Film & Airline Travel

[Chinasaur]

Going to Charleston from Seattle on June 1. Will buy what I need there and then mail it back if I don't trust local developing. Problem solved.

Can't you mail back home before you leave?

 

[Bob Michaels]

......................... 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. ............................

You have the legal right in the USA to have your film hand inspected and not by x-ray. That is the law. I have not heard of a situation in many years where TSA effectively made it so difficult that it was the same as impossible. That is not to say it cannot happen, but I think that would be a real exception if so.

 

[Mister E]

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.

You are hilarious. The fact that Cuba lets you get away with that is a sign of the times. In Vietnam, far more socially progressive and in a whole different world economically you would be offered three choices:
1. Hand inspection where they open each cassette exposing your film
2. X-ray
3. X-ray with a side of jail/deportation

 

[Mister E]

I got my Natura 1600 severely fried and my Provia 400X slightly fried at Vientiane domestic airport. The check-in area is so badly organised that I mistakenly stuck my carry-on bags through the x-ray machine for check-in bags. Big mistake.

But in Cuba, I put all my film into my check-in bag and it came out fine. In fact, my film went Tokyo -> Toronto -> Havana and back again in my check-in bag and the film came out fine. I would not risk that again though.

Mine came out okay at the Luang Prabang airport, but I'm not entirely sure that their 'x-ray' machine wasn't just a box of wood with an unpowered monitor stuck on top of it. How exactly was your film damaged?

 

[Mister E]

Luang Prabang airport is a much nicer more modern building than the domestic airport building at Vientiane. That building is basically a concrete shack. The damage was similar to the first example below:

That sucks! Vientiane is on the list of places to go, I'll have to watch out for that.

 

[Moto-Uno]

I must say last March when we went to Mexico from Vancouver via Los Angeles I had some concerns about my medium and 4x5 film going through the x-ray machines.Previously I'd had it hand inspected,but this time I threw caution to the wind and every thing came out just fine anyway.No fast film though.

 

[zauhar]

Sunday, the TSA agent told me that 800 and slower is perfectly safe. Everyone agree with that?

I took several rolls through, all 400 speed. I will see how they turn out .

Randy

 

[porktaco]

my suggestion i have never tried it, so i don't know if there are secret death rays)

1. take film out of boxes
2. put canisters in pants pocket
3. walk through metal detector
4. declare victory

 

[anerjee]

my suggestion i have never tried it, so i don't know if there are secret death rays)

1. take film out of boxes
2. put canisters in pants pocket
3. walk through metal detector
4. declare victory

I've tried this at the Bali airport. The metal detector beeps and you'll be inspected. In my case, they asked me to put the film back through the x-ray scanner.

I travel quite a bit here in se asia, and have not had a bad experience so far. mind you, these days a single trip means your film can get x-rayed 2 times or more per trip, even for hand carry.

I usually carry iso 400 or below though.

 

[Mister E]

In Japan if you leave it in boxes they will not open the boxes and it is very fast to go through. I you've opened the boxes every canister will be checked.

 

[varjag]

Three weeks ago I accidentally checked in my MF rig with film loaded in Manchester airport. Then the luggage had to be re-checked in Oslo. Film turned out just fine, without strips or fogging. I would not recommend doing that on purpose though.

On the other hand, I had my film scanned in carry-on maybe hundred of times all over the world, no problems.