X-rays and travelling with film

[Zorkiphoto]

Hello all

I just wanted to relay my most recent experiences travelling with film.

I flew out of London just after Xmas for three weeks travelling in India and Sri Lanka.

I took about 40 rolls of film with me, a mix of new stuff and some expired slide for cross-processing...

My flights took me from London (Gatwick) to Bangalore via Dubai, Bangalore to Colombo, and back to London via Colombo via Mumbai.

First the bad news - only at Gatwick did they do a hand search of my film. All of my film was placed in Ziploc bags as recommended. Everywhere else they just told me to put it through the carry-on scanners. In some places - such as Mumbai - the film went through three x-ray machines before I boarded the plane. At a conservative guess, that's at least 11 scans...

The good news? The first batch - including some well expired rolls of Kodak E100VS and Agfa Precisa have come back and - not a trace of fogging, either in the lab scans or on the negs. One roll of Fuji Superia 400 is looking a little underexposed, so I thought that it might have suffered - but then remembered I'd taken the Olympus Trip 35 I loaded it in off A setting to manual in the hope that 2.8 and 1/40th would be OK...

The Kodak E100VS, cross processed, is as bright and brilliant as if I've shot it in London and taken it to my local lab.

S

 

[RattyMouse]

As expected, today's carry on scanners don't damage film.

Sounds like a great trip.

 

[Zorkiphoto]

As expected, today's carry on scanners don't damage film.

Sounds like a great trip.

It was, thanks. Sri Lanka is a an unbelievably beautiful country.

 

[jaehoppa]

I was about to ask a question regarding airport security. I've bought a bunch of expired films and I was getting worried about them being affected by the x-ray scanners. Has anyone asked the securities to not scan them because they are sensitive to x-rays? lol I wonder if that will work..probably not.

 

[Agulliver]

I was about to ask a question regarding airport security. I've bought a bunch of expired films and I was getting worried about them being affected by the x-ray scanners. Has anyone asked the securities to not scan them because they are sensitive to x-rays? lol I wonder if that will work..probably not.

In the USA, you have the right to a hand inspection of films at airports. To the best of my knowledge, this is not a right elsewhere so you may find individual airports around the world are more or less likely to honour your request. And it is simply a request, not a right.

Remember that as far as the security staff's training is concerned, camera films are *not* sensitive to the x-rays in hand baggage scanners, so asking for a hand inspection on those grounds are likely to fall on deaf ears. I don't see why expired film is much different to fresh film, indeed if there is already base fog would it not be less affected by radiation?

The bottom line, from multiple APUG users experience...is that if you have your films in your carry-on bag, they can go through multiple airport scanners without any problems.

I have found airport security can get jumpy about items they don't recognise. This time last year I was pulled for an extra bag search because I had an EWA Marine underwater housing in my hand baggage. The camera I intended to use with this was in my checked luggage. The X-ray operative didn't recognise the housing, which in retrospect isn't a surprise. And as I could not demonstrate it's purpose with the camera that it fits, there were a few minutes of discussion while I explained that I was going to go snorkelling and wanted to shoot under water photos. I was also pulled up for a check two years ago on a vintage camera I had in my hand baggage on the way from London Gatwick to Las Vegas. The security guy wanted to examine the camera and see the shutter fire to prove it was real...but I'd loaded it with film and couldn't take the back off. Eventually he let me through but he did explain that he was supposed to see it's functions. So my advice is to take a little care with what equipment you have in your hand luggage, as it is far more likely to cause problems than a baggy or three of films.

 

[Prest_400]

As expected, today's carry on scanners don't damage film.

Sounds like a great trip.

Indeed! I want to do a longish SE Asia trip sometime in the (hope not far) future.

In the USA, you have the right to a hand inspection of films at airports. To the best of my knowledge, this is not a right elsewhere so you may find individual airports around the world are more or less likely to honour your request. And it is simply a request, not a right.

The bottom line, from multiple APUG users experience...is that if you have your films in your carry-on bag, they can go through multiple airport scanners without any problems.

I was surprised to actually see a sign in the JFK security queue concerning hand check and film over ISO800. The times I travelled with film (not huge quantities) I didn't bother to ask for hand scanning, the rythm of security check is already quite hectic by itself.

I was reading a while ago about Kodak 800 and Ron Andrews (PE's colleague) mentioned how a few months of simple radiation and heat exposure already affected such a fast product. As far as it concerns, the high humidity and tropical heat may be much worse.

