[Leica] Traveling with a camera

[lrzeitlin at gmail.com (Lawrence Zeitlin)]

Tina writes:
"Jayanand -

I wouldn't do it!  If you read the small print on the baggage claim, the
airlines refuse to accept any responsibility for checked camera equipment.
It will disappear for sure.  Instead, you could FedEx it ahead to your
destination.  That way you could at least insure it against loss or damage.

Tina

On Sat, Aug 28, 2010 at 10:32 PM, Jayanand Govindaraj <jayanand at gmail.com
>wrote:

I am getting fed up of carrying large lenses in hand baggage during the

flights for my wildlife trips. Can anyone recommend a hard case in which I

can dump large lenses and check it in? It should take a Nikon 200-400 f4 as

well as a 600mm f4.

Cheers

Jayanand


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This may well be a justification for smaller camera sizes, at least for the
casual traveler. Professionals and those on serious photo safaris should
probably follow Tina's advice and have their bulky and expensive gear
shipped by Fedex, UPS, DHL or other package transport services. Don't forget
insurance either. But vacationers and other casual travelers appreciate the
convenience of small sized equipment. Don't get uptight Mark. I'm not saying
that the quality of the 4/3 format can match that of full frame. Nor will
the stock houses usually accept photos made with these cameras. But the
ability to stick an EPL1 in one pocket and a decent zoom lens in the other
makes flying without weighty camera bags a breeze. In prior years I traveled
all over the world both for business reasons and for pleasure armed with
nothing more than an Olympus OM2 and  backup Rollei 35SE. Indeed on one two
year stint in India, I had the misfortune to damage the Olympus and used the
Rollei for most pictures. All pictures were suitable for their research
purposes and a few were even picked up and published in travel magazines.
Surprisingly in the switch from film to digital, professional camera sizes
have increased although P&S camera sizes have significantly decreased. I
long for a quality DSLR the size and solidity of the Olympus OM series or
even the Leica III series. I neither need nor want the bells and whistles,
including the 27 exposure modes built into most modern cameras. I can think
for myself, thank you, and set the camera as needed.

So when traveling and taking pictures for pleasure, not necessarily for wall
mounting or publication, all you need is a camera of the size and capability
for the task at hand. Just about any P&S on the market will make adequate 8
x 10s and exceptional 4 x 6 prints. On the web, even in the LUG gallery, it
is almost impossible to distinguish between cameras covering a 50 to 1 price
range unless you critically the examine the large size blowups. For that
trip to Disney World, just about anything that you can slip into a jacket
pocket will do. Often the "best" is the enemy of "good enough."

Larry Z