Headed to Paris with Camera Gear

[This is the Edge]

We are headed to Paris in April. My wife typically brings along her 70-200mm f2.8L IS II and a 17-40mm f4.0L when we travel . I'm in charge of transportation and logistics. I noticed in some travel guides that backpacks aren't allowed in a lot of locations. We have a Crumpler Karachi Outpost which is quite big.

So, I'm guessing we are going to have to leave the camera bag, one of the lenses and tripod back at our hotel during museum days. Anyone have any experience hauling camera gear around Paris? Did you divide you days up between photo ops and museum visits?

I don't think she will want to leave the telephoto back in the states, since she wants to get some shots of our daughter and that is the lens she likes to use for portraits.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[candyman]

You can walk with camera gear through Paris and capture all the nice tourist sites. But, in a museum cameras are often not prohibited. You may be able to use the camera of your phone. Usually you can lock your camerabag in a locker inside the museum (not always). Check those rules before leaving the hotel

Check for example the website of The Louvre for more info: http://www.louvre.fr/en/hours-admission/admission#tabs


Check the PDF - Services (you can lock your small bag - with camera gear. After you finish the tour, you can continue to make shots outside the museum

You have to investigate a little further on websites of those museums

 

[Michael_pfh]

We are headed to Paris in April. My wife typically brings along her 70-200mm f2.8L IS II and a 17-40mm f4.0L when we travel . I'm in charge of transportation and logistics. I noticed in some travel guides that backpacks aren't allowed in a lot of locations. We have a Crumpler Karachi Outpost which is quite big.

So, I'm guessing we are going to have to leave the camera bag, one of the lenses and tripod back at our hotel during museum days. Anyone have any experience hauling camera gear around Paris? Did you divide you days up between photo ops and museum visits?

I don't think she will want to leave the telephoto back in the states, since she wants to get some shots of our daughter and that is the lens she likes to use for portraits.

Any advice would be appreciated.

I have been to Paris with my girlfriend in January for 8 days and did bring along my 5 shortest lenses. During our extensive sight seeing I was carrying around 3-5 of them in my Lowepro Stealth Reporter D300AW every day. The only places where I had to leave my bag at the coat check were Musee D'Orsay as well as Moulin Rouge due to their strict policies.
There are some restrictions on flash at some places and inside 2 rooms of the Versailles castle as well as inside the Sacre Coeur cathedral there is absolutely no photography allowed but apart from that Paris is a very photo friendly city.

 

[Michael_pfh]

You can walk with camera gear through Paris and capture all the nice tourist sites. But, in a museum cameras are often not prohibited. You may be able to use the camera of your phone. Usually you can lock your camerabag in a locker inside the museum (not always). Check those rules before leaving the hotel

Check for example the website of The Louvre for more info: http://www.louvre.fr/en/hours-admission/admission#tabs


Check the PDF - Services (you can lock your small bag - with camera gear. After you finish the tour, you can continue to make shots outside the museum

You have to investigate a little further on websites of those museums

I was carrying my camera and 16-35 around Louvre all day and it's absolutely no problem to take pictures there. You are allowed to bring in your coat and bag as well if you wish.

 

[ferdi]

To quote the Louvre rules:

In permanent collection rooms, visitors may take photographs and videos.
However, the use of a flash or any other type of lighting equipment is prohibited.
In temporary exhibition rooms, visitors may not take photographs or videos.
Visitors may not use their cell phone, smoke, consume food or beverages, speak loudly, touch any work of art, or run in any room of the museum.

So if you use your phone to take pictures then make sure flash is turned off.
Be careful not to knock objects over with your backpack, often you have to buy what you break.
Some policemen in tourist areas might get nervous when they see a tripod. Stay friendly and act professional if they ask you to leave or if they think you require a permit (which you only do for making movies as far as I know).

 

[Jules]

Hi,

The Louvre is probably one of the most photog friendly place ... as long as you don't use flash, it's fine in most of the rooms (only temp exhibitions do not allow any picts).
Orsay has changed policy lately into a "strictly no photo policy" and got lots of complains (some special photog protests aka "flash mobs" ... not Speedlight, but "fast" protests...;-) )
Usually only small bags are allowed, aka purse or similar (so that you don't damage the art objects) ...
Inside churches in general, they often request no flash...
Build your visit list, check the museum/places websites before, and if you are unsure on some places, send me a private message in advance of your trip and i can check some for you.

 

[7enderbender]

I never had any problems in Paris but haven't been in a while.

