Fuji Instax - X raying of unaccompanied luggage

[Out to Lunch]

Does anyone know whether the Fuji Instax cartridges are vulnerable to X ray checking of my suitcase / unaccompanied luggage? Many thanks for your feedback, Peter

 

[Chubberino]

800 iso should be fine. My film has always been fine

 

[Thardy]

Unaccompanied meaning checked baggage? I doubt any film is safe from the high amount of radiation produced by those XRay machines.

If you mean carry on bags- almost no need to worry.

 

[Out to Lunch]

Indeed 'checked bagage'. The cartridges are bulky. Just to clarify....Fuji Instax film is not 35mm film. It's Fuji's instant film, like Polaroid instant film.

 

[Chubberino]

Nope, your film is fine.

 

[Chuck Albertson]

If it's in checked baggage, your film is doomed. Doesn't matter if it is 35mm, 120, large format or instant. Also, "unaccompanied" bags usually means their owner didn't get on the flight, and as a security measure (since Lockerbie) gets Left Behind.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Checked bags MAY be (aren't always -- are you feeling lucky?) X-rayed at an intensity that can fog paper, never mind film. To quote a contact from Ilford, when they first encountered this (with a box of paper) "We were well impressed. You could see the outline of the shirt buttons."

Cheers,

R.

 

[Beemermark]

At least in the US checked baggage gets nailed with a lethal dose of x-rays. From ours friends at Home Land Security

http://apps.tsa.dhs.gov/mytsa/cib_results.aspx?search=camera film

 

[andrewmore]

The process of scanning in the luggage that goes in the hold varies from place to place. On the small Greek island of Skiathos, the hold luggage and sometimes hand luggage gets scanned in front of you just before you check in and a sign on top of the scanner explains that the machine is safe for films. Hand luggage then gets scanned again just before passport control. As film has survived this odd process for many years travelling to and from Skiathos I can only assume that the large luggage scanner is just a bigger version of the small hand luggage scanner i.e. similar x-ray dosage (the pictures on the screen look just the same in terms of colour etc.). What I haven't tried is any of the Fuji films that say on the box 'do not x-ray' - perhaps I'll just take some random shots one year and see what happens…

Regards

Andrew More

 

[Roger Hicks]

At least in the US checked baggage gets nailed with a lethal dose of x-rays. From ours friends at Home Land Security

http://apps.tsa.dhs.gov/mytsa/cib_results.aspx?search=camera film

Not always at every airport, from what I've heard. It's in their interest, of course, to say that it's always. Even if it isn't, it's not a chance I'd care to take.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Out to Lunch]

OK...thanks everyone. Instead of risking the frying of my Instax film in the airport, I'll pack this film with my shipment, instead. This will eventually follow me to my next assignment by land or sea container and the chances of lethal X-raying will be much reduced.

 

[Out to Lunch]

Further investigations brought this up: not OK to fly with Instax film: http://www.fujifilm.com/products/instant_photo/pdf/instax_datasheet.pdf

 

[Chuck Albertson]

The datasheet recommends a hand inspection (nice if you can get it) instead of running it through a carry-on scanner, but I shove ISO 3200 film through a carry-on scanner a number of times with no ill effect.

If your film is destined for a large container (like on a ship), those get x-rayed as well at a lot of ports.

 

[Faintandfuzzy]

Do not check film in your luggage. The xrays there will destroy it. Do not listen to anyone that says it is fine.....it is absolutely not!