Traveling Photog

Bill Pierce

Bill Pierce

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Back home after a trip carrying cameras. No doubt, airport security for small, but larger than a cel phone, gear (i.e. your camera) is growing more strict. Here’s the TSA website that tells you what and what not photographers can bring on board or check. Any of your thoughts or suggestions for the traveling photographer much appreciated.

http://apps.tsa.dhs.gov/mytsa/cib_results.aspx?search=camera
 
Nice to see you are back!

I checked. Batteries, digital cameras, DSLRs, lithium batteries and so on. I could not find any difference from how I was allowed to travel twenty years ago with film cameras or ten years ago with digital cameras. I'm allowed to have my digital cameras, batteries, lenses, chargers in carry on luggage. Twenty, ten years ago and now, I'm not this rich or stupid, perhaps just not pro enough to toss my equipment into checked in luggage.
But if they will not allow carry on luggage, we well see. Not the case by now in developed world. If I'm not mistaken.
 
Ko.Fe. said:
Nice to see you are back!

I checked. Batteries, digital cameras, DSLRs, lithium batteries and so on. I could not find any difference from how I was allowed to travel twenty years ago with film cameras or ten years ago with digital cameras. I'm allowed to have my digital cameras, batteries, lenses, chargers in carry on luggage. Twenty, ten years ago and now, I'm not this rich or stupid, perhaps just not pro enough to toss my equipment into checked in luggage.
But if they will not allow carry on luggage, we well see. Not the case by now in developed world. If I'm not mistaken.
Click to expand...

What I found was that all individual battery powered articles bigger than a cel phone (cameras) had to be removed from carry on luggage, be it small gadget bag or roller case, and placed in individual trays. This happened at two rather large airports. Don’t know if this is standard at all airports in the U.S., but it certainly impressed any other photographers who were in the line.
 
Bill Pierce said:
What I found was that all individual battery powered articles bigger than a cel phone (cameras) had to be removed from carry on luggage, be it small gadget bag or roller case, and placed in individual trays. This happened at two rather large airports. Don’t know if this is standard at all airports in the U.S., but it certainly impressed any other photographers who were in the line.
Click to expand...

Why not. I'm always happy to show how lucky I'm with M-E. The rest of all other photographers in the line might be different.
- "It is 2017 and you still using DSLR?" :eek:
- :eek: :(
 
Traveled from Chicago to DC in September to cover some political events and with all the worry over Li-on batteries, decided to take the Canon 6D with Grip so I could get by with Alkaline AA's, and a Nikon S2 for film work. Ran in to trouble in Chicago at O'Hare as they were suspicious of the 12 AA batteries in my carry on, which got everything flagged. So I had to unpack all my carry on and explain what the batteries were for.

Went to the site you linked Bill, thought their information on bringing film on a plane was screwy. I alway do the "rolls of film in a clear plastic bag route", as they pitch a fit if the film is in the little plastic film containers. But then they say, "We recommend leaving your film in the unopened manufacturer’s packaging." How's that supposed to work? You could take a Tri-X box, carefully open one end, put anything inside of it, and carefully glue it back closed again. If they're not X-raying it, which is the whole point of having it hand scanned, you could slip anything through security in one of those sealed Tri-X boxes.

Best,
-Tim
 
Ko.Fe. said:
Nice to see you are back!

I checked. Batteries, digital cameras, DSLRs, lithium batteries and so on. I could not find any difference from how I was allowed to travel twenty years ago with film cameras or ten years ago with digital cameras. I'm allowed to have my digital cameras, batteries, lenses, chargers in carry on luggage. Twenty, ten years ago and now, I'm not this rich or stupid, perhaps just not pro enough to toss my equipment into checked in luggage.
But if they will not allow carry on luggage, we well see. Not the case by now in developed world. If I'm not mistaken.
Click to expand...

My thoughts as well
 
Bill, my experience was different from yours. I traveled with film and digital cameras and a tripod to Iceland in October. My equipment was not hand checked either on the flight from Nashville to New York, or the flight from New York to Keflavik, or the return flights. I just ran my bags through the x-ray scanner without issue. Of course, if media reports about TSA screenings are accurate, they let all kinds of stuff through, including knives and guns.
 
Bill Pierce said:
What I found was that all individual battery powered articles bigger than a cel phone (cameras) had to be removed from carry on luggage, be it small gadget bag or roller case, and placed in individual trays. This happened at two rather large airports. Don’t know if this is standard at all airports in the U.S., but it certainly impressed any other photographers who were in the line.
Click to expand...

Bill,

We you using the TSA Pre-check line? If you're in that program, they don't even make you take your laptop out of the bag (also dispense with taking off shoes, belts, etc.).
 
Chuck Albertson said:
Bill,

We you using the TSA Pre-check line? If you're in that program, they don't even make you take your laptop out of the bag (also dispense with taking off shoes, belts, etc.).
Click to expand...

We signed up for Global Entry and it worked as advertised until our return from Italy at Atlanta. We did get through customs easily but had to do the full monte security thing. Being a feeble geezer, I forgot to take out my laptop and had the pleasure of meeting one of the lads up close.
 
Flew Bangkok - Osaka with medium format kit + lots of film. Thai inspectors prefer that the film is left in its new-in-store packaging. A quick look during a hand inspection and i was passed through. Returning Osaka - Bangkok, the Japanese inspector wanted to open each and every box, including the silver wrappers and even unroll the film. A senior inspector stopped him. Not necessary. Still, each unused new roll was removed from its box, inspected and returned to its box with an apology. No problems. Nice service.
 
Bill Pierce said:
What I found was that all individual battery powered articles bigger than a cel phone (cameras) had to be removed from carry on luggage, be it small gadget bag or roller case, and placed in individual trays. This happened at two rather large airports. Don’t know if this is standard at all airports in the U.S., but it certainly impressed any other photographers who were in the line.
Click to expand...

Can't you just check the battery? Then it's not battery powered anymore.
 
Had multiple travels between Copenhagen, Beijing, Shanghai, with digital and film gears in carry-on, never had problem. I was once chosen to be randomly checked of everything though, at Copenhagen.

In China it's a fashion to bring portable power source with you, sized like a fat first-gen iPod
, to recharge your phones and iPad or whatever. At airport those things are tightly inspected for carry-on and NOT allowed in check-in baggages, and you must use one from famous brands.
 
Darthfeeble said:
We signed up for Global Entry and it worked as advertised until our return from Italy at Atlanta. We did get through customs easily but had to do the full monte security thing. Being a feeble geezer, I forgot to take out my laptop and had the pleasure of meeting one of the lads up close.
Click to expand...

Global Entry (run by Customs and Border Protection) gets you into TSA Pre-Check as well, but you have to enter your Known Traveler Number into your domestic air booking to have Pre-Check print on your boarding pass, and get into that line.
 
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