Shooting Fantasmic!

[Steve's Girl]

Going to F tonight, any good settings for shooting this show. I am going to use a Nikon D5000. Even using a high iso I do not get what I want and prefer not to pp.

Jack

What lenses do you have? I've had pretty good luck shooting it with an f/2.8 lens. I generally shoot at ISO 1600, spot metering, aperture priority.

 

[JimbobJimbo]

What lenses do you have? I've had pretty good luck shooting it with an f/2.8 lens. I generally shoot at ISO 1600, spot metering, aperture priority.

I agree, you need at least ISO 1600, higher if you don't have a fast lens. My last trip I got good shots at f4 using ISO 3200 and 6400. You definately want to us Spot Metering.

Some examples:

 

[Raindown]

Going to echo the spot metering. It will limit your ability to frame the shot, but it will avoid clipped highlights when those powerful spotlights shine on the characters. I'd also recommend AI servo focusing. One thing to note with the spot metering is that when the dragon does his fire, it comes down to exposing for the fire or the dragon.

I use ISO 1600, shutter priority set to 1/400 on a 135mm f/2 lens. Its end up being 216mm on my crop camera and less that 1/400 and I might see camera shake.

When I use a short focal length 16-35mm, I'll stay in AP mode, but I did use a my tripod as a monopod (one leg extended) in those cases.

 

[MICKEY88]

Going to echo the spot metering. It will limit your ability to frame the shot,.

a good time to use exposure lock if your camera has it, ..spot meter, lock exposure, recompose and shoot

 

[Raindown]

a good time to use exposure lock if your camera has it, ..spot meter, lock exposure, recompose and shoot

Yes, very handy feature. Just don't forget about it the lighting changes quickly in that show.

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

Going to F tonight, any good settings for shooting this show. I am going to use a Nikon D5000. Even using a high iso I do not get what I want and prefer not to pp.

Jack

I was wondering how you did? Any images to post?

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Given how cheap memory is these days, I'd add one more thing to the approaches listed above. I'd shoot in exposure bracketing mode with a +/- 1 stop or maybe +/-1.5 stop spread and fire 3 shot bursts.

 

[poplover777]

what is spot metering? thanks

 

[mom2rtk]

what is spot metering? thanks

May cameras have a setting available to you to set how the camera "meters" the available light to compute the best settings.

On my Canon DSLR, I can choose from several, including evaluative, spot, center weighted and such.

In the evaluative mode, the camera weighs most of the scene to compute the best average exposusre.

In center weighted, the camera puts more emphasis on what is in the middle portion of the frame

In spot metering, the camera considers a much smaller area around the focal button you have chosen. This is being suggested for Fantasmic because there is generally a small portion of the scene that is brightly lit, surrounded by a lot of darkness. If you used evaluative, which considers the entire scene, it would overexpose your subject because of the dark background. With spot metering, the subject (in this case, the most important part of the scene) will be properly exposed.

I finally started getting good shots at Disney on Ice, and other stage shows when I started adjusting how my camera meters.

 

[blackjackdelta]

I was wondering how you did? Any images to post?

Have not looked at most of my photo's yet. Just spent the last two days on the road back home. I will post results at a later date.

Jack

 

[Commando2319]

I am heading to the world in a few weeks and plan to see the Fantasmic show for the first time. I am bringing a tripod to the park as well. And wondering to those who have been...

Is it worth my time setting up the tripod for Fantasmic! Or will I be fine with the shows lighting to take decent pictures without one?

How many people use tripods for Fantastic? Or don't?

 

[mom2rtk]

Your goal for Fantasmic should probably be to get as fast a shutter speed as possible for the conditions. That would then stop the action of the show, and as a side benefit, a tripod won't be necessary.

 

[Uncle Greg]

I didnt use a tripod...then again my shots sucked.

There may be the odd spot where it would help but the problem with a tripod (other than where you plan on setting it up) is that there's motion everywhere in the show. Might make for an interesting effect in the end but the characters are going to have motion blur if you use a tripod and slower shutter speeds.

You know what...now I want to know what it would look like with sharp backgrounds and movement in the characters.

Prove me wrong.

 

[Docarino]

I used my tripod more as a monopod. I figured I might as well, since I was sitting anyway, to gain a little extra stability. Not sure if it made a difference but it made me feel better!

 

[ColleenG]

You really do want to get a fast shutter speed, so you'll also need a pretty high ISO. A tripod at the faster shutter speeds won't matter. Here are two of the better ones I got on our last trip. I will use a higher shutter speed if I can the next time we go.

f/7.1, 1/50 sec, ISO 6400 at 250 mm

f/8, 1/60 sec, ISO 6400 at 250 mm

The boats that the characters are on at the end move pretty quick.

 

[Marlton Mom]

I used my tripod and remote release.

I positioned the camera where I wanted it and I cranked up the camera so that it was over the heads of the audience in front of me. I sat towards the back rows and I had the camera set up so that the people that were seated after me in the rear rows could see what I intended on doing. No one complained.

Knowing how the show went I periodically cranked the camera back down to adjust the zoom and direction for the next shot that I wanted to get.

I fired away with the remote release so there was no reason for me to stand up.

I have to say that this worked beautifully. My only problem was that Mickey was over exposed due to the spot light and that had nothing to do with positioning.

By using the tripod and remote release my camera was instantly ready at the push of a button. It gets tedious holding the camera in position for such a long show.



I hope that helps,


Marlton Mom

 

[ColleenG]

Awesome shot Marlton Mom! BTW I am at the other end of Rt 70 from you, in Point Pleasant! DH and I lived in Maple Shade when we first got married.

 

[boBQuincy]

Monopod.

 

[mom2rtk]

I used my tripod and remote release.

I positioned the camera where I wanted it and I cranked up the camera so that it was over the heads of the audience in front of me. I sat towards the back rows and I had the camera set up so that the people that were seated after me in the rear rows could see what I intended on doing. No one complained.

Knowing how the show went I periodically cranked the camera back down to adjust the zoom and direction for the next shot that I wanted to get.

I fired away with the remote release so there was no reason for me to stand up.

I have to say that this worked beautifully. My only problem was that Mickey was over exposed due to the spot light and that had nothing to do with positioning.

By using the tripod and remote release my camera was instantly ready at the push of a button. It gets tedious holding the camera in position for such a long show.



I hope that helps,


Marlton Mom

Nice shot! I've never seen one like this. Heck, you almost have me wanting to sit in the back next time!

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I think that a tripod would be very awkward in the stadium unless you went when it wasn't very crowded. I like Bob's idea of a monopod. Even if you have a tripod, you could use it like a monopod. I could see how a tripod would be useful for really wide shots, but it wouldn't do much good for close in shots.

Here are a some that I got about four years ago with no tripod or monopod.

I'd love to go back and shoot it again with newer gear. Sadly, the last time we went it was shut down because of a fierce electrical storm directly overhead.