Taipei: X-rays and Tri-X shot at 1600

I will be traveling to Taipei next month and have 60 rolls of Kodak

Tri-X with me. I'll be rating the film between 250 and 1600 (I

process my own film and if you haven't seen Tri-X @1600 in Diafine,

it's absolutely astounding). From a previous post, it sounds like I

can ask for hand-inspection going out of CKS International airport

back to the States. But will they still do hand-inspection if

it's "400" speed film? <p>If I don't get hand-inspection, and they go

ahead and zap the film, has any one had any experience on how the

film might turn out? Should I be worried enough to Fed-Ex my film

back to the States (if that's even an option assuming they don't also

x-ray stuff)? I also realize that I'm going to have to convince the

TSA folks to inspect my film going out of O'Hare - I've only

occasionally run into trouble getting that.

i have traveled in and out of taipei airport several times in the last 5 years with no problem. i have had 50-100 roles of various formats with me everytime. i have had no problem at all. non. just ask and be nice. it is easy. have fun

 

eddie

No problem getting hand inspection at CKS. Done this many times.

Hi Wayne,

 

I've also flown in and out of Taipei many times and I've usually had no problems with getting a hand inspection of film, but I've learned that it can depend on who you get. I once was the only person in line, had all my film out of the cannisters and in plastic bags, and was refused by a very rude inspector. That happened twice (same guy obviously) so it is possible, but unlikely. If you're worried and don't have to rush to your next flight, just wait till it slows down -- they'll usually oblige. Even if they don't, I've flown with film that's been through over 10 x-ray scans, and they still turn out fine.

Wayne,

I also worried about the x ray effect on 1600 speed film. I took three rolls of 120 Delta 3200, shot at 1600, through two carry-on scanners, one in London Heathrow, one in Rome, and was granted hand inspections everywhere else. The pictures turned out beautifully.

I've taken Neopan 1600 through as many as 6 scanners without a problem. However, hand inspected Neopan 1600 that endured a 14 hour international flight picked up some fogging presumably from all the junk in the air at high altitudes. You might try putting the film in lead bags just during the flight.

I took three rolls of Delta 3200 through hand-baggage scanners at Heathrow last week (inadvertently, in a pile of slower film) with no visible damage.

i made a post here last night but it looks to have disappeared. anyway, i have traveled through tyhe taipei airport many many time in the last 5 years. i have carried 50-100 roles of various formats and have received a hand check everytime with no problems.

 

have fun.

 

eddie

well i guess my post was there. now there are 2 posts by me saying the same thing. sorry.

 

also what i do that works when i fly international out of the USA is that i pull my BIG bag of film out of my carry on and i smile and ask for a hand inspection..... and i follow thisstatement with another likje " please, i promise to shoot digital next year" it always gets a luagh and a hand inspection.

 

eddie

Tri-X 400 shot at 1600 is still 400 speed film. It's just underexposed. Your film will be fine.

Pick up a Xray Bag.... you never know how its going to go. I just came home from New Zealand-Sydney-Honolulu (i live in NY) i had a silly little underwater camera for snorkling that was 800 speed that i couldn't get hand inspected in either Auckland or Sydney. At the time i was annoyed but while i haven't gotten around to developing yet im sure i was trying to shoot to deep (i was doing a thing called snuba and you get down about 8-12 feet) for the images to have come out anyway.