DSLR on planes.

Sqwelchy

Sqwelchy

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Darren
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Hi all,
I've heard two different things when it comes to taking DSLRs on planes. Can anyone clarify this please?
I've email both Exeter and Paris airports but haven't heard from them.
 
I've not had a problem in the past, though clearly there is some uncertainty right now due to the latest security changes. FWIW I think the electronic devices ban only applies to flights inbound from certain countries and that the UK has declared cameras are not include in the list of banned items.
 
Last time we went to Paris (EXT > CDG), I took a DSLR and lenses in my rucksack as hand baggage and Mrs Nod took our changes of clothes in hers. It was several years ago but I don't think things have changed that much in the intervening years.
 
Went to Thailand in Feb and mine was fine in the hand luggage. Some asked me to take it out and scan separately others were happy it going though in the bad wrapped in my pants
 
Last time I flew Birmingham to Milan and back had no problems just had to take camera out for it to be scanned.
 
Never had a problem in South Africa.
 
I've not not flown for 5 months but last time it was fine as always I have a 5D with a lens over my shoulder. A few times having to shoot abroad I take a pelican stuffed with gear. It does take longer through customs but it's always been fine. Both to Far East, Europe and the US. Before Trump.
 
I often fly and the only hand luggage I ever take is my camera bag and I have never had the slightest problem. a few years ago they used to swab check the bag but I haven't had that for a long time.

I did hear a story about flash guns, possibility of being converted to a taser!!. I checked this out with Virgin staff two weeks ago on an Antiguan flight and they new nothing about it.

No problems what so ever. I fly regularly to Sweden on Ryanair and no problems with then either and they can be famously difficult.
 
I had every camera, lens, battery and flash individually taken from the bag, caps off to look through the glass, scanned and the bag swabbed for drugs/explosive material residue when I was leaving the country never mind coming back in. Lots of looking at passport and pointing by staff happened too although that could have been paranoia from having my things turned inside out for so long and in front of so many judgemental people. On the way back in to the country I put them all in my suitcase (protected by clothing) and instead carried spare shoes and a couple of clothing items in my camera bag as I couldn't be arsed with the 35 minute ordeal again. Strangely I wasn't frisked but my colleague was..
Ultimately the answer to this is defined by two things. Who you get at the scanners and whether you would class having all your equipment fondled for 35 minutes whilst your stared at by those still waiting as if your some sort of threat as an issue.
 
In recent years most terrorist attacks have been home grown. It won’t be much longer before there will be a blanket ban preventing electrical goods from travelling in the cabin.

If it is not safe to have these items in the cabin why are they on the plane anyway?

As a regular flyer I am really fed up with what has become a very miserable experience. In the future I will be driving where possible. That covers a vast area but will keep my stuff safe.
 
I have not had any issues, most recently to Canada and South Africa and back to the UK.
 
I took this on a flight. Managed to get through 3 bodies, 7 lenses, 4 flashes.

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(I put the Crumpler in my hold luggage)
 
Meyssonnier said:
In recent years most terrorist attacks have been home grown. It won’t be much longer before there will be a blanket ban preventing electrical goods from travelling in the cabin.

If it is not safe to have these items in the cabin why are they on the plane anyway?

As a regular flyer I am really fed up with what has become a very miserable experience. In the future I will be driving where possible. That covers a vast area but will keep my stuff safe.
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I travelled a fair bit (most European countries plus India, the USA and Singapore) on business in the past for conferences, meetings, product launches etc. and would have been pretty annoyed if I couldn't hang on to my laptop whilst travelling. Usually took a camera with me too. Never had a problem having a camera in the cabin before, but times change. Better to have anything with Lithium batteries under supervision in the cabin than tucked away in the hold. The concern about having laptops and tablets in the cabin is that they have (apparently) been used to conceal explosives that could then be triggered by a terrorist.

At the risk if stating the obvious, it's not just about not having your personal gear on the plane, once you're checked in you don't have it for the duration of the trip. That can be a real pain in backside if it's long haul with connecting flights.

We'll be travelling to Zambia later this year, which is a bit too far to drive for me. One of my principle aims when we get there is to attempt to take some decent wildlife pictures. I'd much prefer to take my camera gear with me on the plane rather than get there only to find that it got lost somewhere along the way. I'm a bit more relaxed about where it goes on the way back to Blighty, though I would still prefer to have it line of sight for the duration.
 
