Yankees Stadium - D5100 + 55-300mm OK?

Hi there.
I'm going to NYC and I'll watch a baseball game in loco.

Do you think they will allow me to enter the stadium with my D5100 plus a 55-300 lens?

It is written on the ticket information that professional cameras and long zoom lenses would not be permitted.
But the D5100 and the 55-300mm are consumer products.

Can I presume they are talking about the professional bodies and the professional tele photo lenses that costs $ 5.000 or more and are really really really big, long and large and are used by professional photographers on the side of the field and attached to monopods?
My D5100 + the 55-300mm can put me in trouble?
Do they know the (obvious) difference?

How about my D5100 + Tamron 18-270mm?

On the last TV game I watched yesterday I looked for people with DSLRs and could find some in the crowd. Wasn't in the Yankees Stadium though.

I have never been to any sport event like this in US so I have no idea if it is common to people to take their DSLRs and zoom lenses into stadiums in US.
Is it common?

Thanks for any help.

The gate staff at the ground are unlikely to be trained in camera recognition but the screaming red Nikon flash and brilliant yellow Nikon strap might cause some teeny-weeny problems and your logical unflawed technical arguments will get you nowhere. Flip a coin -- heads you take it, tails you leave it. Are you feeling lucky?
--
JustaMinute

DannyGord said:

Hi there.
I'm going to NYC and I'll watch a baseball game in loco.

Do you think they will allow me to enter the stadium with my D5100 plus a 55-300 lens?

It is written on the ticket information that professional cameras and long zoom lenses would not be permitted.
But the D5100 and the 55-300mm are consumer products.

Can I presume they are talking about the professional bodies and the professional tele photo lenses that costs $ 5.000 or more and are really really really big, long and large and are used by professional photographers on the side of the field and attached to monopods?
My D5100 + the 55-300mm can put me in trouble?
Do they know the (obvious) difference?

Click to expand...

I'm sure that they've known the difference for a long, long time. I assume (not always a good thing) that the Yankee's rules prohibit the "pro" lenses that include the 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lenses that cost far less than $5000 and won't mind you bringing the 55-300mm VR lens with you. The only problem is that 55mm on the D5100 gives you the viewing angle of almost an 85mm lens on a film SLR or FX sensor DSLR and that's a modest telephoto focal length that won't allow you to take in the full playing field, so I hope that you're also bringing a second lens. For my next assumption, I'll assume that you also have the 18-55mm kit lens. If I had a D5100 and the 55-300mm lens I'd either take both lenses, or more likely, just the 55-300mm lens and a small P&S camera that would provide the missing wide angle coverage, could be easily carried in a pocket, maybe even a side pocket of a camera bag, and would insure that you wouldn't miss any shots due to swapping lenses.

DannyGord said:

How about my D5100 + Tamron 18-270mm?

Click to expand...

That's much more practical than just using the 55-300mm Nikkor. I haven't used either of these lenses but if they both focus accurately and at about the same speed it should be a no brainer to take the Tamron. If the Nikkor focuses more quickly though . . .

DannyGord said:

On the last TV game I watched yesterday I looked for people with DSLRs and could find some in the crowd. Wasn't in the Yankees Stadium though.

Click to expand...

You can probably find a phone number for the Yankees that might get you in touch with someone that knows more about what cameras and lenses are allowed than the skimpy info. printed on your ticket.

DannyGord said:

I have never been to any sport event like this in US so I have no idea if it is common to people to take their DSLRs and zoom lenses into stadiums in US.
Is it common?

Click to expand...

Each team makes their own rules, so assume nothing! Oops.

I took my D/90 and a couple of lenses to the Royals game last week. I had checked ahead and was surprised that they had no limitations for still OR video cameras! Of course, it IS the Royals, after all... Sigh.

Got the message.
Maybe it is better to forget about it and take only my iPhone 4.

Will think.

tadj said:

The gate staff at the ground are unlikely to be trained in camera recognition but the screaming red Nikon flash and brilliant yellow Nikon strap might cause some teeny-weeny problems and your logical unflawed technical arguments will get you nowhere. Flip a coin -- heads you take it, tails you leave it. Are you feeling lucky?
--
JustaMinute

Click to expand...

