«

Just got back from a family vacation at Walt Disney World. Each theme
park there has a bunch of Disney employees armed with digital cameras
taking photos of guests. Guests can then review the photos as they leave
the parks and buy them if they like. The system they've got setup works
pretty well.

They use stock Canon G3 cameras equiped with a flash bracket and Canon
flash (some had the Speedlight 220EX others the 440EX) and operate them
in Auto mode. They use 128MB CF cards.
(http://www.pbase.com/image/24142561)

Each CF card goes out with the photographer with a small pad of paper.
On one side of the pages is a sequentially number and bar code (though I
never saw the bar codes used) and on the other a simple map showing the
location where you could review the photos. As each photo is taken, the
photographer tears off a sheet and hands it to the guest.

Runners go around to each photographer hourly to pick up the CF cards and
return them to a central location where the photos are downloaded and
deleted for use again. All photos have some special touches (Disney
Characters, the park's logo, etc.) added ontop of the image.

When the guest is ready to leave the park, they visit the camera shop
(which is always near the park entrance/exit) and hand the numbered slip
(s) to the clerk who brings up a page that includes that photo as well as
the previous 10 and next 10. The clerk tags the ones that are yours and
then flips the image on the monitor (which is built into the countertop)
for your viewing pleasure.

Pick the ones you want to buy and a couple minutes later they are printed
out and ready to go. Results are very good and run about $12 for a 5x7,
$17 for an 8x10. They've also got bigger packages and sheets including
5x7 and wallets.

Chatting with a couple of the photographers, they mentioned that they
loved the G3 though found it a bit slow at times (squirming children can
make that second or two between shots seem like an eternity). One
photographer also mentioned that they've had some problem with durability
with the G3 but that's all been from drops, not wear and tear as far as
he knew.

He also mentioned that they had been trying to get wireless data transfer
working (using various 802.11 technologies) but had a lot of problems
with interference.

$12 and $17? The mouse gets richer yet..next they will not allow you
to take in your own camera or are they that way now?

chris

On Sun, 14 Dec 2003 14:28:34 -0600, Tony Rice
<> wrote:

>Just got back from a family vacation at Walt Disney World. Each theme
>park there has a bunch of Disney employees armed with digital cameras
>taking photos of guests. Guests can then review the photos as they leave
>the parks and buy them if they like. The system they've got setup works
>pretty well.
>
>They use stock Canon G3 cameras equiped with a flash bracket and Canon
>flash (some had the Speedlight 220EX others the 440EX) and operate them
>in Auto mode. They use 128MB CF cards.
>(http://www.pbase.com/image/24142561)
>
>Each CF card goes out with the photographer with a small pad of paper.
>On one side of the pages is a sequentially number and bar code (though I
>never saw the bar codes used) and on the other a simple map showing the
>location where you could review the photos. As each photo is taken, the
>photographer tears off a sheet and hands it to the guest.
>
>Runners go around to each photographer hourly to pick up the CF cards and
>return them to a central location where the photos are downloaded and
>deleted for use again. All photos have some special touches (Disney
>Characters, the park's logo, etc.) added ontop of the image.
>
>When the guest is ready to leave the park, they visit the camera shop
>(which is always near the park entrance/exit) and hand the numbered slip
>(s) to the clerk who brings up a page that includes that photo as well as
>the previous 10 and next 10. The clerk tags the ones that are yours and
>then flips the image on the monitor (which is built into the countertop)
>for your viewing pleasure.
>
>Pick the ones you want to buy and a couple minutes later they are printed
>out and ready to go. Results are very good and run about $12 for a 5x7,
>$17 for an 8x10. They've also got bigger packages and sheets including
>5x7 and wallets.
>
>Chatting with a couple of the photographers, they mentioned that they
>loved the G3 though found it a bit slow at times (squirming children can
>make that second or two between shots seem like an eternity). One
>photographer also mentioned that they've had some problem with durability
>with the G3 but that's all been from drops, not wear and tear as far as
>he knew.
>
>He also mentioned that they had been trying to get wireless data transfer
>working (using various 802.11 technologies) but had a lot of problems
>with interference.

I wonder if they'll give you a copy of the original image file, assuming of
course you purchase a print.

Mark

> $12 and $17? The mouse gets richer yet..next they will not allow you
> to take in your own camera or are they that way now?

They were good with that when I was there. You were allowed to take pictures
yourself, and they would even take one with your camera for you, as long as
you let them take a picture as well.

R

"Sockmonkey" <> wrote in
news:YH8Db.10691$OJ.2013@edtnps84:

>> $12 and $17? The mouse gets richer yet..next they will not allow you
>> to take in your own camera or are they that way now?

Nobody is forcing anyone to either pose for the photos or to buy them. We
stopped at nearly every photographer. You never know when they'll get a
really good one, especially with kids involved. We did buy a 5x7 print
when the photographer's shots turned out better than mine. In that case it
was worth the $12 for me, for all the others that were shot but not
purchased, it wasn't.

> They were good with that when I was there. You were allowed to take
> pictures yourself, and they would even take one with your camera for
> you, as long as you let them take a picture as well.

Yup, I had Disney's photographers use my G3 to take photos just to see if
they'd do it. They never hesitated. One did take one with his camera as
well grinned handing me the slip and said, see what it looks like with a
some fill flash. Fair enough.