[Question] Calling all Disneyland Photographers (You know who you are)

[leslie_537]

I am going to Disneyland in October. This will be my second trip with my DSLR. I will be taking my 18-55mm Lens And my 50-200mm Lens.

My first trip the pictures did not turn out so well on a few things and this trip I would like them to be better are you willing to share with me your tips and tricks?

What are the best settings to you on

Electrical Light Parade
Pirates
Fantasmic
IASW
etc....


On rides like Pirates do you have a longer shutter release? And if so how you you keep it from blurring since the boat is always moving?

And anything else you can think of....

Thanks so much!

[leslie_537]

Re: Calling all Disneyland Photographers (You know who you are)

Really no tips?

I feel like maybe they are super secret and I am not in the club.

[Coheteboy]

Re: Calling all Disneyland Photographers (You know who you are)

What kind of camera do you have? You can have some great lens but if the camera is a dinosaur, it might not make up as much as you'd like.

[GraceysGirl]

Re: Calling all Disneyland Photographers (You know who you are)

I'm going to be in Disneyland in December. I'm also looking for some photo tips. I am planning on buying a new camera before the trip and want something that will take good pictures at night of all the lights. What should I look for in my next camera? Or any suggestions that are under $600? I prefer Canon.

Sorry I can't personally be of help to you!

[TheClaw]

Re: Calling all Disneyland Photographers (You know who you are)

Lens choice is the most important factor in low light conditions, with a typical dslr camera. You'll want to put your Aperture on the lowest number setting your lens can support. Most likely these two lenses you have don't get below f/3.5. This isn't that great for really dark scenes like Pirates, etc. I would suggest purchasing a lens with that can go down to f/2.8, or even f/1.8 or f/1.4. The lower the better.

The lower the f-stop, the faster you can allow your shutter speed to go (to avoid motion blur).

[brenden]

Re: Calling all Disneyland Photographers (You know who you are)

What kind of camera do you have? You can have some great lens but if the camera is a dinosaur, it might not make up as much as you'd like.

This comment saddens me.

[brenden]

Re: Calling all Disneyland Photographers (You know who you are)

I am going to Disneyland in October. This will be my second trip with my DSLR. I will be taking my 18-55mm Lens And my 50-200mm Lens.

My first trip the pictures did not turn out so well on a few things and this trip I would like them to be better are you willing to share with me your tips and tricks?

What are the best settings to you on

Electrical Light Parade
Pirates
Fantasmic
IASW
etc....


On rides like Pirates do you have a longer shutter release? And if so how you you keep it from blurring since the boat is always moving?

And anything else you can think of....

Thanks so much!

My advice for anyone who asks these sorts of questions is to brush up on how your camera actually operates in terms of the three main components to exposure - shutter speed, film speed (ISO) and aperture.

Low light and night photography can be frustrating, but the main idea is to open up your aperture as much as possible and boost your ISO to a level that works in situations where there is a lot going on such as F! and dark rides.

Here's a few examples of what I've had and settings that have worked:

Exposure: 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 150 mm
ISO Speed: 1000



Exposure: 0.04 sec (1/25)
Aperture: f/3.5
Focal Length: 40 mm
ISO Speed: 1000


Exposure: 0.1 sec (1/10)
Aperture: f/2.9
Focal Length: 20 mm
ISO Speed: 1600


Since you've got about a month to go, I suggest experimenting with your camera at night now, that way you can figure out ways to tweak the settings to your liking on a whim!

[Coheteboy]

Re: Calling all Disneyland Photographers (You know who you are)

This comment saddens me.

Sorry, but the way I see it, there's camera's that can't even handle 800 ISO.

[brenden]

Re: Calling all Disneyland Photographers (You know who you are)

Sorry, but the way I see it, there's camera's that can't even handle 800 ISO.

Aside from most DSLRs (including the very first entry level DSLR, the 1991 Nikon D1) being able to use 1600 ISO, the camera doesn't make the pictures!

