Airports and 4x5 film

[Tony Evans]

In addition to the problems with film, I have noticed that screeners seem to pay particular attention to anything (a) metal and (b) with some sort of edge or point.
I have had a couple of clearly innocent items confiscated from my carry-on over the last year. For this reason I leave metal Lens Spanners and Lens Boards in the checked luggage.

[Noah A]

Noah, pardon me for asking but why-oh-why-on-Earth would you subject your professional film to Xrays at all, since you don't have to by requesting hand inspection?

Mostly because hand inspection of a non factory-sealed box (or even a sealed one) could result in the box being opened. I've heard of this happening. There was even some talk on lightstalkers about brand new film from B&H coming up positive after being swabbed for explosive residue. Perhaps if you ask a security agent to hand-check your film then tell them they can't open the box it would go well for you. But, frankly, if I were a security agent I'd want to see inside the box.

I don't own a densitometer but I've traveled for years with ISO 400 film going through multiple x-ray screenings without a problem. Even if there is some imperceptible base fog, I'd prefer that to either getting my film boxes opened or getting into an argument that could land me on a watch list for life...

In the US we do have a right to hand inspection, but this is not the case in many of the places I work. So it was kind of a test, but again, in many years of having ISO 400 film x-rayed (by hand-baggage checks, not check-in luggage screening) I've never once had any film damaged.

My strategy is to just limit the number of x-ray exposures. So, for instance, the film I didn't shoot on this trip will be shot locally, I won't take it on another out-of-town shoot. I also try to limit connecting flights and if I do have them, I stay in the secured area if at all possible to avoid additional screening.

[Andrew O'Neill]

Save yourself the stress and headache and just have them xray your film. I've had film (exposed & unexposed) go through xray machines multiple times with no problems.

[Doremus Scudder]

My experiences, as objectively as possible:

Per year 4 intercontinental flights between Europe and the U.S., with at least three legs each. Also several (2-6) flights within the E.U. with one or two legs each.

I carry new, sealed boxes of Tri-X 320 and TMAX-400 in 4x5 size to Europe from the U.S. to Europe regularly (it's a lot cheaper in the U.S.).

I gave up asking for hand-inspections long ago for several reasons, principally because the TSA inspector really needs to look inside boxes that are being hand inspected to see what is in them. Think about it: asking for a hand-inspection of a closed box and then saying "don't look inside" kind of defeats the purpose of inspecting. Also, in this digital age, larger-size film is a relative rarity; inexperienced inspectors will slow you down and may insist on opening the boxes/film containers. Why risk that when the scanner is simple, easy and safe?

All my film stays in the carry-on luggage and goes through the scanner. I've never had a problem this way. Often, my camera equipment is inspected, or the carry-on is swabbed (a random test, BTW), but once the film has been through the scanner, no one seems worried about it.

Nevertheless, I always carry a scrap sheet of 4x5 film to show them what is inside the box just in case. I've never had to show it. I also carry the TSA guidelines for film; never had to use that either.

FWIW, my experience with airport security has been magnitudes better since the TSA took over. Now, after several years of getting their act together, it is even better. I've never had a TSA agent try to open a box of film. But, I always let them X-ray it.

Unexposed film on the way to Europe gets an average of one to two scans before arriving at its destination. It is often then subjected to further scans (see below).

In Europe I travel with a carry-on loaded with camera equipment and 6-8 loaded filmholders. My wife usually carries another 15 loaded filmholders for me in her carry-on. The carry-ons go through the scanner. Never a problem. I carry a box of unopened film as well. No problems there either

Again, I carry a scrap sheet of film, and am willing to open a holder if needed. This has never been necessary, although in Italy I've been asked about the holders. An explanation seemed to do the trick.

On return trips, I simply do the same. Although I could unload and repack in boxes, I don't. The carry-ons with filmholders loaded with exposed film go through the scanners. Again, as above, no problems.

How dangerous are scanners?: On trip to Venice from Vienna in November, I took filmholders loaded with Tri-X 320, which had been scanned twice already on the trip from the U.S. to Europe. They were scanned once going and once coming. Total: 4 scans. However, I didn't shoot all the film I took with me; I had 4-6 holders with unexposed film in them, which I took with me on a more recent trip to Italy. This time I flew through Zurich. One scan going and two scans returning. Total now: 7 scans. The developed film was absolutely fine, no problems whatsoever. I wouldn't hesitate carrying them through a couple more times.

