Tripods in the Parks?

[disneygirlinnj]

What do you guys do in terms of tripods for night shots if you're going to be in the parks all day? Do you put the tripod in a locker until you need it? Do you just carry around a gorillapod? I'm trying to debate what to do for my trip in september! Thanks!

 

[saturndb]

I myself have used a gorillapod in the past, but this time I am going to bring my tripd and store it in a locker till later in the day.


Dave

 

[tiggr33]

I have a travel tripod that fits into my daypack. I also have a gorilla pod, and really only use the thing at Disney.

What size tripod are you bringing? Unless things have changed, a full size tripod doesn't fit into the lockers. They will have to hold it behind the counter for you. If you are doing that, I would remove the head and carry that with you. That way if the legs fall over, or something falls onto the tripod there is little to no chance of damage to the head.

 

[RBennett]

Just remember this; some tripods will not fit in the lockers at guest services so what I have done on the past couple trips is I take my tripod to the locker counter and they put a tag on it and store it behind the counter for me. That way, it's as secure as they're going to be and problem solved!

 

[chrisblank]

I take my tripod in the AM when we first arrive at opening. I put it along with rain gear and accessories I may not use till later in the locker. Then when we leave for a swim and nap we leave our bags in the locker but take the camera's so we don;t have to use bag check when returning. Before dusk I retrieve the items and get my deposit back.

The large lockers at MGM and EPCOT fit the tripod with room to spare. At MK and AK they only have one size and I have to remove my center post and head to get it to fit. I also fashioned a lanyard to make it easier to tote around by slinging it over my shoulder.

 

[KarenAylwood]

I've brought my tripod to MK and AK only- and in both I had to have them hold it behind the counter because I couldn't get it to fit in the locker. They didn't charge me for holding it though- I don't know if that's common practice or not. This year I'm planning on bringing it to each park if I can! I'd love to get some night shots at all four parks.

 

[Chikabowa]

Since we have a toddler, we have nap/rest/swim times in the afternoons. So I would just grab it on our way back to the parks in the evening. But we are thinking of doing a trip in September and if we do, I plan on doing the all-day park thing. A locker seems like a good solution!

It helps that we still have a stroller, so that ends up carrying a lot of my stuff too.

 

[disneygirlinnj]

Thanks guys.. I'm thinking my tripod wont fit in the big lockers either but that's good to know that they can hold it for you.

 

[zackiedawg]

The big lockers SHOULD fit most tripods, unless you have full-extension professional tripod legs with pistol-grip mounted ball head or some other very large mounting head of some form. Your typical $20-200 tripods purchased with factory head that can compact down to 22-23" should get in the large lockers...even if you have to put them in diagonally from opposite corners.

I have both used lockers, and just carried mine around - depends on how much else I am carrying and how long I expect to be carrying it. I invested in a lighter, solid enthusiast tripod that cost a little more, but still cheap compared to the big pro rigs and carbon fiber getups some folks have. My camera bag also has a tripod holder built on, so if my bag is with me, carrying the tripod is no big deal.

 

[Golf4food]

Mine is pretty full-size and it fits in the large size lockers. Drop it off in the am, pick it up and get the refund at dusk. Easy. Then annoy DW the rest of the night stopping to set up the tripod every few dozen feet for another photo op, haha.

 

[disneygirlinnj]

Mine is pretty full-size and it fits in the large size lockers. Drop it off in the am, pick it up and get the refund at dusk. Easy. Then annoy DW the rest of the night stopping to set up the tripod every few dozen feet for another photo op, haha.

hahaha oh I definitely will be annoying

 

[pointandshoot]

Hmmm...what to do with a tripod during the day

Hold down a spot for the 3pm parade

Poke guests out of the way running to ride Soar'in in the morning

Create "personal space" on Disney transportation

Stir up the birds in the Aviary in Animal Kingdom for that live action shot

Threaten aggressive pin traders (OK, I am one of those people)

Chuck

 

[oregondaddyof2]

Last year I did not bring a tripod with me at all (I am an idiot, I found this out)... A lot of my night shots turned out like crap... I am bringing both my tri-pod and my newly purchased mono-pod... I have a lowerpro backpack for my camera, and I bought a couple packs of velcro and sewed 2 strips on each side of the bag to hold these 'pods... That way, I have them with me at all times, and they are easily transported... I plan on getting some family shots this year in some places that i didn't see any photographers at last year, so I need my tri pod with me... I tired it the other day when i went shooting in a near by park, and the velcro seemed to work great... Having a pod on each side made the weight even... I will probably have a sore back from all the wieght, but at least I will have them when i need them

 

[boBQuincy]

The diagonal of the small lockers (11 x 9 x 16) is about 21", a number I keep in mind when shopping for a tripod. This will almost always mean a 4 section tripod. Fwiw I use a Velbon EL Carmagne 640 which fits in the small lockers.

Now that I have a 6 stop ND filter I may have to carry the tripod all day to get some of those daylight motion blur photos!

 

[Experiment_626]

Your typical $20-200 tripods purchased with factory head that can compact down to 22-23" should get in the large lockers...even if you have to put them in diagonally from opposite corners.

That's what I've done in the past -- diagonally, it was a tight fit, but it fit nonetheless. Nowadays I shoot mostly HDR and am so obsessed with sharpness that I carry my tripod most of the time. If it goes into a locker, I'm likely forcing myself to leave the camera there for a while as well.

I have a carrying strap for the tripod. Not quite as good as a bag in some ways -- but I know myself well enough to know that I'd miss shots because I wouldn't want to take the time to pull it out of a bag.

SSB

 

[kaffinito]

I carry a cheapish $20.00 tripod I got at target that comes with its own carrying case. We are also those annoying pool/dinner break people so it's easy for me to grab the tripod and then bring it around the park for the rest of the night.

If I were going to be in the parks all day, then I would end up investing in one of those high end traveling tripods.

 

[TIGGERmetoo]

Hmmm...what to do with a tripod during the day

Hold down a spot for the 3pm parade

Poke guests out of the way running to ride Soar'in in the morning

Create "personal space" on Disney transportation

Stir up the birds in the Aviary in Animal Kingdom for that live action shot

Threaten aggressive pin traders (OK, I am one of those people)

Chuck

 

[annnewjerz]

I haven't taken my tripod to Disney yet, but I did take it on a trip to DC in April and knew that we wouldn't be going back to the hotel---so I needed it to be with me all day. My tripod came with a carrying bag with a very long strap that can easily be work messenger style across the body.

Luckily for me, I have a DH that is more than willing to assist me in lugging camera gear. He walked around with it all three days in DC and wouldn't you know---I didn't use it even once.

Here's a picture of him taking a break from hauling that few pounds around for 12 hours a day.

 

[kaffinito]

Here's a picture of him taking a break from hauling that few pounds around for 12 hours a day.

Lucky you - you have a Sherpa!

 

[annnewjerz]

Lucky you - you have a Sherpa!

Yup, guess I do! But really, I think he's getting the easy end of the deal. I carry around the camera, lenses, wallets, cell phones, etc. in my camera bag and all he has to do is carry a tripod. 3 pounds v. probably closer to 10---sounds to me like I'm getting the short end of the stick.