How many take your good camera to WDW? Or use Photopass?

[nurseypoo5]

I have a big daddy nikon Digi (D50) with lots of lenses...i just cant imagine taking that huge thing to the parks. Maybe when we go to the ocean, but not the parks.

I have an elcheapo Kodak Digi camera (under 200.00) 3 megapixel, slight zoom, do you think that will be enough?

How has photopass been lately. I have heard there were some complaints of to few photographers around lately. Any good reports??

 

[Indianadisneyfan]

I took elcheapo digital camera when I went there 2 yrs ago. I guess if you were worried about water messing up the camera or some stealing it you could use disposable camera. You could then have them put on disk instead of pics or both. You wouldn't be out any money if lost or if someone else wants it more than you. Just a thought.

 

[Laurajean1014]

Wetake our camera for the shots others can't get.

 

[momandseandodisney]

I use my digital, a water proof disposable for in the pool and water parks.

And photo pass shots too !

 

[skoopman]

I am trying to decide the same thing. I have a Canon Digital Rebel and as much as I love it, I can't image lugging it around the parks. I'm not worried about water, I can always put it in a ziploc bag, nor theft since it is insured (but losing the pictures on the card would SUCK!), it is mainly bulk and weight. Therefore I think I have decided to purchase a new, smaller digital for the trip.

 

[Mcbruns]

We always take our good camera. Love those Disney pics.

We just got back last night. We were happy with the amount of photo pass photographers. Since we have been there a number of times and always take our own pics, we don't necessarily want those guys so much. Guess it would be different for first timers.

 

[mmlovers90]

I took my digital camera and got a lot of nice shots. We were just there and other than the obvious shots (entrance, characters, etc.) we did not see photographers. It was nice to have our own camera for the other candid shots. Also, the last time we were there, we had a bunch of pix taken, and because of the sun my camera didn't get them, and the photopass guy had something happen to his camera so NONE of the pix came out either. I like to have mine for backup, just in case. I'd hate to depend only on them and have another glitch and not get any shots again!

 

[saschuster]

I have a little Kodak digital camera and take that. It takes super pictures outside and so so pictures inside but I can usually clean those up and make them look better. I have been able to break down and but a really nice camera yet!

 

[BeckWhy]

Well, I guess that depends on your definition of a "good" camera. I mean I don't have one of those high tech humungo photographer cameras, but I did buy (for me) a fairly expensive Nikon for $330. I will bring that and not my snapshot or a cheaper digi. To me, my $330 Nikon is my "good" camera.

I guess I have no intention of using photopass because of the cost and I don't take as many people pics as I do scenery pics.

 

[LegoMom3]

As a bit of an amateur photographer who loves her Minolta SLR film camera, I still opt to leave it at home for Disney trips. I refuse to lug the zoom around, and I'm not to get any better pics off the SLR with the regular 35mm lens than I've gotten with my little Nikon Coolpix digital. Even at the higher-quality setting, a couple of good memory cards hold hundreds of pictures, and the size of the camera lets me tuck it into my waist pack - it's not heavy and keeps my hands free when not in use.

 

[WillCAD]

I bought my good cameras JUST FOR my WDW trips!

My first was a 35mm Canon Rebel G, which I bought in 1999 abouyyt a month before my first solo WDW trip. I had a blast on that trip shooting everything that came past my lens.

Recently I upgraded to a Canon Digital Rebel, which has gone on one WDW trip so far, and took some of the very best photos I have ever taken, even with the 18-55 kit lens. Since that trip I upgraded to a Sigma 18-125 lens, which will give me the longer zoom you need for stuff like Kilamanjaro Safari. I can't wait till my next trip so I can use that lens!

Carrying a big SLR camera around the parks does seem daunting, particularly when you look at how much money you're wearing around your neck (mi equipment comes in at around $1,000 total, though I have seen $10,000 and more walking around the parks!) But don't worry; with a little caution and a little prep work, the camera will be fine, and you will get way better pics with it than with a cheaper camera.

Check out the DISBoards Photography Board. Many of the folks who frequent the Photo board are pros or serious amertures who carry Nikon D50s and D70, not to mention the Canon Digital Rebels, 20Ds, 30Ds, 5Ds, and 1DSmkIIs, often with a couple of grand worth of lenses. You can get some great tips on how to comfortably and safely carry your camera gear around the parks, and how to get the best pics from it.

 

[nurseypoo5]

yeah, if i took my new Nikon D50 (digital, think it may be a bit bigger bulk wise than your rebel) it would be lugging around nearly 2,000 bucks worth of equipment and a huge carrying case. I have around 5 different lenses..one so long i can shoot from i swear half a mile away. i cant imagine taking it on rollercoasters and i would never put it on the ground for someone else to watch.

