FX1 and the metal detector
 

Hi all! Just a little question. This summer I need to use my FX1 abroad so I'm gonna take it on the plane with me and then pass it under the metal detector of the airport 4 times (2 on departure/arrival each time). Can the metal detector brake or do something bad to my camera? Thanks for the answer. Bye!

You do NOT have to go with your camera under the detector - you place the camera bag in a bin and it goes through the machine that bagagge checkers use to see what's inside without opening the bag.

Only you yourself have to go through the metal detector.

Thank you so much for the reply. And so under that machine my camera will be perfectly OK? What about the MiniDV cassettes? Are they at risk under that machine? Thanks again!

Hi Luka,

The best thing to do is carry on your camera in it's bag. When you get to the security checkpoint, take the camera out of the bag, put it in one of the plastic bins right before you get through the metal detector and place it on the conveyor belt. The camera will go through a fluoroscope (I think it's called) which is a x-ray device that will check the interior of your gear. It will not harm your camera or the DV tapes (at least I haven't heard of anything happening with the modern equipment that is used now).

Some airports require electronic gear to be out of the bag, some do not. It's been my policy to always take the gear out at the security checkpoint and go through as quickly as possible. I've found that if you quickly cooperate (with a smile!) with the security agent you will get through as quick as possible. Also, I make sure that the most expensive stuff is at the front of the conveyor belt (I put things like jacket, or other bag last) so that I am there when then equipment or computer is coming out at the other side when I get through.

Thanks for the answer. You've been very clear.

I've read of people that uses MiniDV lead cases in "airport situations": do I have to use them or are useless?

Thanks again.

I think if you tried to use a lead case you will be hand searched and ALL your bags will be opened and you will spend alot of time at security answering ALOT of questions. At least in the USA. I once tried to bring a hand full of quarters in a plastic bag in my carry-on bag for the coin operated machines in the airport and hotel. The bag got searched and I got a lot of very direct questions and spent quite a few minutes in security.

A lead case (in my opinion) is useless. I have NEVER heard of someone having problems with modern day airport security equipment with any DV tapes, now film on the other hand...

Ok, thanks for everything!

Relax Luca,

all airport (and other) equipment used for searching bags is totally safe for your everyday gear. There might be some highly specialized stuff that need to get hand searched to avoid exposure to radiation, but video cameras and tapes go through those machines by the thousands every day.

Old machines used real X-rays and you had to take your film camera (and extra rolls of film) out of the bag and present it to the officer, but that's history.

I heard that they now limit you to 2 lithium batteries. Has anyone else heard of this?

Make sure you have a battery on the camera. I've been asked to turn it on before to prove that it's actually a camera, and not, I suppose, some kind of evil terrorist bomb masquerading as a camera.

See this thread:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=111138

Yeah, big thanks to those Sony exploding batteries...

But thanks for bringing up the "battery in unit" issue Vito; that applies to ALL electronics, I have been asked to turn on pretty much everything I was carrying: cell phone, laptop, photo camera.

Thanks for the replies. Do you think that the Sony LCS-VCB bag is too big for the hand baggage into the plane? Thanks!

Hmm, i just came back from cambodia a while ago. Both arports didn't have any issue with my equipment. I was lugging around my Z1, with 3 batts & a HC1 with a single batt. I usually just let the whole bag go under the scanner, seems pretty ok in my part of Asia. hope that helps