DownUnder
Nikon Nomad
Indeed, the writing is very much on the wall for all traveling film photographers... given the new see-everything (= and fry everything) airport scanners, film is no longer safe to take with us when we go abroad, unless one is prepared and willing to take a certain risk. As I am.
Those lead-lined bags as were so popular in the 1980s and well into the 90s, were always a problem. I once had my suitcase yanked out of a loading cart at an Asian airport, forced open and checked after a routine scan before loading spotted one of those bags. Fortunately I wasn't in one of those corrupt countries where staff would then have freely helped themselves to some or even all of my things, but naturally I realised my bag had been broken into when I reclaimed it at the other end. I made an insurance claim but got nowhere. Lesson learned. (fortunately, the lead bag with the films was still in the case when I retrieved it.)
It's at least a consolation, sort of, for me that at my age (nearing 75), I no longer care to carry along a big bag of Nikons, a Linhof, Rolleis, my Contax Gs, etc etc etc, as I did for so many years when the going was good.
Until Covid-19 laid us all low and forced us to stay mostly at home, I did most of my Southeast Asian travel with digital cameras. Digital is now the new way, and if we want to go on going overseas and taking images, it's the way we have to go.
For those who persist in carting along analogue gear when they travel, film is still available in some countries - in Singapore, in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and in Bangkok and a few cities of Thailand, but no longer in Indonesia (Bali was the last holdout, but I've not seen films being sold in the pro shops of Denpasar since 2013 or 2014), Cambodia, Laos or even Sarawak. Unusually, when I was last in Asia just before the pandemic hit, a photo store I occasionally visit in Brunei (mostly to see what expensive film gear the locals have traded in on the latest digital wonder-shooters) I lucked into a small stock of mostly Kodak B&W 35mm films which I was able to buy cheaply, as it was close to its use-by dates. The shop owner told me he'd sold maybe six films in the past year - so it goes. I bought the lot and am slowly working my way through it, but tellingly, these days when I go out exploring in the rural areas of my home state in Australia, often as not I carry a Nikon F65 and one of my digitals, either a D700 or my D800.
We have to accept that time passes and all things change. We don't have to like it, but we sure as heck have to learn to put up with it.
PS When I left Brunei, I put all that B&W film in my suitcase, which probably was scanned before being loaded on to my flight. To date I see nothing to indicate the film was damaged in any way by this. Just sayin'...
Those lead-lined bags as were so popular in the 1980s and well into the 90s, were always a problem. I once had my suitcase yanked out of a loading cart at an Asian airport, forced open and checked after a routine scan before loading spotted one of those bags. Fortunately I wasn't in one of those corrupt countries where staff would then have freely helped themselves to some or even all of my things, but naturally I realised my bag had been broken into when I reclaimed it at the other end. I made an insurance claim but got nowhere. Lesson learned. (fortunately, the lead bag with the films was still in the case when I retrieved it.)
It's at least a consolation, sort of, for me that at my age (nearing 75), I no longer care to carry along a big bag of Nikons, a Linhof, Rolleis, my Contax Gs, etc etc etc, as I did for so many years when the going was good.
Until Covid-19 laid us all low and forced us to stay mostly at home, I did most of my Southeast Asian travel with digital cameras. Digital is now the new way, and if we want to go on going overseas and taking images, it's the way we have to go.
For those who persist in carting along analogue gear when they travel, film is still available in some countries - in Singapore, in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and in Bangkok and a few cities of Thailand, but no longer in Indonesia (Bali was the last holdout, but I've not seen films being sold in the pro shops of Denpasar since 2013 or 2014), Cambodia, Laos or even Sarawak. Unusually, when I was last in Asia just before the pandemic hit, a photo store I occasionally visit in Brunei (mostly to see what expensive film gear the locals have traded in on the latest digital wonder-shooters) I lucked into a small stock of mostly Kodak B&W 35mm films which I was able to buy cheaply, as it was close to its use-by dates. The shop owner told me he'd sold maybe six films in the past year - so it goes. I bought the lot and am slowly working my way through it, but tellingly, these days when I go out exploring in the rural areas of my home state in Australia, often as not I carry a Nikon F65 and one of my digitals, either a D700 or my D800.
We have to accept that time passes and all things change. We don't have to like it, but we sure as heck have to learn to put up with it.
PS When I left Brunei, I put all that B&W film in my suitcase, which probably was scanned before being loaded on to my flight. To date I see nothing to indicate the film was damaged in any way by this. Just sayin'...
DownUnder
Nikon Nomad
This post motivated me to write (see my previous post), during which I of course got completely sidetracked and wandered off with my own thoughts.
I plan to take film along with me during any future (who knows when this will be?) travels in Asia, but in a more restrained way.
