New (as of 2019) airport CT scanners

[Prest_400]

On the other hand, a BIG reason the current film manufacturers run their machines at full capacity, is due to the younger people who find film fashionable.

On the Amsterdam airport, the people who kindly accepted my film to be visually inspected, was between 20-33 years old.

I think it depends on the young person. Sure, if you're lucky enough to have a security officer who is also a film photography enthusiast that's great. But ours is still a niche hobby. Hopefully staff will, in time, all be sufficiently trained in this.

I am more optimistic compared to 5 years ago, not just for a rebound on film which makes it more visible but just to get its place within regulations; It appears to be more widely accepted that CT scanners can fog film and this is framed within policy. So far, most airports did respond positively to email requests and I haven't had to try convincing agents; but I also have encountered not as many CT scanners as previously expected.

Someone mentioned traveling through a Spanish airport, and in general, just mentioning the general policy of no handcheck. CT scanners are being installed around and I managed with a couple emails to reach the Police authorities which acknowledged that the new machines risk fogging film and there was an alternative inspection method upon request. Having said that, on my last trip I had the choice between going through the CT or Xray line and I just took the latter as I never had issues with it.
I've seen scanners in the same airport (ARN) having a small "no film" icon, that was not there last year and other airports (HK) have a "contact agents if having photographic film" in the instruction panels.

 

[flavio81]

I've seen scanners in the same airport (ARN) having a small "no film" icon, that was not there last year and other airports (HK) have a "contact agents if having photographic film" in the instruction panels.

There is hope!!

 

[Dr. no]

A lot of younger airport security people don't seem aware of what film is, nor that some cameras cannot be switched on and produce an image on a screen. I've been asked to turn on a 1930s Ikonta and demonstrate that it works. Sure, I can demonstrate that the shutter fires, but the security bod was expecting an electronic image....I was eventually saved by his colleague who looked to be in his fifties. Truth is, it won't have been necessary to train new staff in the ways of photographic film in recent times....until the CT scanners manifested.

hopefully in areas where staff have been trained/instructed to hand inspect film this will not be a problem.

AT CDMX where there was a "traditional" XR machine the young people running it did pull every single liquid container out to read the amount of ml out loud. All were <100, but even the tiny lip balms and such got read.
When they got to the bag of 35mm cassettes they were really puzzled..."this one says 135 AND 200!". As happens with an unexpected polyglot, it took a few tries to convince them that the rabiblanco was making sense: "Esta es una película fotográfica".
Not in an airport, but I've had a security guard as to see the image on the back of my Linhof Technika IV, so I let him!

 

[BrianShaw]

The key seems to be training. Plus personal incentive to do a good job and the time available to do it. Here in US, many TSA seem to know film (and razor blades) only by training and not by personal knowledge. I’ve had more challenges and variability with shaving gear than with film.

 

[Fatih Ayoglu]

Just leaving Bandar Seri Bagawan, Brunei International (BWN) has nice staff and new CT scanners. As soon as you show your films, no word needed, they take them and pass to you at the other end of the line

 

[Fatih Ayoglu]

Another update on CDG, if you are travelling form 2E and have Sky Priority, you go through CT scanners. I have confirmed with the staff that if you have films and dont want them to go through scanner, you can request hand check and they happily (I was surprised to hear that in France) do it for you.

 

[Film-Niko]

Really an excellent thread here with so much very good information!
Thanks to all who have contributed to it so far!
And please keep new info coming, report about your experiences! Thanks in advance!

It looks like that the information film manufacturers have given to the authorities, the questions and information film photographers have given in advance via emails to the airports they want to use, and the revival of film (more film photographers at airports) have had positive influence on the matter so far.

 

[Dr. no]

MSP (Minneapolis/St Paul) has CT scanners in the non-precheck lines (likely both since they are all in a row) (American printed my pass without pre-check). Didn't ask for hand check 'cuz I had no film on me...

 

[Agulliver]

I can confirm that London Luton Airport (LTN) now has CT scanners for all security lines. This afternoon I travelled from there with film in a zip bag and held it up. Initially the security operative thought I had liquids and said I could keep it in my cabin bag but I said "It's photographic film and I think that's a CT scanner which will ruin it" and despite it being busy and noisy he instantly understood and I handed my film bag over for a hand check. They had an explosives swab machine right there at the line so it was quick. Indeed the only delay was that my wife's collapsible cane partly telescoped inside the CT scanner and her bag got stuck!

So thumbs up to the staff at LTN today. I am now on the island of Lanzarote with 35mm, 120 and std 8mm film intact.

