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Thread: Is my film ruined by airport security hand check?

  1. #11
    Drew Wiley
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    SF Bay area, CA
    Posts
    18,338

    Re: Is my film ruined by airport security hand check?

    Just have it run through the X-ray scanner. Not all security agents are familiar with sheet film. Asking for hand inspection is just opening a can of worms. They might think you're trying to distract them from looking at something else, so start digging through everything. I've had TMY400, which has very sensitive shadow gradations, go through six TSA scans, then after development compared the fbf to film shot ordinarily, no airline travel at all, and there is no difference on the densitometer. It's just like they say - no problem unless you're bringing along high-speed film; and that is something which can be affected even by high altitude radiation in flight, and doesn't come in sheets anyway. On my last flight I did encounter a neophyte TSA agent that got confused about the film box. They are, after all, subcontracted employees under a lot of pressure and not either highly trained or well paid. So they called over a supervisor who swabbed the box. About a 4 min delay, that's all. No big deal.

  2. #12

    Re: Is my film ruined by airport security hand check?

    I don't know why the hand check thing keeps coming up. You have a much greater chance (not to mention the hassle!) of something bad happening with a hand inspection than just leaving it in your carry on bag through the x-ray machine. I've had some film go through more than a dozen carry on x-ray machines on one trip, and some of those in third world countries, with no problem. And Pepe, don't count on that "x-ray proof" bag, it just invites special interest, possible multiple run throughs, and even opening where you don't know it has been done.

  3. #13

    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Maryland
    Posts
    1,490

    Re: Is my film ruined by airport security hand check?

    I've never asked for a hand check because of the different interpretations by inspectors. Just let it go through the carry-on scanner and you will rarely have problem.

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