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Thread: Air travel with 8x10 sheet film as carry-on... Request for tips!

  1. #1
    Lida
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    Exclamation Air travel with 8x10 sheet film as carry-on... Request for tips!

    I am traveling abroad with 8x10 view camera and new TXP film (factory packaged 10/sheets/box about 20 boxes) to Eastern Europe with 3+ changes in aircraft each way. I am concerned about x-rays damaging the film vs. requesting a hand-search, which may ultimately lead to security personnel opening a box of film. I will have lots of carry-on gear to keep track of during security screenings. If I opt for film going through carry-on X-ray, is there a better way of doing this so that less damage is done? I read in the Kodak info that changing the direction the film is oriented for each x-ray pass could be helpful.

    I am considering opening the factory sealed boxes of 10 sheets each and repacking into old 50 sheet boxes to consolidate the film into a smaller space. This would make it easier to carry-on the film & gear. Is there a down side to doing this? If the film is densely packed, will the x-ray needed/used be more intense? If film is packed in a foil-coated envelope, does this mean the x-ray strength will be turned up?

    I read the general info on this forum regarding air travel with LF gear from 2001, and from this I now understand that most people are NOT experiencing problems from multiple carry-on x-rays of sheet film with ISOs as high as 400. Is there anyone with more recent experience who can confirm this, please?

    Any tips that may be pertinent to air travel with sheet film and LF gear would be highly appreciated.

    Many thanks... (this is my first post to LF Forum)

  2. #2
    おせわに なります! Andrew O'Neill's Avatar
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    Re: Air travel with 8x10 sheet film as carry-on... Request for tips!

    If you can get away with hand inspection great. If not, don't worry so much about it. Just let your film go through the carry on xray. I've put film through several times with no apparent damage.

  3. #3

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    Re: Air travel with 8x10 sheet film as carry-on... Request for tips!

    Cabin baggage is the way I do it.
    Buy a cheap (recycled) soft type that just is within the maximum for the air carrier. Sheets of air cell to control the film holders and camera.
    Film doesn't seem to influenced - even with multiple scans. Tell the operator what is inside before he/she scans - it saves multiple passes. Be prepared to show what is inside - it is the metal parts that attract attention.
    Total weight limit (if there is one) is usually around 10 kilos.
    The Kodak advice brings back memories of the Catholic Church's (this nothing to do with religion, dear moderators!) advice about how not to get pregnant.

  4. #4
    Robert Hall's Avatar
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    Re: Air travel with 8x10 sheet film as carry-on... Request for tips!

    Don't worry about baggage scans. Going to mainland china then to India, I had at least 6 scans on film with not a mark on them.

    I just let them go though, told them what they were, they never wanted to open the box.

    Not so when I asked for hand checks.

  5. #5
    IanG's Avatar
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    Re: Air travel with 8x10 sheet film as carry-on... Request for tips!

    Make sure your film is package seperately to anything with metal, put it in your carry on baggage but at the scanner take it out & have it go through on its own. That's a tip I was given a few years ago. In practice I always place my films in large pockets in a coat but that's always 5x4 & 120 - 10x8's too large for that.

    Ian

  6. #6

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    Re: Air travel with 8x10 sheet film as carry-on... Request for tips!

    Don't worry about the xray scanners.

    For Kodak TMY2, I put two envelopes of 10 sheets in each box. It fits snugly without problem and halves the bu
    K of the film boxes.

    The largest size of the LL Bean canvas beach bag hold 8x10 boxes so that you can line up 2 rows of 4-5 boxes, e.g. Up to 100 sheets, with room on top for miscellaneous lightweight stuff. It will fit in the overhead. On a small plane, you might have to remove some of the film boxes from the large bag to make it fit. I pack a smaller, very lightweight bag inside the large bag just in case.

  7. #7

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    Re: Air travel with 8x10 sheet film as carry-on... Request for tips!

    According to signs in Dallas Love Field airport with film below 800 you don't really have to worry with carry-on scans. I travel regularly with film both in US and internationally , and i never seen anything that breaks this ( i typically go with 25/100/400). But i do not shoot infrared.

  8. #8

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    Re: Air travel with 8x10 sheet film as carry-on... Request for tips!

    Tip number one. Don't do it. Put holders in your luggage.

  9. #9

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    Re: Air travel with 8x10 sheet film as carry-on... Request for tips!

    Be careful about putting 400 iso film through the x-ray machines multiple times. I took a bunch of 8x10 film with me to guatemala and let it go through the x-ray machines about 6 times total. The black and white seemed to have higher than normal base fog (it was ilford hp5) but ok in general, but the color film (kodak 400) was obviously affected. Most airports are more curious about the camera than worried about the film. The next time I went through the airport with my 8x10 i asked them to hand check it and they had no problems, they swabbed all the items to test for explosive residue, but did not open the film. I also think that if the film is factory sealed they will be less inclined to open it. Just be friendly and explain what is in the bags, nearly all airport security has seen sheet film, and if you calmly explain what is it, will not open it.

  10. #10

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    Re: Air travel with 8x10 sheet film as carry-on... Request for tips!

    Quote Originally Posted by ignatiusjk View Post
    Tip number one. Don't do it. Put holders in your luggage.
    X-ray machines for luggage are a weeeeeee bit more powerful than ones for carry-on.

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