temp and contitions for transportation of MiniDV
 

Hello I am a Newbie,
I am currently doing a lot of traveling on planes and was wondering about the effects of plane travel on the tapes them selves. This would include the X-ray process, as well as the high altitude and cold temperature during flight.
Let me know or point me in the right direction

Thanks in advanced
Nathan

NEVER pack tapes in checked luggage. If you put them in your carry on you should have no problem at all. I do quite a bit of travel with my equipment and I've never had a problem.
Don

X-Rays and flying wont harm tapes at all, but magnetic things can mess with recorded tapes. I check raw tape stock, but never "exposed" tapes. I carry on all original footage, and the camera.

Be prepared!
 

Your tapes will be fine, especially if they are still in their original wrappers and packed in the middle of your clothes to afford extra protection.

Bill is right on the money, NEVER, EVER, check exposed tapes. You can always buy raw tape if your baggage should be lost, but you cannot replace the images that you went to collect in the first place.

If there is anything that should NEVER be checked is your camera, which should always be carried on and never let out of your sight. Remeber to have a charged battery and a tape in your camera at all times. The battery will be necessary to show security that your camera is an operational piece of photographic equipment as opposed to some other type of nefarious device.

The tape should be loaded because, let's face it...S**t happens, and if it does, and you don't have a tape in your camera, you'll hate yourself for not being able to document it!

Good luck, RB.

Amen to that Rick Bravo. . . .If I am turning off my camera, I always make sure there's at least 10 minutes left on the tape.

I was going over to someone's house and passed another friend's house that was havin a party. . .he had just lit off a firework (that goes hundreds of feet in the air), and I saw it bounce off the house and land on the roof. . .I turned my camera on just in time to capture the explosion on their shingles, and ensuing sparkley shrapnel falling down over everyone. . .

No harm done, but, some great footage. :D