[Datameister]

Re: Calling all Disneyland Photographers (You know who you are)

Just to supplement the above helpful comments - generally speaking, in low light situations, doing the following will produce brighter photos:

* Turning up the ISO value (e.g. from 200 to 1600)
* Opening the aperture wider (e.g. from f/9.0 to f/2.8)
* Picking a slower shutter speed (e.g. from 1/200 to 1/50)

But these each have disadvantages. Higher ISO numbers result in increased noise or grain, wider apertures can produce softer images, and slow shutter speeds can result in motion blur due to your hands shaking and/or elements in the frame moving. Most cameras will let the shutter speed get too slow in dark environments unless you take control, so that's probably your problem. You have to find a balance. It's hard, and there's no one-size-fits-all solution.

For stuff like Fantasmic!, you can use a tripod, which allows you to remove motion blur due to shaky hands, and you can thus use slower shutter speeds. But for rides, you pretty much just need to find the slowest shutter speed that produces an acceptable lack of blur, open the aperture all the way, and then take the ISO number as high as is necessary. You'll have to experiment. I know that if I want there to be NO blur from my hands shaking, I have to set my shutter speed no slower than 1/[focal length*2]. The rule of thumb you usually hear is just 1/[focal length], but I tend to look at my photos up close, and my camera has a crop factor, so my lenses actually look a little more telephoto. After all, remember that you generally need faster shutter speeds for more telephoto lenses. For that reason, you may want to stick with wide lenses for low-light photography.

Also, if your camera can shoot RAW instead of in JPEG format, do that. You'll be able to brighten the image more without running into ugly artifacts and noise.

[RobotMirror]

Re: Calling all Disneyland Photographers (You know who you are)



You've received good advice so far in this thread. Night shots and ride shots are going to be low light, so the bigger the aperture, the better. You'll want to shoot at 1/60 or faster shutter speed to get on ride pics.

[tech4all]

Re: Calling all Disneyland Photographers (You know who you are)

I am going to Disneyland in October. This will be my second trip with my DSLR. I will be taking my 18-55mm Lens And my 50-200mm Lens.

My first trip the pictures did not turn out so well on a few things and this trip I would like them to be better are you willing to share with me your tips and tricks?

What are the best settings to you on

Electrical Light Parade
Pirates
Fantasmic
IASW
etc....


On rides like Pirates do you have a longer shutter release? And if so how you you keep it from blurring since the boat is always moving?

And anything else you can think of....

Thanks so much!

Which camera do you have? I'm assuming Canon/Nikon and either way both have aperture ranges from F/3.5-5.6 (forget the exact number). Not the most ideal aperture values for what you want to do. But you can do your best to make it work.

As far as settings. For what you mentioned, you want to use the widest aperture you can, shoot in Aperture Priority Mode, use the lowest ISO needed to get good exposure, and the camera will handle the shutter. Most of everything doesn't have that much motion to stop (compared to indoor sports that is), so you should be able to use a low enough ISO/shutter combo and get good exposure and still keep the motion "stopped." The fastest thing you're probably going to worry about are the pyro for F!. But luckily they're bright!

"On rides like Pirates do you have a longer shutter release? And if so how you you keep it from blurring since the boat is always moving?"

Depends on your settings and light conditions. Admittedly, from what I've seen in pics posted on this forum, parts of that ride are very dark where even a dSLR will have trouble especially with those lenses. You can up the ISO to help, but it all depends on what your willing to tolerate noise/grain wise. But to answer your question of preventing blurring cause from camera movement - a faster shutter speed will do that. If you have a lens equipment with IS/VR that will help on any camera shake YOU make (as well as a tripod, but I'm not sure what DL rules for that), but it will not help to freeze the motion of your subject.

