Get the picture, but protect the camera

[Disney2XS]

On Splash Mountain, to get a picture of the big drop, I'll keep taking pictures until the last second and then quickly put the camera down my shirt (I'm a man), put a plastic bag on top of my shirt and then put my arms over the plactic bag to protect the camera from the upcoming wall of water.

Does anyone else have any special techniques to share to "get the picture, but protect the camera"?

 

[Shutterbug]

Sorry, not for riding rides I dont.
Especially that ride. IMO its not safe to take photos as you are going down the hill. If you were to lose the camera it could easily injure someone.

 

[boBQuincy]

For Splash Mountain I take photos until the last second then quickly put the camera up under the splash guard in the boat. The camera has always stayed dry except for the time I waited too long and then the only "damage" was some moisture behind the polarizer, easily fixed by removing the filter and letting it dry.

At 5 frames/second the photos are fun to rapidly scroll through!

I wrap the camera strap around my wrist twice, my hand will have to come off before the camera gets loose!

 

[Mr._The_King]

On Splash Mountain, to get a picture of the big drop, I'll keep taking pictures until the last second and then quickly put the camera down my shirt (I'm a man), put a plastic bag on top of my shirt and then put my arms over the plactic bag to protect the camera from the upcoming wall of water.

Does anyone else have any special techniques to share to "get the picture, but protect the camera"?

What are you like a transformer? How do you manage to take pictures, stuff the camera down your shirt, cover it with a plastic bag (that you are storing...where??? ) all while gravity is trying to defeat you (until the water gets its chance ). That's just amazing because the entire drop is what, maybe 3 seconds. I'm not kiding, I wish I was more coordinated because I'd love to get some cool pictures of that drop but I know my camera would never make it out alive

 

[JARNJ3]

So - can we see some of these photos?

My camera is always hidden when there's water around.......

 

[YEKCIM]

So - can we see some of these photos?

My camera is always hidden when there's water around.......

(That's Mrs Y's hair that I'm using to protect my camera from the spray...)

~YEKCIM

 

[boBQuincy]

Mine look pretty much like the others, here's the last one of a series, just before it got too wet:

 

[Mr._The_King]

(That's Mrs Y's hair that I'm using to protect my camera from the spray...)

~YEKCIM

Ahhh.... Every bit as effective as the plastic bag Seriously, very cool shots both of you. Maybe I will have to try this on our trip in July. (I'll have to ask Mrs. the King to grow her hair out though!!!)

 

[maccagerl]

How about using those disposable waterproof cameras they sell at cvs and walmart?

 

[Groucho]

Pentax and Olympus (and one or two others) sell waterproof digital cameras. That's one solution.

What I did last trip was that I was wearing a light overshirt and threw that over the camera at the last moment. My new camera is weathersealed so shouldn't be affected by the splash but I only have one weathersealed lens and it's a 50-135mm so it's really not ideal for the big drop. I'm figuring that I'll use my 10-17mm fisheye (which has a water-resistant lens coating at least, even if the whole lens isn't sealed) and put it in 21 fps mode. That should do the trick.

Somebody lost their hat over there on the right.

These shots are also a little overbright (the first one was darkened a bit but you can see that the water in the foreground is blown out), I was using a full-manual lens and you don't get much time to get a proper metering on a full-manual lens in the little bit of time between the tunnel (where you see only sky) to the big drop itself!

 

[JARNJ3]

Awesome photos!!!!

 

[Mrs. The King]

Ahhh.... Every bit as effective as the plastic bag Seriously, very cool shots both of you. Maybe I will have to try this on our trip in July. (I'll have to ask Mrs. the King to grow her hair out though!!!)

Men My hair is long.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Some DSLRs are weatherproof. I shoot with mine all through Splash Mountain as well as Kali River Rapids. Just be careful not to let water get on the lens or you'll have big spots on your pictures.

 

[kimgof]

Some DSLRs are weatherproof. I shoot with mine all through Splash Mountain as well as Kali River Rapids. Just be careful not to let water get on the lens or you'll have big spots on your pictures.

great shot! I would be so nervous about having my DSLR out during a water ride. But that shot is certainly priceless.

 

[We-Luv-Disney]

Pentax and Olympus (and one or two others) sell waterproof digital cameras. That's one solution.

What I did last trip was that I was wearing a light overshirt and threw that over the camera at the last moment. My new camera is weathersealed so shouldn't be affected by the splash but I only have one weathersealed lens and it's a 50-135mm so it's really not ideal for the big drop. I'm figuring that I'll use my 10-17mm fisheye (which has a water-resistant lens coating at least, even if the whole lens isn't sealed) and put it in 21 fps mode. That should do the trick.

Somebody lost their hat over there on the right.

These shots are also a little overbright (the first one was darkened a bit but you can see that the water in the foreground is blown out), I was using a full-manual lens and you don't get much time to get a proper metering on a full-manual lens in the little bit of time between the tunnel (where you see only sky) to the big drop itself!

Looks like someone lost their hat
Nice shot!

 

[jann1033]

Men My hair is long.

he must be figuring on taking a longgggggggg zoom lens that might need a couple inches more protection? my husband likes my hair shortish but then again he never uses a camera so doesn't need it for cover

 

[mabas9395]

Just put your camera in a 1 gallon ziploc bag with the lens hood sticking out of the opening, but still closed tight around it. You can still operate the camera through the plastic bag. Willcad, a member here, has instruction on his website. http://willcad.org/image_cameraponcho.shtml

I used it for this series of shots. Camera stayed perfectly dry.

 

[Minniemom97]

My all time favorite tip of any subject on the Dis!! Thanks Willcad!

 

[Mr._The_King]

Just put your camera in a 1 gallon ziploc bag

Wait I'm confused. Do I need to fill the bag with DW's hair first?

 

[emmabelle]

Wait I'm confused. Do I need to fill the bag with DW's hair first?

Cute.