Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/08/21
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Packages fall from 3 feet heights regularly in air transport. Best is to wrap stuff in plastic with air bubbles in it or in a box with those foam crisp type things.And then put it in a heavy preferably waterproof case. All the best simon jessurun amsterdam > how to pack for fedex? that should have been my question LAST > week. > > i shipped my bodies in a lowepro omni trekker/extreme, > which is a padded camera case within a pelican hard case. > everything was snugly fit and i tucked in some extra dividers on top of > the bodies for good measure, and waved goodbye to my gear a week > ago monday. > > my fedexes did arrive in ohio in time, power outages be > damned. that part was good. > > what wasn't so good was that my .85 classic had soft release > on it, and it was flattened against the body, crushing the shutter > release mechanism, rendering my main camera useless. my mr-4 > lightmeter mounted on my m3 got flattened like a june bug and was > not functioning. the "eyes" on my 135mm elmarit were off-kilter > (vertical alignment). > > i did have a backup .72 classic and a backup mc meter which were > undamaged so i was left with two generally usable cameras. (and > i recall thinking as i packed them, "do i REALLY need 3 bodies > and 2 light meters?") > > the only way i could imagine such carnage is if someone dropped > the case upside down from a height of 3 feet or so. the hard case > was not crushed or dimensionally altered in any way, the only sign > of wear were scuff marks on the top lid. > > whether any of the images i made will usable is questionable; i'd > expect given the damage done, its very possible the rangefinders were > whacked out of trim, and f1.0 is my best friend. > > should i have put "fragile" labels on the case? i was thinking > about it, then decided it would be a sign saying "steal me, > please". and who is to say that anyone would read them, anyway? > for the way back, i did remove the softies and the MC light meter > and put them away separately to avoid obvious sources of damage. > > i did call fedex and they gave me instructions on how to initiate > a claim, which i will do, but i have to get repair estimates from > leica, quality light-metric, etc, which may take a month. i also need > to test each camera and lens combination for focus. > > in general, i am more surprised than emotional. i thought fedex > was the smartest way to travel with your film and gear. > > any suggestions on how i can do this smarter next time? i have the > beginning of a list: > > 1. DON'T leave softies on, the weight of the body falling on it can > damage the release mechanism > 2. DO remove top-mounted meters, if the weight of the camera can > crush the meter case > 3. DO dissassemble and pack separately as many parts as possible, > bodies separated from lenses and winders, etc. > > -rei > > p.s. the airports were fine with hand-inspecting my carry-on > contax t3 loaded with neopan 1600. > > ----- Forwarded message from Rei Shinozuka <shino@panix.com> ----- > > Date: Sun, 10 Aug 2003 19:04:52 -0400 > From: Rei Shinozuka <shino@panix.com> > To: "Leica Users Group (LUG)" <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us> > Subject: travelling fed-ex > User-Agent: Mutt/1.4.1i > > i am going to a wedding in ohio and after much negotiating--which i lost, > we will be flying instead of my preference--driving. > > from this group, and from a friend of mine who have used fedex to > ship ski equipment, i am shipping all leica gear and my film (in a lowerpro/ > pelican) case (as well as all my other luggage) to arrive at the hotel and > just walk through security. fedex confirmed they do no xraying of cargo > whatsoever. i might bring bulk film and some loaders and a mini-light tent > so i will have a virtually unlimited supply of HP5+ and panf. i find with the > rapidwinders i have a tendency to shoot objectively unreasonable amounts of > film :-) the worst part is i will have to be without my m gear for a total > of 6-8 days. they can insure up to $500K, and my stuff isn't worth even half > that :-) > > i'll let you know how this intensely-clever idea pans out... > > -rei > > -- > Rei Shinozuka shino@panix.com > Ridgewood, New Jersey > > > ----- End forwarded message ----- > > -- > Rei Shinozuka shino@panix.com > Ridgewood, New Jersey > > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html > - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html