Should I travel with my camera body in my housing??

I am pondering if I should try packing my D2Xs in the Subal housing and place it in a ThinkTank backpack as a carry on when flying. No ports or lens will be attached.

I have contacted Subal and Reef Photo, they both do not recommend transporting a camera body in a housing, may damage the housing contacts with the body. I also have asked a few elite underwater professional photographs and was told that this is how they travel.

How easy is it to damage the workings of the housing to the camera body or the camera body?? I do not want to travel half way around the world and have my system not work!

Elmer

If I sold or manufactured underwater housings - I would also tell you not to travel with the camera inside the housing!

Alex

I travel with my D2X in a Subal with the 105 attached. So far never a problem.

I travel with my D2X in a Subal with the 105 attached. So far never a problem.

Do you travel with the housing o-ring in place or removed?

Also do you have the 105 port attached?

As long as everything is carry-on it should not be a problem. I know several guys that travel this way. If there is a chance that your pack might have to be checked due to a small plane (no cabin space), then I'd like to keep camera as carry-on & check housing. O-ring is a non issue if you close AND open housing at sea level. Any small pressure differential is caused by temperature changes vs atmospheric pressure. Just loosen the front body cap on the housing if necessary. (My Nexus has a bleeder screw in body cap so easy to equalize pressure.) If you're concerned about a lever type control being moved, just tape it in place. Pad the housing as you would the camera body.

I am pondering if I should try packing my D2Xs in the Subal housing and place it in a ThinkTank backpack as a carry on when flying. No ports or lens will be attached.

 

I have contacted Subal and Reef Photo, they both do not recommend transporting a camera body in a housing, may damage the housing contacts with the body.

Elmer

No - never. However, I do pack my housing with extra o-rings, strobe cords, etc. The camera, strobes, and lenses are all carefully wrapped. I use only one type of battery for strobes and lights. One reason I switched to the Inon strobes is size. In my carry on I have: 2 camera bodies, 2 strobes, 4 lenses, 3 camera batteries with 1 charger, 12 AA's with charger, 3 port set ups, lap top, dive computer, regulator, Rx mask, ... change of clothes, tooth brush and crossword puzzles. Whew! No, it doesn't weigh 10 Kg.

I other words, what I need for u/w photography. I fill the housing with stuff, so there is no net loss of space.

No - never. However, I do pack my housing with extra o-rings, strobe cords, etc. The camera, strobes, and lenses are all carefully wrapped. I use only one type of battery for strobes and lights. One reason I switched to the Inon strobes is size. In my carry on I have: 2 camera bodies, 2 strobes, 4 lenses, 3 camera batteries with 1 charger, 12 AA's with charger, 3 port set ups, lap top, dive computer, regulator, Rx mask, ... change of clothes, tooth brush and crossword puzzles. Whew! No, it doesn't weigh 10 Kg.

 

I other words, what I need for u/w photography. I fill the housing with stuff, so there is no net loss of space.

Wow, all that is under 10kgs? does that include the weight of the bag? My carry on roller is about 3-4kgs....those storm or pelicans weigh 7kgs empty.

I still manage to carry all my gear too....only one body though and no batteries.....my laptop is a UMPC which weighs just over 1kg or a Vaio TZ298 which weighs a little more.....with all my crap, I still need to split between a backpack and a rolling case.

Oh...I am using a S&S MDX-300 for my housing though. I think it weighs a little more than the Subal even though the new model is milled out of an Aluminum billet (and not cast).

I packed my camera body in the housing and brought it in carry-on last time. I wouldn't do that in checked baggage though.

Cheers

James

I pack my camera inside my Subal housing, but with the port removed. Housing, camera, and port are included in my carry-on, a rolling Tamrac case. If I'm going someplace where things need to stay dry (open boat, etc), it's a rolling Storm case.

I do not recommend packing the housing with the camera inside, we tend to think of the housing as a armoured shell protecting the camera, the fact is that if any of the push button or controls where impacted, the force of said impact would be directed to that control/buttons making the camera actually more vunerable. thoses buttons due to their design and location normally are not a target area for impact, having some metal shafts extending it out make it the quite the opposite.

I wouldn't be caught dead travelling this way, instead I do as Deep6 does, use it as a storage bin and stuff it with anything soft and cumbersome.

Do you travel with the housing o-ring in place or removed?

Yes- all of them

Also do you have the 105 port attached?

Yes again

It all goes in a semi-soft carryon.

I do not recommend packing the housing with the camera inside, we tend to think of the housing as a armoured shell protecting the camera, the fact is that if any of the push button or controls where impacted, the force of said impact would be directed to that control/buttons making the camera actually more vunerable. thoses buttons due to their design and location normally are not a target area for impact, having some metal shafts extending it out make it the quite the opposite.

 

I wouldn't be caught dead travelling this way, instead I do as Deep6 does, use it as a storage bin and stuff it with anything soft and cumbersome.

I regularly travel with my 20D inside the housing, but without the O-ring. I used to use a Lowepro but just switched to a Think Tank (fits my entire macro rig, including 2 strobes; is smaller than the Lowepro and about 3kg lighter - bravo!). The set-up is quite well padded and works fairly well.

And I can personally state that the Aquatica housings are robust enough to survive a 3 foot fall off a table onto concrete, with camera and lens inside, and emerge unscathed (the housing and the camera anyway - the lens snapped in 2). So yes, while I agree that there is a risk if the housing suffers an impact with the camera inside it, I am not too worried about it:

- for one, I dont plan to drop the bag

- second, the bag is quite well padded

- third, housings can be quite robust (my 1 incident above is not statistically valid - still, I have personally dropped my 500/4 a few times; had my 100-400 knocked off a tripod while trying to dodge a charging elephant, etc., so I have a lot of faith in modern electronics' ability to occasionally withstand abuse)

- fourth, if you drop the housing hard enough, you run the risk of damaging your camera's mirror alignment, lens elements, etc. anyway

Still, your point is valid - there is probably an incremental risk if you put the camera in the housing. So why do I take even this small risk? Simple: weight. My carry on gets quite heavy enough as is, so all I carry in the inner padded compartments are lenses, strobes, bodies and housings. Cables, batteries, etc. get chucked into carry o, so there is nothing else in my bag to stuff in the housing. Anything else means either getting a bigger bag, or adding weight to the carry-on. So this is a risk I take.

Btw, I am in Lembeh and just saw the new Aquatica 40D housing. Sexxxxxy in black. As soon as I flood my remaining 2 20Ds, it is time to upgrade.

Vandit