What lens for night Disney pictures? (if any)

MaxPowers37 said:

With the A6000 I'm thinking of getting a 30 or 35mm prime lens primarily to take pictures of my family at night at Disney and on other trips. My main concern with night pictures is getting blurry images since I got a few of those last years using the kit lens. So I'm thinking I need one with Optical Image Stabilization. If were to buy a prime lens with f1.8 would it blur the background too much at night?

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The first observation I'd make is that you may want to use a flash, and not worry as much about the lens. If your goal is night shots primarily of family, then a flash will do more to properly expose them and give good details than any fast lens would. If you don't like the 'flash look' where the family is standing in front of a black background, you can learn a technique called 'slow sync' flash - whereby you take a longer exposure but with the flash, that allows you to illuminate both the background with natural light and the family with the flash.

MaxPowers37 said:

In a lot of the sample images I've seen for the lenses they show the picture taken during the day and make a point out of having a washed out background so the person really pops.

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If you do decide to go without a flash, then the next method would be to try to have the family stand in places where natural light from a building, street light, flood light, etc is shining into their face from behind you - then use a fast-ish lens and the slowest shutter speed you can get away with without blurring any motion. You don't want to use too high of an ISO if you don't have to - so the slower the shutter, the lower the ISO. 1/30 should do OK - if the family can be really still, maybe even 1/5.

MaxPowers37 said:

With what I'm doing I don't want the background blurred too much, since the whole point of the picture is to show the person standing in front of the castle or wherever the picture is taken. If I shoot with a wide open aperture at night and am standing far enough away will it still blur the background?

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With a fast prime, the background is likely still not going to be in super-sharp focus if you're focusing on the family - depth of field will still be too narrow at F1.8 or F1.4 for a family in focus 15 feet away, and a castle another 100 feet behind. But some blur of the background isn't always a bad thing - having the castle lights or other buildings/backgrounds where they're blurred but still identifiable can allow the focus to be on the family and still convey where you are.

MaxPowers37 said:

Also, what setting would you use at night there? Superior auto? anti motion blur? Hand-held twilight? Or use the widest open aperture or set the shutter speed to 1/30th or something like that?

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If you're not using a flash, and are trying to get away with a slower shutter speed and need to use high ISO...then I'd suggest using the multi-frame noise reduction ISO mode. This is right in your ISO controls, and is generally better than AMB or HHT mode, because it still lets you control every other setting of the camera the way you want, but simply takes multiple frames at the chosen ISO and stacks them in camera...the result is lower noise and better detail retention.

Overall, using the flash will still be the best way to properly expose the family at night - and using the flash with a slower shutter sync will allow you to still pull in some of the nice nighttime backgrounds.

Last two times I went I used my sigma 30mm 2.8 after dark and set it to superior auto. It can be kinda hectic at night to get all your settings right and you don't want to miss a moment.

The last time we went we ended up doing a picture package with the park. It was worth the cost and we got great pics. Believe it or not those kids working for Disney with the Nikons take good pictures. They are always placed in spots with lighting perfect just for them, even at night.

That way you can focus on getting more intimate photos of your kids and family and leave the staging to the mouse.

Bento2 said:

Last two times I went I used my sigma 30mm 2.8 after dark and set it to superior auto. It can be kinda hectic at night to get all your settings right and you don't want to miss a moment.

The last time we went we ended up doing a picture package with the park. It was worth the cost and we got great pics. Believe it or not those kids working for Disney with the Nikons take good pictures. They are always placed in spots with lighting perfect just for them, even at night.

That way you can focus on getting more intimate photos of your kids and family and leave the staging to the mouse.

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One thing I also learned is you can hand your camera to their photographers so you don't have to pay for the pictures. I'm assuming they'll know not to shake the camera, but it probably won't be on a tripod and I want to have the settings right first.

Hectic is a good work to describe things. There's one spot my parents had their picture taken in the 70's before I was born with the castle behind them and I'd like to take their picture in the same spot today and really don't want to mess it up. People are always running in front of you so it's really hard to take the time for multiple shots.