Also shoot RAW if you can. You'll get more Dynamic Range (highlight/shadow detail) and more "data" to work with in editing. But keep in the mind, RAW files are much larger than JPG. for me RAW average about 12MB where a JPG might be about 3-4MB.

You got some good advise so far, any questions just ask

[leslie_537]

Re: Calling all Disneyland Photographers (You know who you are)

I have a nikon d40.

Thanks so much for all your comments.

[dlandjimmy]

Re: Calling all Disneyland Photographers (You know who you are)

Electrical Light Parade
Pirates
Fantasmic
IASW
etc....

Thanks so much!

Well, it looks like you're shooting a Nikon body. I don't know too much about them as I shoot Canon. One of my favorite (cheap) lenses is the Canon 50mm f/1.8. It looks like Nikon has something similar for around $125.

Exposure: 0.033 sec (1/30)
Aperture: f/1.8
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO: 1000






The wider the aperture (f/1.8 is wider than f/3.5) and the higher the ISO, the faster you can make the shutter speed to avoid blur on dark rides.

You can use the same setting for things like Fantasmic!

As someone said above, get out there and try different setting with your camera before you get to Disneyland.

One of my favorite things to bring on my trips to the parks is my Gorillapod. You can wrap it around lightposts or handrails, or set it on the ground like a normal (small) tripod. It's a great tool for nightshots around the park. you can use slow shutter speeds and higher apertures without lugging around a large tripod.



Most of all, have fun. Let us know if you have more questions.

[Coheteboy]

Re: Calling all Disneyland Photographers (You know who you are)

Aside from most DSLRs (including the very first entry level DSLR, the 1991 Nikon D1) being able to use 1600 ISO, the camera doesn't make the pictures!

You're right. But the original poster is asking for tips with the lens she has. Knowing what camera it is can tell us if using 800 or even 1600 will hold up well or not in low light and in moving vehicles. Having a great set of lens would be great, but the truth is, most of the folks can't afford it.

But in an interest in helping out, I'll post some shots with my specs as well. Note: this isn't exactly the right way or the wrong way... you'll have to decide what you like.



Lens: 135
ISO: 800
Aperture: 5.6
Shutter: 1/45




Lens: 28
ISO: 400
Aperture: 3.5
Shutter: 2




Lens: 28
ISO: 800
Aperture: 3.5
Shutter: 1/15



Lens: 28
ISO: 1600
Apeprture: 6.7
Shutter: 1/250




Lens: 33
ISO: 200
Aperture: 3.5
Shutter: 1/4



Lens: 28
ISO: 100
Aperture: 3.5
Shuter: 1



Lens: 50
ISO: 800
Aperture: 1.8
Shutter: 1/20




Lens: 50
ISO: 800
Aperture: 1.8
Shutter: 1/60

[Mac Daddy]

Re: Calling all Disneyland Photographers (You know who you are)

My advice for anyone who asks these sorts of questions is to brush up on how your camera actually operates in terms of the three main components to exposure - shutter speed, film speed (ISO) and aperture.

Low light and night photography can be frustrating, but the main idea is to open up your aperture as much as possible and boost your ISO to a level that works in situations where there is a lot going on such as F! and dark rides.

Here's a few examples of what I've had and settings that have worked:

Exposure: 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 150 mm
ISO Speed: 1000



Exposure: 0.04 sec (1/25)
Aperture: f/3.5
Focal Length: 40 mm
ISO Speed: 1000


Exposure: 0.1 sec (1/10)
Aperture: f/2.9
Focal Length: 20 mm
ISO Speed: 1600


Since you've got about a month to go, I suggest experimenting with your camera at night now, that way you can figure out ways to tweak the settings to your liking on a whim!

Brendan - I can't get over how seemingly noise-less your photos are at ISO 1000. Cohteteboy - Same with your 800. Those are just really, really clear. I don't know if I've been able to push my ISO that high without the noise showing up. I'll have to check.