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No restrictions, no issues. Take as carry on, just make sure your bag isn't too big as you might incur extra fees.
 
GeeJay57 said:
We'll be travelling to Zambia later this year, which is a bit too far to drive for me. One of my principle aims when we get there is to attempt to take some decent wildlife pictures. I'd much prefer to take my camera gear with me on the plane rather than get there only to find that it got lost somewhere along the way.
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Have you booked your flights yet? If not, do check what carry-on allowance you get. It varies a lot, and some "good" airlines are very restrictive.

Here is a useful reference source:
http://lensesforhire.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/flying-with-your-photographic-equipment.html
 
Thanks Stewart. We have already booked the flights. The main carrier is Emirates and their carry on allowance is Ok for our needs.

However the internal flight from Lusaka to Mfuwe the airport servicing South Luangwa is more restrictive (5kg allowance). Going to need some creativity for that one.
 
Make sure the battery is charged on any devices. I've been asked to turn on phones, cameras.
 
GeeJay57 said:
However the internal flight from Lusaka to Mfuwe the airport servicing South Luangwa is more restrictive (5kg allowance). Going to need some creativity for that one.
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Good luck!

Last summer I went on a polar bear trip to Svalbard. Flights with SAS whose carry-on limit is 8kg. My camera backpack weighed 11.5kg, but I figured if I carried it as if it were light, I'd probably be OK. (And I had a plan B in case it was weighed at check-in.) No problems getting to Longyearbyen. Then we had to get onto the ship which was anchored off shore, which meant a little trip in a Zodiac. One of the boat guys on the dock was handing luggage down to another one in the Zodiac for stowing, and as he took each bag from its owner he asked how heavy it was. "Well", I said, "since that's my carry-on bag from a SAS flight, I think you'll find it's exactly 8 kilos." Without batting an eyelid, he took it from me, handed it down to his mate, and said "11 and a half". Sussed!
 
StewartR said:
Good luck!!
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Thanks. :)

The bare minimum gear I want to take is:
Canon 7dII, 15-85mm, 100-400mm II, 1.4x III (don't have this yet and may not bother) and a pair of Swarovski EL 8.5x42 SV bins. All in a Lowepro Hatchback 22. Don't want to put any of these items in the hold and all are pretty much essential for this sort of trip IMHO.
Total weight is 5.2kg without spare batteries and any other miscellaneous items. Current plan is to put the 15-85 and 1.4x (should I get one) in my jacket pocket(s).

My other half is taking her camera gear too which is lighter than mine. She also has similar bins to take. So we're going to shuffle things around to try to make the best use of our carry on allowance.

The total baggage allowance is only 15kg each! (5kg in-hand and 10kg in the hold). Going to be interesting to see what makes the cut.
 
Glenn, if you do decide that you'll get and take the telecon, that could go in the hold - it's a bonus rather than a must have (by the sound of it) and while it's not a heavy item, an emergency change of undies would (IMO) be more important to have in hand baggage (in case the hold baggage goes astray or is delayed!) I chuck my binos in the hold baggage as well - but they're relatively cheap Nikons rather than Swarovskis.
 
I will be very wary as electronic devices can include DSLRs and I would never trust mine to the vagaries of the baggage handling staff.. means avoiding certain parts of the world I guess. If I did then I would need cover from a bespoke camera gear insurer to get even close to relaxing
 
Raymond Lin said:
I took this on a flight. Managed to get through 3 bodies, 7 lenses, 4 flashes.

n1D067M.jpg


TVo1YT8.jpg


(I put the Crumpler in my hold luggage)
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...is that Peli case cabin sized? I've often wanted to take more gear and considered a Peli... but been scared of it being put in the hold!
 
DavidUK said:
...is that Peli case cabin sized? I've often wanted to take more gear and considered a Peli... but been scared of it being put in the hold!
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It is cabin size, and I sneak in an extra body and lens having it over my shoulder.
 
As others never had a single problem even with a well packed multi body/lens bag (usually lowepro 200 size) on multiple airlines, usually weighing around 7kg but never been asked to weigh it even with emirates who can be a bit funny with hand luggage
 
My airline of choice is BA, 23kg hand luggage. I can't fill a peli case go ghat weight even if that try.
 
