure that one out, let me know. I didn't have much trouble on our Disney trip, but we've gone on a couple of cruises, and the camera is worthless first thing in the morning. Once the camera gets "acclimated", its useable, but you just hope nothing "good" happens early.

This is a common problem and living in South Florida I've learned how to deal with it. The thing is, that causes the problem , is when you go from one extreme temperature to another, say from an air conditioned building outisde to the heat, very quickly. This also happens vice versa. The best way to do this is to get a camera bag with lots of padding, it still can be small. Before leaving a building, put the camera in the bag and close it. Leave it in the bag for about 15 minutes at least before taking it out. Also do this when going from heat to a building. What this does is the bag acts as a "buffer". If you are going from a cold building to a hot outside area, the bag will allow heat in but only slowly, which keeps condensation from forming. Generally if I knwo I want to film a ride, I can't keep the camera in the bag for 15 minutes after entering the building so about 15 minutes before I enter, I place the camera in the bag and allow it to cool a little and then keep it in the bag for about 5-10 minutes after entering a building. Trust me, this should work!

 

[civileng68]

I guess I'm in the minority here. The camcorder was a total nuicance to us on our trip. It was our very first trip so we thought we would tape EVERYTHING. Well we taped the Welcome to DisneyWorld sign and the castle and after that we were so excited that neither me or DH wanted to tape anything.

We were just so excited to see and do everything.

This just shows how differently people think. My parents are like you, but I'm the EXACT Opposite. My parents are the type that wont enjoy themselves carrying a camera.

I'm the type that doesnt like to go ANYWHERE without it. I love it! I love bieng at Disney with it! When I go back to my room at night I even watch the video then!

We always watch our Disney video, and we're annual passholders who go quite a bit. But some will never watch it.

 

[njown]

We took our camcorder and unfortunately we didn't get to use it because the humidity was too high. Since our last trip I have heard that there is a way to solve that issue. Other than that taking the camcorder wouldn't have been a problem at all. They are so light these days and easy to carry/store you may as well bring one.

Mymatisse, what is the secret to solving the humidity problems?? Do tell...

 

[Suivi]

Can you give me an advice? It will be our first trip to WDW and I read that the camcorder was a nuicance to "MamaLema" during their first trip.

Well, we will really enjoy our first trip to Orlando so a camcorder and camera might be a problem... but on the other hand we will take a lot of pictures and videos....

I think I try to find a very small camcorder and I will take my small digital camera with me. Should I take them into my backpack or an extra bag? Is a fanny pack too small???

Because I won't take 3 different bags with me.

I think a backpack will be the best… and during water rides? Put the camera and camcorder into a plastic envelope?

Can I put the backpack into lockers next to the attractions? For example riding Mission Space, Splash Mountain, Hulk or Duelling Dragons?

Thanks for your advices, answers and tips!

Greetings from Austria,
Chris

 

[epcotfan]

I have an old JVC that uses VHSC tapes. I won't travel without it. My best souvenirs are attraction and atmosphere videos. I'd rather have video memories of my trip than a t-shirt. On one trip I took over 13 hours of video. Sometimes I pop them in my VCR to escape the real world.

 

[Suivi]

Yes, I think I will really take both (camcorder and dig. camera).... Did you ever have problems - riding attractions?