 

[removed account4]

I was about to ask a question regarding airport security. I've bought a bunch of expired films and I was getting worried about them being affected by the x-ray scanners. Has anyone asked the securities to not scan them because they are sensitive to x-rays? lol I wonder if that will work..probably not.

i have, in the usa and abroad, even with a mixed bag of iso 25-800, color, and b/w
in the usa you can trouble the tsa if you want, they will gladly look at your bag of flm ,
some may say, as they said to me " what's this " holding up a roll of 35mm film ( the 20-something
year old guy looked confused, and had never seen film before ) ... carry on gear went through scanner
had to open and demonstrate older cameras that were all metal and wood and looked like some crazy photogram in the scanner ..
i could have sent the film through without issue too, but didn't.
as soon as i left the country .. hand-inspect options go out the window. there are signs on the scanners that can be read
that say how they won't damage even high speed film .. i have never had issue, even 15 years ago traveling through heathrow
and every 50 feet was another security check and the film must have had a lifetime of scans in a few hours ... swiss border with france ( mulhouse/basel )
even if you are really really, really really nice and ask politely to hand inspect they won't, they might ask " why are you bringing all this film " at customs but that is about it.
can't remember for sure but i think its been said by PE that being in a plane in the sky submits your film
to more radiation than the scanners. maybe years ago ( more than 15? ) scanners
messed with film, but now they don't.
belly of the plane though, might be a different story.
its been said that baggage is usually xrayed and if the person viewing the stuff can't see whats in the bag
it is xrayed at a higher dose so you might be out of luck if you pack in your in the belly of the plane bag.
i've been lucky and more than once packed exposed flim by mistake in my suitcase and it ws fine ..
if i had a lapse of memory, bad judgement, not enough room in my carry on and did it again, i'd break out in
a cold sweat probably. not sure if my luck will have run out and it all get ruined. maybe not

YMMV

 

[jeffreyg]

In the US no problem having film hand checked unless you are racing to get to the gate. I take my film (120 Delta 400) out of the boxes and plastic wrappers and keep it in a ziplok bag. Usually they take it to the "sniffer machine" and then ask to check my hands. In other countries it can be hit or miss. Sometimes the examiner might also be a photographer. Once flying out of Milan I asked for a hand check and the agent said the x-ray was film safe. The other agent with him said " that's high speed film, go ahead and hand check it ".

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

 

[MattKing]

Even if you cannot insist on a hand check, a well organized clear plastic bag of film is more likely to be scanned or inspected once than film spread out through your bags.

 

[Agulliver]

I usually take film in a zippy bag, or sometimes in two. I've never had films questioned by airport security, but have had photo equipment (see above). I do advise against loading a camera with film, in case security wish to examine the camera. If you wish to shoot film from the aeroplane window, load it when you get to yours seat. On your return trip, likewise rewind any 35mm films, wind on any 120's....make sure your film isn't in the camera in case they want to see inside the camera. Also remember this if you have your cameras in checked baggage...remove the films first

 

[bdial]

Yes, in the U.S. you can request a hand check for your film. But, especially if they are busy, which is most of the time these days, they may not be friendly in accommodating your request. It's generally easier to just send it through. I like to keep all the film contained in one place, as Matt suggests. Putting it in a ziplock makes it easy to separate from the rest of the gear so that it's easier for them to identify.
The last time I requested a hand check was flying out of L.A. and I had made a visit to Freestyle. It was a red-eye flight and the lines were short, so it wasn't a problem, and the TSA guy seemed to understand when I made the request.

 

[jaehoppa]

Cool. Maybe I will try to request it if not too crazy at the lines but being JFK, I don't think it will be easy. Thanks for all the comments.

 

[Agulliver]

A quick update....another fun trip through an airport.

I am currently enjoying Malta, having arrived via British Airways from London Gatwick a week ago. I had all my cameras inside a camera bag, which was inside my cabin "hand baggage" bag. At LGW I was flagged for a second security check because the X-ray guy wasn't happy with stuff he couldn't identify.

So I had a quick, friendly exchange of words with the secondary security guy, who was older (grey hair). "Hmm," he said, "Somebody doesn't like cameras. But clearly you do. You're fine, go ahead".

In that bag I had a Nikon D50 d******, 2 Praktica BX20S 35mm film SLRs, a Zeiss-Ikon 520/16 folding 120 camera and a Samsung compact d******....plus two lenses for the Nikon and three for the Prakticas. All the glass looked pretty cool on the X-ray (older guy showed me the screen). I was also packing a freezer bag full of film for the film cameras.

A couple of days ago I took a day trip to Sicily by ferry (thoroughly recommended, including a trip up Mount Etna).....and they couldn't have cared less what I was carrying. Not even a proper passport check.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I don't worry about it. Never had an issue with carry on scans.

