Camera at the Circus?

[Mum2J&M]

I'm going to the Ringling Brothers circus with my kids this morning and am debating whether or not to bother bringing the camera. I'm not taking pics of the circus so much as pics of my kids watching it. I'd just bring my 50 1.2 since it'll be low-light. Anyone know the rules for this? I'm going to check the website now.

[Mum2J&M]

Know what? To heck with it. From what I've read, it's too much of a risk. I don't want to have to leave my camera in the car or have it confiscated. They have an asterisk about being allowed to bring cameras. And we'll all be searched. What is this world coming to!

[Dan-A]

When i went last year, i took my 30D and Tamron 28-75. They gave me a little greif when i was being searched. Then they said it was ok as long as the lens wasn't more that 5" long. So i breifly disconnected the lens to show them it wasn't longer than 5" and they let me take it in. I'm looking at getting the Canon 55-250 to take with me this year, since is it a little over 4" and gives me longer reach. I'll just bump the ISO up. I also plan on calling this year and making sure the rules are the same.

[neumanns]

Last circus I went to (wasn't ringling) had all kinds of notices about no camera's and no picturetaking. The notices were along the lines of, there act was propriatory info....I think it had to do more with the fear of being sued.

Nobody said anything, and I got a couple cute shot's of the kids.

[poloman]

I went to ringling last winter and brought my bag with both lenses.
It is venue dependent. I called first and they told me no prob as long as I didn't bring a tripod. As they had said...no prob. We even got a little extra attention from some of the performers when they saw the 77mm diameter of my lense.
Call the venue.

[buto]

I went to the circus on Saturday at the Staples center in downtown LA. I knew better than to bring my 70-200. I just had my Tamron 17-50 2.8 on and had a lot of grief from it. But that was from Staples employees and not the circus people