Raymond Lin said:
My airline of choice is BA, 23kg hand luggage. I can't fill a peli case go ghat weight even if that try.
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Never going to try that, would do myself an injury trying to stick 23kg above my head into the overhead lockers!!!!!
 
I've always taken a DSLR in hand luggage, never had an issue. I've mainly used Virgin but not had an issue with any of the other airlines.
I use a think tank retrospective 30 or a backpack which has a DSLR compartment.
 
On my side of the world - a popular carrier is Air asia - easyjet ryanair equivalent. They've just started enforcing their 7kg limit for handcarry to the exact amount with absolutely no leeway for overweight - so if planning to come to Asia - and using Airasia - make sure your bag is under 7kg.

I won't be flying with them again - as my camera kit is usually around 10kg of bodies and lenses only. I'll use alternate airlines - for the extra few pounds it's worth it.
 
Went from the UK to Canada (Calgary) last summer with a 1DX + lenses in a Lowepro Vertex 200 as carry on - tripod was in my checked luggage with British Airways. Zero issues.
 
cymruchris said:
On my side of the world - a popular carrier is Air asia - easyjet ryanair equivalent. They've just started enforcing their 7kg limit for handcarry to the exact amount with absolutely no leeway for overweight - so if planning to come to Asia - and using Airasia - make sure your bag is under 7kg.

I won't be flying with them again - as my camera kit is usually around 10kg of bodies and lenses only. I'll use alternate airlines - for the extra few pounds it's worth it.
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I flew LOT (the Polish airline) for work last year and didn't realise they had a weight limit of 8kg. My bag wasn't weighed on the way out so I had a bit of a shock when it weighed 15kg on the return and they want me to check my whole hand luggage including camera, lenses and laptop. In the end I took my camera, lenses and a few other bits out and put them in my coat pocket and managed to get the bag down to 7.9kg.

Just seemed bizarre to me as I still ended up taking the same weight on the plane.
 
Thanks for that Stewart, I'm sure people will find that very useful. :) I did something similar a few years ago for the handful of carriers I'm liable to use, as I think either Easyjet or Ryanair changed their rules. :mad: :rolleyes: It would be so much easier if there was one standard all the large carriers followed. I understand rules may have to different out of necessity on very small planes on niche routes, but not on the larger ones.

I always have the worry now about them saying that my back pack, with camera gear in, has to go in the hold, as as we have seen with the Delta Airline fiasco, some things are chosen at random, and my bag going in the hold could be one of them. :eek: I always say to myself that I would just turn around and go home on the outward journey, but not sure what I would do on the way back. Fingers crossed it never happens. I went with Easyjet yesterday and they don't have a weight limit for hand luggage, just size rules, which my bag just about fits in.

I got caught out a bit as I was one of the first through the boarding gate, the last point they seem to be able to check hand luggage. The priority boarders went through so I and others joined the end of that queue, only for them to open another door onto the runway, I went from one of the first to one of the last on the plane. When I got to my seat the overhead lockers were full, and so I put my back pack between my legs half under the seat in front. Meant that my leg was in a very uncomfortable position during the flight. I'll have to be a bit more on the ball next time. :rolleyes:

I went through Manchester airport yesterday with all my camera, lenses, laptop and tablet in my backpack and got pulled aside at the security check so they could have a better look inside. So many electronic bits I suppose. This is the 2nd time it has happened in the last year. They also did a swab test for any trace of explosive chemicals. There was a chap getting his bag checked before mine, and as he finished he said thank you to the lady doing the testing. She looked surprised and said "not many say thank you". :LOL:
 
Travelled with everything in hand carry - camera, tripods etc with no problem, never trusted baggage handlers to deal with luggages carefully
 
I took my Tamron 150-600 mm to Colombia and they asked my wife if I were a Paparazzi. I think they were joking but you never know.
 
Just been on 8 day trip to New York with American Airlines -- Pentax ME Super + Pentax P30n + extra lenses inc a Hanimex zoom 75-300mm f5.6 + films + Philips flashgun.
All X-rayed about 7 times as various buildings in NYC have bag X-rays as well -- No probs -- it fitted under seat and found NO X-ray damage on Films.
 
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