External flashes

Thanks! It's good to hear it from someone who has pretty much the same set-up that I do. Since your shots above were taken with the D40, my guess is that with the combination of D90 with better quality at higher ISOs combined with the Sigma 30 f/1.4 I should be okay.

I'm much less worried about rides like Splash, Small World and GMR. But for HM, while I don't expect to get any shots of hitchhiking ghosts or the caretaker---I'd like to at least get a shot of something on the ride!! :)

Ann you are going to do just fine. Realizing there are lighting diffeneces between rides at WDW and DL, but you have the same equipment as me and should have a pretty good ratio of good shots to throw-aways. I will have to wait until August for our trip to WDW to do a comparison of the lighting on rides. I have been on POTC 3 times now and HM twice. With using the tips I have learned earlier (are represented here) you will be suprised at your results. You will be able to shoot at 3200 (-1EV) and using Todd's method of S-priority I have been able to shoot many shots @ 1/60-1/80 which really helped. I know POTC really well because we ride it everytime we go to DL. HM is another story though. My kids have refused to go on it for the past 5-6 years and have only recently rediscovered the ride so I am still relearning the ride layout so I can anticipate shots.

Don't sell yourself short, Ann. You'll have the tools to come away with some very nice shots in the HM (and I can't wait to see some dark ride shots from a D90). If you're able to use AF as Tom suggested above, I would definitely go that route. However, I would suggest switching to manual focus if you try the hitchhiking ghosts. They are obtainable, but they're very elusive. I don't have advice for the caretaker since nothing I have tried has worked (yet) :)

Todd you have seen shots with a D90 on dark rides. Not in the category of Jeff or yourself but I think they are acceptable.

551935705_GWLS7-M.jpg

1/80 f/1.4 3200 (-1EV)

551942316_MULCA-M.jpg

same as above

551942871_ZA2MX-M.jpg

1/60 f/1.4 3200 (-1EV)

574227738_EYRTx-M.jpg

1/80 f/1.4 1600 (-1EV)

I have been shooting with auto-ISO on dark rides and wondering if anyone else does this. I have a couple that are down as low as ISO 320.

574228338_9qyRm-M.jpg

1/80 f/1.4 320 (-1EV)
 
Todd you have seen shots with a D90 on dark rides. Not in the category of Jeff or yourself but I think they are acceptable.

551935705_GWLS7-M.jpg

1/80 f/1.4 3200 (-1EV)

551942316_MULCA-M.jpg

same as above

551942871_ZA2MX-M.jpg

1/60 f/1.4 3200 (-1EV)

574227738_EYRTx-M.jpg

1/80 f/1.4 1600 (-1EV)

I have been shooting with auto-ISO on dark rides and wondering if anyone else does this. I have a couple that are down as low as ISO 320.

574228338_9qyRm-M.jpg

1/80 f/1.4 320 (-1EV)

Ah, you're exactly right, Roger. I had forgotten you were using a D90 for those shots. Great job again on these :thumbsup2.
 
I have really good successful and some terribly bad rides through the various dark rides around Disney.

I've done Pirates 4 times (IIRC) twice with my D50 and twice with my D300. In some scenes I did better with the D50. Same with HM.

GMR at DHS is pretty easy. Lots of really nicely lit scenes. PP I only tried once (most times the line is to long for that ride). IASW is also pretty easy with lots of well lit scense. Pooh isn't all to bad. Never tried Snow White. Splash I've only ridden once with my dSLR and didn't bother switching out lenses.

All in all, there is a lot of luck involved and timing has to be pretty good (this obviously is based first on having the right equipment).

I don't know if I'll try manual focus on future trips, though I do like the AF-C techinque. Getting a locked focus quickly is Key and then keeping it while on a slow moving vehicle for a few seconds is definitely needed. I'll definitely use that in the future.

Here are some with my D50:
ISO 1600, f/2.2, 1/25th, 50mm f/1.8 lens:
348874973_ndYqk-L.jpg


ISO 1600 f/1.8, 1/100th, 50mm f/1.8 lens:
348876779_CUo3W-L.jpg


ISO 1600 f/1.4, 1/60th, Sigma 30mm f/1.4 lens:
296787287_jjtTW-L.jpg


ISO 1600, f/1.4, 1/60th, 30mm f/1.4 lens:
296788979_x5oME-L.jpg


ISO 1600 f/1.4, 1/50th, 30mm f/1.4 lens:
296789401_EuedZ-L.jpg


ISO 1600, f/1.4, 1/25th, 30mm f/1.4 lens:
296790572_925no-L.jpg


A few with my D300:
ISO 3200, f/1.4, 1/125th, 30mm f/1.4 lens
573021619_tx2m3-L.jpg