As for Leslie's original question, I think it will be a challenge to get decent shots in Pirates with less than a 1.4 or 1.8 lens. Dlandjimmy had a 1.8 on his shots above, and it really does make it easier to walk away with a great shot if you don't have to push the ISO quite so high to get the shot. The fact that you are constantly moving and getting bumped into makes it tough to slow the shutter much below 1/100, but every once in awhile you can manage to get a shot off without the boat lurching. If you have a very steady hand, you can get by with much lower shutter speeds. (I drink WAY too much coffee for that to work for me. :blush: )

And I'll second the Gorillapod suggestion. It's MUCH easier to manage than a tripod if you are going to be there all day.


Leslie - If you shoot many shots out in the bright afternoon sun, you might also think about a filter. I just bought a circular polarizing filter and tried it out, with varying levels of success, last Friday. I was constantly having problems with blown highlights in very bright sunlight, and with the hazy, butt ugly haze that is usually burning off in orange county in the morning, my skies tended to be rather ugly as well, hence my need for a filter. I haven't decided how much I will shoot with it yet, but apparently, it works the best when the sun is directly over head...or so I've been told. My skies came out much bluer and the rest of my colors popped a bit more. So...just another option there.

And Robotmirror... Love your shots. Any time that you want to start posting again, please feel free. We miss your photos!

[brenden]

Re: Calling all Disneyland Photographers (You know who you are)

Brendan - I can't get over how seemingly noise-less your photos are at ISO 1000. Cohteteboy - Same with your 800. Those are just really, really clear. I don't know if I've been able to push my ISO that high without the noise showing up. I'll have to check.

I just bought a circular polarizing filter and tried it out, with varying levels of success, last Friday.

My camera has this noise filter that goes back and kind of processes a bit of the noise, which slows down my shooting, so maybe that's why? But there is plenty of noise, the size of those photos are just tiny!





Oh, and I just have to say I LOVE my circular polarizer. It's one of my favorite tools now, but I mostly apply it to landscapes. I don't think I've been to Disneyland during the day to enjoy using it though...I just love the skies I get!

[leslie_537]

Re: Calling all Disneyland Photographers (You know who you are)

Wow, thanks so much for all your responses. I am going to start playing at night now to get some better photos when we do go to Disneyland. I was so disappointed with the pics in IASW last time. So I definitely want to get some better shots.

You all have posted some great advise and some awesome photos too! Thanks so much for taking the time to help me out! I will now have to meander through some of your flickr accounts to see more exif data.

So far I have found from this post that I need a little better lens, and Gorillapod and some polarizing filters. Whooo Hoooo for needing more camera stuff.

[tech4all]

Re: Calling all Disneyland Photographers (You know who you are)

So far I have found from this post that I need a little better lens

In terms of maximum aperture, yes. I do believe the Nikon 50mm F/1.8 is about $135. However, there is one thing I don't think has been mentioned yet and I almost forgot myself. With the D40 series camera, you need to have a DX or an AF-S lenses in order to get auto focus, as the D40 doesn't have it's own built in focus drive motor. It relies on the lenses for that. So the 50mm F/1.8 will not auto focus. Something to keep in mind.

polarizing filters.

Keep in mind, the 18-55 lens' front elements rotates as it focuses, and a Circular Polarizer works by turning it. So you will need to focus first then adjust the filter as desired. I don't think the 55-200's front element rotates as it focuses.

[TheClaw]

Re: Calling all Disneyland Photographers (You know who you are)

Leslie,

I started out with the D40, and it's a great camera during the day.

For low-light though, I found that mine had a huge noise problem with the higher iso's. It technically can go pretty high (1600, I believe), but really even at ISO 800 it's VERY grainy.

I would have also suggested the 50mm f/1.8 lens for the price, but as was mentioned, your D40 won't be able to focus it since it has no built in focusing motor. You are limited to a more expensive lens with hopefully VR built in.