Travel with housing/camera

[Texas Girl]

Is it OK to carry-on the camera in the housing, or should they be separate? This will be my first trip with a housed camera, used an MX-10/MMII before.

What about a video camera and housing - together or separate?

 

[HowardE]

Either way isn't a problem. If it's a video camera, the TSA requires that video cameras be placed in the "bin" by itself (so it would have to be outside of the housing)

Also, be prepared for them to take a closer look (secondary screening) - but I've done it a few times, and there's no problems to speak of. Just an extra minute or 2 at the security screening...

I wouldn't keep the housing sealed either, but slightly ajar, so that pressure won't "lock" it

 

[Warren_L]

I typically carry-on my camera and check my housing - simply because my housing is too big really to fit in carry on. But I if it's not too big, it shouldn't be a problem. I would make sure that the housing cannot seal air-tight, though. I'm a bit wary about creating a positive pressure gradient inside the housing as I don't believe they were really designed to do so. So leave the o-ring out.

Leaving the housing door loose but o-ring installed may not be a good idea either. Last January, I flew to Roatan with a dive buddy of mine who shoots HD video. He had his $7000 Amphibico housing checked and he left the o-ring in on the housing door slightly ajar, but during the flight, the door shut and when we landed, there was a negative pressure inside the housing holding the door closed. We had to pry the door open with a screwdriver, and we were fortunate that it didn't damage the housing.

Since I dive with a dSLR housing, I put the backing on and leave the port off, so there's no chance of this happening.

 

[HowardE]

Leaving the housing door loose but o-ring installed may not be a good idea either.

If I do this, I leave a piece of foam, or something that blocks the possibility of getting a seal.

 

[Warren_L]

That should work too, just have to make sure that it won't accidentally slip out. You should have heard my buddy swearing up a storm after we discovered what happened.

 

[Viz'art]

from a different point of view (that of a cynical worst case scenario kind of person) leaving your camera inside the housing mmmm.... during transportation your housing is subject to all kind of push and shove, of thing being stacked next to it or on top of it etc, etc. while these push, shove and pressure applied to your housing are pretty innocents in themselves, (mostly due to the ruged aspect of housing, its an altogether story when you have a fragile camera inside, in effect what happen when you bang a control during transport is that it will transfer the kinetic energy to the camera and that the part I dont like. its safer IMO to carry your camera and housing in separate case. while on the subject, splitting both half of the housing will make it easier to put in a suit case, (I put the front in a suit case and the rear in the other suitcase, half a housing is worthless to a thief !)

 

[HowardE]

from a different point of view (that of a cynical worst case scenario kind of person) leaving your camera inside the housing mmmm.... during transportation your housing is subject to all kind of push and shove, of thing being stacked next to it or on top of it etc, etc. while these push, shove and pressure applied to your housing are pretty innocents in themselves, (mostly due to the ruged aspect of housing, its an altogether story when you have a fragile camera inside, in effect what happen when you bang a control during transport is that it will transfer the kinetic energy to the camera and that the part I dont like. its safer IMO to carry your camera and housing in separate case. while on the subject, splitting both half of the housing will make it easier to put in a suit case, (I put the front in a suit case and the rear in the other suitcase, half a housing is worthless to a thief !)

I should say for the record, that I don't keep my camera in the housing... I have a DSLR -

I should have said, "if it is a point and shoot, I don't see a huge problem with that if you're looking to save space"