 

[TattyJJ]

I just got back from Budapest, all my film got x-rayed twice and some 3 times when i visited the parliament building.
After spending a fair bit of time reading online, i came to a few conclusions:
X-ray proof bags are a bad idea, you'll likely end up getting all your baggage searched and annoy security (never smart)
Checked in bags go threw stronger x-ray machines, so put film in your carry on.
Even high speed film going threw a dozen or more scans 99% of the time is absolutely fine

 

[wiltw]

In the USA, you have the right to a hand inspection of films at airports. To the best of my knowledge, this is not a right elsewhere so you may find individual airports around the world are more or less likely to honour your request. And it is simply a request, not a right.

Yeah, OP said London Gatwick hand inspected; in dozens of transits via London Heathrow over several decades they have ALWAYS ignored the request...same town different airports!

 

[Agulliver]

Had fun and games at the airport in Malta this morning, on the return trip. I had the same setup as 10 days ago....camera bag with the Nikon DSLR, two Praktica BX20S film SLRs, 5 lenses, Zeiss-Ikon folder....all inside a cabin bag sized case which also had my baggy of films in it. Before x-raying I was asked first by a lady if I had any liquids or electronics, so I answered "No liquids but I have cameras, several cameras in there"...."Cameras are no problem...no laptop or tablet?".....so in the bag went.

And I was pulled aside for a hand check because they didn't like what they saw. Once again it was a younger guy, insisting I took out all the cameras...which I did without any fuss (no use being angry with security bods). As I opened the camera bag and pulled out the bodies and lenses one by one, the younger guy was just shaking his head in disbelief. Perhaps not surprising as I am told there is only one shop on the island of Malta that still sells film. But an older security guy stopped me before I had finished, carefully put the SLR bodies and the folding Zeiss-Ikon into a separate crate and x-rayed everything for a second time....apologised for the inconvenience and said I was good to go on the plane.

So I guess all my films were x-rayed 3 times...but nothing faster than ISO400 was in there so I am confident it will be fine. The roll has been developed, but it was Efke KB25 and I doubt it has any fear of x-rays! Some Fomapan 100 hopefully later this evening then C41 going to the lab tomorrow.

Interesting that at both airports the younger security men were more jumpy about cameras than the older guys. I do realise that most tourists don't take that much photo gear, and probably not as carry-on baggage (and indeed I was just a tourist, not a pro)....but still it seems that the older guys recognise SLR bodies and lenses whereas younger ones don't.

 

[Richard Merrill]

Any tips to deal with very high humidity (rain forest) and film when travelling. I'm off to Panama, where I work, for the first time with film rather than digital. I know to keep my camera with silica gel in a sealed container/bag, but I am not sure if the same would damage 35mm film? I can keep it in a fridge but I'm worried about condensation forming water droplets (or fungus ... like everything else in Panama) on the film.

 

[AgX]

Put the cassette into a that plastic cannister before putting it into the fridge. And let the cannister with content allow to warm up again when taking out of the fridge before opening the lid.

 

[Svenedin]

I have films that have been x-rayed many times. I have to travel for work and sometimes film doesn't get used so ends up being x-rayed multiple times on multiple trips. As long as it is the hand-luggage (carry-on) scanner no harm seems to result (none that I can see).

 

[Richard Merrill]

Put the cassette into a that plastic cannister before putting it into the fridge. And let the cannister with content allow to warm up again when taking out of the fridge before opening the lid.

Thanks.

For both unexposed and exposed film? And no silica to keep condensation out?

 

[bdial]

Thanks.

For both unexposed and exposed film? And no silica to keep condensation out?

Yes, for both.
For your unexposed film, don't remove it from the film can until you're ready to load it in the camera. Once you've exposed it, either process it or store in the film can in the fridge. One thing I've done during high humidity times for exposed film is to put the cassette in the film can with the lid off until they are cold, then put the cap on, and return it to the fridge. My theory is that the air in fridge is somewhat dryer than the ambient air. I don't think it makes a big difference in practice though, probably because the film can doesn't have all that much air in it to contribute condensation moisture when it warms.

 

[RattyMouse]

Any tips to deal with very high humidity (rain forest) and film when travelling. I'm off to Panama, where I work, for the first time with film rather than digital. I know to keep my camera with silica gel in a sealed container/bag, but I am not sure if the same would damage 35mm film? I can keep it in a fridge but I'm worried about condensation forming water droplets (or fungus ... like everything else in Panama) on the film.

I would not shoot with Kodak 120 film in your situation. Their issues with the backing paper are legendary and not at all confirmed to be over. The risk is very high and I doubt that very high humidity will help the situation at all.

If I were shooting 120 size film in your case I would use only Fuji and Ilford Film.

 

[Sarath]

I have more than 500+ 35MM films, I am relocating to india(All of them are less than ISO 400). My only option is to send them through checked in baggage. Will it get affected?

 

[MattKing]

I have more than 500+ 35MM films, I am relocating to india(All of them are less than ISO 400). My only option is to send them through checked in baggage. Will it get affected?

Most likely yes.
Mailing to yourself would be more likely to work.