London Olympics 2012: DSLR restrictions

brokenlynx

brokenlynx

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Hi all,

I managed earlier last year to get a decent amount of tickets for the olympics so looking forward to going I've been looking up to see if like other places the olympics will place some kind of ban or restriction on the use of cameras.

I wasn't unsurprised to find out the organiser intend to ban certain types of large zoom lens from events but has anyone been to any of the test events that have been going on recently and found out what these restrictions are?

Links below to articles with some details of the unconfirmed (as of April 2011) policy:

http://www.amateurphotographer.co.u...hzoom_compact_cameras_update_news_306778.html

http://www.amateurphotographer.co.u...photography_policy_statement_news_306808.html
 
I'm working at the Olympics this year, I think our security briefing is Feb/March so I will post if I find out.
 
I went to the handball test event.

Prior to that I wrote to the organisers and asked for advice as at the time the website said something along the lines of 'no very large cameras'.

They said they were still working on the guidelines.

I'm sure I read something afterwards that what they were doing is working out guidlines re lens size. I'm not sure where I read this but it was something official - possibly the T & Cs which were sent to me.

I'm sure I also read something that they wanted to encourage photography, but I guess they don't want people selling pictures, or affecting people they are sitting next to.

I took a 7d with a 70-200 lens and had no problems but I don't know if stewards had guidlines. I didn't see many cameras to be honest - people seemed to go to watch the sport (how bizare!).

TBH I think if I had been using a bigger lens it would have affected the person I was sitting next to. Certainly if I was sitting next to someone with a massive lens I'd get P****d off quite fast.

Why not write to them?
 
As far as I know they've still not decided what restrictions there will be. Obviously there muse be some, otherwise some idiot will be bound to turn up with a 600mm lens.

I've got three lots of tickets. I don't think I'll take anything to the football, but it would be nice to have something for the athletics and I'll certainly want something long enough for the beach volleyball:banana::banana:
 
I've just noticed that the London 2012 shop are selling the book 'Capture the Moment - A practical guide to taking photos at London 2012'. How likely is it that much of the advice therein is forbidden when LOCOG finally announce their camera-banning rules.

PS. It's cheaper at Amazon.

Edit:

This bit may be handy...
"Offers critical advice for (...) dealing with restrictions on camera and access"
 
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So, I bought the book. Here's what it says for the London 2012 T&Cs -
You are allowed to take camera phones, compact cameras and DSLRs into Olympic and Paralympic venues as long as the equipment fits into a bag no bigger than 30x20x20cm. Anything above this may be confiscated and not necessarily returned to you
Click to expand...

Bad news: I don't own a bag that small. Good news: It should be possible to find a bag small enough to qualify, yet able to hold a 7D plus a 70-200.
 
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Well, if those are the rules, then my usual bag doesn't qualify, but I have another which is just about OK (if you count flaps over outside pockets, it's over by a few mm). I can get everything I might want in there (7D, 15-85, 70-300, nifty fifty, and a shoulder strap).
 
I got an old canon camera bag measures 27 X15X 15 cm which can accommodate my 5d and 70-200mm lens
 
hollis_f said:
So, I bought the book. Here's what it says for the London 2012 T&Cs -

You are allowed to take camera phones, compact cameras and DSLRs into Olympic and Paralympic venues as long as the equipment fits into a bag no bigger than 30x20x20cm. Anything above this may be confiscated and not necessarily returned to you.
Click to expand...

That's quite encouraging. A 300mm f/2.8 is only about 25-27cm long, so you can take one of them in with you, and obviously things like 70-200s and 100-400s will be fine.

hollis_f said:
Bad news: I don't own a bag that small. Good news: It should be possible to find a bag small enough to qualify, yet able to hold a 7D plus a 70-200.
Click to expand...
You don't actually have to have a bag which is no bigger than 30x20x20cm; you just need to ensure that all the equipment you're carrying would fit into such a bag.
 
Andy Hooper, author of 'Capture the moment' is speaking at Maidenhead Camera Club tomorrow (Tuesday) night. I plan to ask him whether or not the advice in his book is official LOCOG policy.

