What camera should you take on your trip to Disney?

When it comes to making memories, if you are anything like me, you don’t want to miss a thing.  I am one of those Moms who cherishes every photograph.  I love taking photos, looking at photos, and I love creating photos for my clients.  To me, photos will tell my stories one day when I can’t.  Family photographs are very important to me.

This was no different when I was planning my Disney World trip.  I knew my toddler wouldn’t remember being there at age 2, and that my tween would want to go back and look at her exciting adventure over and over again.   As a Mamatographer,  It was a no brainer when I decided to bring my DLSR Nikon D7000 camera along with my 50mm lens.  I was looking forward to getting lost in the parks taking lots of pictures of anything and everything.  My other camera of choice was the Nikon 1 J1 point and shoot digital camera.  This camera has 10-30 mm lens.  Like most point and shoot cameras, this is very lightweight, and  easy to carry.  I must say that I got some great pictures using both of these cameras.

Like all DSLR cameras,  you get great results when you know how to get the most out of using one.  For example, knowing  your camera.  How to set it for the shooting conditions you are in.   Lighting is the biggest factor.  Too little light means a dark photo, and too much light is a blown out bright photo.  There were times when I was able to wander off and use the DSLR and I got some cool photos as a result.  Mainly these photos consist of landmarks in some of the different parks.  I am glad that I brought it, but I’ll be honest in saying that I feel that with this trip It was a bit much.  Here I was with a diaper bag, my stroller and a two year old to boot.  I really didn’t need the extra bag that I had to carry to protect my camera.  Every time I parked the stroller, I had all of this to carry too.  Most of the times I got it out to snap a pic I was readjusting the settings to my lighting conditions.  Not only that, but at times there was not enough room for me to get a great shot with a 50mm lens.  The areas where you can meet and greet characters aren’t always so spacious.  Now don’t get me wrong, I am not discouraging anyone from taking such a camera to Disney.  It just wasn’t the best choice for me on this given trip despite some cool photos that I did manage to get.

Mickey

On the first evening that I left the DLSR behind, is when I first noticed the difference.  I was able to take and go very easily because this camera was very small.  There were no settings to check before snapping the photo.  I had it on auto and was impressed with how clear and nice the photos looked.   One of the best things about bringing along this camera, was that the kids and cast members were able to take pictures too.  Asking someone else to snap a photo didn’t come with lots of questions.  This particular camera was what I got the best results with for meeting characters, and in the moment photos.

I think that depending on who you are traveling with,  your knowledge of your camera, and what you want to capture is a deciding factor on what kind of camera to bring on your upcoming Disney trip.  One of these days I will get my chance to simply wander through the parks without someone crying “Mommy” at me.  When that day comes you won’t see me without my DLSR and my big camera bag.  Until then though, my point and shoot will be tucked inside my diaper bag.

Daisy and Blake