Barcelona Airport Scanners

[Prest_400]

@Naples glad to hear it went well, I also used VM foto in the past during my beginnings of Medium format when I was a lot in the city.

I am flying out of BCN this weekend, carrying film back and this topic was on my mind. Ironically I managed to buy more film here that I will just take back, but usually do not bother with the handcheck on traditional Xrays.

Recently, one of the major newspaper published and article which has "summer" as the roll out date:

Un cambio en el aeropuerto de Barcelona te permitirá ahorrar tiempo en este 2024

A partir del verano del año que viene hay modificaciones en el control de seguridad que reducirá las colas y las esperas

www.elperiodico.com

I might be back during that time frame, so will see.

 

[Arthurwg]

Why not send film home via DHL or other carrier?

 

[MattKing]

Shoot digital!

Permitted, of course, only in a mixed workflow sub-forum like this one

 

[Naples]

Why not send film home via DHL or other carrier?

Because it will be scanned.

 

[fiddle]

Why not send film home via DHL or other carrier?

Not sure about it being scanned, B&H ships world wide and they are not afraid of it. The issue is cost for me.
I travel to spain every year, want to take my 4x5 with me, but shipping a box both ways, would prob cost be close to 250 both ways to get film there and back home.

When I fly in the US I ship it to myself all the time.
I was thinking buy film from B&H, direct to Spain address, then ship it home in US after Im done. But shipping and vat was getting pretty high..

 

[Naples]

Not sure about it being scanned

DHL:

"The safety and security of the shipments we transport, is of utmost
importance to us. We therefore inspect shipments handed over to
us, to check for any restricted or prohibited commodities,
hazardous material, contraband etc. Such inspection is conducted
by many methods like physically opening and examining the
contents of the package, using sniffer dogs, x-ray machines etc."

 

[Naples]

But, much like my experiences in Barcelona and Santiago de Compostela, the agents there will not hand check any film unless it is ISO1600 or above.

Good info. So my ISO 200 would have been run through the scanners in Barcelona. Glad I left it all with VMFoto.

 

[Arthurwg]

I've also had problems visiting historic sites in France, where they insist on Xraying my camera before entry. Very frustrating, but I guess these are the times in which we live.

 

[GregY]

Yes, shoot digital! Air travel today is nothing like air travel in the 1950s. Personally I shoot film almost exclusively, but for foreign travel today with crowded planes, airports, etc, lugging film and film cameras along with all other discomforts of contemporary flying, I would go digital. A digital camera with zoom lens and a few cards is all you’ll need.
More than once I spent time trying to explain to airport security that it is impossible to “turn on” my Leica M4. Digital will save a lot of aggravation.

Until you want darkroom prints.....

 

[Sirius Glass]

Until you want darkroom prints.....

One does not have to stop using film for photography. I use ISO 400 film and when possible I request hand inspection for CT scanners. I can also have the film developed and printed be for flying back to the US if I think it is necessary. On the other hand I will use digital photography in Antarctica so that I can avoid changing film in blustery weather. That said please do not start a film versus digital tirade.

 

[GregY]

One does not have to stop using film for photography. I use ISO 400 film and when possible I request hand inspection for CT scanners. I can also have the film developed and printed be for flying back to the US if I think it is necessary. On the other hand I will use digital photography in Antarctica so that I can avoid changing film in blustery weather. That said please do not start a film versus digital tirade.

SG, it's not a tirade at all. I'm just responding to guangong's statement which basically said....just use digital. I'll continue to use film & I would if i went to Antarctica. Yesterday it was -40° C/F here. I've used film in the Alps and climbing in Alaska in April....as did Bradford Washburn & Vittorio Sella (albeit glass plates). I won't run my film through CT scanners.....but there are proven work- arounds ...as mentioned in prior posts. CT scanners aren't the end of the world....in the big picture they're a small inconvenience to film photographers.

 

[Naples]

Interesting tidbit. On our family trip to Spain, my daughter and I used 35mm film (Kodak Gold 200). We had dinner with an old friend in Barcelona one night. When he saw our film cameras he was aghast. He said he didn't know people still used those things. I said I'll send you some photos. After VMFoto developed and scanned our rolls, I sent our friend a sample of photos. He was shocked at how beautiful and sharp they were.

 

[Naples]

I've also had problems visiting historic sites in France, where they insist on Xraying my camera before entry. Very frustrating, but I guess these are the times in which we live.

In Barcelona, none of the three churches we visited - Sagrada Familia, Catedral de Barcelona, and Santa Maria del Mar - inspected our bags or cameras before entry. However, the Picasso Museum did insist on running everything through a scanner that they assured us was the old type and safe for film. Our ISO 200 turned out fine.

 

[jbbw]

@Naples glad to hear it went well, I also used VM foto in the past during my beginnings of Medium format when I was a lot in the city.

I am flying out of BCN this weekend, carrying film back and this topic was on my mind. Ironically I managed to buy more film here that I will just take back, but usually do not bother with the handcheck on traditional Xrays.

Recently, one of the major newspaper published and article which has "summer" as the roll out date:

Un cambio en el aeropuerto de Barcelona te permitirá ahorrar tiempo en este 2024

A partir del verano del año que viene hay modificaciones en el control de seguridad que reducirá las colas y las esperas

www.elperiodico.com

I might be back during that time frame, so will see.

Hi there - please could I check how you got on? I am also due to fly out of BCN in a few days with rolls of exposed film!

 

[Naples]

Hi there - please could I check how you got on? I am also due to fly out of BCN in a few days with rolls of exposed film!

FYI, I flew out of Terminal 1 at BCN on January 8 2024 and the scanners were the older traditional ones. I had left my film at VMFoto in Barcelona for development as I feared the new CT scanners would be in. They weren't, at least on the 8th.

 

[jbbw]

FYI, I flew out of Terminal 1 at BCN on January 8 2024 and the scanners were the older traditional ones. I had left my film at VMFoto in Barcelona for development as I feared the new CT scanners would be in. They weren't, at least on the 8th.

Thanks so much for this - really appreciate it. Can confirm they also didn’t have CT scanners when I flew out of BCN on the 21 Jan.

Just for anyone’s info reading this - I also flew from Heathrow Terminal 3 on 27 Jan (from the Delta / Virgin security area). They were also still using “traditional” x-ray machines there. Despite not using CT scanners there, they offered to hand check my film (in a clear ziplock bag) when I asked.

 

[jay moussy]

I have read some of the thread, but not all of it, so I have to ask, is the main damage appearing as general fogging (and/or color shifts), and also maybe wave-like marks?

 

[Prest_400]

I have read some of the thread, but not all of it, so I have to ask, is the main damage appearing as general fogging (and/or color shifts), and also maybe wave-like marks?

The wave like marks were the main concern but CT scanners do mostly general fogging. Koraks has an example of the wave damage and there is a long thread around that I might have linked earlier here.
Otherwise good resources to see lately are:
Lina's test is very thorough and the best when it comes to showing the differences:

Airport X-Rays: Will They Ruin Your Film? – Carmencita Film Lab

carmencitafilmlab.com

I have developed almost all of my film from the trip, which was exposed to 2 traditional Xrays (BCN in return) and no problem.
Delta 100, 400, HP5 pushed to 800 and Astia 100F. All in 120. I still have not developed the E6, but don't expect anything there.

Of course, as Lina mentions, the damage is cumulative and with densitometry one should be able to see it. Basically the CT scanners are 3D Xrays that put out a lot more to generate that tridimensional imaging.