Stay tuned to this channel.
 
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I am going along to one of the pre Olympic test events - the UCI World Cup track cycling at the velodrome on 18th February. I have downloaded a copy of their rules, which give prohibited articles and advice. There is nothing about photography, and I cannot find a telephone number on the website to contact LOCOG who are running the event.
We have decent seats quite close to the track entering the final bend, so I wouldn't mind taking the camera with me (Sony A700 plus 70 - 210, all in a nice little Lowepro bag.
If there is nothing stated in their rules, I don't want to be turned away or have my kit confiscated.
Before anyone says "It is pretty obvious photography isn't allowed" or similar, I would have thought that some of the things on their list are pretty obvious, such as firearms, explosives and lasers.

Cheers.
 
andy700 said:
I have downloaded a copy of their rules, which give prohibited articles and advice. There is nothing about photography...
Click to expand...
What did you download?

The LOCOG ticketing conditions are here. The relevant bits are in the following extracts:

19.2.3 The following is a non-exhaustive list of restricted items which may not be taken into a Venue (LOCOG reserves the right to amend this list, generally, or in respect of any Venue or Session): food (save for baby food), alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages (save for baby milk and other valid medical reasons), liquids in containers of greater than 100ml in size, needles (save as required for valid medical reasons), animals (save for assistance or guide dogs), weapons (including knives), illegal drugs, other illegal substances, fireworks, firecrackers, poles, flagpoles, sticks, large photographic equipment (including tripods), bats, large umbrellas and other blunt instruments, motorcycles, bicycles, roller-skates, skateboards, or other types of skates, electronic transmitting equipment, flags of countries not participating in the Games, large flags or banners, horns, whistles, drums, rattles, musical instruments, lasers or any other devices that in the opinion of LOCOG may disturb a Session, objects bearing trademarks or other kinds of promotional signs or messages (such as hats, T-shirts, bags, etc) which LOCOG believes are for promotional purposes, counterfeit products, balls, rackets, frisbees or similar objects, large quantities of coins, lighters, advertising or promotional material of any kind, printed matter bearing religious, political or offensive content or content contrary to public order and/or morality, bottles or containers made of glass or other material, flasks, thermoses, refrigerators, large objects such as suitcases or bags, and in general any material that LOCOG may deem dangerous or that may cause damage or disruption to a Session.

19.3.2 The following is an illustrative list of prohibited and restricted behaviour within any Venue: fighting, public drunkenness, smoking, gambling, unauthorised money collection, any activity related to marketing or advertising (including, for the avoidance of doubt individual or group ambush marketing), activity or protest related to unions, political or religious subjects, sale of goods by unauthorised individuals or in unauthorised places (booths, mobile fast food restaurants, refreshment areas, etc), unauthorised Ticket sales, unauthorised transmissions and/or recording through mobile telephones or other instruments (video cameras, tape recorders, etc), entry of unauthorised journalists/reporters with taping or recording equipment and/or video cameras, flash photography, attempting to access restricted areas, requesting money or other goods without authorisation (for example, musicians or singers at the entrance or in the Venue, charity collectors, beggars), standing on Ticketed seats, interfering with the operation of a Session (including, for certain Sessions, the use of mobile telephones), disturbing other Ticket Holders' enjoyment of a Session, disrupting the comfort or safety of other Ticket Holders and any other activity that LOCOG deems dangerous or inappropriate.

19.6.3 Images, video and sound recordings of the Games taken by a Ticket Holder cannot be used for any purpose other than for private and domestic purposes and a Ticket Holder may not license, broadcast or publish video and/or sound recordings, including on social networking websites and the internet more generally, and may not exploit images, video and/or sound recordings for commercial purposes under any circumstances, whether on the internet or otherwise, or make them available to third parties for commercial purposes.​

So no tripods or flashes, and no "big" photographic equipment. Images can be "published" (e.g. shared on a forum), but video and sound recordings can't. That all seems fairly reasonable.

