photographing the race

[Hannah1284]

Hello All!

I am considering video-taping my Disneyland Half in September and possibly the WDW Full in January. My questions are, do you normally run with a camera? Still or video? What do you like/not like about the camera you use? Can you recommend a video camera to carry or set up to mount the camera (go pro has a chest mount)?

Thanks!

H

 

[wdwmagic]

I took a point and shoot still camera on a 5K once, and it was a pain. It was too dark to get decent photos early in the morning, and was not good to carry around. A video stunt cam type thing would be a better bet, such as the go-pro. It would still probably bug me though, and I don't think bouncy the footage is really worth it.

 

[JillC LI]

I can't imagine that the video footage you would get while running would be too enjoyable to watch afterwards. I don't like to carry anything I don't have to while running. I brought a Kodak one-time use camera to a race once, and the pics came out awful, but then again, I didn't come to a full stop before shooting. Sorry I can't be more helpful. Others on this sub-forum have taken some good race pics at Disney and might be able to help you more.

 

[Kristia]

My hubbie took some GoPro footage from our Disney Marathon this year. It wasn't too bad except for the fact that he bought the wrist holder for it thinking that it would be the most comfortable but the angles are kind of weird. He also forgot to totally charge it beforehand, so we didn't get alot of footage. Here are a few videos that we did get:





I could have sworn that I had one of us running down Main Street, but I can't find it in my PB account. They didn't come out the best, but I think if we rethink it a little it may work better. One thing that I like about the GoPro for making videos is that it is super wide angle so it shows everything.

 

[Kristia]

Found it! Yeah, we definitely need to get the chest strap to keep it upright. The resolution is probably better during the day but we didn't take any during the day since the battery died which was totally our fault.

 

[LindsayLoves]

I ran the entire WDW Marathon this year with a point and shoot camera in my hand. I did not train with this and planned on putting it in my SpiBelt if it really started bothering me but with the strap around my wrist I felt pretty comfortable holding it. I saw some folks during the race with gopro cameras in hand or attached to a hat/helmet like thing. Are you planning on filming you entire hour and half + race or just snippets?

 

[dreamfinder]

I've seen people run with a handheld boom type setup (gotta get tiring after a few miles). I've also seen people running with a GoPro type chest mount. I know at least one of them usually wears a shirt/carries a sign with a URL on it, but I've never paid enough attention. Personally anything more than a few seconds would get a bit boring and tough to watch. If you had some phenomenal stabliization system to smooth out the running, then it would be kinda cool.

For normal photos, tons of people carry iPhones with them. I find they work fairly well, except for any pictures prior to say 6 or so. At those its usually too dark and the CM too far away for the flash to be much good. If you don't have one, or don't want to carry it with you, then any small point and shoot will work ok. If its sweat/water proof even better. Between sweat, humidity, water stations etc they can take a beating. Remember that you will need to find some way to carry it, and even though the extra 8-12oz (or whatever it weighs) may not seem like much over a short distance, carrying it for 2-6 hours (or however long you estimate to finish) will start to get heavy by the end.

 

[wdwmagic]

I've seen people run with a handheld boom type setup (gotta get tiring after a few miles). I've also seen people running with a GoPro type chest mount. I know at least one of them usually wears a shirt/carries a sign with a URL on it, but I've never paid enough attention. Personally anything more than a few seconds would get a bit boring and tough to watch. If you had some phenomenal stabliization system to smooth out the running, then it would be kinda cool.

LOL yeah you need a $20k 100lb steadycam rig to get that working nicely.

 

[Hannah1284]

Sounds like DH's "action" or "tough" point and shoot might be the best bet for the race. Perhaps a flip cam, too... Good news is we have more than 6 months to figure it out!

 

[fmingo36]

Hannah--this was discussed not too long ago on this sub-forum. The discussion was more about taking pictures not video-taping but I think there was some good responses that might help you.

Here is the link...
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/taking-photos-during-the-race.866260/