Bringing a mirrorless camera into concert venues that ban them

I took this photo with the Nikkor Z 26mm f/2.8 pancake attached to a Nikon Z6ii.

Faye Webster performs “Jonny” at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.

Most venues these days don’t let you bring in cameras with detachable lenses. However, Faye Webster is one of my favorite artists of all time, and I felt like iPhone photos wouldn’t do my memory justice. Plus, I had VIP, so I could get really close to the stage.

Faye’s opener, mei ehara. I love her as well – she makes really good music.

How did I do it, you might ask?

Simple — I wore my camera around my neck and walked straight in. Nobody asked any questions. I arrived super early because I had VIP, so it meant a lot of waiting, but I really wanted barricade. I can only crop a 26mm so far…

I believe the only reason I was not caught was because of my pancake lens. It makes my Z6ii look like a point-and-shoot (albeit a fancy one), and honestly, unless the security staff knew their cameras, they probably weren’t able to tell that the lens was, in fact, detachable.

If I had tried to sneak in in my bag or under my clothes, it would’ve drawn considerably more suspicion.

She brought on Daniel Caesar (!!!) to sing “Ttttime” with her. Completely unexpected, by the way.

Once I was in the venue, I had no problems.

That is, until her label backstage noticed my camera right after that^ photo.

I guess they thought it looked suspicious. They sent over someone to tell me to put the camera away, to which I obliged.

I told them it was a point-and-shoot, and they said something to the effect of “We know, but the people backstage don’t think so”.

I didn’t want to get my camera confiscated, so I put it away and enjoyed the rest of the show.

Your mileage may vary — I was happy with how things turned out, and I loved the photos I got. But if you try this yourself, don’t blame me if security tells you that you can’t bring the camera in. Make sure you have a backup plan…

Bonus photos: