Flying & Film

[Jim Michael]

X-ray exposure is cumulative. If you plan to send your film through a number of times putting it in a lead bag should mitigate the risk somewhat.

[Brian K]

X-ray exposure is cumulative. If you plan to send your film through a number of times putting it in a lead bag should mitigate the risk somewhat.

It's true that x-ray exposure is cumulative however a lead bag only helps you during the time the film spends in high altitude, during which there is a greater exposure of your film, and you, to cosmic radiation. On the ground though if the security screeners can not see through the lead bag they will open your luggage and inspect the film box. This could mean that they might open the box and expose the film.

When it comes to flying with film today you need to do a little planning. You need to see how many flights you'll be taking, if any lay overs will require you to go through security again, and also consider how much time the film will spend in high altitude. If flying in the US you can get your film hand checked. This is usually pretty easy with roll film, LF film might require x ray if the security personnel are not satisfied with just swabbing the box. I have found so far that 1 or 2 x-rayings have not done any damage.

Shipping via fedex seems to be the safest route, although if the exposed film is valuable there will certainly be anxiety untlil the film is back in your hands.

[David A. Goldfarb]

I've used the lead bags and have found that more than half the time inspectors won't check what's in the bag, if they can see clearly that it's with a lot of camera equipment. For better or worse, they seem comfortable assuming that it's a lead bag with film in it.

That said, a better strategy that I've found is just to keep the film in a separate (non-lead) bag from the camera equipment, because they might want to X-ray the camera bag a second time from a different angle rather than inspect it by hand, and if the film is in the camera bag, it gets a second dose of X-rays. I've never had the separate film bag X-rayed twice.

I generally try to avoid hand inspections, because I don't want TSA inspectors handling my equipment or my film. X-rays are less of a hazard.

[Jim Michael]

Re Brian's point re shielding from radiation at altitude, I took some measurements this past October on a flight from ATL to BMI. The background count on the ground at the time was measuring about 35 cpm* and was ca. 700 cpm at altitude (about 35k feet), as measured with a calibrated radiation monitor.

*cpm=counts per minute

[Andrew O'Neill]

Before x-raying it, take the film boxes out of your carry on bag and lay them on the conveyor belt side-by-side. I've done it this way on several occasions with no noticeable problems even when the film was passed through xray several times. That's going in and out of Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Australia, UK.

[sanking]

I have traveled by air quite a lot over the past decade, both domestically and internationally, and have never had film damaged by sending it through the screener for carry on bags. My procedure is pretty much same as that of David. I carry the film on board, either in a separate bag or with the camera equipment, and simply send it through the scanner. Interestingly, the film, especially MF roll film, usually gets more attention than the camera equipment because most screeners don't recognize what it is.

My advice is to never ask for hand inspection of your film because the risks are much greater than the gain. Chances are extremely remote that the screener for carry on luggage will do any damage to your film, but chances that a TSA inspector will damage it are much greater.

Some people advise that you ship the film by FedEx and pick it up at your destination. My assessment of the risks involved is that my film is always safer when it travels with me than when it travels by itself.

Sandy King

I've used the lead bags and have found that more than half the time inspectors won't check what's in the bag, if they can see clearly that it's with a lot of camera equipment. For better or worse, they seem comfortable assuming that it's a lead bag with film in it.

That said, a better strategy that I've found is just to keep the film in a separate (non-lead) bag from the camera equipment, because they might want to X-ray the camera bag a second time from a different angle rather than inspect it by hand, and if the film is in the camera bag, it gets a second dose of X-rays. I've never had the separate film bag X-rayed twice.

I generally try to avoid hand inspections, because I don't want TSA inspectors handling my equipment or my film. X-rays are less of a hazard.

[Terry Hayden]

I'm trvelling to New Zealand later this month.

As part of preparations, I had some back and forth with N.Z. customs on
their import duties on film if it isshipped via fed-x. At one point I mentioned that
one of the reasons for shipping it was that it would avoid the airport x-rays.

Their response was that Fed-x has to x-ray any package that they are bringing
into the country anyway.

Does anyone have any feedback on how strong the x-raying that fed-x does winds
up being?

Also, I was informed that if I carry it on it will be scanned before boarding and
at some sort of agricultural station upon arrival.

Thanks,
Terry
www.terryhayden.com

[Gordon Moat]

Here is an example what happened to ISO 100 when I bought 50pcs pack of 8x10 Ektachrome from a photo store in the US and put the unopened pack in my luggage. All the slides were destroyded with six X-rays. Mostly visible in the blue and green.

Henry Valtonen, Helsinki

I had similar damage with Kodak P1600 shot at ISO 3200 in the past, and once with ISO 400 film. This is the first I have seen with ISO 100 films.

It might be helpful to elaborate more on storage: film in holders, or in foil bags; which airports (machines out of calibration); shipping method used for the film from the original store. Thanks in advance.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat Photography

[jordanstarr]

Andy...

I've done a flight from Alberta to Toronto and had ruined some sheets and rolls of 400 Tri-x even though I had it in a lead film x-ray bag. I recommend just buying film while you're down there and then ship it back. Don't take a chance on it. I've had lots of "great" photos destroyed through x-rays even though I took the necessary precautions. Just my two cents. I'll never fly with film again I think. But just for some added precautions you might want to slip by The Classic Camera Exchange store in Edmonton at 12518 118 Avenue. I've seen some bags there that should hold a 50-sheet box of film and you can get them for under $5 a piece probably.

What you can do is just get them to "hand inspect" it at the entrance gate. I've taken plenty of 120 film through this way and just told them that I was "pushing it to 800iso" so they wouldn't scan it. I find this method has worked the best for me, especially when they see all my camera gear and realize that I'm a fairly serious film photographer.

...Jordan.

[sanking]

The current TSA recommendations for flying with film can be found here.

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtrav...rial_1035.shtm

The document states.

"The X-ray machine that screens your carry-on baggage at the passenger security checkpoint will not affect undeveloped film under ASA/ISO 800.

If the same roll of film is exposed to X-ray inspections more than 5 times before it is developed, it is possible that damage may occur. Protect your film by requesting a hand-inspection for your film if it has already passed through the carry-on baggage X-ray screening equipment more than five times."

I have personally flown more than 200 times during the last decade, both domestically and abroad (to Europe, South America and Asia), always carrying roll film and sheet film of ASA 800 or less. If I were to total the number of rolls and sheet that have gone through the carry on screeners it would be in the tens of thousands. In many cases the film has on one trip alone gone through the screeners 10-12 times. Yet I have never seen one damaged roll of film or sheet of film that could be attributed to damage from the screeners.

I never ask for a hand inspection because my opinion is that the risks of a person damaging my film are much greater than sending it through the screener. Note this. "If your film cannot be cleared by X-ray inspection, or you desire to have it inspected by hand, you may be required to open the box, canister, or wrapper so our Security Officer can inspect it." Now, do you really want to open that box of 5X7 sheet film that has a couple of hundred sheets of exposed film for the TSA officer to inspect?


Of course, *never* put film in the checked baggage.

Sandy King