Metal Detectors and Nikon Digital Bodies

[gabriel_roca]

Hello all,

 

A note of warning so that what happened to me just yesterday never

happens to anyone else.

 

Yesterday morning I set off to cover some anti-terrorism drills on

Ellis Island. As I approached the metal detectors and x-ray machines

I asked the technician if it was safe for my digital equipment. She

replied that it was indeed safe and I sent it on through the

machinary. Low and behold, as soon as I departed the security

checkpoint, my nikon body began to act strangely and within 30

minutes, the body had completely died. So, at this point, I'm down a

body until the Ferry company (who shall remain nameless) sends me the

reimbursement check. Never let your digital bodies go through x-ray

machines or metal detectors. While it is safe for most camera, that

certainly can't be said ro all cameras. I have consulted Nikon USA

who verified that the camera's failiure was most likely due to its

exposure to a metal detector. In short, my camera's fried!

 

Cheers and beware.

 

-Ed

[jespdj]

Strange, I've never heard of this before and my 10D has gone through metal detectors and X-ray machines many times, and never had a problem.

 

I may be, though, that they're using some especially bad X-ray machines / metal detectors at the Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty ferry. Maybe old machines with a much higher dose of X-rays than you normally get at an airport. My mother had her ISO 200 films that went through the X-ray machines there ruined - the photos had a noticeable grey veil.

[beauh44]

Hi Edward, That's certainly a pi$$er. I don't believe X-rays can hurt your equipment but magnetic metal detectors sure can. For example, those wands they wave around you when you're missing your flight can really scramble things up. Good luck!

[keith_van_hulle1]

Not to doubt you experience, Ed, but this has the makings of an urban legend. I'm trying to understand how the camera slowly failed over a period of time rather than an either/or proposition as soon as it was exposed. how could the electronics slowly go bad (sound very unique in the electronics world). Too, I'd really love to see the official Nikon statement that confirms their bodies are subject to such a failure (was thinking a D100 in August so am concerned).

 

Too, has the prepetrator admitted liability and covering you? Just curious about that one. I can't imagine any municipal body taking responsibility for something like this.

[raymond bradlau]

Its not all X-rays, I work part time in an airport and always have my camera with me

from my full time job, so after at least 100-150 times through the gates no trouble

with my D2h (or cell phone or labtop)

 

I never thought about the wands being magnetic, my gear is already going through

the x-ray before they start with the wands

 

PS I love taking photos in airports, The people are great, and when on layovers will

come over to chat and show me there digi cams and ask questions, and often will

even pose, the odd part is security does not care, I would have guessed photos in an

airport would not be a good idea (New York subway ban LOL)

 

Glad to hear they are going to cover your expence on the repair (Makes me think they

have had this happen before) I hope you get it fixed up and back ASAP<div></div>

[lucas_griego]

<i>"I have consulted Nikon USA who verified that the camera's failiure was most likely due to its exposure to a metal detector."</i>

<p>

Could you post what Nikon has sent to you regarding this? I'd have to see this to believe it. I am curious, if the case is that metal detectors fry cameras I'd find it likely that Nikons lawyers would have wasted no time in putting that somewhere in their literature/website to legally cover their ass from any liability.

<p>

I myself have brought my Fuji S2 Pro and cell phone and laptop through numerous metal detectors both in Asia and in the U.S. with never a problem.

<p>

<i>I'm down a body until the Ferry company (who shall remain nameless) sends me the reimbursement check.</i>

<p>

Again if this is the case - why not name the ferry company and save some of the rest of us the trouble? And again I find it very unlikely that they'd admit this... it's more likely they'd be in with their lawyers and on the conference call to the lawyers over at Nikon... which mean you won't be seeing a check anytime soon.

 

Sorry to hear about your camera not working but the cause being the X-Ray machine sounds odd.

[beauh44]

Back in the dark ages, I worked in a computer store and there were always tales of people doing stupid things to and with their computers. This was SO long ago that people were still using those big, 5 1/4" 1.44Mb floppy disks - the truly floppy kind. One story I was told was that someone had the bright idea of sticking their floppy disks to their refrigerator with magnets. Well, no more data on the floppy after that! If you have a floppy disk and a magnet, try it out for yourself. Put some useless file on the floppy and wave that magnet around it. I doubt it'll be readable afterwards. And remember magnetic radiation and X-rays are two very different things, and those wands that airport security uses are MUCH more powerful.

[gabriel_roca]

To clarify - it wasn't the x-ray machine that caused the failiure but, rather the metal detector. This is the info given to me over the phone from two Nikon technicians. I'm awaiting the arrival of that statement in written form from Nikon. I'll certainly post it as soon as I receive it for reference purposes. As for the camera's failiure - someone above seemed to think that it didn't begin to fail as soon as I got out of the checkpoint. In fact, it did begin to exhbit symptoms as soon as I left the detectors. First, the buffer speed slowed dramatically, than the mirror locked up, next the shutter siezed, then the LCD went black. It was one thing after another. UUGGHH.

