Should I Take The Camcorder?

[cougartrace]

We won't take our camcorder. Just too much to carry.

However, we are not a big picture/video family.

 

[DizzDoll]

Not that there's anything wrong with being cheap ! So you recommend a minidv- sounds like a winner. I was talking to someone at the American Indian Museum in DC last weekend who said the next 'corder he gets will be the one with the hard drive (sounds like a lotta $$$ to me ). He had a minidvd and said that the little dvd's only hold about 20 minutes worth of video. So, mini dv here I come. Or should I say Best Buy here I come!!

 

[jekajekalynn]

We take ours. Of course it's about the size of a digital camera, so it ain't that big of deal..

Man,,I can fully understand though not wanting to carry around one of those "Action News" style camcorders of the early-mid 90's.

 

[DiRTyBuNNy]

Did it once...plan on never doing it again until we talk my DD her first real time (she'll be going at 6 months and that doesn't REALLY count) but after that I'm going to make the DW wife use it because as another poster so eloquently put it "I don't want to experience my vacation through the camera eye". I want to enjoy it and the DW makes us stop at every Photopass place anyways.

--Mr. DB

 

[DizzDoll]

I took one of those "Eye Witness News" cameras to Egypt once. Key word - ONCE!!! Never to be repeated. Man did my shoulder hurt!!!

 

[BabyPiglet]

We always take the camcorder, we can't imagine taking our trip without it.

I highly suggest taking the camcorder as there are priceless memories that cannot be captured on a picture.

We all love looking at the past WDW trips, it makes us get so excited for our upcoming trip.

 

[YEKCIM]

Not that there's anything wrong with being cheap ! So you recommend a minidv- sounds like a winner. I was talking to someone at the American Indian Museum in DC last weekend who said the next 'corder he gets will be the one with the hard drive (sounds like a lotta $$$ to me ). He had a minidvd and said that the little dvd's only hold about 20 minutes worth of video. So, mini dv here I come. Or should I say Best Buy here I come!!

DD:

I suggest you peruse some of the reviews on www.camcorderinfo.com to at least get an idea of what's available, before you go shopping. I had a hard time deciding between the Canon and a Sony, but finally decided upon the Canon as it had better still imaging capability (2MP). Low light capability was (at that time at least) not one of Canon's strengths. It does OK, I guess, but won't set the woods on fire. I would guess that the Sony is much better in that realm, or at least they were at the time I bought mine.

~YEKCIM

 

[YEKCIM]

We take ours. Of course it's about the size of a digital camera, so it ain't that big of deal..

Man,,I can fully understand though not wanting to carry around one of those "Action News" style camcorders of the early-mid 90's.

A buddy of mine took his family to The World back in the 80's, when his daughter was three or four, I think. He had one of those monstrous two piece VHS cameras, where the camera was connected to the recorder by a cable of some sort. In order to have enough "juice" to last the day, he used a motorcycle battery to power the thing, and pulled the whole thing around WDW on some sort of wheeled cart. In the end, there was some sort of malfunction (not related to the Rube Goldberg battery setup) and he didn't get but a few minutes of video, after all that effort. Felt so sorry for him.

~YEKCIM

 

[BeckWhy]

Here is my opinion... There are two times I didn't take it and I wish I had. I really really regret not bringing my camcorder. But the one time I did bring it, I really didn't use it that much (of course it wasn't as much of a memorable trip as the others).

 

[Conan the Librarian]

We have a Sony 403 DVD camera and wouldn't go without it. I can get up to 5000 photos or 60 minutes of video on a disc (less with better quality) I usually fill up a disc a day, sometimes two. It fits in my hand and has a neck strap so if I don't want to cary it, it can just hang. It has near infra-red also, so I can shoot in the dark rides without having to worry about flashes or external lighting of any type. It also has a pocket side tripod. Very useful for parades and things.

I have some video and stills from top of the Contemporary that I need to post (mostly of the construction on the northside). I also have video of Wishes from up there. It is very different.

We have tons of stills of the charactures and things so I have started to video our encounters. It's different.

 

[Wishes]

Please take it with you! My DS was 9 and my DD was 5 on our first trip. They are now 20 and 16! We've been able to go 5 times over the years and it's so fun to get those videos out every now and then and hear those sweet little voices and relive some of those magical memories! Now that they're older we don't film as much as we used to but I wouldn't trade those tapes for anything!

 

[Liltx]

We take ours to parades and character dinners. Otherwise we leave it in the safe. It weighs less that a pound. We have a DVD one. I wish we had a hard drive but those are closer to $1000. We got our Sony 108 for $359 free shipping through Crutchfield and love it!

 

[ILuvJimny]

I am going to try a RCA Small Wonder Mini Camcorder EZ101 that I found on eBay. It has a $30 rebate through May and will end up costing me $35 after the rebate. It runs on AA batteries and will record 30 minutes. It has a USB connection right on it so I can download from it on to a laptop when it is full or any evening I have recorded much or maybe go right to DVD. It is about the size of a pack of cards so will be really easy to carry and can be double wrapped in a small ziplock for wet rides if needed. The quality won't be like a $1000 camera, but it looked pretty good to me when I tried in at a local store before bidding on it.

 

[Rustysmom]

I say to take it! I videotaped about 4 hours during our last WDW vacation 10 years ago when my DS was only 2 and he watches it over and over. He loves seeing himself, especially as a toddler. He's 11 now. I finally made a DVD out of it.

I love having videos of the rides, especially spaceship Earth because that will be closed when we go this year. I don't see the vacation through the camera's eye because I just kind of hold it in my hand and glance at the screen now and then. I'm glad I have a new camcorder this year that has the image stabilization because some of my other video could get you seasick! LOL

 

[karensokool]

I say NO. Leave it at home. You don't want to have to lug it around everywhere and you should experience Disney and your child's delight right there, in person, in the moment. Take a digital camera and capture a moment here and there but don't take the camcorder. LIVE, LIVE, LIVE the experience as it happens. It's hard to do that through the viewfinder of a camcorder.