Film & Airline Travel

[ray*j*gun]

I'm sure this has been discussed before but since things keep changing at USA airports and since I couldn't find the thread 😱 I need to ask again.

How do you deal with x-rays when going through airport security using a carry-on bag? What is the current protocol with film in and out of ones camera. I haven't traveled by air in a while and would love some help. BTW I will be heading to Key West so I will be flying from Phila through Miami into Key West..

Thanks!!!

 

[stewmander]

Just ask the TSA agent for a hand inspection of your film when you get to the metal detectors, and your film won't be sent through the x-ray machine.

 

[_larky]

There is a groovy chart which shows that modern equipment exposes your film to less radiation than an hour at 36,000 feet. Old Russian scanners fry your film, and the operators, with monotonous regularity. Although when I went to Havana I had no issues.

Unless you have special film, like super high ISO or infra red, you'll be fine.

I remember reading one interview where the photographer was asked this, he's been round the world twice carrying his film with him, it had been scanned hundreds of times, it was perfectly ok.

 

[Vics]

Just ask the TSA agent for a hand inspection of your film when you get to the metal detectors, and your film won't be sent through the x-ray machine.

My experience over the last four or five years is that they'll hand inspect it only if you wait til everyone else in line has gone through. Which means never. Having said that, I travel with Tri-X and I've never had any fogging. When you connect in Miami, you shouldn't have to go through security again, should you?

 

[anu L ogy]

Hey Ray,

I traveled by air in the usa during 2010 quite a bit. I always had P3200 or Delta 3200 with me in addition to some tri-x / hp5. I started the year always getting a hand inspection, but by the end of the year I sent everything through, some rolls probably went through 4-5 times and I never had any issues.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Just ask the TSA agent for a hand inspection of your film when you get to the metal detectors, and your film won't be sent through the x-ray machine.

I've had some hard-@55e5 deny the request (only in the U.S.) Nothing much you can do if that happens. Hell, once one of them freaked out at the sight of the Rolleiflex, she had me (and all my luggage) tested for explosives.

 

[HLing]

At the end of February this year I went to Hong Kong from JFK. I took all the film out of their carton and canisters and had them in a Hakuba lead-lined bag (though now I know it's better not to use the lead-lined bag)and asked nicely for them to be hand inspected. Those guys and gals were very nice and inspected them as requested. Same thing on my way back from HK into the US.

Ironically I haven't been able to develop my rolls since I've been back, but I''m pretty sure they're alright. I think as long as you're organized and keep things in clear view they will be curteous. I had a little trouble with my steel chopsticks and bottle opener., but those were also cool once they saw what they are.

 

[Tim Gray]

I travel 1-2 times a month, mostly US domestic, but some international. I don't bother with hand checks. Just make sure it goes through with your carry on luggage.

Some times I do put my film and cameras in separate bags because the cameras often seem to get sent through the machine for a second pass - why subject my film to that?

Anyway, I usually travel with Tri-X/TMY, Portra 400, T-Max 3200, and a couple rolls of slow film. So I've not had any issues with the fast stuff getting scanned by the carry on scanners.

 

[x-ray]

I had neopan 400 fogged in Paris two years ago. I work with x-rays and know what it looks like and the exposure my film received was enough to give a distinct pattern of the cassette on the film. I think I posted a scan of the film on one of the threads. Since the fog was a distinct pattern with hard edges it had to be one massive single exposure. I know from experience it takes a good bit of energy and intensity of exposure to create such a pattern. All my 400 was in my carry on bag.

After this experience I only carry digital now.

 

[ray*j*gun]

Thank you all for your responses.

Up until x-ray's post I thought I had it decided. I know from experience that Phila Airport TA's are NOT friendly or helpful unless they have changed in the last couple of years, so I doubt if hand inspection will be possible.

I think based on the posts I will take my digi as a back up and double clutch anything that I feel is really critical then do the best I can with hand inspection. Since my return flight will originate out of Key West I'm sure the exposed film will be ok (based on hand inspection) but its getting out of Phila that concerns me.

Again thanks for the responses.

