Hello All!

I'll be going to Philippines to cover a wedding in December. This is my first time I'll doing an out-of-the country wedding coverage. I plan to bring all my equipments (3 cameras, 5-6 lenses, 4 flashes, and tons of batteries). I need to know what's the best way to bring them. Is it best to have them as carry-on or check-in luggage? I would prefer to bring them as carry-on as I would feel safer to have them with me all the time. But I'm worried about airport restrictions if there are any. I'll be going through 3 different international airports - Vancouver (Canada), Narita (Japan), and Manila. Has anyone have travel with these amount of camera equipment internationally or with any of these airports? Am I safe to bring them with me as a carry-on? I plan to use the Lowepr Roller 2.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

It is safe. You can hand carry them. I never had a problem carrying my gear during traveling.

No problem po... it' should be hand carry, valuable item kasi...

Cheers!
JiOn

On my last trip to the Philippines I brought most of my gear, not as much as you are bringing, but quite a few lenses nonetheless. Everything was in a carry-on luggage sized bag (Lowepro Magnum Classic, I believe). No problems. This coming January, I won't be bringing as much, but I will be carrying what I bring in a Tamrac Adventure 9 backpack.

Try to handcarry as much of your gear as you can. Btw, if you'll be in a plane full of Pinoys, overhead storage space will be very limited.:)
Nols

Hi Guys,
How about any "kotong" in the airport, if you bring that many body, let say 3 Body and say 5 lenses and some accessories all of those fit in one backpack, Did the Customs Check about this?, do they asked if this is new?, did you need to provide an Invoice for this? or we just Declare it as a Personal use?

I Asked this because I'm heading back for Vacation somewhere in March '08, I'm bringing (maybe) 2 Pelican case of my camera gear and additional iMac (old)...Any advice before March will be a big help..

make sure that you declare and carry with you a "CARNE" im not sure the exact acronym, its short for a customs declaration of what you leave the country with to avoid being hassled and taxed when you return. on a recent surf trip to pinas, i brought close to 20k, USD in camera computer equipment. i forgot to declare my equipment and on my return i was almost taxed several thousand dollars.

it was an honest mistake, and the customs agent could tell that i was sincere in forgetting to decalre before i left. so he waived my fees, and urged me not to forget on my next trip. i was relieved.

the point is, if you leave the US with all your cam gear and then return from asia, with it all, they have no way of knowing if you just bought it there off the grey or black market and are smuggling it back in.

for regular consumers, this isnt a problem because the camera gear amount is so small. however for a traveling pro, you could easily be carrying 2 bodies, 2 strobes, 9 lenses, laptop, etc...

do a web search or call us customs to find out more about it. its loosely referred to as a "CARNE" and the form is # 4457 and is entitled: CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION FOR PERSONAL EFFECTS TAKEN ABROAD

goodluck, and by the way, i try my best to handcarry every thing on the plane.

A big Thanks to Dr. Mark D...

I think it will be same on my location,,,By the way my gear is not 20k USD,only a very small portion of that and i will asked also some Custom officer here,,,,Thanks


make sure that you declare and carry with you a "CARNE" im not sure the exact acronym, its short for a customs declaration of what you leave the country with to avoid being hassled and taxed when you return. on a recent surf trip to pinas, i brought close to 20k, usd in camera computer equipment. i forgot to declare my equipment and on my return i was almost taxed several thousand dollars.

it was an honest mistake, and the customs agent could tell that i was sincere in forgetting to decalre before i left. so he waived my fees, and urged me not to forget on my next trip. i was relieved.

the point is, if you leave the US with all your cam gear and then return from asia, with it all, they have no way of knowing if you just bought it there off the grey or black market and our smuggling it back in.

for regular consumers, this isnt a problem because the camera gear amount is so small. however for a traveling pro, you could easily be carrying 2 bodies, 2 strobes, 9 lenses, laptop, etc...

do a web search or call us customs to find out more about it. its loosely referred to as a "CARNE" and the form is # 4457 and is entitled: CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION FOR PERSONAL EFFECTS TAKEN ABROAD

goodluck, and by the way, i try my best to handcarry every thing on the plane.

Jerry,

I would suggest hand-carry, as your gear will be with you all the time. You'll be passing through a number of ports of call and, perhaps via different carriers, which increases the chances of lost checked-in baggage.

Your only issue would be weight and dimension resrictions for hand-carried stuff. Would Lowepro make the cut for size limits? It may help that you stuff your batteries (these are heavy) in your checked-in luggage or leave them home, unless these are specialty ones that you cannot obtain at your photoshoot destination/s.

Good luck!!!


Dan

If your weight exceeds the alloted hand carry weight, I would inform the airline before flying that that you need to hand carry your gear. Inform them that you are a pro and cant take the chance of your luggage getting lost or damaged. I was once questioned in Amsterdam regarding the weight of my backpack with my gear and I told her that I was a pro so she let slip:) You may want to take the suggestion of Mark and check with customs....I have never encountered a problem but its better to be on the safe side. Oh and it always pays to be suuuppperrr friendly to the officers.

