First time taking my hmc through the airport

T

Thomas Lew

Well-known member
I'm flying out tomorrow and bringing the hmc with me. I was just going to bring my camera bag with all my gear in it as well. The metal detectors aren't going to wipe the camera or anything right?...anything I should know about? =X

Thanks!

:bath:
 
Mine has gone thru a few times with no problem, just make sure your camera bag is the right size to bring it on-board. You should be fine!
So where's the big trip?
 
that should be fine as a carry-on, don't forget to bring a charger, and it helps to make a list... the X-ray/metal detector shouldn't cause any problems. But i always bring a laptop and an external drive. I always come home with 3 copies of the footage (the cards, files on the laptop and also on the harddrive) and always have them spread on my luggage and if possible one of those is with me.
That's in case something happens

Good luck on the trip =) it should be a lot nicer in Florida than New Jersey... i was in Arizona last week with 75 degree weather and came home to rain in 45's =(
 
Good thinking Superfresa. I was going to bring my portable Lacie and macbook pro so I can dump the footage incase I run out of cards anyway... but I have 40gb of card space so I shooouuuld be fine. We'll see.

:bath:
 
Traveled with my 150 a couple of months ago without any problems. Nervous as heck though! Packed spare clothing around the camera for cushioning. :)

Good luck with the shoot!
 
ejolson said:
There seems to be a rule that you can't pack spare lithium ion batteries in checked baggage.

http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/li_battery_restrictions.html
Click to expand...

Don't know if this is true, but every time i travel with my camera I bring all the spare batteries on my carryon bag, on the last trip i had on my carry on:

1) 17 inch Macbook Pro with an extra Drive
2) HMC150 with charger and extra batteries
3) Comer1800 with a sony charger and 4 Sony high capacity batteries
4) Wireless audio set, receiver transceiver and XLR-plug also handheld mic and sennheiser ME66/K6 shotgun
5) a set of 2 way radios with charger
6) extra set of re-chargeable batteries for the wireless audio set
7) cards cards and more cards, also a card reader
8) dvtec MultiRigPro

The only thing they told me was to open the bag so when they scan it all the items wouldn't be on top of each other (my bag has a flap that had all the batteries and chargers)

I did get a comment on the amount of electronics, but nothing about not being able to bring any on the plane.
My only problem was with my water bottle, i had to trow it away at the check point :beer:

hope it helps anyone planing a trip :)
 
I travel about every two weeks, with a lot of equipment including spare lithium batteries and its not an issue. There is a certain amount that matters.

For example, I am new to the HMC 150, and got the Anton Bauer ELIPZ batteries for it, and in their literature it states:
Transportation Notice, The ELIPZ 10k battery is suitable for air travel as a non hazardous article...
Click to expand...

Basically the 10k ELIPZ has less than 8 grams of lithium so its not subject to the restrictions. Hope that helps.
 
And whatever bag it's in, keep it in that bag unless told otherwise. It's always a mad scramble through those areas, and it's easy to forget to re-pack something small. Best thing to use is one of those DSLR camera bags, one large zipper opens up to expose everything inside. High-side DV camera bags (like I got with my 150) are protective, but a pain to have customs sift through. Customs, security, whatever authority you may be oppressed under.

If you afford to lose it, check it. If not, then it becomes carry-on. This would at best include main camera & backup camera, media, wireless mics, charger and batteries. Odds and ends that you check with your clothing, place in transparent ziplock bags, pressed flat. Hopefully a quick glance by the luggage inspectors is all you'll need with things presented in this way.

Another option is to keep your personal items in a duffel bag inside a larger hard-shelled case, and another slightly padded bag for your camera parts. Handy if you have fragile scoops.

If you have the luxury of time, after the airport take out your duffel bag and transfer your camera and carry-on gear into the hard shell.

Never open up a bag in front of a client that has gitch and socks wrapped around light bulbs. Pack your gear in such a way you could set up what you need the second you land if needed.

Always make the client pay for your luggage charges. $20 a bag is bad enough, but it's easy to go over weight allowances because you've packed heavy cables and tripods. I add $25 to the final bill to help recover the cost of my heavy-wear flight luggage.
 
Hi all. I'm not super worried about the camera, laptop carry-on. What experience and suggestions do you all have for tripod/lights? I've never traveled with those and will be soon.

Anything is helpful, thanks.
 
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