Billx08 said:

I'm sure that they've known the difference for a long, long time. I assume (not always a good thing) that the Yankee's rules prohibit the "pro" lenses that include the 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lenses that cost far less than $5000 and won't mind you bringing the 55-300mm VR lens with you. The only problem is that 55mm on the D5100 gives you the viewing angle of almost an 85mm lens on a film SLR or FX sensor DSLR and that's a modest telephoto focal length that won't allow you to take in the full playing field, so I hope that you're also bringing a second lens.

Click to expand...

Hold on, wouldn't the 55-300 provide better telephoto capabilities than the 70-200 at the longer end (talking about pure magnification)

I assume that 70-200's aperture is wider than the 55-300, so would it benefit in taking better pictures in lower light than the 55-300 ?

Thanks for the answer.

Yeah. If I decide to go with my D5100 I'll to take also my 18-55 kit lens and the 35mm 1.8. They all live in my Lowepro bag anyway.

Or it is even better to take my all-in-one Tamron 18-270mm. It's not the best lens around but a good option in occasions like this. Relatively small, nice focal length range and no lens changing.

But in fact I'm starting to think it is a better idea to leave the camera in the hotel and just use the iPhone 4 for some HD video and some pics.
It would be a drag to have any problem to get in.

Thanks again.

Billx08 said:

DannyGord said:

Hi there.
I'm going to NYC and I'll watch a baseball game in loco.

Do you think they will allow me to enter the stadium with my D5100 plus a 55-300 lens?

It is written on the ticket information that professional cameras and long zoom lenses would not be permitted.
But the D5100 and the 55-300mm are consumer products.

Can I presume they are talking about the professional bodies and the professional tele photo lenses that costs $ 5.000 or more and are really really really big, long and large and are used by professional photographers on the side of the field and attached to monopods?
My D5100 + the 55-300mm can put me in trouble?
Do they know the (obvious) difference?

Click to expand...

I'm sure that they've known the difference for a long, long time. I assume (not always a good thing) that the Yankee's rules prohibit the "pro" lenses that include the 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lenses that cost far less than $5000 and won't mind you bringing the 55-300mm VR lens with you. The only problem is that 55mm on the D5100 gives you the viewing angle of almost an 85mm lens on a film SLR or FX sensor DSLR and that's a modest telephoto focal length that won't allow you to take in the full playing field, so I hope that you're also bringing a second lens. For my next assumption, I'll assume that you also have the 18-55mm kit lens. If I had a D5100 and the 55-300mm lens I'd either take both lenses, or more likely, just the 55-300mm lens and a small P&S camera that would provide the missing wide angle coverage, could be easily carried in a pocket, maybe even a side pocket of a camera bag, and would insure that you wouldn't miss any shots due to swapping lenses.

Billx08 said:

How about my D5100 + Tamron 18-270mm?

Click to expand...

That's much more practical than just using the 55-300mm Nikkor. I haven't used either of these lenses but if they both focus accurately and at about the same speed it should be a no brainer to take the Tamron. If the Nikkor focuses more quickly though . . .

Billx08 said:

On the last TV game I watched yesterday I looked for people with DSLRs and could find some in the crowd. Wasn't in the Yankees Stadium though.

Click to expand...

You can probably find a phone number for the Yankees that might get you in touch with someone that knows more about what cameras and lenses are allowed than the skimpy info. printed on your ticket.

Billx08 said:

I have never been to any sport event like this in US so I have no idea if it is common to people to take their DSLRs and zoom lenses into stadiums in US.
Is it common?

Click to expand...

Each team makes their own rules, so assume nothing! Oops.

Click to expand...

Maybe next time I should go to Kansas.



Thanks for the answer.

flatpicknut said:

I took my D/90 and a couple of lenses to the Royals game last week. I had checked ahead and was surprised that they had no limitations for still OR video cameras! Of course, it IS the Royals, after all... Sigh.

Click to expand...

StDevious said:

. . .

Hold on, wouldn't the 55-300 provide better telephoto capabilities than the 70-200 at the longer end (talking about pure magnification)

Click to expand...

It's rather odd that you bring up this comparison since I said that I thought that the 70-200mm f/2.8 lens would probably be one of the "banned" lenses. That said, if I could bring either of these it would unquestionably be the 70-200mm. It's sharp wide open over the entire zoom range. The 55-300mm lens has a much smaller maximum aperture at the 300mm end of its range, and it not only suffers from resolution loss at the long end, it needs to be stopped down several stops more to be able to get reasonably sharp photos. This means that it's going to be losing image quality due to blur from using a fairly slow shutter speed or from image noise and poor color due to having to raise the ISO. Then consider that the 70-200mm focuses much more quickly and accurately than the 55-300mm lens, so there aren't any reasons I can think of to bring the 55-300mm VR if you have both lenses and are allowed to use the 70-200mm VR in Yankee Stadium.

photoleet said:

I assume that 70-200's aperture is wider than the 55-300, so would it benefit in taking better pictures in lower light than the 55-300 ?