ISO 3200, f/1.4, 1/50th, 30mm f/1.4 lens
573022181_VsdoB-L.jpg


ISO HI1 (aka 6400), f/1.4, 1/40th, 30mm f/1.4 lens
573031061_CTsBW-L.jpg


ISO 6400, f/1.4, 1/50th, 30mm f/1.4 lens
573031638_gMgpg-L.jpg


ISO 6400, f/1.4, 1/30th, 30mm f/1.4 lens
573036923_JCeAa-L.jpg



I so want to go back and try some of these rides again. I was disapointed a little in my rides through with the D300 on PotC. I missed a lot of focus points. I think I was trying to hard. When I went through on the last trip with my D50 I think my expectations were lower so of course I ended up with some better shots. I think I definitely tried to hard on this last trip. I rushed myself trying to get everything. I should have just rode it a few more times, after all the line wasn't to long and it does have a/c which is key in the extreme heat.

Oh well, there's always next trip.... :) :)
 
If I recall correctly, I adjusted the exposure, increased the recover and shadows, and decreased the highlights in ACR, took it through NN in CS3, and saturated with LAB in CS3. That's it. The original looks pretty similar to the processed version. This isn't that tough of a scene so long as you don't blow out any part of the bride.

I think the lighting in your shot looks different. Looking back through my shots of the same scene, what I have mostly looks like Gdad's he posted earlier in the thread. I really like that purple(pink?) lighting in yours and the even exposure across the scene. Maybe those purple/pink lights aren't on all the time :confused3. You nailed this one (and the headless groom in the picture just makes it).
 

I had asked for help on this subject just before my May trip. Thanks to those of you who helped (you know who you are), I was pleased with the results.
Nikon D90
50mm 1.8 at 1/90
ISO 3200

3625285021_0f29bedf77_b.jpg

3625194067_b03e019e6d_b.jpg

3625672900_92bb9f6b63_b.jpg
 
I had asked for help on this subject just before my May trip. Thanks to those of you who helped (you know who you are), I was pleased with the results.
Nikon D90
50mm 1.8 at 1/90
ISO 3200

3625285021_0f29bedf77_b.jpg

3625194067_b03e019e6d_b.jpg

3625672900_92bb9f6b63_b.jpg

I'd say you got some great results. Nice job :thumbsup2. Which shooting mode did you choose for these (aperture priority, shutter priority, or full manual)?
 
/
When shooting on Pirates of the Caribbean, I would set your white balance to "auto" and shoot in RAW. This way, you can more easily adjust the white balance in post processing to give it a more natural look or at least dial back on the temperature of the lighting. You're shots in most scenes will have reddish glow that you'll probably want to tone down a bit.

As far as adjusting the white balance in post, this was a little trick I learned from Code on his flickr page: adjust the white balance down to around 2250-2300 and back off of the saturation about -28 to -33 (just depending on what you want your final look to be). This will calm down the "heat" of the lighting and bring out some of the real colors of the objects in the scene.

Here are a few examples
3577700294_86560ef783.jpg


3577681256_9c444dfba8.jpg


3576894519_cfcf58b78d.jpg


Note that this is a personal preference of mine and, IIRC, the PotC shots from handicap18 and Spectro_is_#1 above are closer to what the temperatures in the scenes really are (can't remember exactly, but I know they look pretty "hot," even in person). So the main point here is: shoot in RAW with your camera set to auto white balance for PotC so you'll have options in post processing.
 
^Adjusting the saturation into the negative is a good idea. When I post process PotC shots, I can't get rid of enough of the red/orange with the temperature sliders alone. I don't think these scenes look very red in person, just in pictures.
 
I shot in manual.
I recently discovered auto ISO using program mode and setting a minimum shutter speed. This would allow the camera to set the ISO based on the shooting conditions. I am going to try that next time.
 
Yeah, White Balance on PotC is the biggest pain in the gluteus maximus. I did what I could with mine, but those lights are just plain awful for a camera.
 
I'm thinking about investing in an extra flash for my Canon XSi, need it for portraits, preferably one that can swivel so you can bounce flash off of a ceiling. What do you recommend? Is there one brand that you recommend over another? Thanks!
 
I like the Canon 580EX II. It's got plenty of power. It tilts and swivels. It zooms. It can work as a master or slave (when you add additional flashes). It can be used in E-TTL II mode or set manually. I've been using one for a while now and I really like it.

