traveling and shooting film? | my advice & travel camera kit

I've never had an issue when traveling with film. Anything up to 400 ISO, maybe 800, has been fine through the scanner. Just be pleasant and ask TSA to hand check 800+ ISO film, letting them know the scanner will ruin it, and thank them multiple times so there is less hesitancy next time someone asks that person to hand check.

About a trip and photography? I think the best option is to be alone!

I travelled to London and Paris and could have taken my 1dx or a7iii. Instead, I took my lumix zs100. Small, full frame and fitted in my pocket. So glad I didn’t bother with the large bodies.

I usually bring a pocketable point & shoot & a medium format camera, either a TLR or a foldable 645 camera, again very pocketable

I take my Rollei 35S loaded with Portra 400 and my Rollei 35T loaded with HP5. The 40 mm lens on the Rollei is just perfect. Zone focussing with distance set to infinity, speed 125, f5.6/f8/f11 and follow Capa's advice "If your photos are not good enough then you are not close enough" . You need to get close and fill the frame with the 40 mm. The Zeiss Sonnar on the 35S is just phenomenal with color (I wish I could afford to shoot slide film ☹️ with the Sonnar). By the way this channel is just so informative - like Analog Insights my other favorite channel. Best wishes.

A guy who worked at B&H told me that the Domke film bag is NOT for putting your film through the X-ray machine, because, as you said, if the TSA screener can't see through it, they'll just jack up the intensity of the X-ray. What the bag is for is all the radiation and such flying around in the sky. So best practice, from everything I've read and heard, is to get the hand-check in the clear plastic Zip-lock, and then, after the TSA screening and before boarding the plane, shove that Zip-lock into the Domke film bag for the flight.

My advice if you have too many cameras is to bring a maximum of 2 formats (try to stick to 2 cameras + if you want a point and shoot). Cuts down on the unnecessary gear you'll be lugging around such as lenses, film etc and it forces you to think what shots you plan to take. Also for airports, try to take out your film from the camera if it is possible before the security check. While they may hand check film, I've had instances where they would not for the camera and wanted to either open it or x-ray it. If you can either shoot it all before, or take out the partial roll you can just skip all the hassle and just get the film hand checked.

28mm, sometimes a 50mm as well.

Hey Matt, I'm trying to find the video where you talk about where you store your Polaroid photos, but can't find it. Can you let me know what it's called?

Have you had any luck actually getting it hand checked? Every time I ask they refuse to do it sadly.

Yes:Less is more , 40mm works fine.

Commenting so the algorithm pushes your videos back to my feed

I totally agree on keeping it simple. However I did once travel with a Wista 4x5 camera to Alabama because I knew I wanted to make some portraits of folks who live there. The camera was a real conversation starter and opened doors, so it was worth it. On the film I shipped the holders and film along with a changing bag to the hotel, and then shipped it all back home when the trip was done.

Very good talking points! Love this video. Pretty sure I used to be one of those photographers who don't know how to pack light when it comes to gear haha

Sony Xperia 1 Mark is the best in the camera business because he uses the best Zeiss lenses at the moment

For urban areas i prefer two lenses 20 and 85 mm, polarizer and a yellow filter for my F5 - last but not least a lot of HP5's.

When I went to Iceland I took my Nikon F100 with a 35-70 for colour and Yashica T4 for black and white and it was a good plan.

Oh the constant dilemma! Thanks for sharing your take on it Matt. Personally I've at long last cracked it ...... OM2n and 50mm with Rollei 100 & Ilford HP5 and my Pentax Espio 928 point and shoot with Kodak ColorPlus 200. Happy travels!

I took a road trip this summer from Chicago to Los Angeles on what’s left of Route 66, and took seven cameras: three film, three mirrorless, and an iPhone. Along those 2500 miles, least 90% of my photos were made with only three cameras — one digital, a medium-format film camera, or the phone. Everything else — every one of them a camera I love — was dead weight that I had to schlep in and out of motel rooms every morning and every night and worry about when I was more than 10 feet from the car during the day. Wish I’d seen this video and taken it to heart before the trip.