Click to expand...

Absolutely. It produces great images wide open at f/2.8. The 55-300mm probably produces comparable center sharpness somewhere between f/8 and f/11 and if it's anything like Nikon's previous 55-200mm VR lens, it'll be one of Nikon's slowest focusing lenses. If I was allowed to use the 70-200mm, you can bet that I'd have the little TC20-EIII teleconverter in one of my pockets, giving me a relatively fast and still very sharp 140-400mm f/5.6 lens.

The only thing is that the 70-200 2.8 is much longer (in physical length/size) than the 55-300.
4.8 vs 8.1 inches.
The double in size.

And the info text at the Yankee Stadium's site say this:

"...extended length zoom lenses are permitted as long as they do not interfere with the game or event or fellow Guests' enjoyment of the game or event."

So theoretically and based on the text above, the 70-200 2.8 (with its larger size that may interfere with other people around) wouldn't be allowed but the 55-300 (with its much smaller size and consumer look - which it is) would be allowed.

The problem is to know if they really follow the information on the site or if depends on the mood of the gate staff.
The text is also very subjective.

I'm almost deciding it's not worth it to bother taking a DSLR and to trust such a subjective information text or if the gate person had a good or bad day.

Billx08 said:

StDevious said:

. . .

Hold on, wouldn't the 55-300 provide better telephoto capabilities than the 70-200 at the longer end (talking about pure magnification)

Click to expand...

It's rather odd that you bring up this comparison since I said that I thought that the 70-200mm f/2.8 lens would probably be one of the "banned" lenses. That said, if I could bring either of these it would unquestionably be the 70-200mm. It's sharp wide open over the entire zoom range. The 55-300mm lens has a much smaller maximum aperture at the 300mm end of its range, and it not only suffers from resolution loss at the long end, it needs to be stopped down several stops more to be able to get reasonably sharp photos. This means that it's going to be losing image quality due to blur from using a fairly slow shutter speed or from image noise and poor color due to having to raise the ISO. Then consider that the 70-200mm focuses much more quickly and accurately than the 55-300mm lens, so there aren't any reasons I can think of to bring the 55-300mm VR if you have both lenses and are allowed to use the 70-200mm VR in Yankee Stadium.

Billx08 said:

I assume that 70-200's aperture is wider than the 55-300, so would it benefit in taking better pictures in lower light than the 55-300 ?

Click to expand...

Absolutely. It produces great images wide open at f/2.8. The 55-300mm probably produces comparable center sharpness somewhere between f/8 and f/11 and if it's anything like Nikon's previous 55-200mm VR lens, it'll be one of Nikon's slowest focusing lenses. If I was allowed to use the 70-200mm, you can bet that I'd have the little TC20-EIII teleconverter in one of my pockets, giving me a relatively fast and still very sharp 140-400mm f/5.6 lens.

Click to expand...

DannyGord said:

DannyGord said:

It's rather odd that you bring up this comparison since I said that I thought that the 70-200mm f/2.8 lens would probably be one of the "banned" lenses.

Click to expand...

. . .

The only thing is that the 70-200 2.8 is much longer (in physical length/size) than the 55-300.
4.8 vs 8.1 inches.

Click to expand...

Did you not read what I wrote, which you also quoted? I repeat. REPEAT If the 70-200mm lens was allowed in Yankee Stadium I'd take it in a heartbeat over the 55-300mm lens despite it being larger, longer, heavier, more expensive, whatever, and for all of the reasons that I gave. But unless I had something in writing giving me permission to use it in Yankee Stadium, I wouldn't ever consider bringing it because as I previously wrote, I assume that it's also one of the banned "pro" lenses.

I got it.
Sorry.


So. I think there's a good chance I wouldn't have any problem getting in with the 55-300 or the Tamron 18-270mm.

I still have some days to decide taking the risk or not.

Billx08 said:

DannyGord said:

Billx08 said:

It's rather odd that you bring up this comparison since I said that I thought that the 70-200mm f/2.8 lens would probably be one of the "banned" lenses.

