Has Anyone Been Able to Film the Fireworks Show at the Magic Kingdom With Good Results? About This Page:

[disneyfan2000]

Low light filming seems to be very difficult. I was wondering if anyone has been able to film the fireworks show at the magic kingdom with good results?

If so, what kind of camcorder did you use and was it expensive?

thanks

[Cam22]

We don't own a camcorder, so I've not tried this. But hopefully, someone hear will have some info. I'm still trying to get some good photos of Wishes myself.

[DVC_Increda_Man]

Is this what you are looking for?
Below is HalloWishes shot with a Panasonic PV-GS150 uses Mini Dv Tape,
Edited with Ulead VideoStudio 11.5 Plus and encoded for Youtube.
The regular version of this that I put on DVD is 100 times better than what
you see on Youtube.
This is a higher end Panasonic camcorder bought at auction for $93.00
because the person who paid $700.00 for it new did not study and prepare
ahead of time for getting the video off of the camcorder and getting good
Video Editing software to turn it into something special.

YouTube - Happy HalloWishes Fireworks Spectacular Part 1 in HD

YouTube - Happy HalloWishes Fireworks Spectacular Part 2 in HD

[chezp]

We've got some good footage just using the night-time setting on our camcorder.

[BJ Wanlund]

My guess is (and this is only a guess, I haven't tried it as yet) that any camera with really good low-light performance that also has a video mode will do just fine, just make sure you have a tripod.

BJ

[home4us123]

We got pretty good results taping the different firework shows. We used a JVC hard drive camcorder. DH said he had to set the camcorder to a full manual mode to record. We paid around 700 for ours but now you can get one compareable for about 500.

[LizardCop]

I have filmed all of the different versions of Wishes with every camcorder we've ever had, and with no problems. I've not used any special settings, just made sure the camera is steadied to avoid unnecessary shaking or wobbling (your hand/arm will get tired before it's over).

I've also filmed Illuminations, Spectromagic and many other dark rides/events. The only one I've ever had a problem with is Peter Pan, I can never get a good clip of that...

[Dave Marx]

It's actually easier to get good results with a video camera than it is with a still camera. In part, because camera shake has a different effect in video (well, using a tripod is even better, in either case), and because fireworks are much easier to capture in motion.

I agree that it can be a good idea to go to manual exposure mode - with auto exposure bright bursts of fireworks can (and will) cause the exposure setting to change dramatically, and you sometimes lose the subtler effects that happen a few seconds after the bright burst.

My Canon mini-DV camera is about five or six years old now - I wouldn't choose a tape-based camera these days - they have so many moving parts to get messed up, and the cost of tapes can be higher than the cost of SD memory cards. I'd probably go with a Flash Memory recorder- it'll be more expensive, but more reliable (battery life should be much better than tape, too).

[A & J's Dad]

Like several have said, I'd use manual mode, at least for focus. Most camera's AF focus on changes in contrast (light/dark). This works great when the subject is well lit or the light level is fairly constant. However, with fireworks the super bright to super dark changes can confuse the AF circuit and cause it to hunt for something to focus on.
Cheers
Craig

[duck addict]

I use the 'video' mode on my 'regular' camera. Then I have a photo editing (I think it is an upgrade to quick time (about $20) programs that let me stop action in the video and make stills of it.

[Steve from KS]

I've been able to get some amazing photos during the Disney fireworks shows. It just takes the right equipment and a little know how. I use a digital SLR camera. (I haven't used a film camera in years.)
1.Turn off the auto focus--if you don't, your camera will spend all of its time trying in vain to focus on the fireworks, and you'll never get a picture.
2. Set the "ASA" to 800--this will help your digital camera to perform better in low light. (Be careful--the higher the ASA, the grainier the pictures will be. 800 is about as high as I would go.)
3. Manually set the shutter speed to 1/30th of a second--this will give you a good chance to get a better shot. Don't go slower than 1/30th, or you will likely blur the photo
4.Hold still while you are shooting--At 1/30th, I'm able to hold the camera still enough to avoid blurring the pictures. A tripod might help, but I would hate to carry a tripod through the park. Tripods also don't allow you to move your camera quickly to respond to a new subject.
5. Turn off the flash--There is no way a flash will help your picture turn out better. In fact, a camera with an auto-aperture setting will adjust its aperture to account for the extra light provided by the flash.

Like I said, I use a digital SLR, but I have been able to use these same basic techniques with my wife's point-and-shoot digital camera with great results.

Good luck.

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