Mellon Arena - NHL Game w/10D ??

[rhuel]

I'll be going to a Pens game for my birthday Dec 23 and our seats are in the 7th row. My wife surprised me with this last night. We'll be staying in a hotel downtown and doing dinner beforehand. I can't wait!! I'd like to get some good pics for personal use, but don't think my P&S Nikon L18 will do a great job. I'd like to take my 10D along, but am concerned I'll get refused at the gate.

I checked Mellon Arena's camera policies for this event and they are:

"CAMERA AND VIDEO POLICY: small personal still camera (preferably disposable) equipped with 3 inch lens or smaller. Video, audio and professional camera and recording devices are strictly prohibited in the Arena"

Do they consider a 10D with a nifty-fifty a Professional camera? Has anyone had experience with taking an ungripped 10D (or similar) with a 50mm lens mounted into an event such as this without a press pass?


Thanks!!

[Darsk47]

Been there done that with a Rebel XT and kit lens in 2006. No issues. Even let me wander down to the glass to shoot the warmup. My chair was in the nosebleeds.

But it will probably be at the discretion of security at the door. They're Cup champs again and are getting lots of attention these days.

[Nick5]

Tell Mark Recchi I said hi.

[joe l.]

You might be able to get away with the smaller lens, but have a backup plan to go back to the car to store it just in case. Was at tonight's Pens vs Habs game and saw them turn away a guy with an XTi and 75-300 lens, so anything like that will very likely get a no.

At one point they were trying to make a distinction of "removable lenses" being "professional", don't know if that still holds. As mentioned earlier, will probably depend who you get at the door.

[djvkool]

How about those super-zooms, I mean they are not that big size-wise..??

[Lacks_focus]

I took my old 10D into and AHL game once. The arena had similar rules. I brought a 85 f/1.8 attached and had a Kenko 1.4 converter in my pocket. Worked OK. Funny, I have none of that gear any longer. I miss the 10D, and that 85 1.8!

I didn't have the best seats; I didn't take too many shots. The nice thing about AHL and NHL rinks is THE LIGHT!

http://lacks-focus.smugmug.com/Sports/AHL-Norfolk-vs-Philadelphia/IMG1703/127994034_ZJPZL-O.jpg

I think this one was cropped a bit, but still not bad considering where I was sitting.
http://lacks-focus.smugmug.com/Sports/AHL-Norfolk-vs-Philadelphia/IMG1672/127993981_Nokjt-O.jpg

[rhuel]

My plan was to have the 50mm mounted and have the 75-300mm in my wife's purse ;) or in my pocket. "I'm happy to see the Pens, Mr. Security Guard??"

We'll be staying at a hotel close by, but a 15 minute walk to the arena. Not sure if I'll even bother. I don't think the 50mm will do well at all, unless I want pics of the people in front of me. No tubes either.

Not sure what to do.

[PaulaLynn]

OMG! I am sooooooooooooo jealous :p

Not taken at a game, but my most treasured possession... "no thats not my kid in the pic, (quick grab) I just really love his expression"

http://www.photography.ca/Forums/attachments/f2/3993d1250010787-so-cute-20090807-img_4580.jpg

[mgrover]

I brought my 40D and 70-200 2.8 to a Bruins game once. the 1st security guard didn't even want to see in the bag, but there was another guy further inside. He stopped me and said I couldn't bring it in. I told him that the other security guard said it was ok. He said he needed to talk to his supervisor. After a couple of minutes of looking for his supervisor, he said go ahead... Guess I got lucky.

[milehighpres]

hand carry it in....if anything take the lens off put it in your wifes purse and put a lens cap on the body...they will never know....IM from pittsburgh never had any problems..even got into the nassau collisum with my 1D MK3 and 24-70 2.8f in the way i just told you...and the guy asked if it was an underwater camera...lol

it will be near christmas...so if they give you a hard time tell them to have a little christmas spirt

[rhuel]

Well, I carried the 10D in without a lens mounted. I had the 50mm in my pocket and my wife didn't take her purse, so I put the 75-300mm in a buddy's hood of his sweatshirt. He walked right in, my wife didn't even get patted down and I was concerned when the guy was patting me and paused and said "Hold on a minute" and got a second and third feel of my inside pocket. He was feeling the 50mm lens. after 5 seconds or so, he said "you're good" and let me in.