 

[Tim Gray]

Oh, you are flying out of Philly? That's where I fly out of. Once a month to Ohio, and maybe 4-6 times a year to Japan, Europe, and various locations in the US. I've not had any problems with Philly's scanners, even with TMZ. Pretty much anything in my flickr 'travel' sets is from rolls of film that went through Philly's scanners.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tgray1/collections/72157610540679559/

And if you think Philly's TSA agents are unfriendly, I've got news for you. They might not be overly helpful, but they aren't that bad. I would describe them as mostly just 'indifferent.' I personally get a lot more hassle at other airports.

 

[ray*j*gun]

Thanks Tim I appreciate the photo link. As I said, its been a while since I have flown, so things may have changed. But, I won't be concerned about the x-rays based on all this feedback.

Thanks again.

 

[Bob Michaels]

I have had no problems or delays in the US by carrying a clear zip lock bag containing 35mm plastic film canisters (no boxes). TSA takes a quick cursory look and sends me through.

I do hold up the bag at shoulder level when in line approaching the scanner. Usually a TSA agent comes and gets it for hand inspection before I reach the scanner.

I would not hesitate to have film x-rayed in any developed country, other than Cuba, if necessary. Cuba is only the exception because I have just seen too much mis-matched parts swapping to keep things running.

 

[Field]

A friend of a friend complained that it left "lines" through her pictures. She also re-wound film as fast as humanly possible..... so sometimes scanners get blamed for user errors!

Hand-check if you are worried.

 

[Mister E]

Carry-on X-rays will NOT damage your film whatsoever. Never put your film in your checked bags, because those machines are much more powerful and could fog or leave a sin wave down your film. Again, I've had Neopan 1600 and D3200 scanned more than 25 times in the former Soviet republics without any issues.

 

[goo0h]

In April of this year I flew with my girlfriend from Dallas, TX, to Miami, to Lima, Peru, then to Cusco, Peru. Even though I know it shouldn't have been a problem, I asked at each checkpoint to have my film hand inspected. I figured that way if I couldn't at one checkpoint, at least it would be less then what it could have been.

Anyway, I didn't have any problems at all. In Peru (I forget which checkpoint) when I asked in Spanish if the film could be hand checked, the guy looked sternly at me and said "NO!" Then he broke out in a big smile, laughed, and said "just joking." That was kind of funny, actually.

One guy did say, "you know, this shouldn't be a problem" while he was checking the rolls. I just said: "Yeah, but I'll be going through a lot of airports." To that he nodded and said: "yeah, that's true." He was actually quite nice. I don't remember if that was Dallas or Miama. He was an older guy, though.

I took all the rolls out of the packaging, even the plastic cansisters, and placed them into clear, zip-lock bags. I had them at the top of my camera bag so I could pull them out quickly. That seemed to really help to stream-line things. At least it was clear to them that I took as much effort as I could to make things as efficient as possible for them.

Some just quickly checked the rolls of film, others swabbed each and every roll and then placed the swab in their sniffer, I suppose for explosives. Honestly, I didn't mind if it took longer, and I think it was probably more secure anyway.

I think a cheerful, open disposition helps, and realzing that it will take longer, and not to try to rush the process helps a lot.

Though, we also didn't go through the new body scanners, and it sounds like some poeple were really harrased for not doing so, but we never had a problem at all. So maybe on this particular trip we were just very, very lucky! 😉

 

[Bob Michaels]

Carry-on X-rays will NOT damage your film whatsoever.....................

True in almost all developed countries. But not universally true.

 

[Mister E]

True in almost all developed countries. But not universally true.

I pretty much exclusively travel in undeveloped countries...

 

[Bob Michaels]

I pretty much exclusively travel in undeveloped countries...

OK, you obviously have more confidence in some of those very old machines or the ones maintained by indiscriminate parts swapping than I do.

My real life situation is flying to Cuba frequently where they want to x-ray your film both entering and leaving the country. I have seen too many parts swaps to keep thing working. I think they would not hesitate to swap out a 1X power x-ray tube with a 10X power one in a non-medical use. There is no provision for hand inspection there but there is no way I am going to risk 2 weeks of work. I stand my ground and never let them x-ray my iso 400 film.

 

[Eric L]

Can't speak about the US... but last year going through airports at my home in Vancouver... through Hong Kong, Beijing, Bangkok, Taipei...scanned mulitiple times. And it was even scanned as I walked through security checkpoints onto Tiananmen Square. Film came back home and all was well... but I didn't have any super fast film during my summer trip. Kodachrome, Ektachrome and the odd roll of APX 100.