NOT taking a camera -- updated -- I'm back

[TwoOldPoohs]

Not taking my DSLR, that is. Am I crazy?

I will be spending 3 days at a conference before heading to the World for the weekend. I just picked up the Canon A710 to bring with me, but so far I'm not thrilled with my initial test shots.

We're going back for a week's vacation in December, so I know it's okay not to photograph everything in sight during this trip. But I'm starting to fear that I will be going through severe gotta-take-a-picture-of-everything withdrawal!

Has anyone ever gone to WDW and deliberately left your camera behind ... that is, after you're gotten the photography bug? Please share your coping strategies.

**** UPDATE ****
I'm back! I decided NOT to take the DSLR. Here are my thoughts:
Pros

• Didn't worry about leaving expensive camera in the room while attending the convention seminars.
• My back doesn't hurt.
• Really really liked leaving the camera in my pocket when not in use.
• Getting through security at both the airport and the entrance to the parks was much easier.

Cons

• Noted a few missed opportunities (shots I could have gotten with the DSLR).

Conclusion
My photos from this trip are just so-so. Perhaps it has more to do with the fact that I didn't take the time to learn the camera before using it. But my decision not to take the DSLR was based on the fact that 1) I really wouldn't be spending much time in WDW and 2) I'm going back for a week in December. While I'm not exactly thrilled with my photos, I'm happy with my decision.

So ... what did I miss?

Here are a few pictures from my trip:

 

[Olaf]

DH left this morning for a conference in Orlando. Could it be the same one? Bunch of flyboys yakking it up about big ol' silly aeroplanes.

Anyway, I sent him off with the tiny Canon Elph 400, but he's not going to the parks.

 

[wdwmom2]

Not taking my DSLR, that is. Am I crazy?

If your not satisfied with the Canon A710, did you purchase it at a place where you have a certain amount of time to return it?? Are the pics not good because of a learning curve or are they truely not good?

I can't imagine not taking my camera to the world. So I have no coping stratigies to help. Sorry.

 

[TwoOldPoohs]

DH left this morning for a conference in Orlando. Could it be the same one? Bunch of flyboys yakking it up about big ol' silly aeroplanes.

Anyway, I sent him off with the tiny Canon Elph 400, but he's not going to the parks.

My conference starts Wednesday and doesn't sound as if it'll be as interesting as your DH's. Mine is about a T&E (Travel & Entertainment) expense reporting system.

 

[TwoOldPoohs]

If your not satisfied with the Canon A710, did you purchase it at a place where you have a certain amount of time to return it?? Are the pics not good because of a learning curve or are they truely not good?

I bought it from Amazon. I returned the first one I received, because after taking a few shots and turning it off, it refused to turn back on again!

I'm hoping it's just the learning curve ... and the fact that I'm trying to make it do things my 20D can do which I know in my head this camera can't do but wish in my heart that it could (like take noise-free photos at ISO 1600).

 

[boBQuincy]

Not taking my DSLR, that is. Am I crazy?

Has anyone ever gone to WDW and deliberately left your camera behind ... that is, after you're gotten the photography bug? Please share your coping strategies.

Your photos are sooooooo good! And you are going to deprive us of them just because of your own selfish desire to not carry the SLR?
Oh, the shame.....

I went on a business trip to Anaheim years ago and left the SLR at home, took my little p&s instead. I still took a lot of good photos at DL and DCA but couldn't get past all the good ones I missed because I didn't have the SLR.

Now I compromise and carry the older dSLR with a kit lens on business trips! Hey, it's sort of a cutback!

 

[jann1033]

i took my SLR( didn't have my dslr) last trip and left it in the room most of the time....while i wish i had used it more( no photo contests for me ) when i am at the world i have so much else to do i tend to slack on the pics...plus i am more commando style so the weight of the dslr would weigh me down and impede my progress ....so yeah if i had a good p&s I'd probably use that mostly at wdw, take the dslr but leave it in the room more.... but we only go every few yrs..if i was making a return trip in a few months I'd go cameraless if my p&s stunk..imo only thing worse than no pic is a lousy pic that would make me irritated every time i looked at it

 

[TwoOldPoohs]

Your photos are sooooooo good!

Thank you. So are yours!

And you are going to deprive us of them just because of your own selfish desire to not carry the SLR?
Oh, the shame.....

Um, maybe.

I went on a business trip to Anaheim years ago and left the SLR at home, took my little p&s instead. I still took a lot of good photos at DL and DCA but couldn't get past all the good ones I missed because I didn't have the SLR.

That's what I'm afraid of. I guess if I knew I wouldn't be back for a while, there'd be no question of bringing the DSLR.

Now I compromise and carry the older dSLR with a kit lens on business trips! Hey, it's sort of a cutback!

I thought about bringing the Rebel 300D and just one lens, like the 28-135. But is it really worth it for 3 days in the parks?