 

[Axelwik]

I just flew from the US to Chile and back. No issues at all with asking them to hand check the film both ways. It was 35mm film, but bulk loaded in generic black cassettes and a couple of Leica FILCA brass cassettes.

 

[Agulliver]

Lanzarote Cesar Manrique airport (ACE) still has the older X-ray machines for cabin bag inspection, and as far as I could see that goes for all the lines. They have small "film safe" stickers on them.

So far I've developed a roll of Ferrania P30 and a roll of FPP BW100 8mm cine film, visual inspection suggests no problems. I'll try and scan them this evening. I have some colour film to go to my local lab.

I forgot the sacrificial film so I cannot provide that data point, sorry.

 

[foc]

At Dublin (Ireland) airport, if asked for a hand inspection of film, they make a song and dance about it

 

[Fatih Ayoglu]

Zurich airport has both CT and Xray equipment, if you go through normal lane, not the fast track, business or whatsoever (that is upper level and I have not seen what they have).
While I was passing, the Xray lane was closed and they were using only CT equipment. I have not asked but I doubt they will refuse hand check of films.

 

[Garb]

Recording my recent experiences here:

• Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Nagasaki, Fukuoka, Hokkaido, Okinawa): Never had a problem getting a hand-check
• US: Never had a problem getting a hand-check, but sometimes they make you wait a while, sometimes over five minutes until someone comes over to hand-check it.
• Canada: No problem getting a hand-check.
• London Gatwick: No problem getting a hand-check
• Instanbul: The dude tried to convince the film will be fine in the x-ray, but I still asked for a hand-check and he begrudgingly obliged
• Dubai: Same as Istanbul.
• Peking: They try to get around the hand-check by pretending not to understand but if you insist, they'll hand-check it.
• Hong Kong: Same as Peking but more insistent that it goes through x-ray but eventually caved and hand-checked it.
• Paris Eurostar: Dude refused repeatedly and it had to pass through x-ray, despite Eurostar website saying they do hand-checks upon request. Very old scanner, much taller than at airports.
• Shanghai: When I asked for a hand-check, and dude was like, "Yeah, I know," and hand-checked it.
• Norway and Finland airports: No problem getting a hand-check.
• Bangladesh: You have to go through two x-ray machines, and both times, getting the hand-check was an ordeal, but they eventually caved-in and hand-checked it after I had them escalate to a manager. X-ray machines at various tourist sites too.
• Egypt: Had to kind of argue it but eventually got a hand-check. X-ray machines at almost all tourists sites and also shopping malls. Almost got denied entry into a shopping mall once (not for refusing x-ray but simply because I had film, so x-ray or not, they weren't going to allow film in the building, don't know why), and almost had a guy take my film off the hand-check tray and put it into the x-ray machine once when he thought I wasn't looking.
• Colombia: After some back and forth, eventually obliged and hand-checked it. At one of the airports, a guy with a big gun came over and took a cell phone photo of my passport due to the hand-check request.

 

[Garb]

I'll be flying out of Bangkok and Phuket next month, does anyone know if they do hand-checks? This affects if I'll bring high ISO film with me or not.

I see two posts on Photrio saying Bangkok will do hand-checks on request, so that's probably fine, but haven't found anything on Phuket.

 

[Steve Goldstein]

A few days ago I flew from Atlanta, Georgia, USA (ATL) on Delta Airlines. All scanners in the TSA Precheck security area were CT. As my gate was to the right after security I didn’t have an opportunity to see the “regular” security setup.

 

[Fatih Ayoglu]

I'll be flying out of Bangkok and Phuket next month, does anyone know if they do hand-checks? This affects if I'll bring high ISO film with me or not.

I see two posts on Photrio saying Bangkok will do hand-checks on request, so that's probably fine, but haven't found anything on Phuket.

In BKK, they definitely do hand check if you ask them. They are afraid to make a scene. I suspect Phuket is the same. Hand check goes for any film, not ISO dependent.

 

[pentaxuser]

AT CDMX where there was a "traditional" XR machine the young people running it did pull every single liquid container out to read the amount of ml out loud. All were <100, but even the tiny lip balms and such got read.
When they got to the bag of 35mm cassettes they were really puzzled..."this one says 135 AND 200!". As happens with an unexpected polyglot, it took a few tries to convince them that the rabiblanco was making sense: "Esta es una película fotográfica".
Not in an airport, but I've had a security guard as to see the image on the back of my Linhof Technika IV, so I let him!

Based on this, it would seem we have 2 categories of young people. The first are super enthusiastic about film and are buying it in numbers and the second either who don't know that it exists any longer or what it is. A bit worrying for its future if the gulf is that big

pentaxuser

 

[Garb]

In BKK, they definitely do hand check if you ask them. They are afraid to make a scene. I suspect Phuket is the same. Hand check goes for any film, not ISO dependent.