My buddy's season tickets were pretty darn good. We were about 15 rows up from the glass (not 7 like I thought) to the left of Goal.

I got some decent pictures for using a 10D and a 75-300mm f/4-5.6 lens. I shot in RAW and could probably spend more time in PP to get them better, but I'm tired and didn't want to spend hours processing them tonight. Crop, Auto Levels, Auto Contrast, Auto WB, Auto Exposure, and Noiseware Professional (Weaker Noise) settings were used in CS3.

They're not SportsShooter material, but they're good enough for me!!! It was a great game as the Pens beat the Senators 8-2 and Malkin had a Hat Trick.

Best Birthday I can remember...quite possibly the best one yet!!! My wife is awesome!!

http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs143.snc3/17046_1312718060138_1296246715_30898203_8005189_n. jpg

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs123.snc3/17046_1312717740130_1296246715_30898196_6515932_n. jpg

http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs123.snc3/17046_1312717780131_1296246715_30898197_2055652_n. jpg

http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs123.snc3/17046_1312718220142_1296246715_30898207_4765341_n. jpg

http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs143.snc3/17046_1312717940135_1296246715_30898201_6590931_n. jpg

http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs123.snc3/17046_1312718180141_1296246715_30898206_6112497_n. jpg

http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs143.snc3/17046_1312718620152_1296246715_30898217_1063778_n. jpg

http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs143.snc3/17046_1312718780156_1296246715_30898221_3335495_n. jpg

[By-tor]

Nice shots... But god I hate the Pens..

[Darsk47]

Glad it worked for you.
BTW - in your 4th shot, that linesman (#75) is a friend of mine...you got him mid drop.

[jsnoah]

Nice shots.. .but Hockey is dumb.. and the fact that the NHL has that whole licensing thing like the NBA and NFL pisses me right off. Makes it worse... Tried to get in with a 28-70 and the security told me to bring it back to the car... Missed shooting the game... Stupid hockey...

[4thunder]

Nice shots.. .but Hockey is dumb.. and the fact that the NHL has that whole licensing thing like the NBA and NFL pisses me right off. Makes it worse... Tried to get in with a 28-70 and the security told me to bring it back to the car... Missed shooting the game... Stupid hockey...


Hockey is not the problem, the problem is the NHL. I tried to purchase an Avs patch once in Denver. I was told the NHL would not allow them to sell patches. When I inquired about it, I was told they were afraid that someone would sew the patch on some ratty piece of clothing and make people think bad of hockey. Maybe it back fired...

Hockey is the greatest game on the planet. The NHL is trying to make it something it is not and they are micro managing too much, all of this is IMHO.

4T

[Darsk47]

Pro sports is a business. It's all about money and image, and a better image usually means more money. So it's all about money.

The league managers are protecting 360 degrees of their interests.

Play inside the rules, push the envelope when you can and learn to live with it.

The alternative is to get more money than they have, become league management,and change the rules. (of course that doesn't always work either as in the Jim Balsille case - the Canadian multi-billionaire trying to buy an NHL team)

[chuckie365]

That is one of the reasons i like shooting the Sabres at HSBC arena. I was in there with a 5D MKII and a 100-400mm lens with no issues. I had to shoot at a crazy ISO but still that extra zoom helped quite a bit. Will try and post some shots when i get a few to pp them...

[Silvertree]

Thanks for posting this. I bought my wife and I tickets to the upcoming Ottawa and Wings games for her birthday. Yes, she loves the Pens enough she was thrilled. I am going to try to get my 7D and a couple of lenses in. Too bad I haven't upgraded my 70-200 f/4 IS to the f/2.8 yet. Oh well, I will try to make due.

[rhuel]

Thanks for posting this. I bought my wife and I tickets to the upcoming Ottawa and Wings games for her birthday. Yes, she loves the Pens enough she was thrilled. I am going to try to get my 7D and a couple of lenses in. Too bad I haven't upgraded my 70-200 f/4 IS to the f/2.8 yet. Oh well, I will try to make due.

Good luck getting in with those lenses. I think they would have turned me away if I had the 75-300 in my pocket.

I think the pics will turn out much better than mine with your gear.

Post pics here if you'd like. I won't consider it a hijack. ;)