Going through airport security, what to do?

Put the stuff in a bag. If you have multiple bags, put that in the middle of your multiple bags, certainly not as the last one...and wait for that item to be within the machine and not backed out for rescan of a bag in front of it. Some theives have been known to take things like laptops that have not yet entered the machine while the owner is already walking thru the metal detector!

Most thefts happen at the security scan points - watch your valuables

cdifoto wrote in post #5751280
Flying doesn't bother me. It's the crashing and/or exploding part I'm not too fond of.

As they say, it isnt the fall that kills you. It is the sudden stop at the end.

Great thread, I'm going to Europe soon, so this information is very helpfull.

The X-Ray machines don't harm the camera do they?

Nope.

hckyguy14 wrote in post #5752911
Great thread, I'm going to Europe soon, so this information is very helpfull.

The X-Ray machines don't harm the camera do they?

Nah, they don't bother the cameras. If you're shooting film (hey, some people still do!) I'd still have the airport folks hand check your film.

As for me, my gear is always under my watchful eye. I'm also insured, in the even something DOES happen.

i just got back from a trip to Asia and not one time did they take any of my camera stuff out of the bag, traveled with one body and 3 lenses and a laptop in my tarmac adv 9. this was my carry-on bag

I flew earlier this year with my gear and laptop and at no time did I feel fear for me gear. I took the laptop out, left everything else in and put it through the scanner. Unless there's a dude inside the scanning machine going through luggage, I wouldn't be too concerned about it.


Oh yeah...insure your gear!

aram535,
I just recently flew to Hawaii (Big Island and Maui) from NY with my 40D, 5D, 100-400L, 28-105, 100 macro, 17-40L, 10-22, 1.4tc, 580ex and my tripod, batteries etc..........

I just jammed it all in my Nova5 bag (except my 5D with 17-40L and tripod) and had no problems at all with the 4 different airplanes they were on

Took great photos too

Spend a few hours and read everything on my favourite blog!
http://flyingwithfish.​blogspot.com/
I fly lots every year and it's great to see him promoting smart flying for photographers.

A recent trip from Newcastle to Amsterdam was fun.
EVERYTHING in the bag was removed and stripped. Lens, flash, batteries, CF/sd cards, the lot.
They kept the AA flash batteries, as "a hazzard".
Still, flight was on time.

bildeb0rg wrote in post #5760378
A recent trip from Newcastle to Amsterdam was fun.
EVERYTHING in the bag was removed and stripped. Lens, flash, batteries, CF/sd cards, the lot.
They kept the AA flash batteries, as "a hazzard".
Still, flight was on time.

Gee, you would think that the Dutch, who are so relaxed about things like prostitution and marijuana, would not be so very uptight about AA batteries?! Or was that the Brits who were being Victorian?

Don't be that paranoid I regularly fly with way more then $10k of equipment, and I have never been even thinking about someone would walk off with my equipment on the other side of xray. I normally put stuff in backpack and put it to xray machine. Of course it never happened yet, that I wouldn't need to open it on the other side, but you are there already. And on top of that, you are really close xray machines all the time, with bunch of officials around, so if you keep your eye just a bit on your bag, you should just shout if someone would want to walk off with your bag, and problem would be solved. I guess noone is stupid enough to grab your bag and try to steal it infront of 20 cops.
PS: No I don't hang my equipment around my neck unless it's really really necessary... and on airports when traveling, it's not

Wilt wrote in post #5760480
Gee, you would think that the Dutch, who are so relaxed about things like prostitution and marijuana, would not be so very uptight about AA batteries?! Or was that the Brits who were being Victorian?

How did you guess?
The Dutch didn't even question why I was only in Amsterdam for 11 hours, merely asked if I had a good day.

what about loose batteries, etc?

Don't we have to tape over the contacts or something goofy like that in US airports?