You don't think it's worth buying a $400 prime lens for this kinds of occasions?

You'll always find uses for a good prime lens.

Unfortunately they wouldn't let me take a picture with Chewbacca. Though they ones they took were great. There's one where he's hugging my son and it's awesome.

They wouldn't let me take it with my camera.

The park does get real dark at night. A fast prime is a must.

Bento2 said:

Last two times I went I used my sigma 30mm 2.8 after dark and set it to superior auto. It can be kinda hectic at night to get all your settings right and you don't want to miss a moment.

The last time we went we ended up doing a picture package with the park. It was worth the cost and we got great pics. Believe it or not those kids working for Disney with the Nikons take good pictures. They are always placed in spots with lighting perfect just for them, even at night.

That way you can focus on getting more intimate photos of your kids and family and leave the staging to the mouse.

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They do a passable job but... worth every penny since you will be in the photos. I second the flash comments. You will want a flash so,you can black out people at charicter dinners. In many other situations you can shoot a flash with slower exposure. You family looks nice from the flash and the low ambient light fills in the rest of the frame..

And for Disney wider is better with close focusing.

Bento2 said:

Last two times I went I used my sigma 30mm 2.8 after dark and set it to superior auto. It can be kinda hectic at night to get all your settings right and you don't want to miss a moment.

The last time we went we ended up doing a picture package with the park. It was worth the cost and we got great pics. Believe it or not those kids working for Disney with the Nikons take good pictures. They are always placed in spots with lighting perfect just for them, even at night.

That way you can focus on getting more intimate photos of your kids and family and leave the staging to the mouse.

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I’d second this, we used the photo pass in April and Disney know what there doing. The images you get to down afterwards are very big and rich. Someone has spent a lot of time getting the flash and exposure levels just right to light you and capture Spaceship earth just right. The added bonus being no one is missing from the shot. A magic band makes the process a lot simpler.

However do take a fast prime for genral shots around the park, f2.8 should be enough, and 30mm or 16mm for APS-C. EPCOT and holiwood studios are some of my favourite night photography spots.

Not to be sarcastic or anything, but I had to chuckle when I saw the title of this thread. I immediately thought the correct answer is "Yes, you do have to use a lens."

I second the value of buying the picture package. My grandkids refused to stand still for me to take their pictures, but cooperated fully with the Disney photographers. So we got lots of good pictures we would not have gotten.

The OP might consider trying "Hand Held Twilight" or "Anti Motion Blur" settings on the camera. I've never tried them with people as subjects, but I imagine that if you asked the subject to stand still for a second, the camera would give a decent image with almost any lens.

MeamoFan said:

Bento2 said:

Last two times I went I used my sigma 30mm 2.8 after dark and set it to superior auto. It can be kinda hectic at night to get all your settings right and you don't want to miss a moment.

The last time we went we ended up doing a picture package with the park. It was worth the cost and we got great pics. Believe it or not those kids working for Disney with the Nikons take good pictures. They are always placed in spots with lighting perfect just for them, even at night.

That way you can focus on getting more intimate photos of your kids and family and leave the staging to the mouse.

Click to expand...

I’d second this, we used the photo pass in April and Disney know what there doing. The images you get to down afterwards are very big and rich. Someone has spent a lot of time getting the flash and exposure levels just right to light you and capture Spaceship earth just right. The added bonus being no one is missing from the shot. A magic band makes the process a lot simpler.

However do take a fast prime for genral shots around the park, f2.8 should be enough, and 30mm or 16mm for APS-C. EPCOT and holiwood studios are some of my favourite night photography spots.

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My trip is coming up really soon and I won't have a chance to get a new lens before then.

Am I better off using the kit lens with the A6000 or using my RX100 iii, which has a 1" sensor, but can shoot at f1.8? I asked this in the RX100 forum, but thought it would be good to get the perspective here as well.

I'd use the a6000 and the kit lens. I think the larger sensor will beat the faster aperture at high ISO. Do a quick test at home in your living room with both cameras and see which looks better to you.