Bad news from the DHS?

Over in the non-archived forum, a <a

href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?

msg_id=005ckS">thread on the latest official security warnings</a>

has just been started: one official specifically listed cameras

among the "common items" terrorists may modify to use as weapons

aboard planes. This doesn't bode well for photographers.<p>(Tom: if

you think the thread over there is worth maintaining, could you

transfer it into the Travel Forum and archive it? Thanks a lot! I'm

praying we're just paranoid.)

Yeah this bites, to say the least. I am planning on travelling domestically in September, and along the east coast, as well.

 

I was already planning on shipping my tripod instead of packing it (I'm visiting family, so I can do that). But now I think maybe I should ship my SLR and my lenses (3, including a zoom and wide angle) ahead of me as well. I don't even know how to open them, except for putting in film, and don't want potential hassle.

 

Any tips on shipping this stuff? Other than packing it in their original "containers"? Is the styrofoam popcorn sufficient?

 

What a mess.

Meant to add, any particular experiences with Fed Ex or UPS or the USPS with shipping camera equip? I was calculating the cost of everything I'd ship, in terms of insuring it.

I wouldn't worry that much. Currently in the US, the examination

undergone by camera equipment in airports is close to zero: they

just x-ray it, and sometimes ask you to open your camera bag,

and that's it. On the other end, what El-Al does is to have you

remove all the lens caps, front and back, and look through the lenses,

look through the cameras viewfinder, sometimes ask you to

operate the camera. If they just take those

measures in the US, it would be already a considerable step-up.

I don't expect them to do anything else. Tuan <a href = "http://www.terragalleria.com/">Travel photography</a>

<p>I've asked Bob to move the thread from the non-archived forum here: I think it is definitely apropos. Indidual forum admins do not have the Power to move posts arbitrarily.</p>

 

<p>In response to Tuan: I think the relatively blasé attitude of US airport security and customs officials is what has prompted Ridge to to start the 'enhanced' checking. I expect that things will get more interesting for those of us who travel with something bigger than a Olympus Stylus or Coolpix! My medium format gear got a lot of attention from customs and security when I came back from Japan earlier this month: customs went through my gear with a fine toothed comb, including every lense (removing caps, looking through, etc.) They even opened the back of the Mamiya 645E to see that nothing untoward was being stored inside.</p>

"This doesn't bode well for photographers"

 

Why? All photo equipment gets x-rayed anyway, or if needed, demonstrate that it's functional if asked. I don't see how this creates any issue. Maybe I'm missing the point, but don't see this as an issue if you have a real camera.

I travelled last week and my F5 raised suspicion at the security gate. I overheard the person at the x-ray say 'there is something dark at the bottom of the camera, open it, and check it' ... it was funny to see the look on the guys face when he opened the camera to find 9 batteries! :)

 

He proceeded to wipe it down and check (for explosives?). Anyways, other than my B/M 222 tripod head, it went *relatively* good.

 

Next time I will travel with my F/N80 and see what happens :)

What happened to your Manfrotto 222? Did they confiscate that "pistol grip"?<p>Wrt batteries, they're rather dense to X-rays. Stack several of them, and...<p>Rollei medium format users beware: How can you explain to security that each of your lenses has such a large motor inside?<p>A non-motorised 35mm camera is rather easy to check: remove the lens, remove the battery, open the back. If your lenses contain no electronics or other components that increase their size, the better. With medium format--it's highly unusual and looks so large that security might worry as it might contain much more explosives than a "normal" camera. Modern AF cameras all have a built-in winder, and there the problems start: even with the battteries removed and the back open, you still have a lot of closed space that looks pretty dark to X-rays (motors!) and is wired to plenty of electronics. With larger digital cameras...<br>Security: "Remove the lens."<br>Passenger does it. Security pulls off the caps, looks through it, and puts it down.<br>Security: "Are there batteries inside?"<br>Passenger: "Yes. Shall I remove them?"<br>Security: "Do it!"<br>Passenger removes the batteries. Security looks into the dark abyss of the PB-E3 shaft and mumbles something like "magazine funnel" while his colleague wipes down the batteries with a swab he then puts into an explosives detection device.<br>Security: "Open the camera back."<br>Passenger: "This is a digital camera."<br>Security: "Open the camera back!"<br>Passenger (politely but firmly): "The back of a digital camera cannot be opened. You don't ever have to insert film, so the manufacturer opted for higher stability by making the back an integral part of the camera back.<br>(Sound of an M16A3 breech running into battery in the background)<br>Security: "I don't care what it is and what the manufacturer says, open it or it stays here!"

In response to O.S., I was recently asked to "open the cameras"--a D100 and an N80 while going through Seattle. I pointed out the differences between the the two, while politely opening the N80, and then showed them that the digital has a memory card instead of film. I mentioned that I had the owners manual------- TADA, that made them relax, a bit, and soon I was through--with a "hope you get some great pictures!" Tense, but a happy ending, eh!

 

Moral of the story--carrying that owners manual is even more important now than you ever thought it was!

What if your manual doesn't contain English instructions, e.g. because it's in one language only and you bought the camera abroad? Perhaps this could turn into a problem for foreigners leaving the US again; I suspect security that's having a bad hair day, or is instructed to conduct really tight controls, won't accept the manual's illustrations. If your manual then is in Italian, Japanese, or even Arabic,...