TRIX and airport xrays

<p>Hello,<br>

quick question; if I rate trix at 1600, expose the film and than have it as a carry on luggage through the xrays machine , will the film be ruined even if it is a 400 iso ? Also if the film get scanned a first time at 400 and than I rate it at 1600 and shoot it, will that be ruined by the airport machine? Had different occasions where I have been denied hand check ...<br>

Thank you all.</p>

 

Rating it 1600 doesn't make the film any more sensitive. It will be fine in carry on bags

<p>To put this in perspective, airport x-ray screening units in the US are limited to 1 mR per scan. The background radiation at sea level ranges from 50 to 200 mR's per year. The radiation from one airport scan is limited to somewhere between 2 and 7 days worth of background radiation. Are you worried about the film getting a week older? Depending on the length of your flight and the time of day, your film may pick up more radiation during the flight. </p>

<p>Fly with confidence. Just carry your film and don't put it in checked baggage. </p>

<p><em>Rating it 1600 doesn't make the film any more sensitive</em><br /> Processing for this speed ("pushing") will increase the base fog level given the x-ray exposure. That is why the TSA recommends hand inspection of all film that will be pushed - and the only film that I have had ruined was in fact pushed one stop. If you are concerned, you need to run some tests. Have someone who travels a lot carry some film around for you if you can't yourself. Keep a control specimen at home and expose and process everything together.</p>

<p>I have to disagree with those who say film in your carryon won't get fogged. I had some hand carried (but went through the x-ray) 400 color print in a P&S camera fogged when I went on a cruise a couple of years ago.</p>

<p>You never know what equipment is being used or how well calibrated it is. I believe the newer equipment is not just X-ray, but "xray activation", meaning they hit the bag with a blast of x-rays and look at what results, thereby making some decisions about what materials are in the bag. I could be wrong, but accurate information on exactly what equipment is being used seems hard to come by ("if you're asking about those details, you must be trying to sneak something through").</p>

<p>Personally, if it were me, I'd ship the film home rather than risk fogging.</p>

<p>If it's 120 or 220, stuff the exposed rolls in your pockets. The metal detector won't pick it up. I've also done this with 35mm before on a cruise ship and the small amount of aluminum in the canister wasn't enough to set it off either, multiple rolls might trigger it though. Otherwise I just send it on thru the scanner, have never had any problems, but then again I didn't push my 400 TMY or TX much either.</p>

<p>When I flew to California last December I was told by the TSA employees that film slower than ASA400 could go through the Xray machines without fogging. ASA400 and faster should be hand passed around the Xray machines for hand inspection. I had them hand inspect all my film, and wouldn't let them Xray any of it. They weren't pleased. I don't care.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>They weren't pleased. I don't care.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Just don't pull a stunt like that outside the USA because in general you have no rights to a hand check and often your film will go through the machine or you won't be on the flight. </p>

<p>And of course the world of photography never did fall to pieces when hand checks aren't allowed. That must be because the risk from x rays via hand baggage machines is so small as to be ignorable. In other parts of the world people just put their film on the belt and don't fret about it. So whats the point in imposing your will on others for no benefit? Is it reasonable to slow up a security line for no benefit just because you have the "right"? Just what are you going to do when they say no?</p>

<p>Requesting hand inspection has become less of a problem now that so few people travel with film cameras. I typically wait until I'm through security to load a camera and on the return trip I remove the film from any cameras before going through security. Later this month I'll be going to Florida for a few days. I haven't decided exactly what I'll take but it won't be a digital camera. </p>

<p>David is right, in the UK there is no hand inspection "right" for any speed film. If you won't put t through the X-Ray it won't be on your plane, if you create a fuss neither will you.</p>

One thing to do, if you're going on a trip to a big city, is wait until you get there to purchase the film. That

way you only have one airport check to worry about.

<p>If a white paper published by Kodak and collaborators regarding carry-on X-ray inspection is accurate, it would take about 100 passes to cause a fog level of 1/3rd stop in ISO 400 film. It's nothing to get your shorts in a knot about.</p>