Camcorder in POTC

Originally Posted By iamgoofy

I am buying a new camcorder for my trip to DL and am considering one with a lux rating of 2. I am wondering if anyone has a camcorder with a 2 lux rating that they have used in POTC? How did the footage turn out? Is the quality acceptable or should i get a camcorder with a lux 1 rating? All i care about is if the camera can record what i can see.

 

Originally Posted By ChurroMonster

Any camera that uses any sort of infrared lighting will immediately elicit loud and persistent warnings from cast members to turn it off since it blinds their securtiy cameras.

 

Originally Posted By Anacon

I own a decent Sony MiniDV cameraa and had to use "night vision" the infared setting. It's darker than you think. I wasn't warned by any CMs.

 

Originally Posted By tuknshak

I have tried regular vision and night vision on our camcorder in both POTC and HM with the preview sceen shut and I still got a verbal warning by the CMs to turn it off. Good luck - I ahve yet to get it all the way thru with it!

 

Originally Posted By sherrytodd

I've had several Sonys and have had pretty good luck in Pirates. Haven't been able to get anything in the Bayou part without night vision. (Never been yelled at). I bought a new Panasonic right before my trip last week and could see hardly anything. I'll be returning it this week and going back to the Sony.

 

Originally Posted By iamgoofy

Hey sherry could you tell me the model number of the Panasonic you will be returning? I am considering the Panasonic sdr h18 or the Sony DCR SR62. If your Panasonic was the sdr h18 or one with a better low light rating i will probably go with the Sony. Thanks for the helpful info.

 

Originally Posted By DisneySuiteFreak

iamgoofy if you do a Google search for each product and type in reviews it'll turn up a whole bunch of them. You should check out the reviews for these products on Amazon. Both products have issues with low light. I had similar problems with 'cheaper' camcorders. In fact, in the last year and a half I have bought 3. The last one I bought that I am really with was a Panasonic w/ 3CCDs and OIS. It handles low light very well, and there is an accessory shoe so I can add on a light if I need it. I haven't needed it yet. The one I got uses Mini DV, but it's great and it was about $400 from Best Buy. You may want to check out this forum: <a href="http://www.pana3ccduser.com/" target="_blank">http://www.pana3ccduser.com/</a>
HTH...

 

Originally Posted By DisneySuiteFreak

^^That should've said "The last one I bought that I am really HAPPY with is a Panasonic w/ 3 CCDs and OIS."

 

Originally Posted By sherrytodd

I'm curious what you finally decided on. I'm thinking of getting the Sony DCR-HC96.

 

Originally Posted By iamsally

I have a little Sony DVD92 and love it. Have gotten pix on nearly every ride in the park. I have to use night vision in Pirates except in places with lots of light. I have never been scolded. I have heard people get scolded for having the screen open so use your view finder.
Good luck, one of my best movies is on the Matterhorn where you can hear me screaming with laughter when I realized the lens cap was on.LOL

 

Originally Posted By 999ghosts

We have videotaped all the dark rides over the years with several different types of cameras. After the first time, we discovered that keeping the viewfinder closed as has been suggested and covering any power lights on the camera with black electrical tape helps keep the other guests and the cms from getting upset and we haven't ever been asked to turn the camera off. You can always pull the tape off the power lights and stick it on the side of the camera after the dark rides to be reused again as you go from attraction to attraction. This has worked for us not only on the dark rides but during the fireworks and Fantasmic as well.
Just a thought.

 

Originally Posted By iamgoofy

Sherry I purchased the DCR HC96 and am very happy overall. It handles low light fairly well without the use of nightvision. However, POC requires the uses of night vision during most of it. The night vision adds a hue of green tint to everything. But it definitely works in the worst of lighting conditions. I would recommend the camera. As far as I am concerned it only has two negatives...1. the zoom but that cannot be helped because of the size of teh ccd 2. Tapes instead of a harddrive

 

Originally Posted By ChurroMonster

OH....IO.....OH....IO.....OH....IO....

 

Originally Posted By DBitz2

I'll definitely find the info in this thread useful next time I am looking to buy a new camcorder, as I like to film inside the rides sometimes, too.