Maam pilar,

Do they ask for ID? How can I convince them that I'm a 'pro' photographer? Will they allow me to hand-carry a stroller type bag? Its rather big for the overhead bin.

make sure that you declare and carry with you a "CARNE" im not sure the exact acronym, its short for a customs declaration of what you leave the country with to avoid being hassled and taxed when you return. on a recent surf trip to pinas, i brought close to 20k, usd in camera computer equipment. i forgot to declare my equipment and on my return i was almost taxed several thousand dollars.

it was an honest mistake, and the customs agent could tell that i was sincere in forgetting to decalre before i left. so he waived my fees, and urged me not to forget on my next trip. i was relieved.

the point is, if you leave the US with all your cam gear and then return from asia, with it all, they have no way of knowing if you just bought it there off the grey or black market and our smuggling it back in.

for regular consumers, this isnt a problem because the camera gear amount is so small. however for a traveling pro, you could easily be carrying 2 bodies, 2 strobes, 9 lenses, laptop, etc...

do a web search or call us customs to find out more about it. its loosely referred to as a "CARNE" and the form is # 4457 and is entitled: CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION FOR PERSONAL EFFECTS TAKEN ABROAD

goodluck, and by the way, i try my best to handcarry every thing on the plane.

Thanks Doc! I managed to do a research on this here in Canada and here's what I found out. In Canada I can get the Y38 form which is called IDENTIFICATION OF ARTICLES FOR TEMPORARY EXPORTATION. I'll contact Canada Custom Agency about this. I will also contact the airports/airlines to find out carry-on luggage size/weight restrictions.

Thanks everyone for their help!

i think they have weight limits for hand carry baggages..

my lowepro back pack was weighed last jan when i was on my way to san fo to shoot a wedding...i was also checked of my weight when i was leaving san fo airport coming back to the philippines..they said -new limit is 7 kilos na lang daw....what i did was i placed my 70-200 is.lens and other stuff in a supot shopping bag...so when i was asked to weight my backpack...i didnt reach 7 kilos .....sometimes they check and sometimes they dont so....i suggest leaving the heaviest lenses for check in...to be sure

It depends on the destination and the number of transfers. It would be easier to get the hard cased luggage for checking in. With the rig you're bringing customs will usually not charge you taxes as long as you declare them. Let's face it, it's usually corrupt countries who will try to get you to pay extra for items the clearly is personal use.

Wow you must be a really good photographer to be hired out of country to come to the phils and cover a wedding.

Another question... I'll be going through 3 airports so there will be 3 security check points. Do they usually ask to remove all the cameras and have it turned on and check if it's operable similar to what they do for laptops.

Never done something like it (international wedding) yet but I always use my Pelican 1600 as my camera storage and then carry on for my out of state weddings and special photo assignments.

Jerry! Congratulations on your international wedding! Im sure you will do just fine!
Good Luck!

Ian

another tip, while boarding the plane, remove your camera and attach the heaviest lens you have, include the flash na rin. then hang it around your neck, then let them weigh your camera bag. hmmm, 6.5Kilos it says on the machine. then they let you handcarry your cam bag. when you get to your seat, return all your gear inside your bag.

but then again, the reason why they are limiting the weight of each bag because anything heavier than that is dangerous especially during airpockets. bags flying aroun the cabin can fall on other peoples head, and also, it might even fall on your own kids. sisisihin mo sarili for the rest of your life.

bro, handcarry, better be secure than sorry!

I handcarried my 2 bodies and 3 lenses, 550EX, laptop, and a ton of batteries through customs without a declaration and through a lot of airports without getting questioned once.. It was in a National Geographic NG 1150 Earth Explorer Large Backpack. It looks pretty huge but surprisingly it fits right into the overhead compartments of large planes (unless ur in biz or 1st class). You can just ask the cabin crew to stow it away if it doesnt fit. It's not advisable to carry around in a small plane though.

I hand carried some equipment last November from YVR airport. I didn't encounter any problems going there and returning to the Philippines. I only carried my camera body, kit lens, few batteries and other accessories though.

Hello All!

I'll be going to Philippines to cover a wedding in December. This is my first time I'll doing an out-of-the country wedding coverage. I plan to bring all my equipments (3 cameras, 5-6 lenses, 4 flashes, and tons of batteries). I need to know what's the best way to bring them. Is it best to have them as carry-on or check-in luggage? I would prefer to bring them as carry-on as I would feel safer to have them with me all the time. But I'm worried about airport restrictions if there are any. I'll be going through 3 different international airports - Vancouver (Canada), Narita (Japan), and Manila. Has anyone have travel with these amount of camera equipment internationally or with any of these airports? Am I safe to bring them with me as a carry-on? I plan to use the Lowepr Roller 2.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!