Recently I lucked into a Leica iif kit with two lenses, an as new 50/2.0 Summitar and a Summicron collapsible 50/2.0 which I've sent out to be cleaned and dehazed. Also a clip-on 50 viewfinder and a handful of beaut original Leitz filters.
The iif is small and a delight to shoot with. SoI'll be taking it with me with one 50 lens, a Weston meter, one or two filters and at most 10 rolls of medium speed B&W film. As I see it, if I restrict myself to EI 100 or slower films, maybe the effects of that scanning will be less. I no longer shoot color films, digital having taken the place of that for me.
The sheer pleasure of shooting B&W with a fully manual camera is such for me that I don't want to miss out on it. So I'll take the risk.
Asim
Well-known
Ozmoose... I'd love to talk to you about film shops in Brunei. I'm here now but have seen nothing analog photography related. Please share shop names and addresses, Bruneian contacts, and your experience here.
robertofollia
Established
Well I promised an update ASAP, and here it is
Sat, 24th july 2021, 12:00 GMT, Barcelona Airport, Terminal 2 (Spain), flight to Odessa (did not know that lovely city from Ukraine)
They still have in operation the old type scanners (film safe up to certain high sensitivity film).
I asked the scanner operator and he told me the new tomography scanners are being installed but not yet in service and directed me to the Civil Guard.
I explained the Police my concern regarding film. Very politely and in a very cooperative way, the Police agent told me that when the new scanners are in operation, it is possible to avoid film scanning by showing the film box to the scanner operator (no need to open or to show film canister) and requesting a special procedure to avoid scanning (don't know how it is called even in my mother language). This "special procedure" is what your trolley case and belongings are subject to in case you are random selected (they pass some kind of wipes to detect explosives or dangerous substances). So for now, at least departing from Spain's Barcelona T2 is still film safe.
Best regards
Sat, 24th july 2021, 12:00 GMT, Barcelona Airport, Terminal 2 (Spain), flight to Odessa (did not know that lovely city from Ukraine)
They still have in operation the old type scanners (film safe up to certain high sensitivity film).
I asked the scanner operator and he told me the new tomography scanners are being installed but not yet in service and directed me to the Civil Guard.
I explained the Police my concern regarding film. Very politely and in a very cooperative way, the Police agent told me that when the new scanners are in operation, it is possible to avoid film scanning by showing the film box to the scanner operator (no need to open or to show film canister) and requesting a special procedure to avoid scanning (don't know how it is called even in my mother language). This "special procedure" is what your trolley case and belongings are subject to in case you are random selected (they pass some kind of wipes to detect explosives or dangerous substances). So for now, at least departing from Spain's Barcelona T2 is still film safe.
Best regards
Graybeard
Longtime IIIf User
That is a real loss. It is a pleasant thing to travel with a Barnack Leica and some film in your pocket.
G
Guest
Guest
When I flew back home out of Birmingham Airport UK 2018, they could not have been nastier. I had around thirty rolls of 120 black and white roll film. I asked for a hand check and got a flat refusal, then asked for a supervisor and got a smart mouthed man who enjoyed telling me that it was either scanned or placed in the hold.
Every other airport around Europe had accommodated me. Even telling these people that you are going to pass through four or six airports and each X ray adds up, they just like to ruin your day. He even had a smirk on his face when walking away.
Since then when passing through the UK, I put the film in a tray on its own. My theory is that it will pass through quicker with no other items distracting the scanner to spend more time observing and looking around. It just buzzes through that bit quicker.
markjwyatt
Well-known
Coming back from Guatemala on the 12th, they hand checked my film (4 rolls exposed, 2 still unexposed). They did not wipe it, just twirled the spindle and made sure it was film, plus examined it visually.
KenR
Well-known
Scanner surprise
Scanner surprise
Just back from a business trip to the Asheville, NC area. I always carry a film camera with me on trips. As usual I was running a bit late for my flight home. I gave my ID to the TSA officer and I was waved on. I put my stuff on the rollers to go through the scanner without really looking at the machine. I walked through the adjacent metal detector and while waiting for my stuff to come out I realized to my surprise that this was a CT scanner and not the usual 2D scanner. Oops. I hadn’t asked for a hand scan, not realizing what I was dealing with. I haven’t developed the film yet (nothing of any importance on the roll), so I will keep everyone informed.
Scanner surprise
Just back from a business trip to the Asheville, NC area. I always carry a film camera with me on trips. As usual I was running a bit late for my flight home. I gave my ID to the TSA officer and I was waved on. I put my stuff on the rollers to go through the scanner without really looking at the machine. I walked through the adjacent metal detector and while waiting for my stuff to come out I realized to my surprise that this was a CT scanner and not the usual 2D scanner. Oops. I hadn’t asked for a hand scan, not realizing what I was dealing with. I haven’t developed the film yet (nothing of any importance on the roll), so I will keep everyone informed.
p.giannakis
Pan Giannakis
KenR - let us know how the films developed.