The key question for many people is how "big" is defined, which I hope to resolve definitively tonight.
 
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Here are the rules which I have just this second downloaded:

These apply to the London Prepares series of events

As a condition of entry, LOCOG reserves the right to limit items which may be brought into its venues. LOCOG also reserves the right to search people and bags before granting entry to any of its venues. Prohibited items, once surrendered at the point of entry, are not retrievable.

Restricted items – these items are permitted within the venue but will be restricted in use
• Large flags and banners (over approx. 1m x 2m), flag poles and oversized hats
• Hunting horns, air horns, rattles, klaxons, drums, vuvuzelas and whistles
• Any objects or clothing bearing political statements or commercial identification intended for ‘ambush marketing’
• Balls, rackets, frisbees or similar objects, large quantities of coins and spray paint
• Unreasonable quantities of food (that is beyond the equivalent of a small packed lunch)

Prohibited items – these items are banned from our venues
• Explosive devices and explosive materials
• Incendiary devices
• Firearms or any device suspected to be a firearm
• Ammunition
• Items which have the appearance of a prohibited item (for example replica firearm, hoax improvised explosive devices, white powders), whether capable of causing actual harm or not
• Substances banned under the Misuse of Drugs Act
• Hazardous substances (such as chemicals, irritants and gas canisters)
• Personal protection sprays or similar ‘mace’ type sprays
• Knives*, offensive weapons, or implements (including anything made or adapted for use for causing injury to; or incapacitating a person), for example crossbows, handcuffs, truncheons and asps
• Any item that may give cause for concern that the person may wish to demonstrate within the venue; such as ropes, handcuffs, placards or banners and spray paint; or that could be used to commit an act of violence/sabotage towards person(s) or property
• Fireworks and other pyrotechnics
• Laser pointers, strobe lights and similar light-emitting devices
• Hand held communication devices that transmit radio signals (for example Walkie Talkies); personal/private wireless access points and 3G hubs; cell or radio jammers; radio scanners and strobe lights and other devices that can transmit
• Large objects such as suitcases or bags that are not soft sided and/ or unable to fit under seating or between a spectator’s feet
• Alcoholic beverages; drinks in glass bottles or in plastic bottles that are larger than 500ml
• Motorcycles, bicycles (including folding types), roller-skates, skateboards, or other types of skates.
• Pets or animals (with the exception of service animals)
• Any item that is too large to be electronically screened at the point of entry.

Exclusions:
* With the exception of the Sikh article of faith (kirpan/ceremonial dagger).
 
andy700 said:
Here are the rules which I have just this second downloaded:

These apply to the London Prepares series of events
Click to expand...

Where from?

The London Prepares ticketing conditions are here:
www.londonpreparesseries.com/documents/homepage/london-prepares-series-ticket-tcs-pdf.pdf

Clauses 11.2.3, 11.3.1 and 11.6.3 are essentially identical to Clauses 19.2.3, 19.3.2 and 19.6.3 of the Olympics ticketing conditions, which I posted previously and can be downloaded here:
www.tickets.london2012.com/purchaseterms.html
 
StewartR said:
Andy Hooper, author of 'Capture the moment' is speaking at Maidenhead Camera Club tomorrow (Tuesday) night. I plan to ask him whether or not the advice in his book is official LOCOG policy.

Stay tuned to this channel.
Click to expand...

That's excellent.

It really is quite frustrating that LOCOG can't get this sorted out.
 
StewartR said:
Where from?

The London Prepares ticketing conditions are here:
www.londonpreparesseries.com/documents/homepage/london-prepares-series-ticket-tcs-pdf.pdf

Clauses 11.2.3, 11.3.1 and 11.6.3 are essentially identical to Clauses 19.2.3, 19.3.2 and 19.6.3 of the Olympics ticketing conditions, which I posted previously and can be downloaded here:
www.tickets.london2012.com/purchaseterms.html
Click to expand...

Here is the link, go down to safety and security and click on the link.

http://www.londonpreparesseries.com/trackcycling/spectator-info/index.html
 
OK, I spoke to Andy Hooper last night.