Is that not the better excuse to buy a big camera bag to take everything you probably wont use lmao

I've asked for a handcheck at Heathrow airport and they would only do the 800iso and above films. They refused to do the rest and stuck through the x-ray machine.

Once I took just Canon A-1 with 28mm lens for what was supposed to be one week trip… Ended up for two months just with this setup and it was very freeing!

My ideal travel kit would be like yours Matt. M6 + 35mm cron with color or B&w film.
But digital would be canon R with the nifty 50. Maybe take a zoom if I know i’ll need the reach.

Great advice Matt. Well done.

Your comments were spot on. I've travelled quite light but one time with family and I carried a Nikon D600 digital and a F100 for 35mm color slide and Fm2n for 35mm bw film. I ended up leaving all but 1 camera and 1 lens in the hotel. Occasionally I took out 2 or 3 cameras with me at a planned out shoot like observation point sunset but coming home I thought it was a waste. Identical shots in film and digital, color and bw.

I prefer the smaller Fm2n than my F100 and my lens with it is a 35mm f2 I guess it's the poor man version of yours. I enjoy low light photography and wanting to break away from the tripod therefore I am struggling with film where digital can perform with high iso. I carry a 35mm but when I have more time a ultra wide zoom and maybe maybe a 85mm. I've since have a Fuji Xt1 pre-owned.

In Europe, Security refused all the times I asked to handcheck the film. They put it through the X-ray. Looks like in USA the treatment is different.

Hand check in the USA because they are required to do it, in the rest of the world I bring a lead bag I believe its made by Domke or Hama at any rate its about 7.5 lbs and feels like the shield the give you to protect yourself with when you go to get an X-Ray at the hospital, I’ve never had a problem when my film is in this bag. I always ask for hand check anywhere I go in the hopes that airport security will be reasonable if not they see a big black square and end up doing the exact same hand check they do in the US, as far as turning up the X-Ray machine I’ve seen the dip shit security guy crank up the the machine and show me the faint outline of my film cans, there was nothing wrong with my film when I developed it I mostly shoot Tri-X.

Last week I was on a trip and packed way too many cameras. I plan on going to the Easyriders Rodeo in Chillicothe this weekend coming up. I was going to go with two cameras, a D700 with a 45mm lens, and D810 with the 70-200mm. (I leave my film cameras at home for bike and car shows) Now I think I am just doing the D810 combo, and hoping that by not having too many options I can just focus on shooting. Maybe I will pack a film camera to shoot outside the event, but that starts a slippery slope.

Good video

I'm one of the many people facing eviction soon and I've sold some cameras and given a few away as well. I have quite a few I'm bringing with me on my uncertain migration. I decided the criteria was to not double up on any formats. 1 6x7, 1 6x6, 1 35mm, 1 Polaroid. And a point n' shoot. I'll probably be shooting through my instant film for a while though to save money.

Good stuff Matt, however, I travel by mini SUV for my Southern California desert adventures. I have 3 small backpacks, one is Nikon film with lenses, one is Olympus MFT with lenses, and then another with misc film cams, and Olympus big lenses. Then just throw in a tripod and I have all that I could possibly need to suit my whims. There has been so many times when out and about I say to myself "darn, what a beautiful eagle flying there, too bad I don't have a big lens". My bags are small, and traveling by car, no matter. Now if I were to fly somewhere, all your points are spot on. Cheers!

Matt your advice came at a perfect timing; was still in doubt which lenses to bring just before leaving for a trip tomorrow,. Now it feels good to stick to what I am comfortable with at the moment. Brought all the options down my most used and trustworthy 50mm f1.5 Zeiss Opton Sonnar T lens with my 70 yr. old 35mm Zeiss Contax IIa rangefinder and KEKS Lightmeter (great tool!) shooting B&W as ever. All fits in a very small bag.

Unpack your bag when you get home. Someone broke into my house and grabbed my bag, it was practically gift wrapped for them. They got 90% of my gear. I was not happy.