I guess...ugh...i guess i'll take my Kodak 6330 easy share digi camera. I think I paid around 200.00 for it, so as you can see, NOT as good, but not worth crying over if i break it, someone steals it or I lose it (my other one is insured if i break it, drop it etc, but not if its stolen, maybe my homeowners would, but i have a 1,000 deductible on homeowners anyway..)

My daughter also has a sony digi that seems a bit better than mine, and I'm sure she will take it also.

I may bring my big daddy camera for when were at Ohana, Cali Grill etc for shots there, but will most likely take it with us for the beach with the 3 foot long zoom lens i have i can atleast use it for a telescope LOL.

 

[Donald is #1]

I'm with most of the other posters. I normally shoot a Nikon D100 with assorted lenses. When I am going to Disney, that camera does not come with me. Instead I shoot my digitial point & shoot camera. Although there are many shots that I would love to have my SLR for, I just don't want to carry over $2000 of camera equipment on rides, etc. I also don't want to carry all that equipment with the crowds. My camera bag is large & I am afraid that I would be bumping people with it a lot.

Though I am toying with maybe doing a photography trip to Disney. I am not doing it this time, but maybe next time, I will take all my equipment & tripod. The difference will be that I won't do any rides. My thoughts are to spend maybe 4 days or so in Disney and on 2 days take my camera equipment into EPCOT & AK just to take pictures.

 

[byoung]

We always take our's.

 

[WillCAD]

My attitude is, why spend all that money on camera gear if you're too afraid to use it on the most important subjects?

Forget carrying a camera bag, forget carrying extra lenses and tons of extra gear. Pare it down to the minimum: camera body with walkaround lens, enough media cards to take one days pics (for me that's one in camera and one spare), a pocket-size tripod, and my infrared remote. I also add my Canon Speedlite 220EX.

My camera rides on a long shoulder strap, where I can get to it whenever I need to shoot a picture. Why keep it in a bag when you're walking around the biggest photo opportunity in the world?

My spare media card, flash, and remote fit into my pockets comfortably. Others use a small waist pack. Why carry a huge bag full of stuff you won't need?

I have a great walkaround lens - my Sigma 18-125 - that gives me wide enough wide angles and long enough zooms. Why carry 3 heavy, expensive lenses around when one will do? Besides, picture opportunities come and go mighty fast - changing lenses can cause you to miss them.

I don't even turn my camera off. I have it set up to go into sleep mode to save battery power, but coming back from sleep mode takes less time than starting up from the Off position, so I have more chance of catching those quick pictures.

Don't be afraid to take the good cameras into the parks. The better the camera you have with you, the more chance you will have of getting those good pictures.

Here are my favorites from my last trip, taken with with my Digital Rebel and the 18-55 kit lens:

[click any pic for full-size version]

 

[EeyoreFan1]

Both, why not? Digi gets poics anywhere, anytime, and photopass can be used for professional grade pics..

 

[crossfamily]

I have lots of different cameras. This year I plan on taking my Mini DVR and my advantix as well as disposable (for the kids to use) and water cameras. I also plan on using photopass so I can for once get in a few pics. My goal for this year is small !!!!!!!!!!!! Teresa

 

[Snork]

My wife usually carrys around her Canon Digi Rebel XT. With two lenses, one small and one huge for close up castle shots (pardon my lack of knowlege, she says the lense sizes are 70-300 and 28-80). When you add the body and the two lenses to the bag, it becomes heavy after treading around a park for 5 hours. Most the time I end the night with her camera bag around my fat neck...

This year I bought her a Casio Z-600, a 6MP point and shoot. She says that the Digital Rebel is good for really special pictures you want. As in my wife will only take hers to Animal Kingdom this year. Otherwise she believes that the point and shoot will be great for park pictures since you really don't need a huge telephoto.

Plus, to be honest, I feel that the pictures are the same quality at 5x7 or 8x10. If you need to print a poster, go for the "good" camera. It all depends on what you want to do and how much weight you wanna carry around. YMMV.

 

[mrstomrice]

We brought our digital camara and found that the photopass photographers were more than happy to take a picture with both camaras. We did not buy any of the photopass pictures, but we did use them when we created our disney dvd. I think that our pictures were just as good as theirs and they didn't cost us 99.00 to have the rights to buy them. We found that the photographers were available at the major parts of the parks and for the "big" characters. Have a great trip!

 

[Cdn Friends of Pooh]

We have not used Photopass, but we have taken our digital camera on our past 2 trips and have been pleased with the results. What we like best is that you can immediately see if the picture turned out and if it didn't you can reshoot the picture. I'd rather know we have gotten the shot we want than to wait until we returned home and when the film was developed realized the shot didn't turn out. I also like the convenience of not having to change film. Memory cards hold hundreds of pictures.