Digital cameras at WDW

[rcyannacci]

Hi all-

My husband and I are planning on buying a digital camera in advance of our next trip to WDW. We've been able to get some good pics with film in the past, but are interested in better clarity, color, etc. Particularly, we've had trouble taking pictures of the nighttime parades, fountains, and shows, something we want to correct with a digital camera.

Any of you with suggestions based on your own experience? Can we find a camera that will get us good nighttime images for less than $500?

Thanks for any information you might have, and I apologize if I'm repeating questions from any current threads.

 

[queenmichelle]

Try here http://allearsnet.com/btp/digital.htm. It's a fun read with lots of good info and links to detailed camera reviews. My favorite is the DC Resource. They do extensive testing in all lighting condtions. I used them to help me choose my digital camera( 4 MP Cannon Elph Powershot great camera and under $500)

 

[Kourtnie]

i have two digital camera's now and am looking at purchasing a third for my upcoming trip. The reason I am considering a "vacation/fun camera" is because i would like to get pictures of all the rides even the wet ones whereever I go. So with that said I'm looking at purchasing the Pentax Optio 33wr, which is also water resistant. So I can capture all of the moments

 

[CaseyJr]

I love my digital camera! One bit of advice, after you do your "homework," is to go to an electronics store that has operating displays (like BESTBUY), and play with the cameras. Try out the arrangements of buttons, how to use the menu functions, etc., etc. Some store will let you take comparison photos (in-store), then print them on their printer. Find out what kind of memory they use, because that might be a consideration for future expansions or equp. compatibility. Also, digital cameras are notorious for going through batteries (but this gets better as technology advances). We have 3 rechargables, so there's always extra in my case.

I have a Nikon CoolPix. I've gotten some great night time fireworks shots with it (FANTASTMIC). Depending on your camera, you'd have to experiment with exposures, etc.

It's so neat to be able to "preview" a shot. If you didn't get a good one, delete it and shoot again.

P.S. I, too, am looking for a "splashproof" camera. The only one I know of is Olympus, but it's more than I want to spend. PLEASE give us updates about any other of that type you try!

 

[grammagail]

Unfortunately - that link didn't work. Said page wasn't there

We just recently bought a Kodak 4.0 EasyShare. So far it is VERY easy to use, prints out awsome pix.

However, we tried using the "night" control PLUS the opitcal zoom to try and capture my daughters graduation commencements.

We must have done something wrong - because every single one - while well lit - were extremely blurry/fuzzy (?) The regular pix we took that day turned out awsome.

I thought I read that if you are using the night control - i.e. to take pix of fireworks, night scenes - we need to use a tripod or place it on a sturdy surface.

 

[laurajetter]

Try the link again without the period at the end. I noticed that it was included in the link so I decided to try typing in the URL manually but made sure to omit that last period...it worked!

-Laura

 

[laurajetter]

Thought I'd explain a little about taking photos (I knew my photography class in college would come in handy sometime!)

When taking photos at night, it is best to use a tripod. Normally, the camera shutter opens for just a split second to let light into the camera. During the day in bright sunlight, the shutter only needs to be open for a quick fraction of a second...since it's so bright out it lets in a bunch of light even in that very short period of time. Daytime pictures come out looking sharp and crisp because the shutter was only open briefly and didn't have time to record any movement the subject in your picture was making. However, when you take a picture at night when the light is extremely low, the camera shutter needs to stay open a lot longer (even 1 second is considered long) in order to let in enough light for the photo to turn out okay. It is very hard to keep your hand still while taking a picture no matter how hard you try. and will result in blurry photos. By having the camera on a tripod, it will be stabilized and will result in much better pictures.

Some manual cameras can have their shutters open a long time, like maybe 30 seconds. If any of you have seen photos of carnivals where all the lights seem like streaks and blend together and the crowds are extremely blurry, that is how those pictures are taken!

Hope this helps.

-Laura

 

[grammagail]

THANKS. Wonderful explanation and now makes very logical sense. I'm sure that is what happened. I was thinking my husband just didn't know what he was doing

Don't have a tripod - except for our video camera. And don't know if it would be worth lugging around just to take a few pix of fireworks. But Thanks for the great explanation

 

[disneydiz]

I used dcresource.com to get into on cameras and settled on the Canon PowerShort A75. Love it!!!