Thanks, looks like I'll be taking 400 ISO with me to Thailand then. (I usually take 100 and below when I don't know if it'll get x-rayed).

 

[Agulliver]

Based on this, it would seem we have 2 categories of young people. The first are super enthusiastic about film and are buying it in numbers and the second either who don't know that it exists any longer or what it is. A bit worrying for its future if the gulf is that big

pentaxuser

I don't see it as particularly worrying. In the same way, when I took a cassette walkman on flights in 2022 and 2023 three X-ray guys didn't know what it was and one laughed his head off. No reason why most young adults should know about film because if they're under 25 the chances are they've never used it or seen it used. We are a niche and the young film enthusiasts are a niche too. No point trying to pretend otherwise. However, collectively we are a significantly bigger niche than 10 years ago.

 

[pentaxuser]

Agulliver ,thanks for the reply. I suppose it really depends on whether you fall into the pessimists or optimists category in terms of the signs for film

Somewhat related to this question of the effects of scanners on film can I ask if you have been able to see my question on mitigating the effect on film of lowering the speed from its box speed of 125 to 80 at which you shoot a film such as FP4+ which you suggested in another thread. This was in relation to minimising the effect of X Rays

Thanks

pentaxuser

 

[wiltw]

I do not understand insistence on hand check when gate security is simply using X-ray machines...it has long been proven that films under ISO 1600 can endure multiple passess thru x-ray with no visible effect.
OTOH, even chronically resistant locations are complying with requests for hand check at such locations for CT inspection...even Heathrow! So we are insterested in hearing about the outcomes for such requests when CT is known to be in use at gate security, because CT is typified as having 50-150X the x-ray exposure due to need for the collection of enough data for 3-D analysis.

 

[koraks]

.it has long been proven that films under ISO 1600 can endure multiple passess thru x-ray with no visible effect.

That's what I always believed. Until I experienced otherwise: https://tinker.koraks.nl/photography/dont-look-down-getting-your-film-x-rayed-when-flying/
I'm a little more cautious since that incident.

 

[wiltw]

That's what I always believed. Until I experienced otherwise: https://tinker.koraks.nl/photography/dont-look-down-getting-your-film-x-rayed-when-flying/
I'm a little more cautious since that incident.

Interesting to see your linked experience. Decades ago, I had an international product responsibility for which I travelled very extensively for prolonged periods (longest absence from home over 5 weeks). I would bring my SLR in my travels to somewhat exotic places and, having read Kodak's assessment, I would subject my equipment and film to multiple passess thru the X-ray security scanners in airports and museums, etc. Not once did I experience any film damage, in spite of even 6-8 passess thru machines with the same roll of film; back then, the 'film safe' characteristic of X-ray security scanners was not yet widely known worldwide, yet requests were typically ignored internatonally.

X-ray machines are a single planar exposure, and would not leave patterned artifacts (think chest x-ray planar image). CT machines, on the other hand, pass the radiation source radially around the object being scanned, to obtain a full three-dimensioned composited image, and could leave a sinusoidal pattern artifact. I suspect, as had been suggestied in the responses to your post, that your bulk roll had by subjected to baggage CT-like examination when the film was in transit as cargo shipment prior to your purchase of it. So your film was CT pre-exposed even before your attempts to exempt it from X-ray examination.

 

[koraks]

X-ray machines are a single planar exposure, and would not leave patterned artifacts.

You're overlooking the fact that film rolls aren't necessarily fed neatly vertical or horizontal through the machine.

CT machines, on the other hand, pass the radiation source radially around the object being scanned, to obtain a full three-dimensioned image, and could leave a sinusoidal pattern artifact.

Empirical evidence of CT damage shows overall fog with no clear geometry. Empirical evidence of regular X-ray damage looks exactly like what I linked to in my experience.

I suspect, as had been suggestied in the responses to your post, that your bulk roll had by subjected to baggage CT-like examination when the film was in transit prior to your purchase of it.

Other rolls from the same bulk roll would have been affected. They weren't. Only a handful of rolls that traveled to Italy with me on that specific trip were affected. I still shoot film from the same bulk roll; it's fine.

So your film was CT pre-exposed even before your attempts to exempt it from X-ray examination.

Your conclusion is formulated in a firm way, but the evidence doesn't add up to it.

Like you I've taken film through x-ray machines many, many times. I've never seen visible traces of damage, expect this one time, that tracks down to either of two specific x-ray machines on two Italian airports. It's a process of elimination combined with understanding the mechanisms involved. It's not awfully difficult. Give it a try.