Is it allowed to use an M camera during a concert?

I took my MP with 75mm lens to a Neil Young concert earlier this week. I looked up the venue’s camera policy beforehand to find that they didn’t have one. Nobody said anything about it while going through security, etc. I shot two rolls of film from my seat in the third row. (I haven’t developed them yet; I’m waiting for some fresh Xtol to arrive.)

At this point, with cell phones with excellent cameras being literally ubiquitous, it seems silly to have a no-cameras policy. Some stipulate “no professional cameras”, usually defined as a camera with a detachable lens. But the average concert venue security person is not too likely to recognize a film rangefinder as “professional”, IMO.
 
Going back to post one, the directions state 'no professional cameras', and an M camera is a professional camera.
The local press photographers are usually only allowed to shoot the first three songs.
As a phone is a modern requirement, especially for communication, it's impractical to ban phone cameras. Although I saw a McCartney small venue show the day before Glastonbury and ALL photography/video was banned. Actually everyone in the crowd respected this.
IMO, in order to get decent concert photographs you need to be onstage, or right next to the stage. Shooting from a seat is usually not that interesting.
As a musician, 30 years ago we used to play a show and have the audience's undivided attention. It's a shame now we look out into the audience and see a sea of people holding phones in front of their faces. Apparently the need to post a clip to Instagram trumps enjoying the music you paid a lot of money to hear.
 
armadsen said:
But the average concert venue security person is not too likely to recognize a film rangefinder as “professional”, IMO.
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It's a risk, because they might take it off you, or refuse you entry to the show. I wouldn't take anything that looked like a camera personally.
 
Best experience I had with shooting a concert was at a performance of several of the Brandenburg Concertos where the conductor, only after listening to my Leica IIIf, decided it was quiet enough & said I could use it without a flash. Summitar & Plus-X at EI400 (thanks to Diafine).

God I miss Plus-X...
 
armadsen said:
But the average concert venue security person is not too likely to recognize a film rangefinder as “professional”, IMO.
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Security at concerts can be ... interesting. I went to a show by The Offspring. One of the rules was "no chains" being a punk show and wanting to avoid fights. One of the security guys saw a small chain on my belt and objected but was overruled by his supervisor when I showed it was a pocket watch chain for my 1904 Elgin pocket watch ;)
 
Use your phone cam and enjoy the experience with your daughters. Get lots of environmental shots with them in and out of venue, and before and after the concert. I'm sure they will appreciate it and have great Taylor Swift Concert and Dad memories.

Also, watch what you bring in your pockets so it doesn't get confiscated like small SA knives, key-ring tools, small flashlight, etc. Lots of these places now have you go through security checkpoint/monitoring equipment also. Check the venue security policy and hers - if she has one - for this particular venue.

Example:
 
My Fuji X20 zooms to the equivalent of 112mm. And it has 9 or 10 MP, you can even crop a bit and still have a good picture. You don't need the whole frame in order to print to something like a 5 x 7 or so.
 
splitimageview said:
Any camera can be a “professional.”
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Indeed. Professional is an attribute of the user, not of the tool.

Though I have taken advantage in the past of looking the part of a "professional photojournalist" to get my way into places I was not supposed to be when they weren't looking at credentials as they should have. The irony is I was shooting a Kiev 5 that day LOL!

A wee bit of social engineering that made it easy for me to believe it when a friend told me of sneaking into a Super Bowl by wearing a Pacific Gas & Light work vest, a hard hat & carrying a clip board and not standing in the same place for more than 5 minutes :)

But I digress.

Raid, I think raydm6 is right, just take your phone and revel in your daughters' joy at the show. Have a good time!
 
I go to electronica dance concerts (EDC) occasionally. More fun than taking stills is recording videos... and the iPhone is ideal for that. If I'm really energetic about it, I also carry my Moment auxiliary lenses ... tele, wide, anamorphic...

I put together a video made from iPhone stills and video of the Deadmau5 concert at the Palladium in 2019:

enjoy!
G
 
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raydm6 said:
Use your phone cam and enjoy the experience with your daughters. Get lots of environmental shots with them in and out of venue, and before and after the concert. I'm sure they will appreciate it and have great Taylor Swift Concert and Dad memories.

Also, watch what you bring in your pockets so it doesn't get confiscated like small SA knives, key-ring tools, small flashlight, etc. Lots of these places now have you go through security checkpoint/monitoring equipment also. Check the venue security policy and hers - if she has one - for this particular venue.

Example:
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You are right. I will leave my camera behind somewhere. We got tickets for 2024 in Lyon (France).
 
In EU countries there seems to exist a max concert ticket price while we don't see such cost limits in the US. $250 is the most expensive ticket allowed, I think. We managed to get excellent seats close to the central stage from the side.
 
Leica is nice to wear for concert. I went for sport events with it.

I would go with daughters for dinner before concert and let them go alone to the concert.
 
raid said:
Should be lots of fun to attend the concert
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I'd love to see some phone pics and your personal feelings about her performance. Obviously this is for your daughters but I'd be curious to hear about your own slant.
 
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