Recommendations for Theme Park Carrying (Backpack, Sling Bag, Shoulder Bag)
- Thread starter dddwyer1981
- Start date
dddwyer1981
Senior Member
I concur with not leaving anything in the stroller. I don't let it out of my sight. Disney is pretty friendly with being able to bring the bags on most rides (or at least the one's my 2 year old will go on).
I'll see how this upcoming weekend goes, but might look for a small backpack/sling bag to work 1 extra lens, and memory cards.
I'll see how this upcoming weekend goes, but might look for a small backpack/sling bag to work 1 extra lens, and memory cards.
Before I went to Walt Disney World in Florida I did a lot of research on pictures that had been taken down there. What I found was that the vast majority of pictures were taken from 18mm to around 40mm. I took my Nikon D7000 with a Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 lens and probably used it for 95% or better of all my pictures down there. I have stepped up to the D600 full frame with the Tamron 24-70 F2.8 and this is what I would take now. You have a lot more trouble getting wide enough and fast enough than needing to zoom in with a long telephoto shot. You can check out my pictures HERE if you would like to see some examples.
This is one of many examples in my gallery that found the faster glass a big help. This was taken handheld a little after midnight looking from the rear of Cinderella's Castle. If you look through the walkway in the castle you can see all the way down main street and see the big Christmas tree in front of the train station at the opposite end of main street. You don't take shots like this without the faster glass. Many of my images were taken way after dark or inside using the Nikon D7000 with the Sigma F2.8 17-50mm lens.
This is one of many examples in my gallery that found the faster glass a big help. This was taken handheld a little after midnight looking from the rear of Cinderella's Castle. If you look through the walkway in the castle you can see all the way down main street and see the big Christmas tree in front of the train station at the opposite end of main street. You don't take shots like this without the faster glass. Many of my images were taken way after dark or inside using the Nikon D7000 with the Sigma F2.8 17-50mm lens.
Last edited:
dddwyer1981
Senior Member
So I've been experiencing the theme park scene with our annual passes every weekend for the last 4, and have some updates to share. Most of my stuff has been during the horrible Florida daylight hours, and the theme parks are absolutely brilliant at providing harsh shadows to deal with throughout the day. Nevertheless, I've been finding I use my 24-70mm as my primary weapon. This is completely in line with the recommendations from the forum. So as always, everyone's advice is spot on.
I have only found a couple of practical uses for the 70-200mm range. When my daughter rides the Carousel, and there are a couple areas in Epcot where you can stand across a bridge and the extra reach comes in handy.
As far as a bag to carry the gear (what this post originally started out as), I picked up a Thinktank Sling-o-Matic 10, and all I can say is that I love the bag. I hang it over the back of the stroller while we're walking the parks. I throw it over my shoulder when we go on a ride, and it sits nicely and easily on my lap. I am also able to keep the D5000 on my shoulder with my Cinch Strap and have the bag as well.
I don't think the Sling bag would be my choice if I had to keep it mounted on my back all day, and it was fully packed, but if you keep it light, it really isn't too bad. I walked around 6 hours with my SB-600, extra batteries, memory cards, white balance caps, and a prime lens in the bag and never had to switch shoulders. Worked like a champ.
Thanks for all the advice, putting it to use has been fun over the last month.
I have only found a couple of practical uses for the 70-200mm range. When my daughter rides the Carousel, and there are a couple areas in Epcot where you can stand across a bridge and the extra reach comes in handy.
As far as a bag to carry the gear (what this post originally started out as), I picked up a Thinktank Sling-o-Matic 10, and all I can say is that I love the bag. I hang it over the back of the stroller while we're walking the parks. I throw it over my shoulder when we go on a ride, and it sits nicely and easily on my lap. I am also able to keep the D5000 on my shoulder with my Cinch Strap and have the bag as well.
I don't think the Sling bag would be my choice if I had to keep it mounted on my back all day, and it was fully packed, but if you keep it light, it really isn't too bad. I walked around 6 hours with my SB-600, extra batteries, memory cards, white balance caps, and a prime lens in the bag and never had to switch shoulders. Worked like a champ.
Thanks for all the advice, putting it to use has been fun over the last month.