Latest nightmares at the airport -- and a solution

[Bruce Watson]

I did that once - said the hell with it and let them Xray - a couple of years ago. I left a couple of sheets of Tri-X in film holders coming back. The rest of the film got hand checked coming back but the film in the film holders went though the carry-on Xray with the camera.

I lost both sheets of Tri-X to fogging.

Now, this film was Xrayed once before it was exposed, and once afterwards. I've heard that exposure is sort of like pre-flashing for Xray, making the film that much more susceptible to fogging.

In any case, I'm not going to let them Xray my film. The risk of damage is too great.

It's drive for a couple of days, or send the film ahead for me. Everyone else, YMMV.

[Bill_1856]

My advice for B&W film: go ahead and put it through the carry-on X-ray machines. Just be sure to carry a new box of film on your next trip. Color should be okay if it's low speed (<125).

[JZ]

Has anyone had any experience using those lead lined bags? The last time I went overseas(summer of 2004) I let about 20 rolls ranging from 100-800 iso go through checked lugage in a small lead lined bag that cost about $30. As far as I can tell no harm came to the film and this involved changing planes a couple times on both the flight out and the flight back(though the luggage was checked through to the destination so it probably didn't go through the machines more then 3 times, and of that only once through a U.S. airport). The rest of the film(35mm) was kept on my body with a photo vest that never went through the machines. This worked pretty well but at times when the film wasn't in the vest they had me remove the vest and scan that as well... Even though I was using 35mm film in that bag, I am pretty sure you could fit at least two boxes of 10 sheet velvia in each bag. Not terrible for $30...

[David A. Goldfarb]

There was a good website up for a while--I'm not sure if it's still around--with an article by a photojournalist about the effects of X-rays and examples of fogging with high-speed film. These were not a general fog like pre-flashing, but very distinct bars of fog across the film, as if light had gotten through the light trap on a 35mm cartridge.

[Graeme Hird]

The bloke from J&C film says on this thread on APUG ( http://www.apug.org/forums/showthrea...0&page=1&pp=10) that there is no effect on film from the x-ray machines. I'd be inclined to believe him.

I've never had a problem with films that have even gone through 15 x-ray machines. Admittedly, they were 50 ISO Velvia, but no ill effects that I could see. I'm not going to worry about getting hand inspections done any more.

[Rob Hale]

Hi Guys and Girls

I had to go from NZ to UK via LA. And back via LA. The trip started on the 3rd. Sept. And returned for the 9th Oct.

So I ran a simple test. Two rolls 120 NPC 160. One roll through freight X ray and the other through hand luggage X ray.

I exposed alternate frames – picture – blank – picture etc 12 on each roll ( idea being to test if the roll thickness made any variation in the penetration of the X ray).

I also took small pile of 35 mm which I instead on “hand check” – this was quite interesting, on the return trip at Heathrow I had such a major battle with a particularly agro. young supervisor I thought my wife was about to disown me. Any way after I had pointed out to him that his machine said “ do not put limbs into machine while turned on “ clearly indicated that there was a lot more X ray in the machine than I would subjected to while flying he condescended to hand check – he had insisted that the film would be subject to far more X ray while in the air than in his machine. Other places, on the way north – AKL – polite but unhappy. LA a bit of a battle. Heathrow as above. LA on, the way south utterly charming, the moment I produce my plastic bag with about a dozen films in it , it was “ Oh you would like hand inspection, here I’ll take it and the lady will wait for you to go thro. before she inspects them”. AKL – inwards MAF inspection “ No trouble – here you go” ( we get quite tetchy about food products etc which might bring farm related nasties being food export dependant ).

Now the interesting bit – the two rolls of 120 NPC 160 no fogging at all. If I had “important” images I would probably be pretty nervous. Why ? well I can’t see why these machines are not certified by Kodak Ilford Agfa et. al. with the certification there for all to read, this would save so much time. Also on the north bound trip prior to the freight being X rayed at LA we were asked to remove “any undeveloped film !!!” so certification would seem a key but what ?perhaps they cant be certified ? Are these machines erratic – do they dose at huge quantities if paused or worse stopped – if so what is happening the operators ?

Regards Rob.

[Andre Noble]

Kerry, if they open your ready load box with your blessing, they're going to wonder why the next LF photographer w/ regular sheet film triple box is claiming his film will be ruined by opening the box :>)

In the US or Europre let's all do ourselves a favor: Simply bring your film with you onto plane and just put the damn film through the carry-on luggage XRay machine. I don't want a hand inspection by someone who is going to fondle my film with his bare hands. I have enough problems doing that myself by accident. besides, I'd rather risk getting it nuked than fogged by daylight in the new airport hand inspection procedure.

[Frank Petronio]

I guess that the bottom line is going to be that we should try to only take fresh film on these trips, not film that has already been through the airport X-ray a couple of times; use ASA 100 film if possible; and try to split your take up between hand carrying, FedExing home, and getting processing on location.

Using the changing bag or double taped plastic bags seems the most risky to me, by far.

If I was going to a third-world country with extra strong X-Rays? Arrange to have film waiting for me at the hotel... shoot negative materials... keep a unprocessed Polaroid in with your film to see if it got fogged in transit... pray... buy a 22mb digital back...

[CP Goerz]

I just got back from a few stops in Europe(9 seperate airport X-ray passes) and all the 35mm which included HP5 and 400 ISO slide look perfect. I do mail sheetfilm to myself and back again too as it doesn't have a little metal can to protect it but the few times I've popped it through the hand luggage on a one or two pass trip its been fine.

Is it my imagination though or are more people bringing two or more carry on items with them and stuffing the overhead bins trying to avoid the carousel?

CP Goerz

[Brian Ellis]

I got up the nerve to let my T Max 100 go through the passenger x ray because a friend who flies all over the world all year long said he doesn't worry about how many times the film is x rayed and has never had a problem. It occurs to me that not every problem we might have with our film is necessarily caused by x ray machines. Surely some photographers had a problem with their film at least once in their lifetime even before there was such a thing as x ray machines in airports (yes, I actually can remember a time when you just walked onto the plane carrying whatever you carried, didn't even have to take your shoes off). .