@ Vergel

I been in philippines just a couple of weeks ago..My tamrak bag was really heavy because of my laptop with battery on it and 3 lens and one body..it was more than 20 lbs! Anyway, I have no problem with the custom even I didnt registered it. The only person who question me was the stewardess of PAL back to Vancouver ( I think you have no problem with JAL) because it was heavy.But to make short they let me go to hand carry it they just put a sticker on it. So go for it Vergel, Canada is not that so strict not like US..:-) True what Pilar said just nice and be friendly it works...Happy trip...

well this is local flight experience: CBU-MLA

Cebu Mactan International Airport Authorities ask me to check-in all my batteries as I am carrying too many of them. While in contrary Ninoy domestic never had the chance to tell me to check-in my batteries :)

I brought along my CompuTrekker with 2 bodies, 6 lenses, a flash and their chargers in my recent trips to Bangkok and Macau with no problems. The only thing they noted is that I should check in my tripod. It wasn't allowed hanging out my bag. :D

When I got to the destinations, I had another bag, a Nova 4 in my check in luguage and that's what I use walking around -- being a tourist. 1 body and 1 lens on was more than enough for me, I didn't even get to take out my flash!

No problem bringing photographic equipment.

Just for me with 1-DSlr, medium format 6pcs of lenses, laptop and other accessories. But be sure you can handle all in one carrying bag.

It hassle to be questioned.

How many years that bring in-out my equipment sa Pinas but no problem encountered. And encountered respect with some airport personnel.

keep on shooting sabi ni jim.

fherD

I travel with my Pelican 1510 all the time. I have 2 bodies and lenses with everything from hard drive to batteries and chargers and it is no problem anywhere. Tripods do have to be checked in and so with rolls of tape though.

Went to manila a couple of weeks back... had my Computrekker jammed with equipment; 2 cams, 7 lenses and a score of accessories. Heck, my hand carry was far heavier than my check-in, but i didnt encounter a problem en route... just smile and be friendly.

Went to manila a couple of weeks back... had my Computrekker jammed with equipment; 2 cams, 7 lenses and a score of accessories. Heck, my hand carry was far heavier than my check-in, but i didnt encounter a problem en route... just smile and be friendly.


Thanks Alex...:)

Thanks everyone for their input. I'm sure there are other people would find this thread very informative.

Well I'm back in Canada from my Philippine trip. Here's what happened in terms carrying photographic equipments. I ended up with 2 camera bags (both carry-on). One with Lowepro Mini Roller and the other is Lowepro Daypack. I brought with me 2 camera bodies, 4 lenses, 3 flashes, 8 camera batteries, and several AA batteries. Going to Philippines, I went through 3 airport terminals (Winnipeg, Vancouver, Tokyo). In Winnipeg, I had to open up the 2 bags and they had to scan the equipments with a wand to scan for any explosive contents. They didn't scan them in Vancouver nor in Tokyo. Perhaps it is because my filght is a transfer. In terms of weight restrictions it wasn't questioned. I think as long as you carry them comfortably, they would not suspect that the bag is heavy. In Tokyo, they had to weigh carry-on only those luggages that seems big and heavy. Both mine didn't get questioned. The Lowepro Mini Roller was placed on overhead cabin in Air Canada flights, but on JAL, it was placed underneath the seats. On returned trip, I did not have any problems.

As for customs, I didn't had any problem.

P.S. I had a pleasure with meeting and working with Dino Lara and his team at my cousin's wedding. Well done Dino on those wedding photos.

How about local restrictions on handcarrying, are they also strict regarding rechargeable AA, Nikon batteries?

The meanest question I ever had w/ my camera gear on my carry on (and I always carry them on - tripods are checked-id) was, "Sir, is that a lens you have there?"

And I would say, "Yes, would you like to take a look it?"

They'd usually let me go after that. :D

I travel with my Pelican 1510 all the time. I have 2 bodies and lenses with everything from hard drive to batteries and chargers and it is no problem anywhere. Tripods do have to be checked in and so with rolls of tape though.

I just got a pelican 1510 also. Does it fit inside the overhead bins? I put 3 systems inside wc gets pretty heavy at times.

upgrade yourself to business or first class, then you will now have more cabin baggage weight allowance :-) Most planes usually have some kind of closet where you can put your "bigger" bags.

last time i flew, which was a year ago, local airline wouldnt allow my cellphone charger, how about this year? any news about restricting cables? >camera charger cable, usb cables?

last time i flew, which was a year ago, local airline wouldnt allow my cellphone charger, how about this year? any news about restricting cables? >camera charger cable, usb cables?

for chargers and batteries, it would be best to pack it in your check in luggage. Or get a pelican, store everything there and check it in :)

for chargers and batteries, it would be best to pack it in your check in luggage. Or get a pelican, store everything there and check it in :)

aw..oki..even the nikon cam batts? hehehe...
how about taking pics in the plane? last year that was restricted as well...:Grin:

aw..oki..even the nikon cam batts? hehehe...
how about taking pics in the plane? last year that was restricted as well...:Grin:

I usually hand carry my laptop and camera when i travel. i only bring my pelican if i need to bring all my gear and travel long, i need that for the protection. just store your batts properly, if you must, bring zip locks to stash your batts.

last year i was able to take a sunset photo from cebu to singapore. i wasn't hassled by stewardess. you just have to make sure that you do not use electronic items (mobile phones, laptops, ipods, psp's, and the like) during take off and landing. this year, did the same thing as well. no hassles. problem with most pinoys is that they use their electronic devices during the whole trip, and use ignorance as bliss :D