Following our report that Disney PhotoPass was upgrading its equipment to Sony cameras, we have an update. According to Cast Members that we spoke with, in combination with on-the-ground observation, it looks like Walt Disney World is rolling out the new cameras at two of its theme parks. While we’ve seen Disney test the cameras at most of their theme parks, both EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios have rolled out the cameras to all of their PhotoPass photographers.
New Sony PhotoPass Cameras Roll Out to EPCOT, Hollywood Studios
All Disney PhotoPass Cast Members that we saw at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and EPCOT were using the Sony cameras – an upgraded camera and lens compared to Nikon D7500 cameras of the past.
PhotoPass Cast Members at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom will receive the updated cameras at a later date. Walt Disney World did not return a request for comment about the new cameras or rollout timeline.
For years, Walt Disney World had a partnership with Nikon. That partnership not only included Nikon branding in the theme parks, but it also extended to the camera equipment that Disney used for its Disney PhotoPass service.
The Nikon partnership, first announced in 2013, came to an end in 2021. We were the first to announce the end of the partnership. Shortly following our article about the end of the partnership, we started to see Nikon branding removed from the theme parks. While the Nikon branding has long been removed, what remained was the camera equipment utilized by Disney PhotoPass photographers.
Walt Disney World is upgrading to a Sony A7IV, a significant step up from the Nikon D7500 camera body that was widely utilized around Walt Disney World. Disney is no stranger to Sony cameras, having used them for years now for some of their boutique photo offerings.
The Sony A7IV camera body alone is worth the upgrade and will lead to significantly improved photos. That said, Disney is also utilizing the 24-105 f4 G-series lens, paired with a Sony flash attachment. The entire ecosystem should allow Disney PhotoPass to produce some wonderful quality photos for guests.
The change in camera type bumps Disney from a crop sensor to a full-frame sensor, which should allow for higher-quality images. Improved image stabilization, while probably not completely necessary given Disney’s setup, is another feature of the new camera body. An improved LCD screen is another upgrade that should allow PhotoPass photographers some extra flexibility when capturing photos.
When you combine the $2700 camera body with a $1400 lens (I’m sure Disney isn’t paying full price for either), we should see a greatly improved end result. While the in-camera image should be significantly improved over the current fleet of Nikon D7500s, Disney could still apply editing that will likely downsize the image and, perhaps, affect overall image quality.
As a final teaser, we’re told that the new camera upgrades won’t end at the theme parks, but more on that a little later!
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
