Attending a concert: what non-professional equipment will I be able to get in?

Question

First, my equipment: Canon EOS 60D, 18-135mm, 18-55mm, 55-250mm, 50mm f/1.4; Samsung EX-1 24-72mm f/1.8.

I bought a ticket to see Yanni, this is a once in a lifetime event (last show was 15 years ago) , I paid around 200 USD for the best seat (vip area closest to the stage, 2nd row I believe )

The venue says "professional equipment is not allowed" , but they did not say what is "professional". I asked many times, and got different answers: some say as long as you don't use flash and don't use a tripod its fine; Some say "domestic cameras" as long as they are small are allowed; some say normal cameras except DSLRs will be allowed....

Now, what would you recommend that I do?

Considering the stuff I have, I really want to be able to shoot with my 60D with 55-250mm lens. It would be a big let down if I am only allowed to use my EX1 with max tele end of 72mm.

Considering the rarity of such an event, I am also considering buying the 35x zoom compact of Canon, the SX30 IS. I should be able to buy a second hand one, then resell it after the event without loosing more than 30 USD.

I will be wearing a suit, and I am planning to bring my DSLR in a leather brief bag, with body and lenses separated and hidden under a black t-shirt, with my Samsung Compact camera on top of it.

If you have came across a similar situation, would you share your experience and give some recommendations please?

Note that photography is officially allowed — I have checked with performing party and venue managing party. The problem is the loose term of "professional equipment". DSLR are cheap nowadays, entry level models are sold at under 1k USD, it's light and it's perfect for hand-held. I don't see a hand-held DSLR being a problem in events where compact cameras are allowed — I am not using a huge 400mm barrel lens either, just a relatively small 55-250mm lens, which can be easily tucked in even a woman's handbag.

Answer

Call them and make sure what you can take a what not. If they can not provide anything useful, prepare yourself for different situation. Some concerts allow lenses upto 35mm, some allows upto 85mm. Some allows DSLRs and some allows only compact. So, ideal would be to take multiple gear choices so that you have the flexibility to choose a setup immediately. Don't take everything you have, it'll make you look like a professional and chances of getting denied will be 100%. Also you'll need to take someone to hand over the gears they did not allow.

Don't try to hide anything from the guards while entering otherwise you might end up loosing your chance to even enjoy the show.

Now some tips, try entering a little late, that time the security check is slightly loose as they are in a hurry and they might allow you with things they normally don't just to avoid trouble. Try to dress up and act like a spoiled kid whose rich daddy has bought him a DSLR.

Best of luck for the show.

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What creates this strange flare and how to prevent it?

Question

I shot at a concert for the first time. The pictures were pretty good for the capability of my equipment, but on some shots, the light has a very strange flare. It isn't the usual rays, but some soft, non-symmetric form which I find quite strange, and, on most shots, distracting.

On this image, you can see it just above Gino's head and also behind his back, to the right of the mic stand. I am not sure if the slight blue lines on the left side of the picture (they form a triangle aimed at Chris's head, maybe not visible on all monitors) are part of the problem or if they come from a different light source.

What makes them appear, and how do I avoid them?

I shot with a D90 with a 18-200 lens, no filters or hoods attached. The settings were quite strained (iso 3200, often at max length and max aperture for the length. This specific picture is 1/125, f 5.3, 95 mm).

Answer

If you're talking about the strange arcs like in the bottom left corner of this picture:

Then it's just flare caused by shooting into a lightsource. Concert lights tend to produce strong flaring effects as they are very focussed.

The only fix is to use a different lens (they all flare differently) or not shoot directly into any lightsources. However when I'm shooting concerts I usually shoot directly into the lights on purpose and use any flare as an artistic tool to make the image more interesting.

Here's another image featuring some particularly strange flare from the Canon 50 f/1.8:

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