The short version is that yes, the 30 x 20 x 20cm guideline comes from LOCOG.

The long version is on my new LensesForHire blog.
 
Thanks enormously for that Stewart. I reckon the 300 f2.8 may be a bit annoying for those sitting nearby, but the 100-400 will easily fit. I guess final decisions will be made when I know just where I'm sitting.
 
Please explain me, why would you take any gear in if you can't exploit the material any way (unless you are an agency photographer working with permit). In fact I don't see the point in going at all - better invest in 42" TV.
 
daugirdas said:
Please explain me, why would you take any gear in if you can't exploit the material any way (unless you are an agency photographer working with permit). In fact I don't see the point in going at all - better invest in 42" TV.
Click to expand...

Only if you explain to me first why you felt the need to post in a thread you seemingly have very little interest in, other than to cause a bit of an argument. If you aren't interested in photographing anything at the Olympics why even read or post in here?
 
Jimmy_Lemon said:
Only if you explain to me first why you felt the need to post in a thread you seemingly have very little interest in, other than to cause a bit of an argument. If you aren't interested in photographing anything at the Olympics why even read or post in here?
Click to expand...

I am sorry but these were my conclusions AFTER reading the thread and the list of restrictions (only a SMALL pack of lunch for example :wacky:)
 
Well, I found a Domke f-6 'Little Bit Smaller' bag on Ebay and I got it for around 1/3 normal price. It's specifications list it as being 30x20x20cm - and they're fairly close.

If I remove the padded inserts then there's plenty of room for a 7D, 100-400 and a 24-105, which should cover just about everything. A couple of Op-Tech rain sleeves (well, it is England) and a spare T-shirt should provide ample padding as long as I don't go dropping it.

I've got my interview for being a volunteer tomorrow. I bet I'll be asked to stand on a street corner pointing lost-looking people in the right direction, rather than my preferred role of landing-pad plumper to the women's pole vault teams.
 
We've been doing some experiments to see what fits within this 30 x 20 x 20cm allowance. Fortunately that's one of the standard size boxes we use here at LensesForHire, so it's very convenient.

You'll be surprised. Full details in the LensesForHire blog, but here's a taster:

422442_353727187985866_100000457633989_1316514_1607530776_n.jpg
 
Hi, firstly please excuse my lack of knowledge with cameras and specs etc. Looking for some help here as I'm still trying to learn about the cameras.

I'm lucky enough to be going to the opening ceremony and wanted to finally get a decent(ish) camera to take snaps and not use the mobile phone like normal.

I've probably got a good deal on a Canon Powershot SX30is so may get this, so I'm thinking would this be allowed under the restrictions from the organisers regarding all their rules and regs. Wouldnt want to turn up and not be able to use it.


Thanks
 
No problem with that camera Hargers, it is pretty much saying you can take anything in (knives, explosives etc) as long as it is something that will fit under your seat which appraently is 30x20x20 so a compact camera or bridge is perfectly acceptable.

If you take a look at the lenses 4 hire blog you will see that you can take quite a lot of DSLR equipment in.
 
I'm not sold on this whole waste of taxpayers money and profiteering show, but I may attempt to watch & photo the bike road race from a suitable free public spot as it goes through the Surrey countryside. Supposedly there are specific areas that are ticketed but the rest is free to watch, and being in public there's no stopping any sort of camera (not that it stops some of them who try to take down footage of events in public places!).

Only thing is I'm betting they'll try to put up fences along the roads to block any good views.
 
StewartR said:
We've been doing some experiments to see what fits within this 30 x 20 x 20cm allowance. Fortunately that's one of the standard size boxes we use here at LensesForHire, so it's very convenient.

You'll be surprised.
Click to expand...
I'll be even more surprised if the security let you in with that much gear. The LOGOC spokesman has said that "he could not guarantee that all security guards will adhere to photography guidelines which will be set down in conditions of entry to the stadium."
 
