Magic Mountain Tripod Policy?

[Sgt. Fox]

Hey all!

 

Been a while since I've hauled out my photography equipment for some good ole' roller coaster photos. Going to make the drive out to Magic Mountain in Valencia to take a bunch of photos, but have a question.

 

Do you guys know what their tripod policy is there? I recall going through a metal detector and being patted down upon entry. Are they going to deny me entry if I'm carrying a metal tripod?

 

Disneyland has usually been pretty cool about tripods, Cedar Point was most definitely NOT. How are the fine people at Magic Mountain?

[Top Thrill Dragster]

It says on the map that tripods and interchangeable lenses are not allowed in the park. whether or not they will let you bring it in, I don't know.

[Sgt. Fox]

LOL. Interchangeable lenses are prohibited?! Not that's certainly a dangerous item to make sure you keep out.

 

Well, if I can't even bring my camera in, I suppose there's no reason for me to make the trip out there.

 

I've scoured their website for come kind of corporate or PR contact to see if perhaps I can set up advance permission for me to bring my camera gear, but there's not a single contact number on there.

 

----

UPDATE. I found a general Guest Services contact number. We'll see what they say...

[Coastercameron]

Interchangable lenses may not be dangerous but that is not why they are prohibited. Most parks try VERY hard to control how they are portrayed in the media. By banning professional photo equipment like lenses and tripods, you make it much easier for employees and security to spot rouge media. Parks want all media to go through them first so that they can control thier image. While it is unfortunate that your situation gets a false-positive with this test, it is simply parks trying to cover thier butts.

 

If you contact the marketing/pr department in the park, they may be able to issue you a media pass or make arangements.

[spaceace12]

well, some of us with more than one lens is not media. Unless you count posting tr on here as media. I hate places that don't allow you to use your equipment. At colts training camp here, you can't even bring in a digital camera.

[Coastercameron]

Don't shoot the messanger. I'm just trying to explain why parks have those kinds of rules in place, I understand it sucks for some of the people on here because they use pro equipment but aren't media.

[Golfie]

Interchangable lenses aren't permitted because you can use them like magnifying glasses to burn their poor little ants!

[alexinla]

I would call costumer service and explain them what you like to do and what the pictures are being used for and see what they have to say

[Sgt. Fox]

I left a message with Guest Relations yesterday but still haven't heard back from them. I'll update you guys when/if I hear from them.

 

I just find it amusing that a business so very heavily dependent upon marketing and drawing in customers from far away would want to do anything at all to stop the spread of word about their product.

[pete4winds]

^ They're not trying to stop the word-of-mouth about their respective parks. Theme park management has to assume that anyone entering with pro-level gear is a member of the media (since the average guest doesn't carry anything beyond a simple point-and-shoot), and those people that ARE assumed to be media are out of the park's control unless they go through the PR department.

 

Parks spend a ton of money on marketing that they maintain some control over, so any media member that doesn't agree in advance to the park's media terms has the potential to disseminate very damaging information, and more often than not that information is either one-sided or patently false. Doesn't make much business sense to let the media run rampant through a park with no regard for what they MIGHT be reporting. If I'm running a multi-billion dollar business, you'd better believe I'm keeping the strictest control over my dealings with the professional media.

[Spokker]

It's such a stupid policy. What, they don't want you to take super high res photographs of rusted coasters and trash all over the ground?

 

Disneyland allows tripods and all the lenses you want. For a park to ban those things is ridiculous.

[pete4winds]

^ That's exactly what they don't want. It really doesn't matter if you're just some random guest. If you have pro-level camera equipment, park management has no way of knowing that you're NOT with the media.

 

If YOU saw pictures of trash and rusted roller coasters in a major media outlet, would YOU want to go to that park?

[Spokker]

If YOU saw pictures of trash and rusted roller coasters in a major media outlet, would YOU want to go to that park?

Most of us see rusted roller coasters and trash at Six Flags and we keep going.

 

Regardless, as point and shoots get better and better those pictures can still get out and they do. Banning professional and prosumer grade equipment is just silly.

[Sgt. Fox]

I understand your point. I just disagree with the wisdom of the policy.

 

If they're really that concerned that someone might take photos of rusting roller coasters or trash all over the park, then the reasonable solution would seem to be to clean up the trash and maintain the roller coasters, not ban cameras from the park.

 

Besides, 99% of the businesses out there, theme park and non alike, allow photography around/on their premises and they're not going out of business in droves because of it. If anything, it's free advertising about their product and/or service.

 

Hell, even when there was a whole dedicated movement by certain people to take photos of chipped paint and burnt out light bulbs at Disneyland for several years, Disney didn't lift one finger to ban photography in their parks, and they seem to be doing just fine.