No... not all packages are x-rayed... & certainly not CT scanned. Remember film is produced in various countries and shipped all over the world to reach retail outlets.
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Mail it home? I assume the X-ray machine is even stronger for unattended mail and package, no?
No... not all packages are x-rayed... & certainly not CT scanned. Remember film is produced in various countries and shipped all over the world to reach retail outlets.
Yeah and so do some narcos and drugs. Maybe the commercial film shipment has safe senders list to exclude from x ray?
Maybe the commercial film shipment has safe senders list to exclude from x ray?
Take into account people that mail film to labs, and not much of an effect seems to be seen.
Xrays in general haven't caused problems
info for knowledgeable photographers travelling with film, not about the uninformed casual amateur
Four years later it surprises me that the conversation keeps going around in circles.
Is there a definitive document
No, because there's no definitive authority recognized by the parties involved that is in a position to release such a document.
In the US and the UK, you're entitled to manual inspections by law. Elsewhere in the world, no such luck.
I'm sure you're aware of the little Kodak leaflet you can print yourself and bring along with your film. It sometimes helps a bit if you show people, I find.
No, because there's no definitive authority recognized by the parties involved that is in a position to release such a document.
In the US and the UK, you're entitled to manual inspections by law. Elsewhere in the world, no such luck.
I'm sure you're aware of the little Kodak leaflet you can print yourself and bring along with your film. It sometimes helps a bit if you show people, I find.
Is there a definitive document I can carry with me, to show to Airport Security, that says that CT scanners damage film (so I can request hand scanning)? Surely such a thing exists? I apologise if a link to this has already been published in this Thread ... but at 39 pages I can't find it!
It's not good news for us, but I think both airports and the EU have other priorities than the very small percentage of travelers shooting film and worrying about getting it fogged.
Take into account people that mail film to labs, and not much of an effect seems to be seen.
From the labs side, some do (anecdotally, and I can just paraphrase) notice that some of the film they process and scan exhibits such effects. But they point mostly at airport CT scans as a possible source of the damage.
OT, I managed to win an auction of a barely used Domke lead bag. Might be good to have after all...
But as Lina and Carmencita point, CT scanners can see through it. I know it is debated, but if it protects a bit from an onslaught of radiation then that is something. See it as a fallback in case a CT scanner point denies a handcheck.Prest, the lead bags were rarely an advantage when they were introduced. Seeing, they blocked the xray, the agents either turned up the dose or looked in the bag and then put the film through the machine. Today at airports they're an annoyance, like showing up at security with a full water bottle or containers of cosmetics larger than 100grams.
But as Lina and Carmencita point, CT scanners can see through it. I know it is debated, but if it protects a bit from an onslaught of radiation then that is something. See it as a fallback in case a CT scanner point denies a handcheck.
Even the metal canister of 35mm film seems to have an effect in protecting the film.
I know a "local" pro that does destination weddings on film and the Domke bag approach is a just in case fallback.
That's really wishful thinking in a way... how little damage is too much? My pro associates still shoot film and they travel, buy their film locally and either ship it home or have it processed where they are. When I pay 1000 € for a flight from N America to Europe (+ time and expenses) i'm just not willing to gamble.....& my travel since the onset of CT scanners has become worry free.
I think many of us don’t really have this option, though. I’m usually travelling for work and just barely squeezing in the time to get out and shoot a roll or two, and the idea of finding a source of film and a lab, then giving the lab enough time to turn the developing job around before I have to fly out, is just hopelessly impractical.
Shipping film to oneself, both directions, might be more practical, but it still depends on getting the hotel to receive and hold a package (at an unpredictable time), then finding a post office or someone who can ship, and hoping everyone actually understands what I’m asking for and doesn’t just give me a polite “yes” for something that won’t work in practice. I’ve had too many misadventures abroad to rely on a process with this many moving parts and no margin for error.
It would be different if I were travelling *for* photography and could organize the trip around shop/lab availability, but I’m pretty sure there are many of us whom that doesn’t describe. So I think it’s well worth while to figure out what can be done in practice to manage the problem of CT scanners.
-NT
As far as I know, you cannot dial the dose or intensity of the XRay machine at security. They are fixed. Same for hospital systems. What they do is, rescan with different settings or modes to be able to see something.
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