Family Disney trip, 2020 edition

I took a trip just a few years ago with 2 little ones (both younger than yours) and wanted to weigh in on the good advice you've gotten so far.

I took a 12-35/2.8, a 35-100/2.8, and the 20/1.7 on my trip and the 12-35 was on the camera 97% of the time.

It's a great FL range for capturing:

• the kids in front of the major landmarks (entrance, castle, favorite rides),
• whole floats with dancers as the parades go by,
• videos of the slower, low-intensity rides (one of my favorites is from Dumbo, shooting backwards from my elephant catching the other half of my family riding and smiling and the park whirling around in the background), but don't get too caught up in trying to record all the rides, experience them with the kids!
• great, messy candids of their first Mickey ice creams,
• video of the castle and fireworks at night, and 
• your kids at character greetings (even dining indoors, though ask for a seat by the window for the best lighting).

Be warned, this is based on a pre-pandemic WDW, so some experiences may be different at the moment (I imagine character greetings are impacted, at the very least).

If you really want a second lens, then one of your fast primes for indoor/evening (wider is better for most opportunities in the park, but I agree the 20 is not ideal for this kind of trip).  If you are thinking of doing Animal Kingdom and are planning on taking in the zoo-like exhibits, you might want the 35-100 for that day.

I can't speak to G7 vs G9 (I've a GX7), but IBIS is certainly helpful with little ones adding camera shake or for low-light shots of the castle lit up at night. Some of your shots might be one-handed while pushing a stroller or while one or both are climbing up you.

I totally get the budgetary constraints of kids and think you can certainly get great results with the lenses you have.  The following suggestions are nowhere near as much as a lens, but are worth considering to simplify your day:

For a tripod, I found smaller was better. You'll find plenty of trash cans, benches, walls, etc. to put the camera/tripod combo on and could likely do without a full-size setup. I took a tabletop one (Manfrotto Pixi, $25), which was easy to carry and quick to deploy/pack up.  If you go this route, make sure the G9+lens can be supported by whatever style you get.

At 5, you may still be considering strollers for the kids, which has the nice bonus of giving you a place to store all your non-camera gear (although I would leave the tripod, big or small with the stroller).   This frees up a shoulder and your back to carry your camera on you at all times.  I highly suggest the smallest sling your gear fits into, something like a Thinktank TurnStyle ($70-$100, depending on size) for quick access, but keeps out of the way and your arms free for carrying one of the twins or a pepperjack-stuffed pretzel.  I had no problems taking a TurnStyle on the rides (granted we weren't doing the big coasters) by putting it at my feet (strap over my knee for added control).  Shoulder bags might be cheaper, but tend to crash into kids when you lean over to pick them up, etc, which neither the camera, kid, nor other parent appreciate.

I hope you have a great time!

There were some comments earlier re: taking a camera bag on rides at Disney. In my past few visits to Disney World, I've used my Mindshift Panorama 22L backpack, and never had an issue taking it with me on an attraction. We don't get on the roller coasters, so that I can't speak to. In any situation where I couldn't hold it in my arms or rest it at my feet, there were moderately sized storage areas at the seat location.

Of course, one can never be certain when regulations might change.

Universal was not so accommodating, and there were a handful of attractions that my wife and I had to pass on, because the bag exceeded their restrictions, and their storage lockers were too small to accommodate it.

Brian

I’d take the Panny 15 1.7 and the 12-35 2.8 (miss mine since I sold it),.. but the 14-140 3.5-5.6ii may be a great “all day lens b/c wide to tele amd no changes except for inside (that’s where the 15 1.7 coms into play!

i also have a Fuji X70 and that 28mm eq lens plus the digital zoom is handy,. It’s be nice if m4/3 had a small camera similar to this,.

i wonder about the LX100 1 or 2?? I haven’t used either but I hear they are great!

cheers

Mike F