Disney World Trip Photography Help

[FlGulfer]

The wife and I are going to Disney World Monday. We would like to take picture's but are not sure what to take and how to ride rides with our gear. Anyone that has been there with camera gear could please help. Do they have lockers to store gear while riding costers? Will the operators watch your things while on a ride? We have a 4 park pass for 4 days and are going everywhere but the water park and Universal this trip.

The wife is taking her Pentax K-30 and Pentax DA 18-250 Lens
I'm taking everything on the trip except my Film Gear.

PENTAX , K-5 & Grip
PENTAX DAL 18-55 f3.5/5.6
PENTAX DA* 60-250 f4
PENTAX F 50 f1.7
PENTAX F-DA 100 macro WR
TAMRON 17-50 2.8 XR DiII
SIGMA EX 10-20/4-5.6
METZ 58 AF-1 Flash
CACTUS Wireless V4 Trigger
FEISOL CT-3441T CF Tripod &
PHOTO CLAM PC-33N Ball Head

Kata DB-455 DPS Series Digital Bag

Thanks

Jack

 

[photo_chick]

They have lockers but it's not like at other parks where they have them right by the coasters. They do have pouches and things on some rides that you can put your gear in, and on some rides (like Mission Space and Soarin) you have to use those. Others you can keep your gear on you.

I pack light at WDW... I take my 50D, kept around my neck with a Lenscoat Bodybag on it, and maybe one or two lenses in a hip pack. It all stays on me on nearly every ride. I keep a plastic bag to put it in on water rides or when it rains.

 

[2Tiggies]

There are no lockers at the attractions themselves, but all parks have a locker rental facility just after the turstiles as you enter. I use a camera backpack, have my camera in my hand 90% of the time, and just take the backpack on all the rides with me and it's never been a problem or an inconvenience. As for the camera, I just hold it in my hand on the rides. The only item I used a locker for was my tripod which is fairly large and there were days when we were at one park from open to close and I only wanted it for fireworks at the end so I stored it in a locker until I needed it.

As for how much gear to carry, I repacked the bag every time we went out and took only what I knew I needed and what I thought I might need so I never took more than 3 lenses and a flash with me.

 

[Shazzasmd]

There are lots of Disney Photography blogs available. You may also want to do a search on Flickr, and you will find many many WDW photos. You may have to search a bit to find the really good ones.

I would post some links, but I am not sure what is allowed. Just take some time and google. ( I asked a similar question here last year - didn't get a lot of response. So when I started researching, I found out there is so much info out there - much more than I thought there would be)

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

Welcome to the Photography Board. I'm happy to see you migrated over from dpreview! I'm Phixer323 from there. If you haven't already looked at the Welcome page, I would recommend it. There are several (ok maybe more than several) tutorials and information threads. There is some very good information there. Have fun!!

 

[kofslinky]

I took my D90 for the first time this past trip. I brought one 18-200 lens and a 35 mm f/1.4 lens in a sling backpack. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I ended up with the camera around my neck most of the time. I wasn't adventurous on rides and just put it back in the bag and either around me in my lap or in the pouch on the ride. I'm still new to WDW photography, but I found it more than enough to take some great pictures and still enjoy the parks.

 

[maccagerl]

I used to lug around a heavy camera bag , but very soon figured out it's much more fun to travel light! I think your most useful lens for the parks will be on the wide side, anything from a 24 - 35. The only time I really use my long telephoto is at Animal Kingdom, to get nice closeups of the animals there.
If you want to take photos inside the dark rides, use a fast lens with a wide aperture, maybe 1.4 - 1.8.
I would leave the tripod behind unless you just want to take it out at night for the fireworks, or some night photography. I think for the most part it's just too busy and crowded to effectively use a tripod in the parks.
I don't know if this is your first trip or not, but I would really suggest going light and enjoying the parks! Have fun!

 

[havoc315]

I believe I read they recently put lockers next to Kali River Rapids. Other than that, there aren't lockers by the attractions. You need to keep your gear on your, or possibly in a small pocket in front of your seat.

Considering the amount of gear you're bringing, I'd leave most of it in the room, and just carry what you will need for any given day. Your Tamron 17-50 and Pentax 60-250 would give you all the coverage and low light capability that you would need in a typical day at the parks. A flash isn't particularly useful in the parks, except as a fill flash outdoors. Your wireless trigger and tripod would be very useful for capturing fireworks. So stow those in a locker or your room, until you actually need them.

