Choosing a Camera - Haunted House

ahastings

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I work for a haunted house, and I'd like to implement something similar to a "roller coaster camera" that you see at amusement parks. Simply put, a camera would be stationed at a certain position in the haunt to capture good "scare shots," which would then be available for sale at the end of the haunt. Something similar to the Nightmares Fear Factory in Niagra Falls, which has a huge gallery online (Flickr: Nightmares Fear Factory's Photostream).

I would like to use a Eye-Fi wifi SD card to automatically upload the photos to the computer at the end of the haunt (Eye-Fi Connect X2 4GB wireless SDHC memory card | Upload, organize and share photos & videos automatically | Eye-Fi). The problem I'm having is choosing a camera.

I am not a photographer, so I know very little about cameras. I would think that it should be a DSLR, even if it's lower-end, versus a point-and-shoot camera. It would need to be very responsive - no shutter lag, etc. The camera would pretty much need to take the picture immediately once it's cued so that it catches the scare at just the right moment. The room I intend to use is dimly lit. Ultimately, I would love a camera that performs well enough in low-light that I wouldn't need to use a flash, but that might not be possible, so a flash is alright too.

I don't know what camera would be excessive for this project or what camera would not be good enough. I'd like to keep the cost to a minimum if possible, however. Any guidance in choosing a camera would be appreciated! Thanks!
 
I assume it's pretty dark in the haunted house, then you'll be using flash. Depending on your budget and quality requirements for your photos, you can use the one that's built-in or a separate flash.

If you're not a photographer and you're not interested in spending time learning photography, you can get the cheapest camera and make some budget for the flash. My recommendation is:

1) Start with a Nikon D3100 (or the Canon equivalent, I think it's called 1100D, just pick the one that's more comfortable in your hands
2) If you have enough budget, get a Metz Mecablitz 50 AF-1 (or another one, but make sure it has the TTL function for maximum ease of use)

If you DO NOT buy the flash, get a spare battery for the camera. Using the built-in flash at high power will eat your batteries. If you DO get a flash, buy 2 sets of 4 rechargeable AA batteries (e.g. the Sanyo Eneloop), as flashes eat batteries anyway (a separate flash will eat its own rather than the camera's).

Have fun and good luck! Your customers will buy thousands of photos!

Bye!
 
So instead of only being scared to death, I am also going to be blind when I come out of the tunnel? I am not sure I'd ride that.

What you need is a low background light and camera that can take low light photos at decent ISO. Maybe like D7000.
 
I would not recommend the flashless route... You'd need to learn to use manual settings in order to get good shots in difficult light and, even after you do, the images will look noisy. And good luck with white balance, with a green skeleton shining on the left and a red zombie beaming on the right of your subjects.

In discos and clubs, you do not get blinded whenever someone takes a picture. I don't think it would be particularly unpleasant in a haunted house either.

If you want to shoot without the flash, DO NOT buy the kit lens with the camera. Get a very bright prime, such as a 50 F/1.8, the best bang for the buck or the 35 F/1.8, depending on subject's size and distance (best would be to bring a friend with a camera and test what kind of focal length you need for correct framing).

Ciao!
 
I can't think of any solution that doesn't involve an external flash (probably at least two). I'd say to position the camera with a radio trigger set to fire when people enter an exact spot (that has already been focused on). Have radio triggers on the two (or however many) speedlights positioned around the target location. I'd probably have another person trigger the flash right when your scare jumped out so you know you got your shot.

Quick example of the gear:

Canon Rebel T3i with kit 18-55 ($750)
2x 430EX II speedlites ($550)
4x PocketWizard Plus III transceivers ($560)

Total: $1860. This is assuming you buy everything new, but it would be an extremely solid set-up to accomplish something like you described. I'm sure you could find cheaper speedlites (especially since you won't need ETTL) and radio triggers, but I'm just going with what I personally know.
 
Lol, not only do you want blind visitors, but toasted to a crispy crunch too!
 
I'd say to position the camera with a radio trigger set to fire when people enter an exact spot
That is something you need to decide: do you want to shoot the photos yourself or do you want the camera to shoot automatically when the visitors are in some exact spot in the house?

I'm not an expert, but I would recommend:
1) If the haunted house is of the "tour" type, with a little cart that moves at constant speed along a rail, automatically triggering will work great
2) If it is a haunted house you walk around yourself, I suggest the "human solution" (it would be really hard to make it automatic and capture scared people consistently)

2x 430EX II speedlites ($550)
4x PocketWizard Plus III transceivers ($560)

I'd save money with third party flashes. Concerning triggers, I'm not sure... I mean, this is not a glamour calendar or a fashion show... Why not use one single on-camera flash?

Bye bye!
 
If you are wanting multiple cameras at multiple locations.. and the personnel using them are not photographers... I do not recommend DSLRs. To get good photos would require knowledge on the part of the user, better lenses / bodies for low light focusing... and the cost would be more than you are probably wanting to spend.

Some decent Bridge camera's with built in flash would be your cheapest and best option.. put them in AUTO.. pop up the flash.. and hand them out to anybody (no knowledge needed). I would suggest something like the Canon SX40.. as it will allow you to add additional flash if needed.
 
I really think alot of my friends here are making it a bit harder and more complicated than it needs to be.

To do this right, you're going to need to spend some money. This is all you'd really need to have it done:

Nikon D3100/D90, depending on your budget
Nikon SB-600/SB-700
Flash cable
Gary Fong Lightsphere

Set up the camera, with a person to snap the shot connected. Connect that to the flash cable. Connect the flash cable to the flash. Connect the flash to the diffuser. Point the diffuser toward the ceiling. Your flashlight now acts like a high-intensity lightbulb and will light up the whole place, diffusing any shadows that may still be there. You'll need quite a few sets of batteries for the flash, and probably 2 for the camera, just to be safe. Knock-offs will work fine for the camera. Try to stick with good batteries for the flash. You'll be using alot of power.

Mark
 
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