New York - Top Of The Rock - Tripods Allowed?

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allie5

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Hi does anyone know if you are allowed to take a tripod to the roof of The Rockerfeller Center? Im off in a couple of weeks and want to get some night scenes from up there.

Ive been before and used a beanbag but it didnt work out too well. Want to do better this time.
 
When we went last year tripod use wasn't allowed. Took it up with me but told not to use it... asked if you could get a permit but was told I couldn't.
 
Not allowed, but not needed really as there are many flat plinths on which you can rest your camera. I had a gorillapod slr zoom stashed away but didn't need it at all. If you're going for night scenes, go as late as you can - the last elevator is at 11pm and when I went it was deserted, not a soul about other than the security guards.
 
There's a gap between the ledge and glass where I squeezed a tamron 17-50 through, this was taken like that and the proceeding shots as well, we went up on almost the last lift, it was pretty much me the other half a security guard and a few other people :) enjoy it.
 
Calzor Suzay said:
There's a gap between the ledge and glass where I squeezed a tamron 17-50 through
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On the top level there is no glass to worry about, you can just rest your camera on the blocks.
 
Oooh, good thread, I'm there myself in October and hadn't thought about the use of tripods. I assume the same rules apply at the top of the Empire State Building?
 
jpw said:
On the top level there is no glass to worry about, you can just rest your camera on the blocks.
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Yeah but from memory the upper deck is a lot smaller so you end up with the lower deck over hanging the bottom of your shots. What I might of done is poke the camera through the lower deck then moved to the upper deck, it was just over 2 years ago :)

I'm heading back in December for my Honeymoon so I'll know then :love:
 
Davey_Pitch said:
Oooh, good thread, I'm there myself in October and hadn't thought about the use of tripods. I assume the same rules apply at the top of the Empire State Building?
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Pretty much most of NYC is tripod free, they seem to get very twitchy over the health and safety sue culture I think. It is quite a busy place and some muppet is bound to trip over it. You could over look them for being stupid but your smashed camera won't :cuckoo: You can probably get away with it and plead ignorance if sensible, there was an article by Matt Kloskowski where he pitched up a tripod for a HDR in St. Patricks Cathedral and got away with it :bonk:

BTW, set aside a day to have a wander around B&H photo, make sure they're open as they are strict orthodox jews so for example Saturday they are shut all day. Depending on the £ v $ the prices are on par with Jessops but it's for the experince alone :)
 
Calzor Suzay said:
BTW, set aside a day to have a wander around B&H photo, make sure they're open as they are strict orthodox jews so for example Saturday they are shut all day. Depending on the £ v $ the prices are on par with Jessops but it's for the experince alone :)
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B&H Photo is just around the corner from my hotel, I think I'm planning on making it my first stop after checking in :D
 
I don't know if the no tripod rule was in force 18 months ago when I went there, but they didn't stop me nor several others from using them . Maybe it's something more recently brought in, or maybe they were being charitable that day. It wasn't crowded by any means. In fact at the lift entrance I had to ask if it was the right place as there was no queue and it just seemed odd. If they had stopped me then there were places to rest a camera easily for night shots. If I ever went again I'd be inclined to try using a monopod and see how they react to that, or one of those small tabletop tripods that can stand on the wall easily.

In contrast, the Empire State took tripods off you and stored them before ascending. There was a lengthy queue too just after opening time, but it moved reasonably quickly.

I did Empire in the morning and worked my way up to the TOTR by late afternoon to take daylight shots, staying through sunset to darkness and giving me some nice shots of the Empire.
 
MisterE said:
I don't know if the no tripod rule was in force 18 months ago when I went there, but they didn't stop me nor several others from using them . Maybe it's something more recently brought in, or maybe they were being charitable that day. It wasn't crowded by any means. In fact at the lift entrance I had to ask if it was the right place as there was no queue and it just seemed odd. If they had stopped me then there were places to rest a camera easily for night shots. If I ever went again I'd be inclined to try using a monopod and see how they react to that, or one of those small tabletop tripods that can stand on the wall easily.

In contrast, the Empire State took tripods off you and stored them before ascending. There was a lengthy queue too just after opening time, but it moved reasonably quickly.

