Weird and unfair
Somewher in ATL, Atlanta, Georgia

Nikon D200, Nikon 85mm f/1.4D
1/60sec @ f/1.4, iso 180, 85mm (127m)

I didn’t take this photo, though it is one of three such shots of the same thing on my memory card. The camera was in my luggage at the time so I can only guess that this photo was shot by the TSA during inspection all the while I waiting to board an airplane.

(I guess this sort of explains why my luggage didn’t arrive with me.)

The unfair part is when they opened my luggage, they somehow either took off the rear lens cap or didn’t replace it correctly on my Nikkor 12-24mm f/4G DX lens (a $1000 lens and my favorite lens for shooting) thus causing the rear element to collapse into the lensbody during transport.

The lesson here is to carry your photo equipment with you on the airplane. But I appreciate any suggestions on how to deal with the situation at hand. The lens is under extended warranty but I doubt Nikon is going to replace something that is clearly the TSA’s fault. (Um, yes, Nikon, it is a manufacturing defect that when someone takes off the protective lens cap and then places it back in a bag of luggage and electronics for a transcontinental flight that your rubber mount gave and the plastic ring cracked.)

This lens is dead
North Beach, San Francisco, California

Nikon D200, Nikon 85mm f/1.4D, Canon 500D diopter
1/40sec @ f/2.8, iso 160, 85mm (127mm)

By the way, While I don’t do much airplane traveling (just twice a year), but every time I travel, my luggage is opened and searched. This is the first time since 9/11 that I haven’t had a slip in my luggage saying that to “protect me and my fellow passengers.”