Big camera or just phone?

[Mommyoftwo]

Do most people carry around big cameras or just use their phone cameras in the park? I imagine it would be too inconvenient carrying around the big camera and putting into lockers before rides. But they take better pictures. I'm guessing most just use their phone cameras and only stow in lockers when necessary.

Do you know which rides require you to store phones in lockers? We won't be going on Hulk or Dragon Challenge due to a broken arm, so while I know those upside down rides would require a locker for the phone, we won't be on them. Are there other rides that will force us to store our phones?

And is crossover flat purse (Vera Bradley or 31 type) or mini purse with crossover strap a better idea? I used the mini purse at Cedar Point on almost all of the coasters and it seemed to work fine. A bigger crossover will fit more though.

Thanks for any suggestions. I'm taking my son to the parks alone while my husband and daughter go to the beach instead so I won't have that extra set of hand. Just trying to do everything right so that I have what I need without having to carry too much.

 

[damo]

Phones, and everything else, need to be stored for the big coasters.

Crossover bags can't be taken on quite a few rides. You need to have a waist pack with a 3 prong closure on rides that require lockers... Forbidden Journey, Gringotts, Mummy, Men in Black and the big coasters, of course.

 

[2Gma]

We brought the big DSLR for our 1st trip because we wanted some great shots to remember our 1st trip. We realized it was a bit of a pain (to haul & stow) so we purchased a small good quality point-and-shoot for pics/video for 2nd trip and beyond. We still use that to save phone battery life but now we found we mostly use our phones for pix. You can bring a phone on most rides (except coasters) as long as it is sealed in pocket.

 

[schumigirl]

We use two cameras, one a point and shoot and my husbands large camera some days. We put them in lockers where required. It really is no trouble at all.

I usually have a 3 prong fastener waist pack and only need to store it in lockers for RRR, Hulk and Dragon Challenge.

 

[Mommyoftwo]

Thanks for the responses!

 

[imprint]

We like to travel light, so we just use our phones. We've taken a point and shoot before, but we felt it was redundant for the way we like to tour the parks. I really don't know how the people taking pics with iPads lug them around all day. To each their own; whatever works best for you is the best option.

 

[avic77]

I bought a phone with a better camera for our trip. worked great

 

[hdnwaters]

I love to take pictures but opted to leave the larger DSLR in the hotel. Cell phone works pretty good for most photos and we carry them with us on the rides. (just photos in the kiosks, not on ride) We don't do the big coasters so don't know about those. We carry small back packs and use the lockers.

 

[klmall]

Since a big part of the trip experience for me is taking photos I don't mind carrying my dsLR with me. And even though some phones can take photos in raw format now I still rely mostly on my big camera to do that. I do have a smaller high quality P & S I use at times, especially at Universal.

I think it all depends on how important quality pictures are to you. I have trouble holding a phone still enough for picture taking; a non-issue with my P & S and my dSLR. And to be honest, I am not impressed with 90%+ of the pictures taken with phones. I think phone picture quality has declined over the past few years. Most users just click and shoot, ignoring basic photo techniques such as level horizons, brightness and framing a shot. They seem satisfied with their results. I am not.

 

[pcstang]

Since a big part of the trip experience for me is taking photos I don't mind carrying my dsLR with me. And even though some phones can take photos in raw format now I still rely mostly on my big camera to do that. I do have a smaller high quality P & S I use at times, especially at Universal.

I think it all depends on how important quality pictures are to you. I have trouble holding a phone still enough for picture taking; a non-issue with my P & S and my dSLR. And to be honest, I am not impressed with 90%+ of the pictures taken with phones. I think phone picture quality has declined over the past few years. Most users just click and shoot, ignoring basic photo techniques such as level horizons, brightness and framing a shot. They seem satisfied with their results. I am not.

You take some amazing pictures! Mine are usually as I'm still walking lol

 

[mamabearof4]

I have a pocket size higher quality p&s that has all the manual controls of my DSLR that I usually carry to parks. It fits in my waist bag so I'm usually fine taking it on most rides. Much easier to carry around, but still gives me the control over my photos. It even has 30x optical zoom so works as good as a telephoto lens, and has an awesome burst mode as well. Obviously it does have some limitations, but in my opinion not worth my lugging around the big DSLR for (especially when I'm riding.)

 

[havoc315]

If you are looking to just conveniently capture a few memories, you can't beat a good phone. In fact, for most people, the technology has advanced to where your phone photos may be better than what you'd get from most stand-alone cameras.

But I'm a photography enthusiast. Getting GREAT images is important to me --- I have studied photography and I now teach it. I have thousands of dollars in gear. So for me, it is worth the hassle to deal with lockers, to help me capture frame-worthy images.

I definitely observe that most people are resorting to just their phones. And a good phone will indeed most likely be "good enough."

 

[lifepaused]

I purchased a GoPro 5 for photos and video, easy to carry and fits in pocket. I have a DSLr but do not think I will be taking it with me when I go to de and universal in September.