What do I really *need* for WDW?

[CarrieR]

Hi all!

In all of the years I've been on Disboards, I don't think I've ever realized we have a photography board! So excited to see it!

I've been taking a million photos at WDW for the last couple of years with my iPhone (4S and then 5S) with the intention of printing some in a size suitable for wall hangings. They look glorious on my iPhone screen, but I finally got around to processing and they look... not glorious when viewed bigger. So, in light of a couple of upcoming trips where I am chaperoning people on "once in a lifetime" trips, I broke down and bought a DSLR. Just an entry level - Nikon D3300 - and I'll be shooting mostly with the kit lens (18-55mm/f3.5.)

For background, I do have a little technical skill; I learned in high school on an old Minolta (SRT 100, 101 or maybe 102... as best I could tell via Google) and then my Dad & I upgraded to a Nikon F3. I shot mostly black and white and did my own darkroom. I was much stronger at the "technical" aspect than the artistic, but I think I've gotten better at that in the ensuing years. (At least I hope!). But, it's been a while... and I've never shot DSLR.

My main priority are shots of the people on the trips - with each other, with characters, etc. My secondary priority is landscape/attraction shots - some of which I know will be impossible with the kit lens. (More on lenses below.) I can always capture this kind of stuff on subsequent trips, but the people are one shot.

My question is - what do I need to shoot a week at WDW? We are rope drop, break, evening people. Can I get through with one battery? I bought a 32GB memory card, but it sounds like I'll need more. About how many GB of memory do you go through on an average trip? I don't think I'll have any way to offload images - which makes me nervous, but it is what it is.

I picked up a camera bag online, hoping I like it. I am debating a tripod; leaning away but maaaybe a cheap one... My budget is really minimal, the camera wasn't really in the budget at all, ha ha!

Lens wise, nothing else is really in the budget. I was trolling eBay to see if I could find something faster for cheap and then realized I had the F3 & accessories in the room. I have a 50mm f/1.4 (AI-S, per Google) in there, which based on my research looks like it will work but won't meter? I'm not afraid of manually metering from a technical aspect (since it's literally all I've ever known - ditto focus) but I am concerned about the time it might take. Has anyone done this?

Any thoughts/suggestions about necessary gear, or the lens are greatly appreciated. Is there anything else that's absolutely essential? Is it worth the trouble to lug the faster lens over having just the kit lens?

Thanks!!

Carrie

 

[mom2rtk]

Congrats on the new DSLR!

If you won't have a computer to dump your card into every night, I'd definitely get more memory. You don't want to be paying Disney prices for more memory cards once you get there.

What are you hoping to shoot with the tripod? Will you actually have time for tripod work if you're chaperoning others?

You might look around and see if any local shops rent lenses. That might be a less expensive way to expand your bag. There are online companies, but they are more expensive because of the shipping.

Honestly, I'd probably want at least one fast lens along. Have you checked around on Ebay for a fast prime of some sort? Sometimes there are deals to be had. The fast primes are typically pretty small, so not a lot of hassle to bring along.

The one thing I might consider adding if you're taking lots of shots of people is an external flash. The pop up flashes really aren't that great.

 

[CarrieR]

Thanks, Mom2! You're always so sweet. Appreciate the reply! I'm pretty excited.

More memory - definitely. And I know quality is important, too. The question is, how much? I've seen ppl talk about a 32GB card per day - is that really necessary or can I get one for every second day? I *am* a bit of a shutterbug, especially with digitial where "film" is cheap and reusable...

Re tripod - I love the parks at night and I was thinking exposures are probably too long for handheld. Our touring plan tends to be run like crazy all morning, take a nap, and then wander leisurely at night. I expect the night group to be smaller and less in need of shepherding than the day group so I think I'll have time to stop and smell the roses (so to speak.) I was thinking a tabletop tripod might be a good compromise; I could set it on a trash can, the tall food and wine tables, etc. Down the road I can invest in something nicer, but this would at least give me something to stabilize with other than my hand.

I have an old external flash... will have to see if it's compatible. All of my compatibility research so far has been on the case full of lenses I already own (all AI-S, I believe, sigh.)

I looked into rentals, but I'd need it for over a month... for the price I'd pay I might as well just buy one. Especially since it's a "universal" need I'll have again in the future and not a specialty lens, kwim? There are a couple of local shops that don't have prices listed, so I'll swing by - appreciate the suggestion, thanks! In the meantime, I'm stalking eBay and crossing fingers I'll get a clean lens. (I don't mind manually focusing or metering, but having the camera meter would be *super* helpful.)

Thank you again!! I try to research as much as possible, but sometimes you just need others' opinions

 

[CarrieR]

So I took some time yesterday and went out to our local MetroGarden. I shot a little bit in my house on Friday night just to get a feel for the buttons etc... all of my photos were absolutely terrible. But then, who needs photos of all of the junk in their kitchen? Ha ha.

I spent some time shooting with the kit lens and my old AI-S. After a bunch of photos with messed up white balance, I think I learned a lot just in the couple hours I was out there. For the AI-S lens, I downloaded a metering app to my smartphone, used that as a "starting point," and then just adjusted for exposure as necessary. It meant three or four photos of the same thing, but hey - that's the beauty of digital, right? I came home with over 400 photos... yikes! (To be fair, there was a lot of experimenting going on.) I guess that reinforces that more memory is a must. I'm not a great photographer, but I was pretty pleased with how well things turned out. Here's a few from the AI-S (JPEG copies but otherwise straight off the SD card) -

After doing this, I can't see any reason why not to take this lens. The only downside is each shot takes a little longer, so I'll still use the kit lens when I'm doing family snapshots etc but I think it's worth it for the speed. I did buy an AF NIKKOR 50mm/f1.8 lens on eBay for a super deal... not quite as fast, but I think the AF will be helpful with my August group. I actually struggled way more with focus than with metering. A photo would look sharp through the viewfinder, but not on the monitor after I snapped it. So I shot back and forth through a range of focus (thinking it was my eyes that were off?) but when I got home, the one I'd originally shot is sharp. I'm not sure what's up with that. Maybe oils on the screen?? I was really pleased, glad to know I could trust myself in focusing at least (although I do worry about my ability to do so in lower light conditions.)