Travelling with Film

[snowblink]

I'm off on holiday soon. I will pass through 3 airports there and 3 airports back. So 6 x-ray machines in all. I am going to assume that my requests for hand checks will be in vain. I generally shoot HP5 rated at 400/800/1600, which I decide based on lighting conditions when I load the roll.

I am quite anxious because what if I decide that I want to shoot a few rolls at 1600. They will have passed through 6 x-ray machines before I process them!

I would appreciate any advice, or just to hear experiences other people have had.

Thanks,
Jon

 

[mh2000]

they will do handchecks. try to be nice. they will tell you that ISO 1600 and below is ok, just respond that the film is "variable ISO," they don't know what it means so they will usually pretend they do and just do the handcheck. figure out how you will hand it to them, they want the handcheck stuff out and separate. if you camera is empty and you just have a bag of film then it makes it easy, otherwise they have to handcheck the camera... and I wasn't very happy seeing my Leica IIIc banged around during the checking process... but cameras are to be used right? did see any new marks, but my cameras aren't exactly pristine anyway... nice, just not pristine.

my daughter was with me in Hawaii and she got annoyed... "why don't you just shoot your digital like everyone else?" ... because then my photos would look like everyone's, right? ... of course it's not true, but it was a smartass comeback!

🙂

 

[bob338]

i flew to chicago a few months back with my film in one of those lead bags they sell at wolf cameras. i asked for handchecks(very politely) and they did it, but it took a long time to get through all the film. at SFO, they took each roll(about 40!) and wiped it with a cloth and put it into a machine to check for explosive residue. coming back out of ohare, the supervisor told the security person to only check one roll for every 8 that i had, so it was a lot quicker.

bob

 

[Chuck Albertson]

If you're traversing airports in the US, you're entitled to a hand check of the film in your carry-on bag, and you'll usually get it. Outside the US, you probably won't. But your film will be fine---I routinely have TMZ go through multiple scanners on a trip, and haven't had any problems with it. Don't bother with the lead foil bags, they're expensive and you might cut yourself on one of the edges.

Just keep film out of your checked baggage. Those bags often, but not always, are scanned with very nasty machines, and even the airlines will tell you that they're bad for film.

 

[furcafe]

Yes, in the U.S., TSA regulations give you the right to get a handcheck ( http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2007/octqtr/49cfr1544.211.htm ), but in many other countries (e.g., UK) you'll have no such right.

FWIW, in my experience traveling by air in the U.S., Europe, Thailand, Cambodia, China, & Japan, the disclaimers are correct: ISO 1600 & below is not affected by the scanners for carry-on luggage (I shoot a lot of Neopan 1600).

 

[furcafe]

That's actually the reason why you don't want to use lead bags: forcing their hand just slows everything down. It's faster to put all of your high-speed film in a clear ziplock-type bag (no canisters or boxes), request the hand check, & then hand it to the security screener.

If you use the lead bags, they'll have to handcheck it anyway, but it's a good way to force their hand, so to speak.

 

[vincentbenoit]

It makes no difference how you rate the film, it's the nominal sensitivity that counts.

For what it's worth: I've had HP5+ and Tri-X undergo 6 to 8 passes through X-ray machines on several occasions and I coudn't see any degradation in image quality.

Vincent

I'm off on holiday soon. I will pass through 3 airports there and 3 airports back. So 6 x-ray machines in all. I am going to assume that my requests for hand checks will be in vain. I generally shoot HP5 rated at 400/800/1600, which I decide based on lighting conditions when I load the roll.

I am quite anxious because what if I decide that I want to shoot a few rolls at 1600. They will have passed through 6 x-ray machines before I process them!

I would appreciate any advice, or just to hear experiences other people have had.

Thanks,
Jon

 

[vieri]

As others said. On a different note, I think there have been quite a few threads on the same topic recently, maybe doing a search would answer your questions quicker and easier - just a thought. 😀

 

[projectbluebird]

A side note, but relevant... I had a professor who is very into extreme concept art. Recently he did a piece where he put film into his carry on luggage, one roll from the US to Europe, another on the return journey. He didn't use them to take photos but he did develop them on his return.

The one from Europe to the US was blank, but the outbound roll did have some fog.
Mind you, he scanned and printed them 4x8 feet, and it wasn't obvious unless you looked hard. I never did find out what ISO the film was, but I wouldn't worry about my film going through an X-ray machine.

 

[rover]

I flew last week. The sign at the xray machine indicated that film ISO 400 and lower would not be effected. It also says you can request a hand check.

I had cheapo Fuji 400 and 800 film with me, no problems.

 

[mh2000]

with b&w film you may not see a problem because it just raises the base fog level and you print through it, but it will alter your gamma. with color you can see color shifts sometimes. no, it isn't the base ISO, it is what you rate it for and develop for. If you push a film to 1600 from 400 you are developing to increase the latent image... and a base fog from xray exposure will be increased the same as the image.

 

[Freakscene]

A lot of the Neopan 1600 images here:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/freakscene
Are from rolls of film that were taken through airport x-ray scanners 10 or more times. I cannot detect any differences between it and film of the same age processed the same way that has not been scanned at an airport.

With fast film the biggest issue is prompt processing. If you are pushing, the image latency should be similar to the film at its normal speed. There will be differences, but they are likely to be minor and mean nothing for normal printing or scanning purposes.

Marty

 

[Rayt]

I have had b/w film x-ray'd as much as ten times without ill effect as least I can't see any. There are some airports in central Asia that x-ray your bags as soon as you enter the terminal, and then x-ray again after immigration and then x-ray again before you board.

 

[Pablito]

I am quite anxious because what if I decide that I want to shoot a few rolls at 1600. They will have passed through 6 x-ray machines before I process them!

R E L A X
your film will be fine

 

[snowblink]

Thanks everyone. I'm feeling much calmer about it now. 🙂