The other question is how and what to leave at the hotel. That can be a bit tricky.

How are you getting to Paris? I couldn't see your location. If you are flying in from the States there is also the issue of bringing gear as carry-on luggage or checking it. I'm still looking into this myself at the moment since I'm flying to Germany in July. I bought a Pelican carry-on case with that in mind but the weight limitations on especially European carriers are getting ever more tight. Some now only allow 8kg of carry on luggage - which is a problem if the empty case is 6kg alone.

The other thing that I like about the case is that you can lock it and/or tie it to something. That may come in handy at the hotel also.

 

[Caps18]

I went to Paris 2 years prior to getting a DSLR. I didn't run into any problems taking photos.

However, I would recommend getting a 85mm f/1.8 to take portraits instead of carrying around the 70-200.

Paris is one of those places that a Tilt-Shift lens would be very useful. You will also want to look into taking HDR photos inside the churches on sunny days. Take some night-time photos as well. And black&white versions of some photos come out great if it is overcast.

Remember to get to the popular sites early. We got a 3 day Paris pass to get into everything except the Eiffel Tower. But, on a warm night the lawn in front of it is a great place to have a picnic with hundreds of other budget-minded Parisians.

 

[RobertG.]

I never had any problems in Paris but haven't been in a while.

The other question is how and what to leave at the hotel. That can be a bit tricky.

How are you getting to Paris? I couldn't see your location. If you are flying in from the States there is also the issue of bringing gear as carry-on luggage or checking it. I'm still looking into this myself at the moment since I'm flying to Germany in July. I bought a Pelican carry-on case with that in mind but the weight limitations on especially European carriers are getting ever more tight. Some now only allow 8kg of carry on luggage - which is a problem if the empty case is 6kg alone.

The other thing that I like about the case is that you can lock it and/or tie it to something. That may come in handy at the hotel also.

Hi, the weight is not such a big problem, as long as they don't get suspicious. But the size is one. 55 cm x 40 cm x 20 cm is the maximum for almost all European airlines, so stick to it. If it's a hard case and obviously larger than 55 cm x 40 cm x 20 cm they will ask you check it in. I have seen this several times already....

During the last years my luggage was not weighted but once last year the custom services in Frankfurt performed a detailed check of my camera bag. It took 5min and I had a nice conversation with them in the meantime.

 

[Michael_pfh]

I never had any problems in Paris but haven't been in a while.

The other question is how and what to leave at the hotel. That can be a bit tricky.

How are you getting to Paris? I couldn't see your location. If you are flying in from the States there is also the issue of bringing gear as carry-on luggage or checking it. I'm still looking into this myself at the moment since I'm flying to Germany in July. I bought a Pelican carry-on case with that in mind but the weight limitations on especially European carriers are getting ever more tight. Some now only allow 8kg of carry on luggage - which is a problem if the empty case is 6kg alone.

The other thing that I like about the case is that you can lock it and/or tie it to something. That may come in handy at the hotel also.

Hi, the weight is not such a big problem, as long as they don't get suspicious. But the size is one. 55 cm x 40 cm x 20 cm is the maximum for almost all European airlines, so stick to it. If it's a hard case and obviously larger than 55 cm x 40 cm x 20 cm they will ask you check it in. I have seen this several times already....

During the last years my luggage was not weighted but once last year the custom services in Frankfurt performed a detailed check of my camera bag. It took 5min and I had a nice conversation with them in the meantime.

There has been an epic discussion on this topic recently, I dug it out for you:

http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php/topic,2660.0.html

 

[Hillsilly]

As mentioned above, generally there are no problems. In fact, you will often have problems getting a decent photo because of the hundreds of people in front of you already taking photos. The Mona Lisa below was a classic example. In hindsight, I would have loved to have a front-on photo, but at the time I couldn't be bothered battling the crowds.

But as you've noticed, there are some places where photography and bags (including handbags) are prohibited. You can be reasonably assured that these places will have well manned check-in counters to leave your equipment. I've had to check-in cameras and bags at many museums across Europe and have never had a problem.

Checking-in a camera and lenses at a museum is probably less of a security risk than leaving it in your hotel. Plus, if you don't take it with you, you'll miss out on the photo opportunities while walking around.

 

[pp77]

Within the last years I have visited Paris several times. You can take pictures in almost all museums, assumed that the flash is turned out without any further restrictions.
Your 70-200 might also be a good lens for taken pictures of painters up at Montmartre or people selling stuff at the boothes along the Seine. Those usually do not like to be photographed at all.
Take a fast lens for interior shootings in Notre Dame, Saint Chapel or Museums like L'Orangerie.