Click to expand...

. . .

The only thing is that the 70-200 2.8 is much longer (in physical length/size) than the 55-300.
4.8 vs 8.1 inches.

Click to expand...

Did you not read what I wrote, which you also quoted? I repeat. REPEAT If the 70-200mm lens was allowed in Yankee Stadium I'd take it in a heartbeat over the 55-300mm lens despite it being larger, longer, heavier, more expensive, whatever, and for all of the reasons that I gave. But unless I had something in writing giving me permission to use it in Yankee Stadium, I wouldn't ever consider bringing it because as I previously wrote, I assume that it's also one of the banned "pro" lenses.

Click to expand...

DannyGord said:

. . .

So. I think there's a good chance I wouldn't have any problem getting in with the 55-300 or the Tamron 18-270mm.

I still have some days to decide taking the risk or not.

Click to expand...

I still think it would be wise to try to speak with a Yankee Stadium employee if you still aren't sure, but this is what the Yankee's A-to-Z Guide has to say about cameras :

DannyGord said:

Cameras and video equipment

The Yankees welcome Guests to capture the special moments from their visit to Yankee Stadium. Single-frame flash photography is permitted at Yankee Stadium, and extended length zoom lenses are permitted as long as they do not interfere with the game or event or fellow Guests' enjoyment of the game or event. Mono/tripods, other professional camera equipment, movie cameras and any other video or audio recording equipment are not permitted. Guests are not permitted to transmit and/or stream or aid in transmitting and/or streaming any account, description, picture, video, audio, reproduction or other information about any games or events.

Click to expand...

http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/nyy/ballpark/information/index.jsp?content=guide

From this it seems reasonable to conclude that the 55-300mm lens is an allowed "extended length zoom lens". The 70-200mm probably isn't, unless you're seated in a row that has nobody immediately in front of you, but that doesn't guarantee that you'd be able to get into the Stadium with that lens.

This page also has the Stadium's Bag Policy but unless your bag is large enough to hold one of Nikon's $10,000 exotic tele's your camera bag should present no problem.

Wonder what their stance is on video recording DSLRs...

I think so too.
Thanks for the help.

One thing. If I take my D5100 and my lenses and for any reason I'm not allowed to enter my wife will ask for the divorce right there.
I'd better think this really well.

Billx08 said:

http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/nyy/ballpark/information/index.jsp?content=guide

From this it seems reasonable to conclude that the 55-300mm lens is an allowed "extended length zoom lens". The 70-200mm probably isn't, unless you're seated in a row that has nobody immediately in front of you, but that doesn't guarantee that you'd be able to get into the Stadium with that lens.

This page also has the Stadium's Bag Policy but unless your bag is large enough to hold one of Nikon's $10,000 exotic tele's your camera bag should present no problem.

Click to expand...

Well I don't think they'll know that about the D5100.

Also cause there's not even a video mode on the dial with a little video camera icon.


And they can't banned my iPhone 4 that makes HD video anyway.

I think a dedicated video camera would not be allowed.

BlueBomberTurbo said:

Wonder what their stance is on video recording DSLRs...

Click to expand...

DannyGord said:

I think so too.
Thanks for the help.

One thing. If I take my D5100 and my lenses and for any reason I'm not allowed to enter my wife will ask for the divorce right there.
I'd better think this really well.

Click to expand...

If that happens at least you'll be able to take a few 'going away' photos as she enters the stadium without you. Something to remember her by. Or maybe you're a real fan and will give her the D5100 kit as a gift as you enter the stadium without her. Send me some photos and it might be a win/win/win situation! <g>

If you look under camera, the Yankees also prohibit camcorders. I don't know how many small Flip like cameras get in. It appears you need to call/email the Yankees to see what response you get.

You should not have a problem with your camera and either lens at Yankee Stadium. I was there a few weeks ago with my D40 and Tamron 70-300mm lens. No issues at all.

Enjoy the game.

hahaha...

Billx08 said:

DannyGord said:

I think so too.
Thanks for the help.

One thing. If I take my D5100 and my lenses and for any reason I'm not allowed to enter my wife will ask for the divorce right there.
I'd better think this really well.

Click to expand...

If that happens at least you'll be able to take a few 'going away' photos as she enters the stadium without you. Something to remember her by. Or maybe you're a real fan and will give her the D5100 kit as a gift as you enter the stadium without her. Send me some photos and it might be a win/win/win situation!

Click to expand...