Ok, here we go! Yes let us know please…
KM-25
Well-known
My only update is that I am now concerned about travel at all due to the U.S. being at level orange (ironic) at this stage according to Denmark's travel restrictions. This whole thing might get punted because people are idiots.
:: Mark
Well-known
Yes, this has been my experience in Barcelona too. Generally the staff are quite helpful, and I even had one security official who was clearly also an enthusiast.
But the problem is you do not always know what you will find at the other end. From experience, flights to or connecting through the UK or US have a high chance of being problematic.
I now reserve film only for projects where no flight is required.
Sergey Kozlov
Newbie
It is the tip of the iceberg, I think.
I was asked on the railroad security control to turn on my Xpan & was asked why there is NO DISPLAY IMAGE! Thanks god the security guy asked his chief who remembered about the film camera existence. In some time such a people will gone.
I was asked on the railroad security control to turn on my Xpan & was asked why there is NO DISPLAY IMAGE! Thanks god the security guy asked his chief who remembered about the film camera existence. In some time such a people will gone.
Bille
Well-known
You can put 10 rolls in your jacket pocket. Not allowed?
Vince Lupo
Whatever
No, at least not in the US or Canada, and you have to remove your jackets. According to the TSA you have to empty everything out of your pockets, otherwise you’ll get a pat-down. If you enroll in TSA-Precheck you don’t have to remove your jacket, but you still may have to remove all of the contents of it.
Godfrey
somewhat colored
Reading through this thread, I muse:
Is the point of going on a photo trip to make photographs, or is it to enjoy working with a film camera of some specific type?
Personally, I work with both film and digital cameras, all kinds of different ones. I've long since stopped using film for color work ... digital capture works better for that, IMO. Most of my film cameras have shutters limited to 1/500 second shortest exposure time, so for most of them I carry slow-ish film in order to have some aperture control in the usual shooting light (my digital cameras are MUCH more competent at working in very low light anyway) ... which isn't particularly prone to being damaged by the scanners. When I'm traveling, particularly with air travel, I minimize my kit to that which I know will work successfully.
So I dunno whether "film is dead for overseas travel". I suppose the next time I can actually do some overseas travel, I'll carry some film along and see what happens.
What I would do, if I were planning a trip that required a mass load of film AND equipment, is ship it ahead to my destinations, by arrangement with contacts there, at whatever the best rate I could find was in protected packaging. And accept that this is a matter of yet another cost in the very expensive pursuit called "Photography".
It's always been a very expensive pursuit, can't see much point to getting all that upset about it. If I want to do it, I accept the costs and inconveniences. Less stress, less annoyance that way.
G
Is the point of going on a photo trip to make photographs, or is it to enjoy working with a film camera of some specific type?
Personally, I work with both film and digital cameras, all kinds of different ones. I've long since stopped using film for color work ... digital capture works better for that, IMO. Most of my film cameras have shutters limited to 1/500 second shortest exposure time, so for most of them I carry slow-ish film in order to have some aperture control in the usual shooting light (my digital cameras are MUCH more competent at working in very low light anyway) ... which isn't particularly prone to being damaged by the scanners. When I'm traveling, particularly with air travel, I minimize my kit to that which I know will work successfully.
So I dunno whether "film is dead for overseas travel". I suppose the next time I can actually do some overseas travel, I'll carry some film along and see what happens.
What I would do, if I were planning a trip that required a mass load of film AND equipment, is ship it ahead to my destinations, by arrangement with contacts there, at whatever the best rate I could find was in protected packaging. And accept that this is a matter of yet another cost in the very expensive pursuit called "Photography".
It's always been a very expensive pursuit, can't see much point to getting all that upset about it. If I want to do it, I accept the costs and inconveniences. Less stress, less annoyance that way.
G
rfaspen
[insert pithy phrase here]
This is how I feel. I have always liked flying, but I can do without it. My Jeep will take me anyplace I really want to go.
The country Corner in Simla Colorado is a Must Stop on any trip to southern Colorado.
I'm on my 3rd Toyota 4WD truck. Not one of those silly tricked-out "off road" things you see around. A simple stock 4WD Toyota (and an older one at that) is much like a Jeep. It goes where I like to be and not be obnoxious and destroy what fragile natural areas remain. With a small shell on the back, its a luxury hotel in backcountry.
markjwyatt
Well-known
f.hayek
Well-known
So does the postal service after you buy film at your destination and mail it back to yourself or the lab after exposure.
