Canada Post Air & X-rays (can I trust my film?)

[copake_ham]

Several posters have suggested asking your local postal employee if something shipped Express or otherwise is X-Rayed... If one steps back a moment and gives it some thought, how LIKELY is it that your local postal employee knows anything of value on this topic ??? .....

Sorry, should have been more explicit.

I was the first to suggest just asking Canada Post the question. I thought it was obvious, this here being the web, that the first thinq one would do is go to their website's FAQ section.

And, if it isn't there. Poke around the site's "postal regulations" and similar info.

 

[MP_Wayne]

Sorry, should have been more explicit.
I was the first to suggest just asking Canada Post the question. I thought it was obvious, this here being the web, that the first thinq one would do is go to their website's FAQ section.

Good point - I guess we in Canada are so jaded (and expectant) of non-answers (or incorrect answers) from our postal service, that the first assumption is getting jerked around. The other side of it too, is that many postal outlets in Canada have been privatized and are staffed by non-postal employees, earning $8.50 per hour, and operating on minimal (if any) training. And those individuals that are actually in the employ of Canada Post are so unionized that getting a straight answer to a simple question is an impossible task ("not in my job description").

Ah, but I digress... I will stand my original post that the vast majority of postal (and express) parcels are shipped without examination or Xray (unless they cross a border where they may be opened to collect some revenues).

 

[haris]

My fear is not would my films be x-ray destroyed. My biggest fear is when I buy paper and film will some wise gay(gal) on custom/tax checking decide to open box of paper or unroll film to check if there really is paper or film in box...

 

[MP_Wayne]

My fear is not would my films be x-ray destroyed. My biggest fear is when I buy paper and film will some wise gay(gal) on custom/tax checking decide to open box of paper or unroll film to check if there really is paper or film in box...

A good point - which is why I plan to have a change tent (or bag) with me the next time I fly with sheet film (at least for the trip home). If you have factory sealed film boxes on the trip down, you are likely to have few problems. The trip home is another story...

 

[walter23]

Nevermind. Post deleted. My mistake.

 

[jordanstarr]

i've had ilford panf 50 go through the airport in the undercarriage and it came out bogus from the xrays. on that note i've lived in ontario, bc and alberta and have had hundreds of dollars of film and paper shipped from the states via airmail, ground, and just about everything else and have NEVER had a single problem EVER with getting film and paper shipped from the states. aparently (so i hear and it makes sense) paper is slower than film so it's way less likely to get scabbed by xrays.

that being said i've never had anything over 800iso film shipped to my door. what i usually ask the supplier is if they can mark it "photographic material, do not xray - hand inspection okay". when i buy from a supplier in the states i also always ask if they can give me a percentage of people who contact them to say their film was ruined by xrays. they almost always answer "never" or "a couple of people", so you can either (a) assume that the people who got scabbed film from xraying are lying to get money from the company, free film or dicounts on a future purchase, or (b) assume that they screwed up the film themselves and blamed the xrays (as i almost did once, but quickly i realized my developer was spoiled) or (c) take a chance as the number is so low it's probably worth taking a chance.

if you can get the supplier to gaurentee the film against xrays, bonus. if not, you can take from my experience over the last 7 years and probably getting about 5 shipments a year (for a total of 35 shipments) of photographic materials being 100% fine. it's pretty good odds. living in canada is really lame for ordering film. i live in edmonton right now and can't find a single store that sells black and white photo paper over 8x10, let alone have a selection. i try to win items of ebay in canada first if i can to eliminate the risk. unfortuneately most of the time i order from the states and i'm left holding my breath while developing film and paper. fortuneately i've always been able to exhale.