Photoclubalpha

Today I flew from Tokyo to Matsuyama; a flight I have made several times on the same airline. Most recently was last year. The flight is less than 2 hours with some good views so I often get a window seat where I can watch and sometimes take photos. The planes are new and the windows are pristine.

A few minutes after takeoff today I was about to take a photo with my Canon S95, but was stopped by a flight attendant. He told me that photos are not allowed!?! I and others have taken photos out the window in the past. People all over the world routinely do this. Later in the flight when we were high and mostly looking at clouds he came by and told me that photos were now allowed. I asked why, but couldn't quite catch all he said (we were speaking Japanese), but from what I gathered they now consider cameras like mobile phones, computers, etc. I suspect it is because of the recent trend to put wifi in the cameras. Well, a very unfortunate, unintended consequence is that in the 20 minutes at the beginning and again at the end of the flight (the best and often only interesting times) you can't turn on your camera -- even if like mine it doesn't have wifi.

I don't know if it is only this airline or only Japan. Anyone else had this experience?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phones_on_aircraft
Specially http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_pho ... technology
Since last December, they are considering lifting the ban on cellphones on flight.

I still cant believe they asked you to turn off your camera. I had seen plane crew harassing ppl in the past about phones or Laptops but not about MP3 players or cameras.

For the last few years on all flights I have been on anywhere in the world they announce that everyone should turn off their phones, computers, tablets, etc. for takeoff and landing. Then between those events you could use computers, etc. There was never a restriction on cameras during takeoff and landing though. This camera restriction is new and I suspect it is because of the surge of cameras with wifi.

I experienced this in 2006 - 7 on domestic flights in the U.S.A.
I had assumed it occurred to everyone with a camera.

Maybe I just look suspicious?

Here are posts I made in 2013 and 2012 with photos taken from a plane:

http://www.photoclubalpha.com/forum/vie ... 991#p81991

http://www.photoclubalpha.com/forum/vie ... 76&p=69987

I usually don't take a window seat, but it is common for people to be taking photos. Sometimes photos of themselves (selfies), their family, etc. Never in many years of flying have I seen a case of the flight attendent saying the camera must be turned off. Note, we are discussing having the camera on, not restrictions on taking photos of sensitive facilities like happens occasionally in some authoritarian countries.

Henry, reading between the lines it looks like the main reason why they ban phones and cameras is that some of them have a built in GPS now so it’s just prudent to get them all turned off in case they mess with the planes navigation system. I think phones have been a worry for some time but now it looks like cameras too, at least for that airline it seems.
Not that a plane is likely to do a MH370 because of a phone or camera but a plane has to stay in particular corridors in around airports as directed by local control, I guess they are just being overly careful in light of what happened to that 777, no one knows what happened to it yet, for sure. (probably never will)
Greg