I need advise about traveling on airplanes with film.

[Jfrago]

Tom,

It's been awhile since I have flown with film. Like you I just want to walk on the plane with my gear and film in my carry on.

But you have to go through the scanners before you board. So what do you do with the film so it doesn't get zapped by the Scanners?

Thanks,

Jfr

 

[segedi]

If it's under ISO 800, I just let it get zapped. 800-3200, I kindly ask for hand inspection. They typically swab the canisters and test for bad stuff. I once forgot 10 rolls of 120 in my checked baggage. No ill effects, but wouldn't recommend it.

 

[Takkun]

I think I've brought film with me almost every time I fly. Always in carry-on, out of the plastic canisters, in a plastic zip-top bag. If there's time, I'll have it hand-checked where they run a swab through a spectrometer; if its busy, I just let it go.

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/tib/tib5201.shtml
This is what happens when you send it in with your checked luggage, however...

 

[folville]

I will throw my hat in the carry-it-on-and-request-a-hand-check ring. I too carry the rolls without canisters in a plastic bag, usually without incident. I was accused in Jordan of trying to sneak film through customs (I had maybe two dozen rolls in various formats on me), but other than that I've never had trouble.

Safe travels, and happy shooting!

 

[Rayt]

Don't worry about the carry on scanner. If it was that powerful then all those security people would be wearing lead aprons.

 

[thegman]

First couple of times I flew with film, I requested a hand inspection, now I don't bother. On a trip from UK, via SF, then to Hawai'i, then to Sydney, my film got scanned plenty of times, not a single visible problem. Once I experimentally allowed a roll of Natura 1600 ISO film to be scanned, again, no visible problems.

I can't vouch for every airport X Ray machine, but I've had my films scanned many times over and not had an issue. Mostly medium format too, so not even a metal case to protect it.

 

[Rayt]

I have been on travels where my b/w films were scanned so many times I lost count. Countries with a certain level of paranoia will have scanners at hotels, subways, malls, etc., and two weeks later after having been scanned 40+ times I process my films with no issues. Traveling from Pakistan to India and back was an extreme example where my handheld was scanned no less than 15 times at the airports and then in and out of the hotel scanners.

 

[ssmc]

A few years ago I had the infuriating misfortune of having my camera drowned while on day 5 of a 19-day field trip to Aotearoa. I had to make do the rest of the time with single-use P&S's (Kodak & Fuji). I returned to the airport with more than a dozen of these things and requested hand inspection because the film was ISO800. I was refused, and they all went through the x-ray machine, but thankfully with no effect. They all turned out just fine (or at least as fine as these things are going to look!)

Unless you are travelling with really fast film I'm pretty sure you'll be okay as long as you take your film into the cabin. The carry-on luggage scanners are very low-powered - you just have to have a peek at the images they show and you can see how much detail is present in soft, low-density objects that would be wiped out by something like a medical x-ray.

 

[Pete B]

I left a roll of Portra or Agfa vista in my hold luggage whilst flying from Havana to Paris to Manchester. No problems but don't risk it.
My carry-on film has never shown problems going through the scanners but I've never taken anything above 800iso.
Pete

 

[Bill Clark]

I usually take a Lowepro Event Messenger 100 as it fits under the seat easily. Since I bulk load my film it's w/o any case and I put the film in the front pocket of the camera bag. Recommend to go through carry on check with at least film. But I take all my stuff through carry on as I like how I handle my bag rather than depending on someone else who may not care about what is inside.

Haven't had anyone check the bag yet. But if I did I would visit about the leica IIIf camera!

 

[philosli]

In US, just ask for manual inspection:

http://www.thephoblographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Chris-Gampat-The-Phoblographer-TSA-Travelling-with-film-1-of-1ISO-4261-30-sec-at-f-2.4.jpg

 

[David_Manning]

I'm a professional traveler 😉 and I've never seen the ill effects of the scanners on my film through the security lanes. In some third-world countries, I'll take it out of a carryon and let them hand-inspect (I'm not convinced their machines are calibrated and they could be zapping big-time). I always have the film out of the canisters, both fresh and exposed.

I traveled with an M6 and b&w film and went through scanners at security multiple times in a series of a few days...no problems. Maybe the brass protected it 😀

 

[zauhar]

I have pushed Tri-x to 1600 after passing through several airport scanners, without apparent ill effects. I don't think I have ever attempted that with really fast film, though.

Randy

 

[Lauffray]

I've had 800ISO film go through 4-5 scanners and I didn't see anything after development. Don't get those lead cases, the operator will just crank up the dose and you might be fried.

Also, be advised that asking for a hand check is at the discretion of the officer, in the US most of the time I've had positive answers, but I've also had some attitude in Sweden and France once where they just flatly refuse to do anything

 

[anjoca76]

I always ask for a hand inspection. Sometimes I get them, other times I don't. I have never seen any ill effects of getting my film scanned, so I don't think there is much to worry about. I am traveling to Europe this summer and I may not even bother asking for a hand inspection--it's time-consuming, and even when they do do it, they usually aren't very happy about it.

 

[johannielscom]

I think I've brought film with me almost every time I fly. Always in carry-on, out of the plastic canisters, in a plastic zip-top bag. If there's time, I'll have it hand-checked where they run a swab through a spectrometer; if its busy, I just let it go.

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/tib/tib5201.shtml
This is what happens when you send it in with your checked luggage, however...

Correction, that is what happened in 2003 (when that page was last updated), according to Kodak.

Betcha those scanners at airports aren't in use anymore after more than a decade, nowadays elevated hijacking threats, 9-11, etc.
Maybe third world countries do 'ave 'em though...

But handheld luggage wasn't blasted like that for a long time now anyway.

 

[Ronald M]

The machines are shielded so TSA people are protected.

X ray damage is cumulative, ie one scan will not produce fog, but additional scans will. It is like exposing a frame 5 stops under. it will be blank. Do it 5 times, you get fog. Also areas of low exposure are already past threshold, so one scan will do some damage in that area.

Overall fog is difficult to see unless you have a comparison. Generally it lowers contrast. Claims it can not be seen have to be discounted.

Modern x ray in developed countries do less damage than what may be found in third world countries.

Baggage x ray is much stronger WILL damage the film if that luggage is selected, but every piece is not checked.

Kodak used to explain all this on their website. No idea if still there.

Buy film here, ship UPS or Fed Ex to your hotel. Have it marked no ray and pray they can read. Develop before return. Or buy there, process there.

Digital is much less hassle. Rent one.

 

[xyz3450]

I've travelled internationally with film (max speed 400). No problems so far. I was concerned there would be issues the first few times I travelled, but none so far. My travel is usually US-Europe. Like other folks posting here, I simply put film in carry on. It gets scanned by the machines....

 

[rjbuzzclick]

How do you folks that fly with 4x5 film deal with it? Do you take it in the manufacturers packaging (sealed or unsealed), or already loaded in film holders?

 

[BlackXList]

I'd second what many people have said, out of the containers in a ziploc bag.

I keep exposed and unexposed seperate just for ease of organisation.

In Manchester I asked for a hand check, the guard said "yes" and then just tossed the bag into the xray tray.
In the US I got a hand check every time I asked for one, although I almost didn't get the exposed rolls back one time (through an honest error).