Camera Drama, pt. 2

So we still haven't gotten any additional hard information about getting my camera into the Olympic venues. We're pretty sure the whole "confiscate cameras at customs" thing was something completely unrelated to us (there is a rule about how many cameras you can bring in, but one is fine). The plan remains to go to the Olympic Info desk at our hotel as soon as we get there and show them my camera and get a ruling first-hand.

We have a contingency plan — a Lumix DMC-FZ18 point and shoot digital camera... with an 18x zoom lens that translates into a 24-500mm equivalent lens. One way or the other, I will be taking shots inside the Olympic venues.

On his photography blog, Best Seat in the House, Seattle Times photographer Rod Mar is detailing his own trip to Beijing. In a post from a couple days ago, he listed all the equipment he's taking. It's all drool worthy (even if it's mostly Nikon stuff, meh), but one section made me feel pretty good:

Canon EOS 1D Mark III
Canon 70-200mm f2.8 zoom
Canon 24-70mm f2.8 zoom
Canon 16-35mm f2.8 zoom
Canon 15mm f.8 fisheye
Canon 1.4x extender
Canon 550 ex flash

I've got everything on that list except the 16-35mm and fisheye, and if I had gotten paid on a freelance job I finished more than a freakin' year ago, I'd have the 16-35 too.

It's going to be kind of hard to argue I don't have professional-level equipment if I have the same stuff in my bag as a professional sports photographer. The fast-talking I usually use to get into KeyArena all the time is that I'm not making any money with the camera, so it's not really "professional." I don't think I'll be getting away with that with any Chinese security forces.

Olympic event schedule

Here are the Olympic events we have tickets for. All times are local Beijing time — no, I don't know the math for converting to Pacific Time.

8/15

Arrive in Beijing

8/16

2:00 pm  Men's Handball, Prelim Group A — France vs Spain

3:45 pm  Men's Handball, Prelim Group B – Russia vs Germany

8/17

9:00 am Women's Basketball, Prelim Group B — Spain vs Mali

11:15 am Women's Basketball, Prelim Group A — Australia vs Russia

2:30 pm Women's Basketball, Prelim Group A — Latvia vs Korea

4:45 pm Women's Basketball, Prelim Group A — Brazil vs Belarus

8:00 pm Women's Basketball, Prelim Group B — Czech Republic vs China

10:15 pm Women's Basketball, Prelim Group B — New Zealand vs USA

8/18

Bike tour of Tiananmen Square, Dongjiaomin Lane, Qianmen (Hutong) 

9:00 pm Women's Football, Semifinal

8/19

Morning at Olympic Green

10:00 am Men's 3m Springboard, Semifinal

2:30 pm Women's Basketball, Quarterfinal

4:45 pm Women's Basketball, Quarterfinal

8:00 pm Women's Basketball, Quarterfinal

10:15 pm Women's Basketball, Quarterfinal

8/20

Great Wall, Forbidden City

8/21

9:00 am Athletics — Women's 20K Walk (Final), Men's Javelin, Men's Decathlon 100m, Women's High Jump, Men's Decathlon High Jump, Men's Decathlon Shot Put

8:00 pm Women's Basketball, Semifinal

10:15 pm Women's Basketball, Semifinal

8/22

Open

8/23

12:30 pm Women's Indoor Volleyball, Bronze Medal game

7:30 pm Women's Basketball, Bronze Medal game

10:00 pm Women's Basketball, Gold Medal game

8/24

Open

Closing Ceremony — we don't have tickets but expect to partying, HARD

8/25

Summer Palace and Temple of Heaven

8/26

Leave Beijing

8/27

Pass out from total exhaustion