 

[nigelp]

Welcome, hope you have fun taking photos at WDW.

My wife and I take both our cameras (K20D and K-x) so I often try to have a different lens on to my wife. Otherwise we come home with very similar shots. You could mix it up a bit and give her the 10-20 while you take the 60-250 for one day. You will come home with two different views of the same day

PENTAX DAL 18-55 f3.5/5.6 - not needed - I wouldn't even pack it - you have this covered by the Tamron
PENTAX DA* 60-250 f4 - useful at AK and to get shots of the small detail / close up of characters in parades etc
PENTAX F 50 f1.7 - take this for the dark rides - its small so can go with you everyday
PENTAX F-DA 100 macro WR - I have this lens and hardly ever use it - the only exception was for fantasmic because at f2.8 it was my fastest telephoto
TAMRON 17-50 2.8 XR DiII - see above (could also be your dark ride if you push the ISO up on the K5 or K30)
SIGMA EX 10-20/4-5.6 - I believe this is quite a bulky lens but does allow for some very creative wide angle shots
METZ 58 AF-1 Flash - wouldn't bother
CACTUS Wireless V4 Trigger, FEISOL CT-3441T CF Tripod &
PHOTO CLAM PC-33N Ball Head - for your firework photos and perhaps taking nighttime photos of epcot after illuminations

 

[FlGulfer]

Thanks everyone for the ideas. This is my first trip so I will travel light each day and use the lens that you suggest for each park.

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

The wife and I are going to Disney World Monday. We would like to take picture's but are not sure what to take and how to ride rides with our gear. Anyone that has been there with camera gear could please help. Do they have lockers to store gear while riding costers? Will the operators watch your things while on a ride? We have a 4 park pass for 4 days and are going everywhere but the water park and Universal this trip.

Another helpful hint regarding the tripod... as others have said, rent a locker so you don't have to carry it around all day, then retrieve it for fireworks. If it doesn't physically fit in your locker, speak to the cast member at the locker rental desk. They can hold it for you in a closet.

As to the question of whether cast members will watch your gear while you're on the ride, the answer is no. Unlike some theme parks where there are cubby holes for drinks, hats & shoes on the ride platform, Disney does not have these. You also cannot hand things to a Disney cast member to set aside for you like you can at some parks. In many cases, you enter and exit Disney rides in different locations.

I personally keep my camera strap around my neck and my camera in my hand on every ride (except those noted above, where you are not permitted to have anything in your hands.) I also carry a small plastic bag with me to put over the camera when I'm on Splash Mountain. (It also gets used during the afternoon rain showers.)

If you're using a traditional camera strap, the camera will feel heavier and heavier as the day goes on. The strap also gets unpleasant as your neck starts to sweat in the Florida heat. You may want to check out products by companies like Black Rapid and Carry Speed that allow you to carry the camera on your shoulder instead of the back of your neck. They make an amazing difference.

The most I ever carry in the park is one extra lens, which I keep in a holster bag on my belt. As I said earlier, the tripod and remote trigger come to the park if we're staying for fireworks, but I don't carry them. They go in a locker. It's well worth the price. (The only time I've ever carried a tripod in the park was at Epcot during F&W festival. I was happy to have it for that, and didn't mind lugging it around all day because I was using it so much. I was also there on a "photography outing" and really wasn't riding any rides.)

Reading between the lines of your post, it sounds as if this might be your first WDW trip. While I love to try to capture the "perfect dark ride shot" or action shot on the rides, that's because I've been on them so many times over the years. If you're experiencing a ride for the first time, my advice is to not watch it through a view finder. Trust me, you don't want to ruin the experience like that. Enjoy the ride with our camera in your lap. There are plenty of things to photograph out in the sunlight, where you didn't have to wait 45 minutes in line. The same goes for the shows, parades, and fireworks. Take enough photos to remember and enjoy them after the trip, but also take the time to enjoy them in the moment.

 

[wbeem]

Jack,

If you like, I have a free eBook about photography at the Magic Kingdom. It may not answer all of your questions about gear, but perhaps it can give you some ideas.

http://suburbiapress.com/products-page-2/books/disney-photography-ebook-download/

Personally, I keep my stuff with my. I don't trust an hourly castmember to truly protect a camera & lens that costs thousands of dollars. Not that I expect anything malicious from them, but they just have their concentration on something else.

 

[FlGulfer]

Thanks Everyone, headding out in a few hours.