X-raped film.

[walter23]

Awhile ago I posted a question about a package I had sent by Canada Post Xpresspost to myself - whether or not air post would be X-rayed.

Well - it is X-rayed. I sent E100VS, Velvia 100, 160VC Portra, Efke IR820, and FP4+ to myself in various quantities (about $300 - $400 total film value, just because I was too lazy to unpackage stuff and split it up). The efke stuff is trashed - fog down one side of every sheet and tons of parallel streaks. FP4+ might be okay - I haven't been able to see anything on the negatives just by visual inspection. I haven't checked the colour stuff yet.

Let this be a warning though; do not assume postage is not X-rayed. The damage looks just like the samples I've seen posted by one of the manufacturers, Kodak I believe, so I've got no reason to suspect it was anything else.

Also, my parcel had a baggage-tag-like sticker attached to it with "YYC" (my airport code) - something I've never seen before. Maybe they put it in with passenger luggage due to a very low volume shipment that date?

The point is - you don't know what to expect.

[gregstidham]

You sent it from the USA to Canada?

[walter23]

No, within Canada.

[Sylvester Graham]

Did you put a "film: do not X-ray" sticker on there? I'm not sure if those things actually make a difference.

[walter23]

I made a mistake. I'm embarrassed to retract this after all the noise, but I did a couple of stupid things in my processing and gave the impression of X-ray damage. I think it's because I was using an old fixer solution (fogging) and because I had loaded my film backwards into the processing drum (streaks).

So, uhh, heh. Ignore.

[Nathan Potter]

WOW, and I thought the airport people were incompetent.

Nate Potter

[Asher Kelman]

Hi Walter,

I'd be surprised that anything below 800 ISO would get damaged.

Anyway, I'd be careful to add a Unexposed Film do not XRAY

Asher

[Maretzo]

I made a mistake. I'm embarrassed to retract this after all the noise, but I did a couple of stupid things in my processing and gave the impression of X-ray damage. I think it's because I was using an old fixer solution (fogging) and because I had loaded my film backwards into the processing drum (streaks).

So, uhh, heh. Ignore.

Ouf! I feel relieved. I have just finished 4 rolls of 120 in Vietnam and had to go through 20th technology scanners, at least twice.

[Neal Wydra]

Dear Walter23,

I admire your honesty.

Neal Wydra

[KenM]

WOW, and I thought the airport people were incompetent.

Nate Potter

That was completely uncalled for. Grow up.

[Matt Blaze]

Hi Walter,

I'd be surprised that anything below 800 ISO would get damaged.

Anyway, I'd be careful to add a Unexposed Film do not XRAY

Asher

For the record, that's definitely not true, at least in the US (yes, I realize the original post involved Canada). While the X-rays used for passenger carry-on screening are low power and unlikely to fog film in a single or small number of exposures, those used for checked baggage (and Customs) screening are very high power and will readily fog even very slow film. Not all checked baggage is X-ray screened, but when it is, any film inside is virtually guaranteed to be ruined.

I tested this recently by putting a sheet of Polaroid (stored inside a Polaroid back to prevent the goop packet from being ruptured by the bag throwers) in my checked luggage before each flight I took. On about half of my flights (out of PHL, SFO, IAD and a couple of regional airports) the sheet was visibly fogged on arrival.

[eddie]

WOW, and I thought the airport people were incompetent.

Nate Potter

HAR HAR HAR! that was good!



Ouf! I feel relieved. I have just finished 4 rolls of 120 in Vietnam and had to go through 20th technology scanners, at least twice.


do not worry. i met the only A-hole screener ever in vietnam! he x rayed all my film! BUT it came out fine! ( he went to the other machine and i called my brother, who was on the other side of the x ray machine waiting for his wife, and told him the A hole had stepped out of his line and to go through. he was very graciously granted a hand check!) luckily we both made out well that day.

eddie

ps. i never had had any problems shipping my film domestically in the US or to and from thailand by the PO.