By the way, on these last trips, no problems at all except for one unpack-repack of the carry-on in Vienna to show them the camera. Evidently the folding camera looked a little confusing to them in the scan. Once open, I just got oohs and aahs and waved through.

If I were taking exposed film from Europe back to the states on the airlines, I would simply pack them in film boxes and send them through the scanner. I'd mark the boxes "exposed film, open in total darkness" or something like that, and be ready with a scrap sheet of film just in case.

That said, I never do this. I develop here in Europe and take the negs back with me.

Hope this helps.

Doremus Scudder

[rguinter]

...My strategy is to just limit the number of x-ray exposures. So, for instance, the film I didn't shoot on this trip will be shot locally, I won't take it on another out-of-town shoot. I also try to limit connecting flights and if I do have them, I stay in the secured area if at all possible to avoid additional screening.

I've made this same comment several times on this forum... I think also earlier in this thread. And it is the same strategy I use.

All I would add is using a method to identify which rolls/boxes went through the scanners and how many times. I use a sharpie marker and strike a line on each roll or box each time it was scanned.

So far up to 4-scans have not produced any perceptible damage on my films and after that I keep them for local use.

Bob G.

[Bob Kerner]

Noah, pardon me for asking but why-oh-why-on-Earth would you subject your professional film to Xrays at all, since you don't have to by requesting hand inspection?

Not to answer for Noah, but I think asking for hand inspection invites problems. Somewhere in this thread or an older one on the same subject, someone related a story about hand inspection. The TSA agent wanted the film boxes opened, despite the fact that it was exposed film.

For the most part, no one here has reported ruined film going through an xray machine once or twice. I've never had it happen. So why invite a different breed of problem by calling attention to yourself and asking for hand inspection, only to encounter some numbskull who insists on looking inside the box?

[rguinter]

Not to answer for Noah, but I think asking for hand inspection invites problems. Somewhere in this thread or an older one on the same subject, someone related a story about hand inspection. The TSA agent wanted the film boxes opened, despite the fact that it was exposed film.

For the most part, no one here has reported ruined film going through an xray machine once or twice. I've never had it happen. So why invite a different breed of problem by calling attention to yourself and asking for hand inspection, only to encounter some numbskull who insists on looking inside the box?

Good points.

But even going through the scanner sometimes the security agents want to look inside the boxes and unroll spools of film anyway. It was quite a hassle for me during my last return trip from Quebec City and nearly cost me a lot of exposed and unexposed film.

See my thread here last year titled "Next Time to Quebec I Think I'm, Gonna Drive."

So even if you send it through the scanner, that is still no guarantee that they won't want to hand inspect it all anyway.

Bob G.

[Sean Galbraith]

I always ask for a hand inspection, but I haven't travelled with sheet film before (will be doing so in May though).

This Kodak report scared me a bit:
http://www.kodak.com/global/en/servi.../tib5201.shtml

[Noah A]

I always ask for a hand inspection, but I haven't travelled with sheet film before (will be doing so in May though).

This Kodak report scared me a bit:
http://www.kodak.com/global/en/servi.../tib5201.shtml

That Kodak report mostly refers to checked baggage scanners, not the smaller, weaker scanners used for carry-on checkpoints. Personally I wouldn't worry too much. Of course, NEVER, EVER put film in your checked baggage.

If I were planning on asking for a hand-check of my sheet film, I'd contact the airport(s) ahead of time to explain the situation, I'd probably have my agency fax them a letter of assignment, etc. I know this can be done in the UK for example, where hand-checks can sometimes be hard to get by just asking at the checkpoint.

By the way, I have all but one batch of film back and it all looks perfect, no damage or fogging. Most of the film was only x-rayed twice, but some was scanned three times since I needed to go through security once more before shooting the interior and power plant at the Hoover Dam.

I'll set aside a few of the unused sheets from the trip and take them on another few trips as a torture test.

The biggest pain in the neck of my last trip was that I had to repackage my film. I really wish Kodak would bring back 50-sheet boxes of color neg film, even if it cost the same as buying 5x 10-sheet boxes. Heck, I'd pay a few more bucks for the convenience of it.

[Ivan J. Eberle]

I wish they'd bring back Readyloads, and offer Ektar and Portra as such.
I stocked up on Fuji Quickloads for flying, solves the hand inspection problem even if they wanna open the box.