 

Anyway, I spoke to the Ferry service yesterday about the situation. Apparently, they have had this happen before although rarely. They gave me the contact info at the National Park Service, who I called yesterday after sending a certified letter, etc. The next call to the Park service was placed by my employer's lawyer. It's a big, huge pain-in-the-ass but, they have advised me that it shouldn't be a problem recovering compensation.

 

Best,

 

"Very-Sad" Ed

[bart feliciano]

So XRay machine is safe, but not the hand search wand?

[gabriel_roca]

X-Rays are apparently quite benign but metal detectors - be it the hand-wand type or the walk-through type put out a strong magnetic field that can (albeit not too often) affect the camera's processor, etc.

[craig_gillette]

I doubt that anyone knows what happened to the camera. Period. It hasn't been opened and inspected or the failure analyzed.

 

That doesn't happen by phone and mail.

 

My assessment (having worked in both aerospace and insurance) now that lawyers are involved?

 

Nikon will not (heck can not determine) admit the technical details of the failure until they can physically examine the camera, unless they have a known flaw or design issue. The technicians were happy to speculate when they thought that someone else was paying for it.

 

The NPS and Ferry Company aren't in the business of handing out checks to every person who claims camera damage from the security gear. That's fiscally irresponsible. That's carte blanche to buy new cameras for hundred if not thousands of people a year. Again, until examined, there is no way to know why the camera died. Insurance companies and most agencies of the goverment aren't casual about distributing checks.

 

Which electronics engineer decided it wasn't the x-ray but was the wand? And how many other cameras or other devices had failures induced the same day by the same equipment and operators? Have the inspection devices been checked for proper operation?

 

The metal detectors don't operate with significant magnetic fields. Certainly nothing that should be expected to induce failures in most electronic devices. And the camera is not using magnetic media unless it has a microdrive and it wasn't a microdrive failure.

 

There is some potential that an x-ray could cause a latent flaw in one of the processing devices or firmware chips to fail. That only requires a very small amount of damage to a undetected weak point in a circuit and that may be simply a matter of just a very few molecules or atoms being banged around.

 

But it's all speculation until the engineers get their hands on the camera. If you think about it, there is a lot more money potentially involved than a single body. You might just get a new camera and no further information. Nikon isn't interested in discussing susceptibility to common security devices, agencies using the devices aren't interested in taking the blame for destroying common equipment with their "safe" equipment, etc.

[gabriel_roca]

Some clarifications - actually, metal detectors most certainly do produce a magnetic field - some simple internet research will reveal this. Furthermore the manuel for the camera actually states this in very small type. The nps has been informed that they may inspect the device for a period of 7 days, afterwhich point, payment must be remitted within 30 days otherwise this matter will be subject to litigation.

 

Certainly, it may have been that those security devices present at the ferry terminal were set on too high a sensitivity by an ignorant employee. This, however, is no excuse and has no bearing on responsibility. The plain fact are that the individual running the machinary was asked in point-blank english wether or not said equipment might damage the camera. The camera went through the devices working perfectly and came out with a fatal error. Taking into account that strong magnetic fields, such as those found in modern metal detectors

 

(for literature relating to this fact you might consult: "Users' Guide for Hand-Held and Walk-Through Metal Detectors

Series: Law Enforcement and Corrections Standards and Testing Program

Author: Nicholas G. Paulter

Published: National Institute of Justice, January 2001

Subject: Law enforcement: police equipment, technology in law

enforcement")

 

can adversly affect digital slr's - this is a rather open and shut case. I'm sorry, I simply cannot allow the NPS to destroy private property without reimbursement. I'm certianly not going to roll over.

 

Cheers.

[craig_gillette]

A careful reading of my post will show you that I didn't say they don't use a magnetic field. The slight fields used in detectors remain unlikely to be the source of damage.

 

There is a cursory warning (not in the warnings and cautions blessed with logos and symbols, etc.) in it's manual about not keeping my camera in a strong magnetic field. Of course now you can wonder if will come up as to whether you didn't read the warning before putting the camera through the machine or ignored the warning. Either way, the lawyer will get his money for time on the letter but it's unlikely to speed up the resolution of your claim.

[beauh44]

<I>The slight fields used in detectors remain unlikely to be the source of damage</i><BR><BR>Perhaps it's just semantics, but I'd hardly classify the magnetic field generated by those wands as "slight", and if at all possible, would avoid them like the plague in terms of getting them near any digital media or device of any kind. This kind of damage is quite common. Can it be proved that's what damaged your Nikon? I don't know. Best Wishes . . .