The only other brand of flashes for Canon's that I consistently hear good things about are the Metz flashes. I don't know how compatible they are with E-TTL II or with other flashes in master/slave relationships.
 
I'd better explain master/slave better. You often want to put your flash someplace other than on your camera. People look better when they aren't lit straight on. You can bounce your flash off of the ceiling or wall, but you often want more control than that.

One simple thing to do is to use an off-camera flash cord. It connects your flash to your camera but allows you to move your flash away from your camera. The problem is that you now have a cable connection your flash to your camera.

A better solution is to have your camera talk remotely to your flash. You can do this in many different ways. With the Canon system, you can have a flash on your camera that acts as a "master" and a flash off of your camera that acts as a "slave". The master flash tells the slave flash when to flash and how bright to flash. The master can be used as a flash in this setup or it can be used just to talk to the other flashes. Canon even makes a flashless unit that does nothing but work as a master (Canon ST-E2).

A Master can control many slave flashes. In portraiture, you might want a flash to work as the main light on your subject, another on the other side for filling in shadows, another over or behind them for lighting their hair, etc. You can also group the flashes and adjust their brightness from a central location.

Nikon has started designing their lower end DSLRs (the ones that come with built-in flashes) so that the built-in flash can operate as a master. I suspect that Canon will do that with their future Rebel and x0D cameras, but you never know.

To learn more about using flashes, I strongly recommend the Strobist website. Nikon put together a pretty good video on their lighting sytem. Their system works very similar to Canon's, so almost all of the concepts apply. Joe McNally is the current God of the Nikon flash universe. His blog is very interesting (although not always entirely family safe) and his books The Moment It Clicks and The Hot Shoe Diaries are both very inspiring and educational. Even though he is a Nikon guy, essentially everything applies to Canon flash photography as well.
 
the metz 58 works as a master or slave with canon. smart shooter rates it above the canon 580( what ever newest one is, i think there are more letters or numbers involved) you can also update it if you get a new body via usb if canon changes the way it works, you don't have to send it anywhere and it has a very cool little additionally light kind of like a fill...it's so cool i've been drooling over it for 2 yrs:rotfl: just get the dedicated one, they also sell one with a removeable foot so you can use it on different brands of cameras( ie if you have nikon and canon you just get a foot for each rather than a whole new flash). it's on my list of my next 2 things to buy and i can't hardly wait to get it. http://www.metzflash.co.uk/pages/metz27.htm it's a german company but i think it's bogen that handles them in the US
metz 58 for canon is $399( B& H I think ) the metz 46(?) can be used as a slave with the 58 but don't remember now if it can be a master or not...and i think is about $100 less.
 
Correct me if I am wrong but my guess is you are thinking of not spending a lot or going to a lot of trouble, both of which can be good things. ;)
Canon's new EX270 has bounce capability for about $150, and is a perfect match for your Xsi.
 
Thanks for all of this advice. I am going to try and shoot the fireworks on the 4th. Wish me luck!
 
This is a fun thread with a lot of great advice and excellent photos. Thanks Mark and others for taking the time to share. We visited in March and I carried a Nikon D90 and 50mm f/1.8 for dark rides. Here are a few samples:

I didn't see any Haunted Mansion floating candelabra shots yet. Wish this would have been a little sharper.

499914054_8oSXH-M.jpg


More Haunted Mansion...

499920519_76xmz-M.jpg


497908490_YMGFE-M-1.jpg


499918368_x9y3h-M-1.jpg


Universe of Energy at Epcot...

500930956_SyrY5-M.jpg


501784843_eZq2z-M-1.jpg


Spaceship Earth...

497911302_DWpPH-M-1.jpg


497912483_UJVvM-M-2.jpg


PotC (Todd, thanks for the white balance advice...I went back and adjusted these after my initial post)...

500908447_FDThw-M-1.jpg


500898940_kUZXV-M-1.jpg


500919889_3kA67-M-1.jpg


Small World...

497905722_XZKGJ-M-1.jpg


497905514_qc6wx-M-1.jpg


Peter Pan (Everyone beware this ride moves very fast and is over in an instant...have your camera settings and trigger finger ready before you get on)...

497907469_4YXsJ-M-1.jpg


497907121_iirU9-M-1.jpg


For dark rides I worked almost exclusively in shutter priority mode with ISO 3200 and let the aperture open up. I usually shot at 1/60s or 1/80s with the intent of minimizing motion blur even if some shots came out too dark...I shoot RAW and can lighten some in post processing.

I look forward to seeing more pictures.
 





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