Is it worth to pay for excess charges for our camera gears ?

[FM2]

Hi all,

Is it worth to pay for excess charges for our camera gears (if we are bringing in our big gears like Telephotos lens (bird, wildlife shoot) ?

How much do they charge for excess charges (eg Singapore Airlines flying from Singapore o Australia, Sydney ?)

I heard Airlines like Quantas are so strict with hand-on carry luggages as they are leaving tourists with no choice but to pay for excess charges if they are bringing in stuff more than 7kg hand carry.

If you look at most of our gear for a bit more professional body and lens, we are already exceeded the 7kg limit. If you are into diving, your gear willl be much more because of the housing, stobes etc etc for camera gear.

I know for one is that once you are into the minimum Gold alliance member for SQ with elite miles, you can have an additional 20kg excess. However to be in this category, it means that either your company is sending you to travel regularly or you are travelling most of the time...so in this case, would you rather pay for excess if you cannot clock so many mileage for additional luggages?


How do you all overcome this problem with different airlines like budget etc etc and care to share so that we can all benefit ?

 

[CS TAN]

Perhaps you should look at this from the net cost point of view. Maybe Quantas airfare (or any other budget airline) is cheaper than SIA but SIA does seem to restrict the carry-ons at strict 7kg. So, if Quantas airfare+excess fee is greater than SIA airfare, maybe you should fly SIA instead.

 

[kkgoxplore]

Ask youself why are you bringing the gears for the trip? If they are to fulfill your objective or task, the answer is obviously yes.

 

[kaixiang]

Hang the heaviest camera + lens combo around your neck. I can't find the link but some guy said it works.

Seriously, 7kg is a lot of stuff. On my last vacation, I brought a D80, F4S, 24mm f/2.8, 35mm f/2, 50mm f/1.8, 55mm f/3.5, 105 f/2.5, 180mm f/2.8, Yashica Mat 124G and ~15 rolls of film and all that adds up to less than 7kg. I suggest keeping it down to 3 lenses and max 2 bodies. Maybe 4 if you need a telephoto for wildlife/birding.

But if you really can't decide what to bring, pay the $$. If you intend to do any wildlife/bird photography I am guessing that photography is one of the main reasons you are traveling, so budget for it.

 

[albertsy2]

The farther you are going the less stuff you should bring.

 

[kklee]

It seems for Qantas, prior arrangements can be made

"Items such as diplomatic or courier bags, musical instruments, artworks or technical equipment that exceed the above limits may be accepted at the discretion of the airline but arrangements must be made at least two days before you travel. You may need to purchase an extra seat."

Link - http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/carry-on-baggage/global/en#jump0

 

[Maltese]

the 7kg is usually imposed if you have very big or seemingly heavy bags when you intend to hand carry in. Most airline allows you to bring in 1 notebook bag size plus 1 backpack that you can put on top of the overhead baggage space.

They have this bag mold thing (forget what you call that) at the side in which you can drop your carry in bag and check whether do they conform to the size and weight for hand carry.

If you want to hand carry all your photo gear in, my advice is to get a visually flattened bag (even if they are bigger than the requirements) such as a lowepro omni which you can backpack and a notebook bag like shoulder bag. I can hand carry over 30kg with a tripod bag sling over my shoulder and I never check in anything flying over half of the world continents in dozens of airlines.

Anything that you don't hand carry become check in and excess baggage definitely costs more. If you need to check in your baggage, hard cases + insurance should be considered. Even if you declare as fragile on the baggage and the baggage guys may take care not to throw them in anyway, once they go up the conveyor belt, nothing is guaranteed. If you saw once how the baggage goes into a plane, you will never trust glasses in there unless you have very strong cushioning.

 

[+evenstar]

i've carried bagpacks of 10-15kg on SQ flights regularly without problems at all

 

[FM2]

Just found that Qantas charges $32 per kg for excess....