# Airline travel



## calaf (Oct 17, 2009)

I don't have huge amounts of gear the Canon, a couple of lenses. Compact Lowe Pro Bag that complies with hand luggage acceptable sizes.

However, was politely told by the check in desk that the bag was slightly too heavy, they wouldn't penalise me this time, but I might have problems in the future.

My question is, how are others faring at the moment, and for those with cavernous camera bags, how do you transport your equipment? I have to say, that having seen the way my luggage comes off the conveyor, I am reluctant to go down that route.


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## Amberlith (Oct 17, 2009)

This situation seems to be entirely out of control. So, If I need my collection of Canon "L" glass, two or more EOS bodies and the usual assortment of gadgets, I'll FedEx them. That way, there's no hassel, they get to the hotel's business office (or other destination) overnight, and they're completely insured. Of course, equipment needs to be packed in foam lined, travel-hardened cases (put inside anonymous looking cardboard as an extra precaution). You don't want to put anything into your suitcases where it'd be exposed to the TSA. Other than that, I take my new G11 with the lens extender. 

 I'll follow this thread to see if anyone has a better routine in this brave new World. :icon_exclaim:


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## disambiguated (Oct 18, 2009)

Switch to a Leica M9 and Leica glass - the Leica system is small, unobtrusive, and your whole 'kit', including cleaning supplies and an extra battery, will fit inside your photo vest.

I bought an M8.2 and 28mm f/2.8, 5'mm f/2, & 9'mm f/2 Leica lenses for $11K USD; I was able to sell my Canon 5'D, lenses, and accessories for about $6K, so there was only a $5K delta. The M9 is slightly more expensive, but the improvement in image quality and portability is totally worth it, IMHO.

The only caveat would be that the Leica cameras aren't well-suited for action photography due to their manual focus; a dSLR is still the best option for subjects which move around a lot. But if you're doing portrait/landscape/street photography, I'd seriously suggest looking at Leica, as its eminent portability means you'll always have a good camera - far better than the G11 - with you at all times.


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## Amberlith (Oct 18, 2009)

Leica is a time-honored brand having produced many super-fine cameras and absolutely amazing lenses for a very long time. However, the rangefinder M series are not SLRs and require some getting used to. This is true with respect to second nature issues like judging depth of field which is trickier than it is with an SLR. Also, there's no autofucus and available telephoto focal lengths are limited. All that said, I'd still like to have one in the studio. 

PS The G11 may not have the same optics as the vaunted M9, it is nevertheless a very capable camera and with the lens extender, the camera gets the equivalent of 24mm-196 mm focal lengths AND you can use their standard sized 58'EX(2) speedlights. *Mainly, it's not carry-on.* Decisions, decisions!


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## MarkNicholas (Oct 19, 2009)

I live in Asia and reckon that 95% of passengers carryon hand luggage that is either bigger or heavier than "allowed". Very occasionally I have had my hand baggage checked for size but have never been checked for weight. You do not need to have your hand luggage with you when you check in so when would they check it ?

Pretty soon the airlines will be introducing a total weight allowance. So your carryon, check-in and self weight will all be weighed togther. This is only fair...


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## disambiguated (Oct 19, 2009)

I got hosed with regards to carry-on weight for the first time ever in Seoul, boarding a Thai Airways flight. Some officious woman who was apparently employed by the airport security contractor singled me out, weighed my bag, and refused to let me board with it, even though I'd no issues boarding Thai Airways with the same bag at BKK. 

I had to check the bag, which ended up costing me 45 minutes once I arrived in BKK. I hate that woman, heh.


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## calaf (Oct 19, 2009)

To reply to Mark Nicholas, when checking luggage in, the check in desk asked if I had any hand luggage. I replied and was asked to put my bag on to the belt which, as with normal luggage then displayed the hand luggage weight.


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## MarkNicholas (Oct 20, 2009)

[quote author=calaf link=topic=8116.msg55397#msg55397 date=1255966375]
To reply to Mark Nicholas, when checking luggage in, the check in desk asked if I had any hand luggage. I replied and was asked to put my bag on to the belt which, as with normal luggage then displayed the hand luggage weight.
[/quote]

Thats the silly thing about it. You could have left your hand luggage with friend around the corner and said you had no hand luggage...they would never know...!!


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## Robert T Higaki (Oct 25, 2009)

I have done extensive traveling which encompasses six continents. I can think only three situations where all the bags and myself were weighed. I would say about 97% your carry-on bags are not weighed. Here is a trick I have used many times. Wear your photo vest! you know the kind with too many pockets. I have stuffed my vest with lenses and other accessories to lighten the carry on bag. 
Recently, I traveled in China and flew many domestic flights. When you read the rules, the carry on is restricted to 5kg. So, I naturally stuffed my vest. After the first flight and re-assurance from veterans of Chinese domestic flights, they do not weigh the bags. In fact, one of the guys in my travel group carried three separate bags and went through without any questions. The bottom line is there is no consistency(just like the TSA). Wear the vest and hang the camera around your neck if y9u are concerned about the weight issue.

                                   Bob- the slide shooter at heart


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