 

[TwoOldPoohs]

imo only thing worse than no pic is a lousy pic that would make me irritated every time i looked at it

Hmmm .... that's an excellent point. I need to think about this some more.

 

[handicap18]

I thought about bringing the Rebel 300D and just one lens, like the 28-135. But is it really worth it for 3 days in the parks?

Absolutly!!! I went for 4 days with my D50 and took almost 1500 pics. If your going to be in the parks alone then you definately need to take a camera, but even if you aren't solo, there are just way to many picture opportunities to pass on, especially when you have as good a camera you have.

IMHO, if you have the good camera, take the good camera. It's like having the 50" HD TV in the basement and watching the Super Bowl upstairs on the old 19" Zenith.

 

[Anewman]

Well I am the only one that thinks it is not a big deal...

I have only been to WDW twice, both times my 20D spent most of the time in the room and I ended up shooting mostly with a P&S. I was just too busy getting on rides and watching shows that we do not have here at Disneyland, taking pictures was not the priority on those trips. I do feel that as we go back next year and I wont be in AWE so much, that I maybe able to take more time for shooting.

 

[boBQuincy]

Carry the p&s, have a great time, and make mental notes of any shots you miss (for next time, with the SLR).
And I hope your mental notes are more durable than mine!

 

[matthew_hull]

Not taking my DSLR, that is. Am I crazy?

I will be spending 3 days at a conference before heading to the World for the weekend. I just picked up the Canon A710 to bring with me, but so far I'm not thrilled with my initial test shots.

We're going back for a week's vacation in December, so I know it's okay not to photograph everything in sight during this trip. But I'm starting to fear that I will be going through severe gotta-take-a-picture-of-everything withdrawal!

Has anyone ever gone to WDW and deliberately left your camera behind ... that is, after you're gotten the photography bug? Please share your coping strategies.

I did exactly as you did this past April, altho I brought the large camera equipment on the trip. Some days I expressly planned as "no camera" days, and other days I expressly planned as "camera priority" days. Each day I experienced times when I wished I didn't have the camera and times when I wished that I did. (I didn't bring a P&S.) When I had the camera I avoided the "active" attractions. To my tastes, only the Animal Kingdom presented opportunities where I really had fun photographing. Epcot and Magic Kingdom and MGM -- just crowds and crowds of people. A P&S would have sufficed. If the reason that you are spending the extra days after the con is to scope out the attractions and the flow control for your up-coming December trip, then just bring a P&S, or even a cell-phone camera. If the reason for the extra days is because you want to have a fun weekend, then bring the heavy equipment, take it slow, and see with a "photographer's eye." I recommend the AK, of course. Disney security took a peak at the bag, of course, but they said that tri-pods, large flashes, etc. were no problem at all. I would recommend against bringing the heavy gear in December when you also have to manage children and accomodate their desires. So, with that in mind, your solo week-end after the convention may be your only time to photograph WDW as a photographer. Anyway, that's what I did: time specifically allocated for photography and time specifically allocated for experiencing the park.
-- Matthew

 

[Gdad]

I went to Epcot F&W with just the wife yesterday and decided to leave my DSLR at home - more interested in relaxing than pictures. Then I ended up taking this cute shot with my wifes P&S kicking myself for not lugging mine along. Oh-well the food was still good.

 

[pxlbarrel]

I've gone to 2 Disney parks in the past year with my camera (digital still) but left the video camera at home because it was just too much to carry (dslr and a video camera...way too much.)

I very much regret not bringing the video camera. I'm now in the market for a very tiny video camera so I can bring it with me on my next trip. LOL

You can't capture it all but you can try. And if you bring it and you don't use it, at least you know you could have used it.

 

[garris3404]

If you're on this board alot (and you are), you probably like to take pictures.
If you post nice pictures (and you do), you probably like to take pictures.
So with those 2 points, all I can advise is ...

Take the DSLR!!!

 

[Groucho]

Considering that I've had a recurring nightmare for years about going to Florida (and specifically Disney) and forgetting my camera, I'd say that yes, you're crazy.

I recently went through my pictures from my last trip, taken with my 12x zoom 5mp point-n-shoot, I'll add - I'll never go with a PnS instead of a DSLR again! Bob and Jann1033 make good points - it's very frustrating to look at a mediocre or subpar picture when you know that you COULD have taken a much better one.

handicap18, I get your reference - I have a 103" front-projection home theater in the basement and it drives me crazy to watch movies on the 27" in the living room. (I don't do sports, except car rallying and some road racing.)

In an unrelated note, the laptop I'm typing on now (a secondary machine so I'm not so worried about it) just started making a squealing noise from the hard drive and is freezing up for a few seconds at a time. Have I mentioned before that hard drives are NOT reliable? Good thing there's not much on here that I don't have elsewhere.

 

[TwoOldPoohs]

Updated original post.

 

[boBQuincy]

Looks to me like a good photographer will always get good photographs!

 

[Mellie0119]

I have to agree- it's the more about the photographer than the equipment. Glad you had a nice trip!