I did Empire in the morning and worked my way up to the TOTR by late afternoon to take daylight shots, staying through sunset to darkness and giving me some nice shots of the Empire.
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I had mine on me to the rock in 2006 and found the large flat spaces more than good enough for 2-3s exposures of the night scape so didn't bother with the tripod as it was pretty rubbish anyway. I also took it up the empire state that morning but it was day light so didn't bother.

In fact I found in most places in NYC a corner or flat surface presented it's self. I'd leave it at home if I was to go again.
 
On the ESB observation deck you can rest your camera in the criss-crossed metal grille and hold it reasonably steady but it's not the best for night shots. The 102nd floor has thick glass and sways a bit, didn't get a single sharp shot from in there. Probably best to go there in the day.
 
When I go I think we're doing Empire in the day, and Top of the Rock in both daylight and night time. I've been to Empire before and it's definitely not easy getting good night shots with no tripod, the metal grills get in the way quite a bit.
 
Also for TOTR take a flash, set the camera on manual to expose pretty well for the background and use a flash for fill of a shot of you with the Empire state building lit up behind you, does require a passerby but we asked the security guard :)
 
I don't have a seperate flash currently, so can't do that, though I could always pick up a flash from B&H when I'm there (though it wouldn't give me any chance to practise with it).
 
Use the pop up on the 550D :)
You might have to apply some flash exposure compensation FEC to prevent the on board nuked look but should work out fine :)
 
Had a VERY bad experience with B&H the last time I was there. We went the day we were going home so I had my full camera kit in a rucksack along with passport and flight docs. They wouldnt let me in the store with the rucksack and wanted to keep it behind the desk whilst we shopped. They got REALLY arsey about it when I said I wasnt handing over $2K worth of kit and my entire travel documentation. Ended up in a massive row - I was eventually allowed in but it took the shine off it and we left after about 10 mins. Understand they have security for a reason but it was the attitude more than anything. Unfriendliest place I went in Manhattan.
 
Calzor Suzay said:
Use the pop up on the 550D :)
You might have to apply some flash exposure compensation FEC to prevent the on board nuked look but should work out fine :)
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Didn't know I could use the pop up for that. I'll dive into the manual and have a play about with that. Cheers :)
 
allie5 said:
Had a VERY bad experience with B&H the last time I was there. We went the day we were going home so I had my full camera kit in a rucksack along with passport and flight docs. They wouldnt let me in the store with the rucksack and wanted to keep it behind the desk whilst we shopped. They got REALLY arsey about it when I said I wasnt handing over $2K worth of kit and my entire travel documentation. Ended up in a massive row - I was eventually allowed in but it took the shine off it and we left after about 10 mins. Understand they have security for a reason but it was the attitude more than anything. Unfriendliest place I went in Manhattan.
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Now that's bizarre. When I went, knowing their bag policy and expecting mine to be taken from me, they flatly refused to do so - because of the value of the contents. Which peeved me somewhat as I wanted to be able to wander round bag-free.

I did notice the cultural divide there between the sales people and those responsible for the bag storage. Whilst there were lots of nice things there to look at and touch, I wasn't overly enamoured with the place.
 
Davey_Pitch said:
Didn't know I could use the pop up for that. I'll dive into the manual and have a play about with that. Cheers :)
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Best thing would be to go out in your garden (if you have one) at night look back at the house, set the camera in manual and take a shot so the lights of the house show up in the shot etc, then put the flash on and in auto/TTL and take a shot with someone in it not too far from you but don't stand right in front of the house or the flash will just hit that aswell. What you should get is the background as you took it before and the person lit from the flash, if they look nuked dial down the flash with FEC compensation.

Things to consider if you choose a really big aperture like f/2.8 on the day you may end up with the empire state totally out of focus but it lit up so you may need bring it down a bit which push down the shutter speed or iso up, the background is all a compromise but the flash should ride up and down with your settings till it either can't go low enough or high enough in power, practise makes perfect with that one :)

Also don't forgot you can end with a really daft shutter speed like 1/15 of a second or even worse, the flash will freeze you as long as your not getting hit by much ambient and night it should be nil, the background could end up slightly blurred but with if it's slightly oof anyway it shouldn't matter so much :bonk:
 
Calzor Suzay said:
Also for TOTR take a flash, set the camera on manual to expose pretty well for the background and use a flash for fill of a shot of you with the Empire state building lit up behind you, does require a passerby but we asked the security guard :)
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Do you have a link to the picture?
 
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