I am curious about your trip gear

I am curious about your trip gear

  • Total voters
    187
  • Poll closed .
I will never carry film again when flying. My wife and I went to Italy and while traveling through Paris my 400 neopan was ruined by X-rays. It was my carry on too. The security didn't recognize my f2 and ran it back and forth several times.

Out of your list I would only carry my M9 with a 24, 35 & 90. Were going on another trip over Christmas and will do as I did on my last one this spring. I carried two D3100 Nikons and a super wide zoom, wide to moderate Tele and a moderate to long Tele. All are very small and light weight. One D3100 is Infrared and the other is normal color. Actually this trip I think I'm only going to take the one color body and the moderate wide to Tele lens, extra battery and charger and extra cards. Too much gear is like being on a job. I spend too much time fussing with gear and don't enjoy the travel as much. One trip I just took a canon G10 and that was perfect. I've traveled so much on assignments and my assistant an I had to deal with sixteen or more cases of gear, I'm over that.
 
Small, compact, capable and digital make perfect companions when it comes to travelling, in my opinion. With that, would pack that M9, and take some other smallish camera for backup and the times something smaller than an M-sized body is nice. Whatever you decide, have fun & enjoy your trip :)
 
My choice would be SWC for the kicks and the M9 for the rest (with one lens, 35mm comes to mind). Enjoy your trip !
 
I wonder how 120 film fares with Xray. Will the ispectors leave the film wrapped or will they remove the wrap to inspect in hand inspection? The M9 would be safe.



x-ray said:
I will never carry film again when flying. My wife and I went to Italy and while traveling through Paris my 400 neopan was ruined by X-rays. It was my carry on too. The security didn't recognize my f2 and ran it back and forth several times.

Out of your list I would only carry my M9 with a 24, 35 & 90. Were going on another trip over Christmas and will do as I did on my last one this spring. I carried two D3100 Nikons and a super wide zoom, wide to moderate Tele and a moderate to long Tele. All are very small and light weight. One D3100 is Infrared and the other is normal color. Actually this trip I think I'm only going to take the one color body and the moderate wide to Tele lens, extra battery and charger and extra cards. Too much gear is like being on a job. I spend too much time fussing with gear and don't enjoy the travel as much. One trip I just took a canon G10 and that was perfect. I've traveled so much on assignments and my assistant an I had to deal with sixteen or more cases of gear, I'm over that.
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When I went to Rome last April, I took four cameras: M6, M9, Bessa III, and a Rolleiflex. I carried two cameras each day, usually the M9 with a Biogon 35mm and one of the film cameras. Fortunately I did not have any problems with carry-on X-ray machines. I would take the same kit again.
 
I voted M9 + SWC even though I have M9 + M6. M6 is 35mm as well and to close to M9 and SWC brings a different look. Also SWC is small and easy to carry.
 
The M9 and M6 with fast 21,35 and 50mm lenses would be my preference.
I'm finding the 21mm more versatile for architecture - held vertically and cropped square compared to the lack of shift on the SWC. Though in the summer I might still be tempted the SWC.
 
raid said:
I wonder how 120 film fares with Xray. Will the ispectors leave the film wrapped or will they remove the wrap to inspect in hand inspection? The M9 would be safe.
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Security never bothered to open my bag. They just ran it back and forth through the machine repeatedly.

No way to know how they would react. When I was shooting film on assignments while traveling in the US I took all my film out of the packaging and placed the film in multiple ziplock bags. It wasn't unusual to carry 50+ rolls plus packs of Polaroid. I tried to make everything as visible as I could and as easy as I could for them to inspect it.

Several years ago I was in the San Fran Cisco area on a shoot shooting 4x5. Going out was no problem taking unopened 100 sheet boxes but returning security insisted I open my exposed sheet film boxes or they would X-ray them. I finally got them to escort me to a room that could be totally darkened and in the dark they went through each bod and tore open each pack of unexposed film.

I think it really depends on the individual security guard more than anything.

Not to worry now, digital is safe.
 
I voted SWC and M9. You wouldn't want your film option to be shown up by the M9, would you?
 
As long as I could manage the film and x-ray issue*, I'd certainly take the SWC - it's quick to use, the viewpoint is unique and the negs are lovely to print in the darkroom. For the bulk of the work I'd take the M9 with 21/35/50/90 (and probably use the 35 for 90%).

*Buy film in-country; have it processed locally or post it home.
 
With regards to 120 and airport X-rays. From personal experience, at least when it comes ISO 100 to 400 films I would not worry if kept in cabin luggage. Have on several occassions gone through multiple checks with films both exposed and not. Not seen any trace of fogging.
 
One thing I'd go for that you didn't list would be an m6/9 with a rolleiflex combo. For what you listed, M3+M6, Hasselblad SWC+ M9, Olympus XA + Hexar RF, M9+M3, M9+M6, mostly because of the system fucntionality with the M options and backups, the quality of MF, or a truly discrete load-out (xa+af)
 
Of the options you list, I would chose either all film, or all digital. Since I prefer film, I was initially very tempted by the TLR + SWC combination. I think it's important to only carry film of the same kind -all 120, or all 135. However, since this is a family trip the two film M's win for convenience and speed, as they don't require as much film and are easier to carry. That way you can have some iso 100 film in one camera, and iso 1600 in the other. Having said all of that, for my own purposes I now prefer to travel with one M camera, two lenses, and a digital point and shoot for the times the Leica can't easily be used (ie. when you are limited by film selection, or focal length etc.)

In my experience, x-rays have become much more reasonable nowadays. I have travelled extensively and lost count of the number of times individual films have been x-rayed, but have still developed nicely. It has been a long time since I have had film damaged by X-ray.

Enjoy your trip,
 
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