Airport scanners and Tri X in Diafine (pushed at 3200)

[dnk512]

I did lots of reading on people's opinions and greatly different experiences with airport scanners and their effect on 400 ISO film. I am willing to accept the notion that 400 film will NOT be affected by the rays for a reasonable number of scans. But, if I am planning to shoot Tri X for developing in Diafine and shoot it at ISO 3200 (or even 1600) should I worry about the scanners?

 

[Pablito]

no. don't worry about it. as long as you carry your film on board, not in the checked luggage it will be ok.

 

[nobbylon]

the film is still a 400 film, you havn't actually changed that. carry it on and dont worry about it. my films usually get scanned 4-5 times a week with the carry on scanners and it's never affected them.

 

[Tim Gray]

I don't know if I'd push 400TX to 3200 in Diafine. Started to get awfully thin in my book at 1600...

 

[Pablito]

I don't know if I'd push 400TX to 3200 in Diafine. Started to get awfully thin in my book at 1600...

While the results may not be ideal, ya do what ya gotta do. Travel with a 1600 or 3200 speed film is dicey, especially international travel. You just never know when your request for hand inspection will be turned down. Of course in the USA most likely you'll get hand inspection if you request it (they are SUPPOSED to do this). Outside of the US, don't count on it. Even in the USA, don't COUNT on it.

Pushing 400 film to 1600 or 3200 and getting results is better than using, say P3200 (a film I dearly love) and having it ruined at Heathrow or Barcelona or Bangkok, or wherever....

 

[ronang]

All my rolls were fogged in a recent trip to Thailand.

 

[Pablito]

All my rolls were fogged in a recent trip to Thailand.

On a recent trip I went thru BKK airport 6 times and all film was ok. Did you check it in the hold or carry it on? What film was it?

 

[ronang]

On a recent trip I went thru BKK airport 6 times and all film was ok. Did you check it in the hold or carry it on? What film was it?

Fuji Superia 400. They were carried on to the cabin. Could also be the xray machines in Singapore as that was were I boarded to the plane. I will get a film safe bag before my next trip with film. I havn't travelled with film for many years.

 

[dnk512]

This has not happen, yet. I think I will stick with HP5 @ 400 or so... with the Tri X as a non-critical option... Thank you all! If I end up using Tri X at high ISO I will report the result here. Oh, yes, I will be going through London :-(

--d

 

[Pablito]

Fuji Superia 400. They were carried on to the cabin. Could also be the xray machines in Singapore as that was were I boarded to the plane. I will get a film safe bag before my next trip with film. I havn't travelled with film for many years.

good luck but don't be TOO surprised if they see the lead bag in the xray and make you take the film out and xray it WITHOUT the lead bag....

 

[matt fury]

I always have my Tri-X rolls handscanned when I'm going to shoot at 1600 or 3200. Not that I don't forget occasionally.

I wasn't aware you could push to 3200 with Diafine? My guy does mine in Tmax and it comes out pretty good.

 

[css9450]

Of course in the USA most likely you'll get hand inspection if you request it (they are SUPPOSED to do this). Outside of the US, don't count on it. Even in the USA, don't COUNT on it.

Here in the USA I always ask for a hand inspection, and they have never refused. On the rare occasions they try to talk me out of doing it by hand, I just point out I'll be visiting 8 or 10 airports, and am concerned the doses may be cumulative - they don't really have a response to that one so they are only too happy to check the film by hand.

By the way, my best airport experiance was at New York's LaGuardia.... They were very polite and friendly, let me wait beside them on a chair while they checked my ziploc bag of film, and then gave me a nice TSA bag for the film since the lady was concerned my ziploc bag was getting ragged. They couldn't have been nicer.

 

[Thardy]

Here in the USA I always ask for a hand inspection, and they have never refused. On the rare occasions they try to talk me out of doing it by hand, I just point out I'll be visiting 8 or 10 airports, and am concerned the doses may be cumulative - they don't really have a response to that one so they are only too happy to check the film by hand.

By the way, my best airport experiance was at New York's LaGuardia.... They were very polite and friendly, let me wait beside them on a chair while they checked my ziploc bag of film, and then gave me a nice TSA bag for the film since the lady was concerned my ziploc bag was getting ragged. They couldn't have been nicer.

Make sure to get to the airport very, very early. I've almost missed domestic US flights even being 1 1/2 hrs early, and that's being rushed through like cattle.

Thomas

 

[Pablito]

Here in the USA I always ask for a hand inspection, and they have never refused. On the rare occasions they try to talk me out of doing it by hand, I just point out I'll be visiting 8 or 10 airports, and am concerned the doses may be cumulative - they don't really have a response to that one so they are only too happy to check the film by hand.

By the way, my best airport experiance was at New York's LaGuardia.... They were very polite and friendly, let me wait beside them on a chair while they checked my ziploc bag of film, and then gave me a nice TSA bag for the film since the lady was concerned my ziploc bag was getting ragged. They couldn't have been nicer.

Your mileage may vary. I have experienced the whole spectrum from very helpful, polite and even the occasional sense of humor to downright refusal to hand-inspect even though "the rules" say the have to do it if you ask (in the US). "Be prepared" (for anything) as the boy scouts say.
1 1/2 hours is cutting it WAY close even for a domestic flight. If you want hand inspection of film you have to time it so it's not crowded. The point is you just never know how it will go.