After thoroughly testing the xray machines at airports from Albuquerque to Chicago and Heathrow last year, I got burned on a recent trip to Chicago working on an upcoming exhibit. My 4x5 color neg and b&w readyload film was uniformly fogged adding .20 on average to the base density. This was true on both checked and hand carried baggage with some slight variations in the fog density. These were opened boxes that I had used a couple of days before the trip with no issues.
From my post shortly after my UK trip last year testing a similar methodology:
"In my trip to England this year I took, bought in london, and shipped Acros in every conceivable manner from Denver to Heathrow. The worst got xrayed both ways from and too England. I then shot duplicate negatives of numerous scenes and had Praus develope samples of each in the same batch, tube processed. Densitometer readings showed 0 difference between any of the film regardless of having no xray or double airport xray."
I guess I will have to go back to buying film on location and Fed Exing it back?
Bookmarks