Tripod advice needed for next Disney trip. Anyone know of a good LIGHTWEIGHT COMPACT? Does park security give you grief at the gate? Monopod or tripod? ; Neither? Thanks!
Security will not give you grief as long as you act like you have a little sense about you. ; Some of the horror stories on the web come from people who most likely provoked or instigated their own issue and those are very few/far between. ; A monopod is ok during the day but wouldn't help you much at night as it won't allow for long exposures; they are better suited for giving just a little more stability when shooting in lower light or with longer lenses. For a recommendation we would need to know what kind of camera/lens layout you have. Welcome aboard.
Welcome! I only brought a monopod into the parks for shooting Fantasmic!; but that was at DL, and DL has two areas: ; sit on the ground, or stand up. ; I would wait hours to be at the front of the "stand up" area....so nobody blocks the view
When I head to the park for a full day I usually pack three things into my backpack. ; A Velbon Tripod (for the evening shots) that compacts to 13' and fits the main compartment of a standard backpack. ; A Velbon Monopod (that compacts to same height as the tripod) that I use for parades and shows. ; And finally a small Gorillapod for any miscellaneous shot that I need to stabilize by wrapping it around a railing or such. ; ; As for any harassment, ; the only two times anyone has said anything were once at Pixelmania (Cast Member said we could not put tripod legs on other side of railing - we were trying to compact our group for other guests) and once on my earlier trip to the World as I took photos of incoming monorails as I left the magic kingdom. ; A security guard asked to make sure I wasn't taking photos of the track infrastructure. I calmly told him I was a fan of the monorail and was trying to set up my shot before it arrived. ; I even went into review mode and showed him some previous photos. ; He even waved off another guard that was just coming on duty and heading my way (having not seen the previous interaction). ; Politeness and courtesy-ness can go a long way. ; My feeling is that if they do ask me to move along after that, I can always come back later and try again. Sent from my iPhone...
Thanks, Tim. I'm currently shooting with a Nikon D7000, 18-105mm (kit lens), no speelights/hot shoe flashes planned.
For years we recommended the Velbo Ultra Luxi and replace the head with the Manfrotto Pistol Grip Head. There are other combinations but that is the tried and true TMIP setup.
and don't forget the alternate tmip setup, the benro C-258EX, with the accratech ballhead. this is not the cheapest setup, more than the velbon. but now used by many tmip because of the flip lock legs, just a little more secure during setup at the parks, weight is probably the same, maybe with the accratech even a little less
Locker rentals at the parks are your friend. ; I will rent a locker (get the large size locker) and place my tripod and other accessories not needed during the day in it. ; I go back about 90 minutes before sunset or a night event (parade/fireworks) and get it. ;
And alternate TMIP setup #2, which I use happily - a Slik Sprint Pro EZ - good, lightewight, strong pod with nice extension, quick release legs, and compact enough to fit in even the smaller lockers...and just a hair over $100 (with a standard Pan-Tilt head). ; I've been happily using mine for a few years now. And as mentioned, lockers are a great way to deal with tripods during the day when not needed - just go back and get them as evening hits, and you're ready for night shots. ; Remember, locker rentals are for the day, so even transferring parks you can get credit to move lockers over to the next park - keep the receipt and mention it to the locker attendant.
I've never had any trouble with security about using a tripod at WDW. ; I'd also like to mention that if you have a tripod that won't fit in a locker, Disney will tag the tripod for and hold it for you at the locker rental location for the same fee as if you rented a locker. ; I didn't know about that option until it was mentioned to me at last year's Pixelmania.
Have any of you used, tried, able to vouch for http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=VELBON+ULTREK+45L&N=0&InitialSearch=yes ? Velbon UT 45L
I have used that tagging service several times since my tripod won't fit in any locker. ; Very convenient. ; Wonder if they do the same at all the parks and DL?
Good question Paul. I've only ever used the tagging method at the Magic Kingdom. Brother Jay, I don't know anything about that specific tripod, but I'd be a bit leery about any tripod that had a center rod that you can't retract. Any center pole will introduce a certain amount of vibration, especially if it's a bit windy.
Tim - I think this Velbon w/ Manfrotto head might be exactly the set up I have been looking for. This should work just fine with my 40d.