I would not mind too much about leaving your lenses in the suitcase in the hotel room, but be aware of the women trying to sell you roses or collecting signatures for whatever topic. Try to keep distance between you and those woman, these might be the biggest danger in Paris for your gear and wallet. Once they have got something it is handed over from one to the other within seconds, you will never be able to get it back. You find them particularly in from of the Louvre, Notre Dame or Montmarte.

Enjoy your trip, Paris is a great city!

 

[funkboy]

Restrictions are primarily:

- flash is not allowed in most museums, galleries, etc.

- museums with a lot of sculpture like the musée d'orsay will make you check a big bag, but a small one is usually OK.

- around official monuments & very crowded touristic places (yes, even outdoors), police have asked me to put away my tripod on more than one occasion

but in general Paris is a very photographer-friendly city. People use tripods on the street very regularly without any trouble. Most public buildings & museums will have a little sign next to the entrance that indicates what's allowed. Many places enforce what it says, some don't. Try to go to museums & monuments earlier in the day & in the middle of the week to avoid the crowds (also security is more lax when crowds are low); spend the weekends & afternoons doing something outdoors if you can.

Don't be afraid to explore, & have a good time .

 

[jsixpack]

I'd say the most used things in Paris were the mid-to-wide zoom (18-50 on a crop) and a small beanbag. There are plenty of places where a tripod isn't permitted or just too much of a pain, but a beanbag on a wall works pretty well. Also if you like taking pics of things in cases of museums or particularly in shop windows, a polarizer is a must

J

 

[Ladislav]

It's 2017. Where there any changes in Paris related to camera gear, photography permits, backpacks, tripods etc?

I will have whole 3 days in Paris at the beginning of April just for photography sightseeing. I plan to visit the main landmarks although I may not necessarily go inside if I will not be able to keep my backpack (I don't like leaving it in coat room) or take pictures. I like architecture and cityscape photography.

This is not my first visit so I've been already to plenty of places but it will be my first visit targeted to photography.

Btw. any recommendation for interesting places, time of the day and good vantage points?

My wish list currently contains:
- Arc de Triomphe
- Eiffel Tower
- Place de la Concorde
- Le Palais Royal
- Louvre
- Notre-Dame - including Tower and Crypt tours
- Le Centre Pompidou
- Montparnasse Tower
- Les Catacombes de Paris
- Sacré-Cœur
- Place de la Bastille
- Panthéon
- Some riverbank walk

I intentionally didn't include Palace of Versailles because I don't think I will have enough time to spend a day there.

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi Ladislav.
I was in Paris earlier this year and the security seemed quite tight, understandable given recent events.
I have not been before so I have no point of reference as to whether it was like this before or if it is all recent.
I do not generally carry a bag, (except for travelling to and fro,) I carry my gear on a black rapid and pocket some smaller stuff, I had 2 lenses with me for walking around with my 7DII, an EF-s 10-22 and an EF 100-400, you should have seen the looks I got, but I have some great detail shots of the architecture and some more great shots of the whole scene!
We opted not to queue for the trips inside the churches as the line was miles long and we were only there for 4 days one of which was not really ours to plan.
The whole area under the Eiffel Tower is inside a security fence and you have to go through a bag check (no size restriction) and metal detector, and if you wish to go up the Tower there is another security screen with size restrictions on bags.
The Arc de Triomphe has a security screen and bag size restriction (quite small) but I think that is as much because of the lack of room on the stairs as anything else.
I think we went to the place de Concorde and there were no restrictions there, we went to Mont Martre no restrictions outdoors there either, don't know about inside.
I'm sorry but we didn't visit any of the museums though we did walk around the Louvre, very impressive.
We did wander in to the Peugeot showroom on the Champs Elyse, there was also security there but it might have been because they had their Paris Dakar type cars in there and the place was very popular.
Also regarding the flights, at Heathrow they just passed my bag through the machine, at Paris Charles de Gaul they had me remove more than half my gear from the bag, 70-200 and 100-400 plus my 7DII with attached 10-22, had to come out, that just left my backup 7D, flash and Σ17-70 in the bag. The French seem to be taking security seriously, and for this I am grateful.
I hope this is of some assistance to you.

Cheers, Graham.

It's 2017. Where there any changes in Paris related to camera gear, photography permits, backpacks, tripods etc?

