One Trip, Seven X-rays

Thanks to all of you for your advice. I think, based on the average of your opinions, that I'll just stop worrying about it and take my Rollei/Tri-X combo. I'll ask for hand inspection, and if I'm only partially successful, it won't be the first time. Thanks again!
 
Vic one more piece of advice from a fello Californian who travels with film.

If the film is ISO1600 or above, the TSA agent always will hand check it through. If it is under ISO 400, the TSA agents will try and force you through the bag x-ray (from my experience). You can protest, you'll likely win but just a added hassle.
I generally take my film out of the box and always say "these are high speed film. ISO 1600" its been easier in my experience
 
If you are carrying 35mm film, there are x-ray proof film canisters that will pass the x-ray fine (or so they claim) and the operators won't notice them because they are so tiny.
 
huntjump said:
Vic one more piece of advice from a fello Californian who travels with film.

If the film is ISO1600 or above, the TSA agent always will hand check it through. If it is under ISO 400, the TSA agents will try and force you through the bag x-ray (from my experience). You can protest, you'll likely win but just a added hassle.
I generally take my film out of the box and always say "these are high speed film. ISO 1600" its been easier in my experience
Click to expand...
Thanks. I think that will work!
VS
 
huntjump said:
Vic one more piece of advice from a fello Californian who travels with film.

If the film is ISO1600 or above, the TSA agent always will hand check it through. If it is under ISO 400, the TSA agents will try and force you through the bag x-ray (from my experience). You can protest, you'll likely win but just a added hassle.
I generally take my film out of the box and always say "these are high speed film. ISO 1600" its been easier in my experience
Click to expand...

My travel experience is limited, but I did that with my trip to Peru, and got hand inspection at each entry point. It was a lot of film, too.

I'm thinking next time I'll try the Domke x-ray "proof" bags, and that way I don't have to try to flag someone down before the bags go into the scanner, but they'll notice, and then they can check it. The hardest part with hand inspection can be getting their attention before things go into the scanner without typing up the line behind you too much.
 
Wow! I got a hand inspection at SFO, no TSA at DFW (next gate over) hand inspection at CDG boarding EasyJet to Toulouse, no XraY for the Irun-to-Madrid train and since I only took five rolls to Spain, I just stuck them in my pocket when I went trhru Xray in Madrid coming back to Hendaye. Got X-rayed at the Reina Sophia museum. On to Felixstowe on Ryan Air tomorrow, then back to France on EuroStar next week. So far, so good. At most, only four more Xrays left and I'm home! I'll keep smiling my "old man" smile and try for more hand inspections. Wish me luck
 
I don't want to disappoint you, but I've had trips now where my film got scanned upwards of twenty times in funny countries and I have yet to see evidence of X-ray damage.

Checked luggage scanners are another story.

I'm not sure whether lead bags are a good idea either because of bremsstrahlung, the idea is that at high altitudes they convert the usual altitude radiation (i.e. cosmic rays, in other words energetic particles) into X-ray radiation inside your lead bag while on the plane. You can read about that online every now and then but I don't know how much is there about it.
 
Do not put your films in a lead bag as the scanner will just crank up the power. I have my 400 asas film in a plastic bag and in its own tray and nowhere near bags or solid looking objects. Never had a problem even with multiple scans.
Enjoy your trip.
 
X-ray damage and the idea that the operator would by allowed to set the scanners power output are just two of the many things I read on the interweb that I don't believe happen in the real world ...
 
ferider said:
Use ASA 400 or slower, and get some Hama leaded containers or bags. In the worst case that leads to a hand-inspection.

Roland.
Click to expand...

IMHO, lead lined bags are useless. What happens is this: It goes thru the machine, is pulled out, put thru the machine again at higher dosage, pulled out again and the contents sent thru without the bag. then YOU are searched as if You are a terrorist.

the answer is simple: just ask for a hand check at any XRay device.
 
Teuthida said:
IMHO, lead lined bags are useless. What happens is this: It goes thru the machine, is pulled out, put thru the machine again at higher dosage, pulled out again and the contents sent thru without the bag. then YOU are searched as if You are a terrorist.

the answer is simple: just ask for a hand check at any XRay device.
Click to expand...

Never happened to me ... sounds more like an interweb myth
 
Teuthida said:
IMHO, lead lined bags are useless. What happens is this: It goes thru the machine, is pulled out, put thru the machine again at higher dosage, pulled out again and the contents sent thru without the bag. then YOU are searched as if You are a terrorist.
Click to expand...

Do us a favour and try that and do ask the operator whether he's cranking up the output or merely fiddling with the contrast settings.
 
Teuthida said:
IMHO, lead lined bags are useless. What happens is this: It goes thru the machine, is pulled out, put thru the machine again at higher dosage, pulled out again and the contents sent thru without the bag. then YOU are searched as if You are a terrorist.

the answer is simple: just ask for a hand check at any XRay device.
Click to expand...

Never happened to me either, and I sometimes put films in two lead bags ( double layer) rated for 1600 ISO.
I should have been now at Guantanamo by your theory 😀
BTW, asking for a hand check is NOT well received in some places (airports in France, Turkey, entrance to the statue of liberty, all received an absolute "Niet" for hand check)
 
Sparrow said:
X-ray damage and the idea that the operator would by allowed to set the scanners power output are just two of the many things I read on the interweb that I don't believe happen in the real world ...
Click to expand...

Why do you believe so?
why would the flight companies bother to warn you about Xrays and apply a specific procedure for them (ISO rating dependant) if it was all bogus?

And is the idea of the operator who is trained to identify threats being able to tune the imaging properties of the scanner that ludicrous?
 
sanmich said:
Why do you believe so?
why would the flight companies bother to warn you about Xrays and apply a specific procedure for them (ISO rating dependant) if it was all bogus?

And is the idea of the operator who is trained to identify threats being able to tune the imaging properties of the scanner that ludicrous?
Click to expand...

Because those machines are an x-ray source the idea that national or super-national authorities would even allow such an adjustment facility to be fitted to the equipment never mind let some £6.00 an hour security guard play around with its settings is laughable.
 
goo0h said:
Now I'm puzzled. I always heard that when you use those x-ray bags, they simply crank up the power on those scanners, sometimes going through multiple times. So I got the impression they should not be used. However, now y'all are saying it's actually better to use them. ????
Click to expand...

Don't use the lead bags. In some countries the security people will do a second run and give your film an additional radiation dose, in most countries the security people will ask you aside, make you open the lead bag, swab it, and if they don't like the look of you or need to fill their quota of searches, they will go through the rest of your hand luggage very closely (from my experience).

Vics said:
I don't think they can manually turn the scanners up and down.
Click to expand...

In some countries it is legal. Almost all scanners have the capacity to vary the dose.

Marty
 
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