HMansfield said:
I'll be even more surprised if the security let you in with that much gear. The LOGOC spokesman has said that "he could not guarantee that all security guards will adhere to photography guidelines which will be set down in conditions of entry to the stadium."
Click to expand...

So how do people stand from a legal standpoint, if they follow all the rules and regulations (and print them out to take with them) set down by LOCOC, and then are refused entry because of the lack of understanding of a security guard?
I think that LOCOC are setting themselves up for some court cases here.
 
deadkenny said:
I'm not sold on this whole waste of taxpayers money and profiteering show, but I may attempt to watch & photo the bike road race from a suitable free public spot as it goes through the Surrey countryside. Supposedly there are specific areas that are ticketed but the rest is free to watch, and being in public there's no stopping any sort of camera (not that it stops some of them who try to take down footage of events in public places!).

Only thing is I'm betting they'll try to put up fences along the roads to block any good views.
Click to expand...

I don't think that they would be able to fence the whole course (having been to a lot of top cycle races), and they would only be able to impose a limited resdtriction on photography (start/finish area, top of Box Hill). I think that these will be great events to follow (weather permitting) along with the marathon (unfortunately a two lap course).
There is an interesting programme on Channel 4 tonight - Dispatches 8.00PM - which spills the beans on the ticket allocation scandal, may be worth watching.
 
andy700 said:
There is an interesting programme on Channel 4 tonight - Dispatches 8.00PM - which spills the beans on the ticket allocation scandal, may be worth watching.
Click to expand...

I'll give myself a reminder to watch this on 4oD tonight. However, I guess it's going to be similar to their other documentary which spills the beans on the winning lottery ticket scandal. Apparently millions of people apply for winning lottery tickets, but only a small percentage actually get them.
 
andy700 said:
So how do people stand from a legal standpoint, if they follow all the rules and regulations (and print them out to take with them) set down by LOCOC, and then are refused entry because of the lack of understanding of a security guard?
I think that LOCOC are setting themselves up for some court cases here.
Click to expand...
I've absolutely no idea at this stage. I'd guess the only recourse would be complaining to LOCOC, but that would have to be after the event and thus defeat the point.
 
HMansfield said:
I'll be even more surprised if the security let you in with that much gear. The LOGOC spokesman has said that "he could not guarantee that all security guards will adhere to photography guidelines which will be set down in conditions of entry to the stadium."
Click to expand...

Sorry, where does this quote come from?
 
hollis_f said:
I'll give myself a reminder to watch this on 4oD tonight. However, I guess it's going to be similar to their other documentary which spills the beans on the winning lottery ticket scandal. Apparently millions of people apply for winning lottery tickets, but only a small percentage actually get them.
Click to expand...

I think that these are two entirely different scenarios, and you are comparing a game of chance, with the selling of expensive tickets for a prestigious event, an event which lays itself open to corruption. We do not know how many tickets have been given away simply to "oil the wheels" as it were.
 
andy700 said:
I think that these are two entirely different scenarios, and you are comparing a game of chance, with the selling of expensive tickets for a prestigious event, an event which lays itself open to corruption. We do not know how many tickets have been given away simply to "oil the wheels" as it were.
Click to expand...

Only a complete moron would have thought that none of the seats would be given away to the people who helped make the games happen - sponsors, politicians, etc. It was also made clear that the rest of the tickets would go be distributed by ballot - i.e., a lottery.
 
hollis_f said:
Only a complete moron would have thought that none of the seats would be given away to the people who helped make the games happen - sponsors, politicians, etc. It was also made clear that the rest of the tickets would go be distributed by ballot - i.e., a lottery.
Click to expand...

Lets ignore this comment shall we?
I am fully aware that politicians and royalty, along with certain associated businesses will be allocated tickets, but I think that tonight's programme will show the extent to which "hangers on" also get them.
 
oh god, here we go. Please stop with the potentially insulting comments and off topic discussion. This is a useful thread about using cameras at the Olympics....not any politics behind the games themselves....any other posts on that subject may be removed.
 
Well said, Jimmy!

Meanwhile I think some of us are hoping HMansfield would provide a source for his quote.....
 
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