Overseas Traveling with EOS 6D: Power and Lens Questions

[indrajeet]

My teenage son is traveling to Germany with his school, and I was thinking of sending him with one of my old 6Ds and a 17-40mm f4 lens. Two questions, as I haven't traveled to Europe since I got into photography.

Is it better to pack extra batteries or an adapter for a charger? He won't run a battery dry in a day, so recharging would be an option.

I feel like a 24-105mm would be a better universal lens, but I don't have one. They're not terribly priced as used options, but I don't know how much we'd use it after the trip. My own lens collection is mostly primes not the best for travel or an inexperienced shooter. From anybody that has travel experience, is a 17-40mm appropriate?

[ebiggs1]

How long is the trip? I would certainly take several batteries and several CF cards plus a laptop. I have not traveled to Europe so I don't know about the adapters but I suspect it's a good idea. But I have done many extended trips in this part of the world and again it depends on how much security you want in the value of the photos. I do redundant backups and I have all my life as a photographer. I have never lost an important photo. Switch out the CF cards and u/l to the laptop each evening. 

[rs-eos]

Best to research the airports he'll be traveling through.  I haven't been through Europe since the original gulf war.  At that time, one wasn't allowed to have _any_ charged batteries in carry-ons in at least the Frankfurt airport.  A conundrum was that in other airports (mostly stateside), one had to prove that any carried-on electronic equipment was operational.  But with no charged batteries, oops.

I hope it's no longer that extreme, but do check the rules which may guide you in which solution to go with.

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

Buy the EF 24-105.  It will be more versatile than the 17-40.

Bring 2-3 batteries.  These have to be in his carry on.  You cannot put batteries in checked baggage.  I travel abroad frequently and recently.  

Bring 2-4 SD cards, or more depending on the length of the trip and / or if he will have a laptop for back up.

Remind him to keep the camera with him when he's out.  Wear it / hold it.  It cannot be put down.  He'll be fine.

Hope he has a great trip.  

[jrhoffman75]

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@rs-eos wrote:

Best to research the airports he'll be traveling through.  I haven't been through Europe since the original gulf war.  At that time, one wasn't allowed to have _any_ charged batteries in carry-ons in at least the Frankfurt airport.  A conundrum was that in other airports (mostly stateside), one had to prove that any carried-on electronic equipment was operational.  But with no charged batteries, oops.

I hope it's no longer that extreme, but do check the rules which may guide you in which solution to go with.

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AS Rick says, batteries in carry-on, not in checked baggage. 

[TomRamsey]

You've got good advice, I'm just agreeing.  Extra batteries always, plus charger.  All in carry on.  Do bot let go of the camera, don't set it down anywhere, it will probably be gone.  Don't leave it in the room when you are gone.  Get the 24-105. and if you can a small travel tripod if you want to shot in early morning or at night.  

[Waddizzle]

What about a battery charger?

[justadude]

While my EF 17-40mm f/4 is by far my most used lens on my DSLRs and Mirrorless bodies, and it's the only lens that I always make sure I take with me when I go anywhere with a camera, I wouldn't want to travel with it being my only lens.  Yes on the 24-105mm.  

[ebiggs1]

I forgot in my reply, get the 24-70mm, way, way more better than the 17-40mm would be as a single lens.

And again I can't stress enough take many SD cards. Take more than  you think is enough. 10 is not too many!

And don't take extremely large capacity SD either. Switch out often.

[p4pictures]

Flying with camera batteries in hand luggage is perfectly OK in Europe. I flew to Dublin this week with a couple of LP-E6 batteries in my hand luggage, and a power bank for my phone without any trouble. 

I'd get the 24-105mm lens as others have suggested, the 17-40mm might be a little too wide on the full frame EOS 6D. Also in the USA your battery chargers have the two metal prongs that go in the wall AC socket. In Europe - Germany - they use a different socket so you will need a USA to EUR adapter.

In the countries covered by Canon Europe there are a couple of standards for AC wall sockets, so we have a different version of the battery charger that has a standard IEC C8 socket instead of the fixed metal pins. Then we have a country specific cable that plugs in to the C8 socket in the charger. I'm in the UK so use UK plug to C8, but Germany uses EUR plug to C8.