I will have whole 3 days in Paris at the beginning of April just for photography sightseeing. I plan to visit the main landmarks although I may not necessarily go inside if I will not be able to keep my backpack (I don't like leaving it in coat room) or take pictures. I like architecture and cityscape photography.

This is not my first visit so I've been already to plenty of places but it will be my first visit targeted to photography.

Btw. any recommendation for interesting places, time of the day and good vantage points?

My wish list currently contains:
- Arc de Triomphe
- Eiffel Tower
- Place de la Concorde
- Le Palais Royal
- Louvre
- Notre-Dame - including Tower and Crypt tours
- Le Centre Pompidou
- Montparnasse Tower
- Les Catacombes de Paris
- Sacré-Cœur
- Place de la Bastille
- Panthéon
- Some riverbank walk

I intentionally didn't include Palace of Versailles because I don't think I will have enough time to spend a day there.

 

[Ladislav]

Hi Ladislav.
I was in Paris earlier this year and the security seemed quite tight, understandable given recent events.
I have not been before so I have no point of reference as to whether it was like this before or if it is all recent.
I do not generally carry a bag, (except for travelling to and fro,) I carry my gear on a black rapid and pocket some smaller stuff, I had 2 lenses with me for walking around with my 7DII, an EF-s 10-22 and an EF 100-400, you should have seen the looks I got, but I have some great detail shots of the architecture and some more great shots of the whole scene!
We opted not to queue for the trips inside the churches as the line was miles long and we were only there for 4 days one of which was not really ours to plan.
The whole area under the Eiffel Tower is inside a security fence and you have to go through a bag check (no size restriction) and metal detector, and if you wish to go up the Tower there is another security screen with size restrictions on bags.
The Arc de Triomphe has a security screen and bag size restriction (quite small) but I think that is as much because of the lack of room on the stairs as anything else.
I think we went to the place de Concorde and there were no restrictions there, we went to Mont Martre no restrictions outdoors there either, don't know about inside.
I'm sorry but we didn't visit any of the museums though we did walk around the Louvre, very impressive.
We did wander in to the Peugeot showroom on the Champs Elyse, there was also security there but it might have been because they had their Paris Dakar type cars in there and the place was very popular.
Also regarding the flights, at Heathrow they just passed my bag through the machine, at Paris Charles de Gaul they had me remove more than half my gear from the bag, 70-200 and 100-400 plus my 7DII with attached 10-22, had to come out, that just left my backup 7D, flash and Σ17-70 in the bag. The French seem to be taking security seriously, and for this I am grateful.
I hope this is of some assistance to you.

Cheers, Graham.

Thanks Graham

I expect security to be quite tight. I'm traveling by Eurostar train from London. I'm usually using Kata MiniBee backpack (currently made by Manfrotto: https://www.manfrotto.co.uk/pro-light-camera-backpack-minibee-120-for-dslr-csc). While it still meets restrictions for carry-on luggage for airlines, it is quite big. And heavy when I take camera with 4-5 lenses, some filters, remote trigger, etc. I will also have Manfrotto tripod. I don't mind leaving tripod locked somewhere, but I don't want to leave the backpack.

I thought about buying Paris Pass or Paris ComboPass. That should give me access to plenty of landmarks and museums plus unlimited travel card. I should also be able to skip queues on some attractions. But it has value only if I visit those attractions.

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi Ladislav.
My bag, a Tamarac Expedition 7 (I think), is just in the carry on size restriction if I 'strap' the straps in tight, I think it would have been at least twice and probably 3 times the size you could take to the Arc de Triomphe, (or would want to carry up all those steps for that matter) I have no idea if there was anywhere to put excess baggage. No idea of size restrictions anywhere else.
No idea about the Paris Pass, we did quite a lot of walking and an awful lot of Uber journeys, never waited for more than five minutes for a car and the average was about 2 minutes, no problem with not getting a seat and a safe place to put camera gear whilst we were on our way places. Not bad prices and you knew before hand what it would cost and the flexible friend (credit card) could be used to pay too.

Cheers, Graham.

Thanks Graham

I expect security to be quite tight. I'm traveling by Eurostar train from London. I'm usually using Kata MiniBee backpack (currently made by Manfrotto: https://www.manfrotto.co.uk/pro-light-camera-backpack-minibee-120-for-dslr-csc). While it still meets restrictions for carry-on luggage for airlines, it is quite big. And heavy when I take camera with 4-5 lenses, some filters, remote trigger, etc. I will also have Manfrotto tripod. I don't mind leaving tripod locked somewhere, but I don't want to leave the backpack.

