The whole family came back from Disney World Wednesday and here are some of my notes for the pictures I took.
From Thursday the 26th to Wednesday the 2nd I took 1,600+ pictures with my Nikon D60.
What I have been doing since I got back is going through each vacation day and selecting photos for Flickr. So far I completed up to Sunday June 29th and have uploaded some 88 pictures. You can see the Disney World 2008 set on Flickr here.
The Lowepro Fastpack 200 was a great idea.
It’s a great backpack and easy to use. It was raining on and off everyday. Being able to quickly take the camera out, shoot the picture, and pack the camera away was fantastic. The only thing I think I may change is replace the Nikon neck strap with a hand strap.
I need to buy an 18-200mm lens.
Stefan lent me his Nikkor lens and it was great for the trip. Being able to take pictures close up and zoom out immediately without changing the lens was just way too useful. I’m thinking of getting the Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS just to be different.
The Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM lens is still my main lens and does not disappoint.
In either Aperture or Program Auto mode it works great. It covers low light really well and I took a lot of shots with it.
I forgot to switch to the zoom lens once and left the 30mm on during the Animal Kingdom tour. I found out that Shutter Priority works well too; I took this picture from a really bouncy “safari” tour bus. For that shot, the camera was set at ISO 400, f/4.5 and shutter speed was 1/2000 of a second.
I saw more Canon cameras than I did Nikons.
I guess Canon markets better in the U.S. 
I don’t know what the Canon models were but the Nikons I saw were mostly D60s with the 18-55mm kit lens. The camera that all the wandering Disney staff use for taking shots of the guests? A Nikon D70. The person I spoke to recommended it highly saying that they never have any problems with it.
I did see several D200s and one D300 with a Nikkor 17-35mm AF-S wide angle lens and a Manfrotto mono-pod stand (not that I pay attention to such things). I tried not to be jealous, but the fact is I would not know what to do with a camera like that.
I am still uploading more pictures to Flickr and I should be done by Monday with the whole set. I could dump all 1,600+ straight to Flickr but what would be the point? I prefer to share only the good ones and not show people all the ones that were not in focus.
No related posts.
I found this page while looking for recommendations for what to take to Disney. I have a D40, and was trying to determine if I need to save up for anything special. If I could pick your brain a little, please let me know.
Thanks!
Charles,
Get a small but convenient bag and a zoom lens.
A light weight bag for your camera will let you take pictures and enjoy the visit.
The one I use is good for quickly getting the camera and putting it back. If you can, go to the store and try them on. Where I go (Adorama and Calumet) they are very good about letting you size up
The kit lens of 18-55mm is pretty good for taking nearby people pictures, in fact it’s quite sharp. But for getting shots of the castle and scenery, take a zoom lens that does 18-200mm. My 55-200mm hardly gets any use at all; switching is a pain.
I was able to borrow that Nikon 18-200mm VR lens (great lens!) but any 18-200mm lens would be good. The Sigma one I mentioned wont auto focus on the D40 at f/6.3. But at 200mm it will be infinite so if you work it using manual focus, you should be good.
Jan Dembowski
I do not have the 18-200
I do have the 55-200 though.
Did you use a flash much there? I have the SB-600 love it but is a bit bulky.
We picked up a Lowepro Fastpack 250. It is big.. but it will fit the camera and stuff nicely, as well as the video camera I know the wife will want, and have some room for some odds and ends.. it is VERY comfortable, and will hold my Dell Mini on the plane.
We are soo looking forward to going again.
Thanks for the info.
Nope, I did not use the flash at all.
The 55-200mm will work just as well, but you’ll have to plan your shots. I got some good photos of the kids and the scenery are less than 55mm.