[slejhamer]

Taking my daughter to the Nationals-Yankees game over Father's Day weekend. Dugout section, off first base. Fantastic seats.

I was wondering if DSLRs are allowed in the park, and apparently they are - but only with 'short' lenses:

Cameras And Video Equipment
Guests are permitted to bring cameras and video equipment into Nationals Park, provided that they are intended for personal use only. Cameras with a lens longer than eight (8) inches may not be brought inside of Nationals Park, except by credentialed media.

How did 8 inches become the cutoff point? Seems kind of odd to me ... but I guess they can't regulate focal length very easily.

Anyway, very pleased that my Tamron 70-300mm VC DI ABC YYZ lens is a mere 6 inches long. Without the hood, of course.

Looking forward to some good baseball and shooting!

[matthew]

That should be a great time – baseball is one of those things that's vastly better with good seats, and yours sound excellent.

It must be a matter of enforceability – they need a rule that's specific and can be applied by someone who's just walked in off the street. I suppose there's also the matter of obstructing (or even hitting) others with an overly-long lens during the excitement, but I've yet to get the impression that the venue is more concerned with the comfort of their guests than with the ability to control and profit from the rights to the images/broadcast. (as, I concede, is their right.) But when I last went to a game in Toronto, years and years ago, my lens was quite a bit longer than that and wasn't a problem at all.

Apparently the restriction for the 2012 Olympics is going to be 30cm… you can get a mighty long reach out of a Nikon mirrorless, or even a four-thirds mirrorless camera, with a lens that size. The Fuji X-S1 'compact' superzoom has a 640mm lens, and is well under those restrictions as well.

But I wonder if some bright spark will argue that 30cm is 300mm, and the white Canon f/2.8 lens has "300mm" engraved right on the barrel, so it must be acceptable…

[shuttertalk]

Yeah I suppose it's more of a safety thing as a courtesy to other spectators too... although does that 8 inch rule apply to those giant hand things as well?? Haha...

[slejhamer]

I've dug up some big disparities among sporting arena policies; this was one of the more curious (from Conseco Fieldhouse in Indiana):

Non-professional lenses are generally defined as lenses less than 6 – 8” in length, and black in color. Professional cameras (generally defined as a camera with a detachable lenses longer than 6 – 8”, or large lenses that are dark grey in color) are PROHIBITED.

So size AND color matter! All those grey lenses ... lol.

I'll probably bring the big Tammy, the wide-angle Sigma, and the little pocket Sony just in case ...

Oh, I did find this on the web, which makes me think I'm safe:
"I took my Rebel to a Washington Nationals game (MLB) and security measured my 55-250mm lens against a dollar bill. Since it was shorter than a dollar bill it wasn't considered a professional zoom and I was allowed to use it. "

The old dollar bill test, of course.

But I'll bring a copy of their policy page with me!

[slejhamer]

does that 8 inch rule apply to those giant hand things as well?? Haha...

They better not block my view!!!