Travel with film from UK to Norway

[Andrew Stubbs]

Hi

I have lots of friends in Stavanger, Norway, and I would dearly like to take my camera with me on my next visit. I'm thinking Quickload Provia 100F and Velvia 50. How do people recommend I travel? Obviously the camera would be in hand luggage, but would it be better to source film and development in Norway? If so, where? I've seen on the forums and blogs that some people demand hand inspection of film rather than x-ray, but how realistic is this in a busy airport? I am quite meek with authority figures O_o

I've always avoided carrying film through airport security, and I'm somewhat distressed to hear that there is no ferry between UK and Norway these days, so I'd be grateful for any insight into this kind of travel.

Much appreciated,

Andy

[Ash]

Stick it in your hand luggage. UK x-ray machines have never fogged my film.

There's the long route via Denmark, but a ferry is suuuuchhhh a long trip. Norway is extortionate, so I'd not recommend getting film there.

[dave_whatever]

I have a mate living in Stavanger - if film and processing is on a par with usual Norway prices then expect to pay and arm and a leg!

I'd just take the film through as handluggage. You haven't got a prayer of getting a hand search, at least not in a UK airport. With relatively slow film like Velvia and Provia you should have no problem even with multiple xrays.

[Stephane]

fomafoto is based is Norway, so it is way cheaper than kodak or ilford (when you have to include import taxes). And for us in Oslo, it is even cheaper because we can pick up the film in town and save on shipping.
Processing is a different story, so I would have it processed somewhere else.
Oslo airport does not allow tripod as hand luggage, it might me the same for Stavanger (Sola) airport.
Film in hand luggage, as the lenses and light meter. Camera is checked in.

[GPS]

It is a question of principle for the UK airport authorities not to permit a hand inspection of films. Learned from my experience with them and their explanation...

[IanG]

All the film I use has come through airport security, often more than once, sometimes 15-16 times.

Last month my films went through similar machines on a daily basis for a week

I gave up worrying years ago. There's a committee that includes Ilford, Kodak, Fuji as well as UK Photographic Organizations that liaises with UK Airports security on saftey of Films & Scanning. The RPS member was/is working at Gatwick airport in Security and the scanners have been fully tested to be totally safe. Some older US machines may differ.

Ian

[jp]

If you've got friends where you are going, I'd mail the film to them in advance of your travel. While there are many nice harmless xray operators, the hand inspection is what worries me and that is a source of some risk.

[IanG]

UK airports don't do hand inspections of film, ever.

Post abroad is scanned using the same scanners as airport carry on so there's no benefits except the higher possibility it''ll never arrive saving you the trouble of having to use it

Ian

[Steven Tribe]

DFDS Seaways has been commiting suicide as far as passenger traffic across the North Sea for decades. There is only the every other day route to Esbjerg which hammers car owners pricewise. They will say it is Ryanair/Easyjet etc. - I say it is a whole sequence of bad product/marketing decisions from before the cheap air competition started.
There is no problem with airport hand luggage scanners.
All service based products in Norway are sky high as in all marginal agricultural countries when there is an inflationary source (Norway - Oil industry, Iceland - Financial sector(!!), Greenland - Danish subsidies).