 

[laurajetter]

I found a couple versions of really small tripods at Best Buy in the camera accessories area. They are slim when folded up and if I remember correctly are about 6 or 7 inches long, which is small enough to carry in a small backpack or purse--maybe even your camera bag if it's the right size. Only thing is, you would need something to rest it on (table, top of a trash can, etc.) I don't know how easy that would be, depending where you are viewing the fireworks from. My husband and I will probably bring it along anyway since it's lightweight and fairly small. If it works out, great! If it doesn't work out, oh well, no harm done!

-Laura

 

[kandmwedding]

I also have the Canon Powershot A75 and loved it on our last trip!!! I will admit that it was difficult to preview the picture when standing out in the sun because of the glare, but stepping to the shade made it easy to see. And I did end up with a few fuzzy Fantasmic pictures, but my Wishes and Illuminations pics turned out great. For Wishes I was sitting by the Plaza Terrace counter service and propped my elbows up against the railing and basically used my arms as a tripod. The pics were great! For Illuminations I sat on the ground by the railing in Japan and balanced my elbows on my knees, again acting almost as a tripod and came up with some fantastic pictures!

And as an FYI, if you're interested in the Canon A75, it's on sale at Target through Saturday for $250 and comes with 150 free digital prints. Very good price!!!

 

[BethC1952]

I bought a Kodak EashShare CX7300 just before my trip last month, and I loved it. You can see the pictures by following the link below for the May, 2004 pictures. I bought it over the internet from Circuit City and used their express pickup so that I picked it up in the store on my way home from work. I also bought the accessory kit (for about $20) which included a tiny tripod, a bag, an extra battery, some photo paper and a case for smart cards.

The camera is very easy to use, even though I sometimes have difficulty manipulating small items because of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. It's also very lightweight and fairly small in size.

I took over 400 pictures in 5 days with it!

Beth

 

[grammagail]

Ours is the CX 6440 - probably very similar. So far I love it - very easy to use. We have the camera/printer dock - that I plan on bringing with us.

How big of a card did you take - to take 400 pix? We bought the 256 card - but I'm thinking about getting another extra on just in case????

 

[rcyannacci]

Thanks everyone for the information- we will be headed to Best Buy today (and then possibly to Target, depending on the prices we see). Also great info on shooting at night; I'll try to look for a lightweight tripod to go with the other accessories (memory cards, battery rechargers...am I forgetting anything?).

Unfortunatly, we won't be headed to WDW until Dec., but at least I will have a lot of time to practice! Fourth of July fireworks should be a good test.

 

[alliecats]

We got our Nikon Coolpix 3200 right before our trip to the World because we needed a camera to take with us. We love it! Our pictures turned out beautifully. Especially the lego Loch Ness Monster at DD. Every time I show the pictures, everyone stops at that one and asks, "WHAT kind of camera do you have?" The colors are perfect! I highly recommend.

 

[matjef9091]

I have the sony cyber shot U. It is only 2 pixels but I am only interested in 4X6's. Best part is it is completely waterproof. I can hold it under water and it still keeps kicking. I have had it for a few months, it is by far not the "best" but it is great for what I need. It was about 275.

 

[rcyannacci]

Well, several hundred dollars later, we're back from Best Buy. We bought an Olympus C740 ultra zoom with 3.2 megapixels and 10x optical zoom. After camera, memory, bag, and warrenty (already had the rechargable batteries), we ended up going slightly over our budget ($570 total). But it is worth it; it's awesome! My husband took some pics from our car on the way home, and downloaded them in all of 2 minutes, I think. Granted traffic isn't the best subject matter, but the clarity is already better than what we were taking with film.

Thanks to everyone for thier information, and especially thanks to grammagail and laurajetter for help on the http://allearsnet.com/btp/digital.htm site; Zurg was both extremely helpful and vastly entertaining.

 

[FatCow]

Not worth lugging tripod around for fireworks?

See these pictures , and try telling yourself that it's not worth carrying tripod around

Just leave the tripod in the locker until it's time to setup for Wishes or the likes of it.

Pictures taken using Canon A80, no colour correction.

 

[lulu71]

FatCow-Those shots are incredible. I am in awe!

 

[SonicLogic]

The Nikon CoolPix 4300 is the best dang digital camera in the whole dang universe:

http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=2&productNr=25507