I go thru the TSA lines with both view camera and MF gear, no problem. You're more likely to get delayed carrying a laptop.
I go thru the TSA lines with both view camera and MF gear, no problem. You're more likely to get delayed carrying a laptop.
Just to add to the chorus: I usually fly a couple of times a year with a (metal) LF camera, lenses, meter and film in my carry-on items, and have never once had anyone in TSA say anything about it.
Tachihara 4x5 + some holders + light meter + tripod + two lenses
sometimes a digital camera next to it
in backpack or in a Shoulder camera bag.
never had a search
(except that one time I put peanut butter in the side pouch: PB=liquid to some).
I took a Technika and Mamiya 645 and other stuff (grafmatics, film, tripod etc) to Japan last year - no issues at all either in the US or in Japan. I've taken the Technika a lot of places in the US as well as a Mamiya RB67 - no problems. Come to think of it I took a bunch of stuff to LA over Thanksgivin - not even a secon look.
I have had to unpack from my carry-on bag and set up my 4x5 camera and lens after the scan at airports in Paris, Bruxelles, Berlin, Munich. They didn't know what the gear was; very courteous in all cases and very amused by the 'very old' Ebony and Linhof master Tech. Invariably, one agent would call over another for assistance in identifying the items; attracted lots of attention... In Munich I got smiles from the agents when they noticed "Made in Germany" on the Linhof and lenses - we all had a good-natured laugh.
I always travel with holders empty (have a changing bag for field and good supply of black tape for hotel bathrooms) and carry rolls/LF boxes in a clear plastic bag, tell TSA that I'm pushing everything to ISO 2000, and need it hand checked. I've found that having things go smoothly is mostly related to how "convenient" I can make things for TSA. Usually works.
...oh, yeah - the gear does sometimes get a bit of extra attention on the X-Ray belt!
Quite a few years ago we introduced to the USA market the waterproof Rimowa Tropicana camera cases.
The first time they were shown at a photo show in the USA was at the PPA show in Chicago.
It was a little tricky figuring out how to demonstrate that the cases were truly waterproof while they were on a table. So we went to a store and bought a bag of goldfish. We half filled one case with water and put the fish in it. Then we closed that case and stood it on end and, after demonstrating the modular interior and how you could stand on them and how i5 could hold 50% more equipment then a foam filled case of the same size we took the case of fish, laid it flat on the table and asked the customer to open it! This sold a lot of photographers on the case. It was so effective that we decided to bring it back to the office with the fish inside it.
Then we got to the airport and had to put the case through inspection. I put the closed case on the belt and saw the agent stare at the screen, very intently! He then told another agent to put it through again, and again! He then called another agent over to look at the screen and called over a supervisor. They then put it through again and finally the supervisor asked me what was in the case? I replied goldfish! They asked me to open the case and they exclaimed loudly, look! Goldfish!
No problem with a 4x5 Zone VI. In Manchester NH, they could not figure out what my C330 was.
Principal Unix System Engineer, Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems
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