I thought about buying Paris Pass or Paris ComboPass. That should give me access to plenty of landmarks and museums plus unlimited travel card. I should also be able to skip queues on some attractions. But it has value only if I visit those attractions.

 

[Ladislav]

It's 2017. Where there any changes in Paris related to camera gear, photography permits, backpacks, tripods etc?

I will have whole 3 days in Paris at the beginning of April just for photography sightseeing. I plan to visit the main landmarks although I may not necessarily go inside if I will not be able to keep my backpack (I don't like leaving it in coat room) or take pictures. I like architecture and cityscape photography.

This is not my first visit so I've been already to plenty of places but it will be my first visit targeted to photography.

Btw. any recommendation for interesting places, time of the day and good vantage points?

My wish list currently contains:
- Arc de Triomphe
- Eiffel Tower
- Place de la Concorde
- Le Palais Royal
- Louvre
- Notre-Dame - including Tower and Crypt tours
- Le Centre Pompidou
- Montparnasse Tower
- Les Catacombes de Paris
- Sacré-Cœur
- Place de la Bastille
- Panthéon
- Some riverbank walk

I intentionally didn't include Palace of Versailles because I don't think I will have enough time to spend a day there.

I visited Paris last week. The trip was combination of business (Tuesday and Wednesday) and few days of holiday. I chose to do holiday before the business (Saturday - Monday) to avoid Easter weekend. I also had Tuesday evening for photo walks.

I ended with completely different list of places I visited. I bought a 4 day museum pass (I'm not sure I would recommend that as a good value) and this influenced a lot choices of landmarks to visit. I didn't go for combo pass or Paris pass because they are not good value at all and I didn't use public transport - I walked about 70km during those 3-4 days and did a lot of Uber rides. This was influenced by the fact that RER route near my hotel was closed on Saturday and Sunday. I skipped most of major landmarks (Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Versailles, Sacré-Cœur) as I would like to visit them with my wife.

I visited (all these places allowed photography without flash and tripod):

• Musée d'Orsay - no backpack allowed but it can be left in cloakroom. The best art gallery I have ever visited. I will definitely visit it again when I travel to Paris with my wife.
• Sainte-Chapelle - I liked it more than Notre-Dame
• Conciergerie
• Notre-Dame - including Crypt. I'm still angry that I didn't make it to Towers but the queue was enormous
• Arc de Triomphe - no backpack allowed, no place to store it
• Panthéon - no backpack allowed, no place to store it and no information about it on the website!
• Montparnasse Tower - first observation tower / deck where I was able to use tripod. It is bit tricky because it is very windy up there and floor is wooden. If you want to have a good spot for evening / sunset shots you need to arrive early.
• Saint-Étienne-du-Mont - beautiful church next to Panthéon
• Les Invalides - army museum and Napoleon's Tomb. The museum is not so much interesting for photography as everything is behind the glass and there are a lot of unwanted reflections but it was awesome anyway.
• Palais de la Découverte - the biggest disappointment. It is science museum but if you don't speak French, it has very little value for visiting. Even the building itself was under scaffolding. I was allowed my backpack but I had to leave tripod in a cloakroom.

Apart from those places where I went inside, I also visited a lot of other areas and took pictures of many other landmarks like:

• Eiffel Tower - a lot of pictures from different places
• Place de la Concorde - half of buildings behind the square were under scaffolding
• Louvre Pyramid and Louvre Palace
• Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel
• Pont des Arts
• Pont Neuf
• Pont Alexandre III
• Pont de Bir-Hakeim
• Flame of Liberty
• Statue of Liberty
• Petit Palais - I wanted to go inside but backpacks were not allowed
• Grand Palais
• Luxembourg gardens and palace

I did a lot of walking around Trocadéro, River bank and Champs-Élysées. On Monday I went without my backpack to visit Arc de Triomphe, Panthéon and Army museum.

Security was tight. Plenty of police officers with submachine guns and even soldiers with assault rifles around areas like Notre-Dame and Army museum. There was Paris marathon on Sunday and terrorist attack happened just two days before in Stockholm so it could influence the amount of security.

Even with so much security units around, security checks were as vague as they could and I simply didn't see any real value in them because if someone really wanted to pass weapon or something worse, those checks would not stop it. That makes them even more annoying. You generally need to show content of your backpack everywhere you enter - that includes plenty of shops as well.

Security screenings have another negative. If you buy a museum pass or another free entry which promises you fast lines to enter selected museums, you may find out that it is only to skip lines for tickets but you will wait in the same queue as others for security check => makes the benefit equal to zero.