Before Pirates went down for the refurb to add Jack Sparrow and all of the movie elements, I went through a bunch of times, taping from the different sides of the boat and the front row, to capture the ride as it was before the changes. It certainly was a challenge due to the low lighting. I wish that I had shot the Blue Bayou back about 4 years ago or so when they enhanced the lighting very beautifully where you could actually see more of the detail in that section of the ride. Sadly, that great lighting didn't last long. I wish they'd restore it. It added so much to the atmosphere.

I just returned from a visit to WDW and found that the lighting in their Pirates was much better than ours. It wasn't so overly bright as to destroy the atmosphere, but, was lit in such a way that it photographed on video much better than ours does. Even some of the scenes in ours that are notoriously hard to shoot. Maybe they'll light our Pirates similarly eventually. If they'd just put out a decent souvenir DVD that has nice footage of the rides, it would save us all a lot of work!

One trick I sometimes use in filming inside rides is to use a wide angle lens attachment. Before Small World closed to change over to SWH, I went through and shot it multiple times to document the ride in case there are changes to the show scenes during the work next year. The wide angle was useful in getting more of the scenes in the shots. (I also use it to get the whole Castle in in shots from the side.) The drawback is that the glass in the lens attachment can cut down on the light getting through to your camera a bit. But, it's useful in rides where the show scenes are close and it's hard to get everything in the shots. I've used it on Alice, and plan to try on some of the other Fantasyland dark rides.

 

Originally Posted By sherrytodd

Well, I went in yesterday to buy the Sony HC96. There was an open box Sony SR1 that they were selling for $400 because it did not have the battery or cable. I took a look at it and it uses the exact same battery and cable as my Sony Hi8 so I got it. It's a High Def Hard Drive, but uses a new technology that software has not quite caught up with and won't work at all with a Mac. BUT, you can download the original MPEG4 files to disc and convert to MPEG2 for now. Looks like Ulead can edit the MPEG4 files but doesn't do much good since I still have a SD DVD, and TV (I know, I'll convert when I'm forced to) and am short one Blu Ray recorder. Even using the camara in the SD mode, the quality is nice and does a lot better in low light then the Panasonic I originally tried. The green in the night vision and super night vision mode is a little less then before, but still there.

Funny story, I went in to the store and told the sales guy that I was looking for a camara that does really well in low light. He asked what I was using the camara for. ME: "Uhhhhhhhhh." I just wasn't ready to admit that I was looking for a camara that would get really good recordings on Pirates of the Caribbean.

 

Originally Posted By sherrytodd

Oh and on the subject of tapes vs. hard drive. I'm still trying to decide what I prefer. It's nice not to have to keep buying tapes, but when I'm on vacation I really don't have a way to download the hard drive and once it's done, it's done. With tapes, at least I can buy more.

 

Originally Posted By jonvn

You know, if the guy asks you why you want a low light camera, and you start going "uhhh...." there are a lot more embarassing things he's going to think you are going to be doing with it than videotaping a theme park ride.

 

Originally Posted By sherrytodd

Hey, I was quick thinking. We do a lot of canyoneering and it's pretty dark there. I told him it was for that.

I'm so ashamed.

 

Originally Posted By Park Hopper

I have a digital 8 camcorder with a 0 lux rating. It is okay in dark rides, but not great. I have an old 8mm camcorer that is rated 0.4 lux. It is awesome in darkrides, much better than the digital 8 camcorder. In fact, I keep it just to tape the inside of dark rides, becasue in normal lighting conditions the resolution is not as good as the digital 8. Both are Sony. I don't know how the lux rating system works but it is obviously not consistant. But your safest bet is to go with the lowest lux rating you can get.

 

Originally Posted By The-Tink-Mobile

hi we have a sony camcorder with a 3.5 inch viewing colour screen, it is o lux you need o lux....we never use the night vision as it makes the pictures green you can experiment at night and you will see, they have become alot more cheaper now, the lil mini ones are very good, sony is probally the simplest to use, not so many gadgets and great pictures make sure you buy the memory ca from the tink -mobile