Current wisdon on 120 film

JayC

JayC

5 kids,3 dogs,only 1 wife
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I am leaving from US to China in a few days. Should I remove all packaging from my film before heading to the airport? Even the wrapper? It is all 400 asa. Some is still in the 5-pack boxes. I am not going to fuss with hand inspections. On my return, I will have exposed and undeveloped film.
Jay
 
You can get hand inspection with the film in the wrappers. Out of the box. I would NOT take the film from it's air tight wrapper. I would guess that your worst time with airport scanners will be in China. DO NOT PUT FILM IN CHECKED LUGGAGE.
 
venchka said:
You can get hand inspection with the film in the wrappers. Out of the box. I would NOT take the film from it's air tight wrapper.
Click to expand...

Depends on where you are. A while ago I travelled with quite a lot of film (around 40 rolls) and wanted to get a hand check at the airport here in Switzerland. First they argued that a hand check is not needed as it will not damage the film (it was ISO 100, 400 and 800 but they didn't even care to ask). After much arguing they finally agreed to a hand check but said they needed to unwrap every single roll (I had them all in a clear zip loc bag). At this point I just gave up and had them do the scan as there were lots of people waiting behind me.
 
I've gotten a hand check for wrapped 120 film with no problems at these airports:

-NYC Laguardia/Newark/JFK Intl
-San Francisco Intl
-Austin Texas
-Puerto Rico San Juan
-Bogota, Colombia

The only place that denied me a hand check was Habana, Cuba
 
I just got back from China and had no problems with hand inspections of 120. I took them out of the 5-pack boxes but kept them in their wrappers. I placed 5-10 in a ziploc, and put those in a larger ziploc. On the way back I did the same, keeping the exposed rolls in their own baggies.

No one gave me any hassle anywhere, in the US, Hong Kong, or the PRC, and at all airports they happily did the hand inspection. Even where language was an issue, I just took the bags out of my carry-on and handed them to them. Worked fine. The hand inspection was quick and easy everywhere–no arguments.
 
andredossantos said:
I've gotten a hand check for wrapped 120 film with no problems at these airports:

-NYC Laguardia/Newark/JFK Intl
-San Francisco Intl
-Austin Texas
-Puerto Rico San Juan
-Bogota, Colombia

The only place that denied me a hand check was Habana, Cuba
Click to expand...

Bogota, the world center of the coke trade dont care about 120 film.
 
It was my experience that they X-rayed luggage as you left and entered the airport. When I say "left the airport," I mean that they put your luggage through an X-ray machine right near the airport pedestrian exits.

I took to unwrapping it and carrying it in my pants or jacket pocket. I respooled some infrared film onto plastic spools so I could carry it through customs rather than allow it to be X-rayed.

Very likely, there are new procedures in place today.
 
I have seen ISO 100, 400 and 800 film fried via airport x-ray machines. I don't care where it goes through, it needs to stay the hell out of those machines.
 
Does anyone think there would be any value in shipping the film to their destination a few weeks prior, then shipping it back as well?

Are packages X-rayed in the mail or couriers like Purolator or Fedex etc. ?

I'm considering a trip to Scotland, from Canada next year and this has concerned me a bit.
 
I've traveled back and forth to China loads of times from Canada and have had primarily ISO 400 speed film go through the Xray machines multiple times with no visible issues. I even accidently put a 20 rolls of fresh ISO 100 film in my checked baggage and have not had any issues with that. I suspect all this worry is for nothing.
 
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