Which lens for Disney?

[vanguardgator]

Hi. I just found out I have an opportunity to take my kids to an impromptu 2day Disney trip starting tomorrow. I will be solo with them so would like to just keep one lens on my camera (Nikon d40) so I am not fiddling with it in the parks.

I have been keeping my 35 mm f/1.8G prime lens on my camera almost exclusively since getting it in January, but am wondering if my kit lens (18-55mm) might give me a little more flexibilty to catch more shots. I also have a 55-200, but don't think that is probably the best way to go for close-ups of the kids with characters, etc.

Any thoughts or recs?

Also, a little random, but I have noticed in the past that the character dining experiences and meet and greet rooms have really low lighting that usually yields pretty dark pics. I used to just use auto, but now thanks to Katrina I know I can bump up my ISO, etc, which may help in these low light situations. Another thing I can do is tote around my Nikon SB-600 external flash unit. The only thing is I really have not practiced much with it, so not real familiar with using it properly. It's a little bulky, but I would be willing to bring it if it would make a big difference. Or do you think I would be okay bumping up to a higher ISO alone on Aperture priority or maybe even Priority mode with the onboard flash too??

Any been there - done that experience is welcomed.

[DonnaNJ]

I usually stick with my 50mm simply because it is so good in low light and yes some of the character meals are in rather dim rooms... also it gets dark out so early still that you may wind up taking lots of photos after dark. Just fyi.. I also usually carry a P&S with me so if I want to take a wider angle shot I just use that. Have a wonderful time. HTH

[dugarner]

I think someone posted this a while back and the ideal is something like an 18-200, but since you don't have that, I would definitely have the 50mm for the indoor shots (Donna's advice is spot-on). We went two years in a row and I do not have a fast lens, I hated relying on my flash recharging and I hated using a flash, period, for the character photos. Some of the dinners (particularly the princess dinner in Akershus) are crowded and fast, and the characters come by, your kids stand up, and click-click, you need to be done. (I didn't want to be one of the loud, obnoxious tourists who took forever with their cameras.) I kept my camera on my lap, ready to go, and took the shots as fast as I could. We occasionally got a "thank you" from a cast member regarding efficiency. If you're in the parks after dark, though, like Donna said, it's great to have a low-light lens, the atmosphere is so wonderful with the ambient light there at night.

I didn't find myself taking many zoom shots at all, wide-angle was more important. I did want a long lens in the Animal Kingdom for the safari, but if I needed to weigh one against the other, you can get close-ups of zebras at the zoo anytime, but that shot of your kids with Mickey and Minnie, those are pretty rare.

If you have a P&S you could take, Donna has a great idea. If not, I'd keep the 50mm on when you're inside eating, or inside with characters (like at the Character Connection in Epcot), and put on the 18-55 when you're walking around.

But that's my two cents! FWIW.

HTH!

Sarah

[vanguardgator]

Thank you both so much for your posts!!! Your comments are incredibly helpful and make total sense (I was not even thinking how my prime does better in low light, so it makes total sense to use it.) I do have a small point & shoot that I was planning to bring for its ability to take video, so now I know I have it as a back up for wider angle shots too!! Again, many thanks.

[audrey77]

I used my prime the entire time I was there... :-)