Canada post (air) & X-rays (film)

[walter23]

I flew to the west coast the other day and preemptively mailed myself a few boxes of film (colour transparency, FP4+ and ekfe IR820). At the post office I decided to send it "XpressPost" which, it turns out, got it here by the next morning (it's a 12 hour drive plus ferry ride), so I suspect it was probably flown.

At that point I realized maybe xpresspost wasn't such a hot idea - air and X-rays.

Any of you have experience with this? I can't test the film, I have to either trust it or try to secure some fresh stuff out here and test it out once I get back home.

Ironically I had no problem getting a hand inspection (without them pulling the darkslides!) at the airport for my loaded film holders (which I didn't have time to put into boxes before flying) so that's my only definitely safe film now ;)

[Capocheny]

Hi Walter,

I can't speak to the Efke but you won't/shouldn't have any issues with the FP4+ or the color transparency films.

I picked up a few boxes of 8x10 Provia from a dealer in Calgary and had them sent out via Express Post. No problems whatsoever.

BTW, 4x5 FP4+/HP5+ is readily available here on the West Coast at Lens & Shutter or Beau Photo. So, you can always purchase them locally rather than shipping them out if you're concerned about X-rays. :)

Cheers

[walter23]

Didn't realize you were coastal... I went into Lens & Shutter today for some lens cloth (kodak tissue stuff) and they didn't have any. Said they hadn't been able to get it for months. Weird as hell.

Ended up buying some cheap "lens cleaning kit" from Blacks.


Hi Walter,

I can't speak to the Efke but you won't/shouldn't have any issues with the FP4+ or the color transparency films.

I picked up a few boxes of 8x10 Provia from a dealer in Calgary and had them sent out via Express Post. No problems whatsoever.

BTW, 4x5 FP4+/HP5+ is readily available here on the West Coast at Lens & Shutter or Beau Photo. So, you can always purchase them locally rather than shipping them out if you're concerned about X-rays. :)

Cheers

[Andrew O'Neill]

Your Efke will be fine.

[Christopher Hansen]

Didn't realize you were coastal... I went into Lens & Shutter today for some lens cloth (kodak tissue stuff) and they didn't have any. Said they hadn't been able to get it for months. Weird as hell.

Ended up buying some cheap "lens cleaning kit" from Blacks.

BH Photo claims Kodak lens paper is no longer made. They now sell Tiffen lens paper which looks exactly the same except the package is gray and blue instead of Kodak yellow.

[Capocheny]

Walter,

Even if they don't have the Kodak lens tissues... go to any optical store and pick up one of those cloths. They work marvelously and are not as stiff as the normal tissue.

Beau Photo, Kerrisdale Cameras, and Leo's usually has more tissue than you can shake a stick at. But, at the end of the day... it's good you located some! :)

No, I migrated out to Vancouver from Calgary... your neck of the world. Vancouver is a terrific city but I would have absolutely NO hesitation in moving back to Calgary. I miss Banff, Kananaskis Lakes, Lake Louise and a LOT of other locations where I use to shoot at.

And, with the weather patterns changing in Calgary... that's even more incentive to move back. :)

Cheers

PS: The wine selection is soooooooooo much better than it is out here in BC... and they're also about 15% lower in price. So, you've gotta love that. :)

[walter23]

PS: The wine selection is soooooooooo much better than it is out here in BC... and they're also about 15% lower in price. So, you've gotta love that. :)


Hadn't noticed the wine issue (I don't know much about wine and don't have any favorite per se, though I like almost any decent dry red in the $15-$20 range), but the sales tax kind of sucks. 3 rolls of HP5+ ran me $20. Mind you I don't buy 120 film much so I can't remember what I pay in Calgary, but $20 seemed a bit steep.

As for the weather, I can't complain about Victoria. Sure, you get rain a lot, but a single day is very variable. If you need overcast, wait 20 minutes and you'll get it. Need direct sun? Go grab a coffee and you'll get it. Great for photography. Better than Vancouver for sure.

I'm moving here at the end of next summer, and like you I will miss a lot of the locations near Calgary. Not even necessarily the mountains - what I'll miss could probably be best summed up as the smell of poplar trees in the river valleys in spring, summer & especially fall. There's nothing sweeter.

I won't miss the city though. I don't like the prevailing social climate now.

Off topic? bah ;)

[Capocheny]

... but the sales tax kind of sucks.

... wait 20 minutes and you'll get it. Need direct sun? Go grab a coffee and you'll get it.

what I'll miss could probably be best summed up as the smell of poplar trees in the river valleys in spring, summer & especially fall. There's nothing sweeter.

Off topic? bah ;)

Hi Walter,

The PST IS a pita when you first move out here... you'll get use to it! :)

... wait 20 minutes... :) that's what I use to say in Calgary during the winters. Cold weather one day and a Chinook the next. But, when it rains for days in a row... it can be pretty hard to get use to. However, inevitably, one does. :>0

The smell of popular trees..., yes, but there's the smell of other trees out here that are pretty nice too. For example, Cedar trees... very easy to get use to!

Victoria certainly is a LOT quieter than Vancouver... and there are some beautiful places on the Island to photograph.

Hopefully, we'll NEVER have the NDP back in power here in BC!

Merry Christmas and all the best in 08.

Cheers

[Andrew O'Neill]

Hopefully, we'll NEVER have the NDP back in power here in BC!

No, we just have a premier who is a convicted drunk driver.

[erie patsellis]

Walter, if you get the chance, drive from Victoria to Sooke, then north to Port Renfrew, then the mountain roads to Duncan (or is it Cowichan).

Mystic Beach, and Botanical Beach are gorgeous, and if you time it around lunch, stop at the little drive up right across from botanical beach, fantastic cod sandwiches...


erie

[walter23]

I've been to Port Renfrew a few times in the past, but always with my wife (ie, no time for any real photography). I'm hoping to somehow wrangle the use of a car to get up to that area this trip - never been in the winter, and I suspect the waves would be pretty spectacular with the right kind of wind.