Film: Check it in or carry on

Film: Check it in or carry on

  • Check in the luggage

    Votes: 7 6.4%

  • Carry on and hand check

    Votes: 102 93.6%
  • Total voters
    109
kshapero

kshapero

South Florida Man
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Mar 27, 2006
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Will be taking about 50 rolls of Tri-X and Ilford XP-2 with me to Israel on a Jeep treking trip in the Negiv Desert. Do I need to carry on and hand check or can they go in check in luggage?

I know we have been there before, but newbies and old guys like me need the refresher.:eek:
 
I've hand carried my Brass wet plate lenses when on assignment. You should have saw TSA go nuts. Bomb dogs, swabbing, bunch of apes handling them like the old luggage commercial with the ape in the cage.
 
Never put undeveloped film (exposed or not) in your checked luggage. You take a chance that it will be scanned by very high-powered x-ray machines that will damage your film.

Processed film is not a problem, of course.
 
bmattock said:
Never put undeveloped film (exposed or not) in your checked luggage. You take a chance that it will be scanned by very high-powered x-ray machines that will damage your film.

Processed film is not a problem, of course.
Click to expand...

+1

Especially if I'm going to have several security steps during my trip, I also request the manual inspection in order to avoid even the minimal damage to the film.
I know that it should not be a problem with modern x-ray cabin luggage scanners, but I prefer to be on the safe side.
Average 4 times out of 5 my request is accepted.
Sometimes I have to insist a bit.
 
I've always taken my film through security, sometimes requesting manual check, sometimes just through the x-ray machine at the security point.

Even with my unexposed films going through the x-ray machine, I have never noticed a problem. Of course it's a little unnerving knowing your film is getting bombarded with x-rays, but common wisdom is correct in saying that there's nothing to worry about. I've never had a problem with fogging or spoiled images.

Conversely, I would not put my film in checked luggage. Supposedly (and this is probably not true of all airports or countries) checked baggage SOMETIMES gets zapped with a high-intensity x-ray machine ... although how often this occurs I really don't know. Any former TSA employees around care to chime in? :)
 
Checked baggage is x-ray'd by powerful machines. Film in checked baggage is a no-no. Even in a protective container; if they can't see through it, I hear they will up the power.

At passenger security check-points carry-on baggage is x-ray'd by low-dose machines. These have long been claimed to be "safe" for film, but YMMV. When I carried film, I requested hand checks; sometimes they did, sometimes refused.
 
Never check your film. NEVER.

I've never had problems with carry-on screening. I've noticed it's rarer to find security people willing to hand inspect, but FWIW I've not had film ruined by screening for carry on items.
 
I keep all my film in the original boxes in ziplock bags and ask for a hand check. U.S. TSA agents will always do it as long as you are friendly to them. They typically open one box and swipe the film capsule for explosives.

It's more of a gamble in other countries. I have been yelled at and abused by security officers in Latin America and I am always being treated like **** by German airport security agents who have refused to hand check my film.
 
Remember also it depends on the speed of the film. You won't have problems with ISO 100 or 50, but starting with ISO 800 and up, there could well be problems - and the more times they go through X-rays, the greater the risk of fogging.

One day they will increase the X-ray even for carry on and film for travel will be dead.

rjstep3
 
I thought TSA folks were pretty well obliged to do a hand inspection if one was requested. Perhaps that's changed.
In Heathrow, they flatly refuse to hand inspect in my experience.
But as others state, never put any undeveloped film in checked bags
Have a great trip
 
giganova said:
..... I am always being treated like **** by German airport security agents who have refused to hand check my film.
Click to expand...

Last year I had a hard time at Frankfurt Airport security check when trying to explain that the Summaron lens with eyes that I had in my carry-on bag is not a dangerous item but a camera lens. :rolleyes:
 
When I'm flying with film I put "exposed at iOS 1600 - 3200. Please hand inspect." note in the ziplock bag containing naked film canisters (they are Tati-X). They check by hand everytime. Same flying from Japan (they have more people flying with film compared to the us today I think)

Now I fly a lot for work (I don't take film for biz trips) I have TSA Pre-Check. Anyone know if they'll also hand check on request in that special lane??
 
I flew to Israel last month via EWR : it involved a second screening gate just prior to boarding.
They may or may not X-ray for a second time there.
I put my film through in carry on along with my cameras - I will develop it tonight and see if it's ok.
 
I do this every year, some times many times in a year. With films at 400 ISO or lower (might be ok with faster films but I've never done it, if you need faster maybe just take 400 and push a stop or two instead) carried on dozens of times, I have never had a single fogged or ruined film. BTW, 'hand checking' is definitely specific from country to country and different regions. I hear of this a lot from people in the US but I think it's unheard of the UK as you get funny looks when asking, I haven't had to ask for years anyway. Nowhere I fly through in Asia seems familiar with the concept either.

Carry the film onboard with you, let them scan it through security as much as they like and no worries. On one trip a few years ago, I got delayed and took a wrong turn, somebody moved a barrier behind me and I was wrongly required to go through security again at Paris CDG. It's an airport that I just don't get on with at the best of times anyway. Point being, by the time I got back home I estimated that my film had been scanned maybe ten times or more on that trip alone, the film was all fine.
 
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