I think Sebastiao Salgado's said he switched to digital because he lost a load of rolls to an airport x-ray machine, so it's definitely worth being careful about. Apparently keeping some Delta 3200 in your film bag is a great way to make sure you can qualify for a hand-check with airport security if they're saying "high ISO film only". Still always a risk though, so might also be better to buy and even develop film locally after you've landed, though that's a lot of extra hassle. Ah the joys of film photography, eh?

Om2 with a 35-105 👍🏻

Ever since I got my contax t2 I never took anything else with me for business or casual travels.

Minimal would be Q2 and Q2 Monochrom in a Peak Design 5L Sling.

I just take an Olympus Af1 infinity which has an incredibly sharp 35mm 2.8 Zuiko lens with Portra 400 for color and a tiny teeny Ricoh 8.1 megapixel GR digital camera with its fixed 28mm 2.4 equivalent lens for black and white.
The Ricoh is always in my pocket and can be used for colour if needed. I pack the tiny Japanese charger and a spare battery.

All of this advice. Just all of it. Especially the bit about packing lighter! I took a roadtrip out west a few weeks ago, and uh, yeah my bag was about 20 pounds. Didn't even use half the cameras I brought 😑

Perfect timing being that I just booked a flight to California to see friends I haven't seen in two years. Some mild panic about what I would see and want to photograph. Looks like the Bessa and the 35mm make the cut.

.....or maybe the Yashica Mat-124 G.....

I usually dont take my film cameras when I travel, I think I'll start taking my f100 or my Contax N1 next trips, 1 body one lens.

Next month I’m flying to Ghana for 3months and I will be bringing with me; 4x5 Chamonix w/ a 150 lens, my RB67 Pro SD w/ 90mm , Mamiya C330 Pro S w/ 80mm , and 2 135 film cameras. I chose these cameras each for a reason. Of course I will be having a lot of film or less lol and will be bringing that on me which means a lot of pleading for a hand Check. Hopefully I meet TSAs in good moods lol. Thanks for sharing

Simple kit: F100 with a 35-135mm f3.5-4.5 and my Voigtlander Bessa II

If I'm feeling ambitious I'll toss in an 85mm 1.8 and grab a Rolleicord for the 6x6 option.

When I shoot large format I'll take my 4x5 with both lenses I have (150 and 210, 4 frames bnw, 4 frames of color (usually 2 portra 160 and 2 portra 400), and either 2 or 4 frames of glass dry plates. Because it's light and small, I bring the Voigtlander Bessa again and I'll usually grab my Z6 with a 35 for the digital option/double check my light meter readings.

I spent 5 weeks in Turkey, some rolls of my 35mm went through the x-rays 8 times that trip. 15 rolls, only 2 frames had light fogging on it.

what a timing!! i am leaving tomorow on a trip and packed 2 camera, 4 lenses... my guest is that ill be using the 50mm ALL the time lol
sony a7ii and batis 25+ 55 f1.8 // canon f1n and fd50f1.2L + fd85mmf1.2L.... oh and a point and shoot :)

Can anyone tell me what’s that “bag” that Matt talked? The one he said he usually use to put the film inside while traveling, to the x-ray not ruin the film. I didn’t know about that and I want to take that precaution because I’ll be traveling my first time and I didn’t know about that.

I like to travel super light and my point and shoot gets the job done

Jeez, that over packed setup sounds heavy 😅 size and weight are always my top priorities. Even scaled back from the Mamiya7 to the 6 because of that... More often than not i leave the digital camera at home these days.
My setup is normally my Leitz/Minolta CL or Olympus XA, and my Fuji GS645 or Mamiya6. Everything else gets very limited use.
About hand scans, I've been unsuccessful on several occasions, in Korea (looked like they couldn't imagine such a thing), several times in Europe, and Qatar.

Olympus XA does the trick for me

Good advice. I enjoy carrying a 2 lens kit. Depends where I’m going but I usually start the kit with either the M6 and a 50 or 35. To the 35 kit I add a 75. To the 50 kit I add a 28. Seems to cover all bases. I’ve actually found the telephoto to be far more useful than I would have expected.