50 1.8 or kit lens?

[thetrue]

I'm going to an arena tonight, and without a press/photographer credential, I'm not allowed to bring anything longer than 100mm. I have only the 50 1.8 or the 18-55 kit lens as my other options. Which would you bring?

 

[2WheelPhoto]

50 and get close

 

[thetrue]

50 and get close

That's what I was thinking, but at the same time the tickets are general admission, so I could be anywhere from against the glass to the top row. I wish I could just bring the long one!

 

[sm4him]

The 50. That extra little bit of reach on the kit lens isn't likely to do you any good whatsoever, whereas the wider aperture option and higher quality of the 50 *can* make a difference.
Sure, if you're not close enough that 50 isn't going to seem like enough (because it's not), but the kit lens is only going to get you another 5mm of range, with less quality and probably a higher ISO/more noise because of the minimum aperture setting.

 

[thetrue]

It wasn't the extra 5mm of reach I was considering, actually the opposite. If I AM stuck higher in the stands, shooting wide might be more appealing than an ultra-cropped, barely useable (if at all) attempt at a good action shot. They both have advantages, see? I would bring both but I'm not sure about their policy on that.

 

[sm4him]

Oh, well yeah, that's a good point. Man, I'm slow today.
Is there any way you can check beforehand and see if you can bring both?

If not...well, all I can say is...that little 50 would fit quite easily into a cargo pant pocket or such. I once smuggled a 70-300 lens into a college football stadium by creating a "false bottom" to my purse. I was a little nervous because I REALLY didn't want to end up having to go back to my car (which was far, far away...and it was raining) but it worked like a charm, despite the fact that the purse CLEARLY weighed about two or three times what it should have for what it "appeared" to have in it.

What struck me as funny was knowing the "normal" people just smuggle in alcohol that way, not camera gear.

 

[thetrue]

That's awesome! Maybe I'll try to smuggle the long one in that way. Wife and sister in law will both be with me

 

[terri37 8]

I moved this thread from the Off Topic forum, since it really IS...you know....ON topic! :razz:

 

[runnah]

Stuff it down the front of your pants. That way you can have close up shots and impress the ladies.

 

[KenC]

Are they seriously going to be checking focal lengths or just stopping people with very large lenses? If you think it's the latter, borrow or rent a 135 or a small-ish zoom that goes to 135 or 150.

 

[Patrice]

That's awesome! Maybe I'll try to smuggle the long one in that way. Wife and sister in law will both be with me

And risk being turned back at the door. It's their venue so why not simply follow the rules?

 

[runnah]

That's awesome! Maybe I'll try to smuggle the long one in that way. Wife and sister in law will both be with me

And risk being turned back at the door. It's their venue so why not simply follow the rules?

What if our forefathers had just played by the rules? We'd all still be bowing down to the Queen and adding "U" to words like color and favor. I say this man is a patriot following the path that has made this country great!

I notice that you are Canadian so this may not apply.

 

[Patrice]

We can all ultimately do just what we want. However I'd get upset if someone came into my house with their muddy boots after being asked to leave them in the porch.

The comment about the forefathers and what all about the queen is a bit out of context don't you think. At the time you are referring to the British were infringing on some pretty basic rights and were unfairly taxing the colonies. I don't see the connection with being asked to leave a long lens at home, no one is being downtrodden with that request.

 

[runnah]

We can all ultimately do just what we want. However I'd get upset if someone came into my house with their muddy boots after being asked to leave them in the porch.

The comment about the forefathers and what all about the queen is a bit out of context don't you think. At the time you are referring to the British were infringing on some pretty basic rights and were unfairly taxing the colonies. I don't see the connection with being asked to leave a long lens at home, no one is being downtrodden with that request.

thats how it starts. First no long lenses allowed, then next thing you know there are soldiers staying at your house.

 

[thetrue]

I ended up just bringing in the 50, and I really wish I saw runnah's post about the front of my pants We were maybe 10 rows from the glass, would have gotten a TON of great shots if it weren't for it being so short. Ken, they did check focal lengths!!!!!!! The jerks! A MWAC had a 135L prime on her 60d and was told to take it back to the car.

Still got a few decent photos, but for the 200+ clicks, I'm not happy with only 15-20 decent, cropable images. I need to find a way to get credentials. Need a newspaper or sports blog job, pronto!