So much for the carryon x-ray advisory

[mike_williams8]

I only shoot roll film, not sure if this works with 35mm film canisters. I put all the roll film

in my pocket and walk throught the metal detector. When I have had large quantites of

roll film I just say it is 1600 ASA when asked. No one has ever questioned it or really

cared. And this is on over 40 flights to date.

[phule]

I've never had a problem getting a hand inspection for my film. When I travel, all my film is always out of their boxes and canisters and in ziplock bags sorted by ISO. I have them sitting at the top of my carry-on and I can easily reach in and hand the bags to the TSA employees before sending the carry-on through. No TSA employee has ever said no. Many have struck up conversations about photography with me while the inspection is taking place.

[vinhn]

I averaged about 3 rolls for every 2 hours so we're talking fast shooting. Thirty rolls total. 25 rolls of nph. 5 rolls of Kodak 400uc. I changed each in a very dark room and at no times I ever went outdoors with the film exposed. I used two different cameras too.

 

One roll that was processed in vegas was severely damaged and I think it was the lab. There looked to be imprints of the edges of another strand on the negatives like as if they placed one on top of the other before they were dry.

 

As for the washed out last frames of a couple of rolls of NPH, I think it had to do with improper refrigeration because that was the only thing I did different from the other rolls was to refrigerate them.

 

I've tried walking through the metal detectors with just one canister of film and not other metal and it set it off a year ago. The TSA then was nice enough to handcheck that one roll that I dug out of my pocket.

 

I still think the guy that refused the handcheck was an asshole. Even another TSA guy that was near him nagged him about it ("Remember what they said in class").

[jim_gifford]

I understand you, Vinh, but if the whole brick went through the scanner, and the scanner caused the damage, why didn't the whole brick show the flaws after processing?

 

Something else ruined your film.

 

Yes, some TSA employees can be awful to deal with... fortunately most of them are civil and professional. You found a grouchy one who did not understand (or who chose to pretend to be unaware of) the regulations regarding hand inspection of film upon request.

 

I am sure they are SUPPOSED to tell you that slow speed film is at no risk. Frankly, there's a zillion rolls' worth of experience to back up that claim. Still, upon request you should get a check of your film by hand, at least when you're taking a domestic flight within the United States. Last I checked, both Las Vegas and Houston were still parts of the United States.

 

If the TSA person is grumpy, it could be a very slow check, roll by roll, with the chemical sniffer swabs... until you miss your flight. But if you PLAN for a hand inspection, and have the rolls out of their boxes in clear ziplocks as another poster suggested... it might be quick and painless.

 

Good luck. Sorry you had some glitches on some of your film. I do hope you find out what caused the problems before more film gets the unwelcome stripes.

 

Be well,

[todd_phillips1]

I don't think the machine caused your problem. I've seen the effect of X-rays on film and with film in checked luggage it is devastating (I know you didn't do that). The few rolls I've had passed through the machines (one or two times) showed no effect). Now, I'm a professional shooter and I still wouldn't want to trust my assignment film to the airports. So I FED EX my film to my hotel (with the appropriate do not Xray stickers) and either FED EX the film directly to my lab or back to my studio.

 

It's a lot less hassle to let them zap your cameras and no film than tryintg to convince them to check each roll. I did that in Vegas and the guy took me aside and swabbed EVERY roll! As luck would have it, I only had 12 rolls of personal film and I didn't miss my flight. If I had a 100 rolls....!!

[henry_a]

Read this and follow the directions:

<br>

<br>

<a href= "http://www.tsa.gov/public/interapp/editorial/editorial_1035.xml"target=_blank">

http://www.tsa.gov/public/interapp/editorial/editorial_1035.xml</a>

[discpad]

<p>Read <a href = "http://www.kodak.com/cluster/global/en/service/tib/tib5201.shtml" target = "_blank"><u>this Kodak tech support bulletin</u></a> entitled <b>"Baggage X-ray Scanning Effects on Film;"</b> and especially the <b>"Other Conditions That Resemble X-ray Fog"</b> section. [Link opens in a new window.]

</p><p>

The TSA bulletin cited above should be printed out and carried with you through security, in case there's an issue with a balky ex-Wackenhut guy...</p>

[steve_swinehart]

If you don't get the service required from a TSA employee, ask to talk with the supervisor on duty and explain the problem to that person.

Be nice, don't be confrontational, just explain that you really need to have the film hand checked as you will be going through screening at other airports and X-ray exposure is cumulative.

 

I had a TSA person take my M-6 and TOSS it down onto the baggage belt when I asked for a hand check of the camera. I asked to speak to the supervisor and calmly explained that I had asked for a hand check and that the employee ignored my request and then dropped a $3,000 camera onto the baggage belt. The supervisor apologized and removed that person from the screening station.

 

Know your rights, make it easy for the TSA personnel to do their jobs (film in baggies), and if you're not getting the service required, talk to the supervisor.

[Spearhead]

Why would a camera need to be checked? The scanner can't hurt a camera.

[kaiyen]

If there was film in the camera it's supposed to go through handcheck as well. At least, the 800 ISO rule applies there, too.

 

allan

[sprouty]

Rule #1: Always be polite, always smile, never get into a debate about the effects. Just smile and say I'd prefer a hand inspection.

 

Rule #2: Make it convenient for them to inspect, i.e. loose canisters in a clear zip-lock bag.

 

Rule #3: Don't use numeric shorthand when speaking (I've spent more than a few minutes trying to figure out why some inspectors don't understand that thirty-two-hundred is larger than 1000. Now I say three-thousand-two-hundred or "it's all high-speed").

[vinhn]

I decided to just get a DSLR: A Minolta 7D. I'll recoup the cost one of these years.

[jasonsmith]

Im starting to wonder whether I will travel with Film again - Its very frustrating having to argue with attendants at the X Ray machine all the time. My travel companions no doubt think I am extremely anal and get frustrated by the delay in hand checking the film!!

 

I have just travelled from Sydney to Vietnam (1 hour stopover at Singpore) with a side trip to Cambodia. I have worked out that if they X rayed my film each time it would add up to 16 passes by the time I get back to Sydney.

 

I normally mix some rolls of ISO 3200 and 1600 with my film and request a hand inspection. The only place so far on this trip I was refused was Siem Riep in Cambodia. There they had two X Ray machines (which were about 20 metres apart - go figure!). Most of my film is Kodak 100VS - or Kodak Tri X 400 so I am hoping it will be alright.

 

Some of the published information lists that most film can sustain 5 passes - whilst others say it will be right for 15 passes.

 

I have managed to get through most other Airports around the world this way - along with a lot of begging. The only other place where they would not allow a hand check was Istanbul.

[gary_haigh1]

This is a late posting but it might be related. I don't know what

those marks on the film are but I do know that I took many rolls

of TX400 through many X ray scanners and I've processed all 38

( both 120 and 135) and they are all OK. I should mention that

the film was in their plastic containers and kept separately from

the bag with the cameras in. At no time going through did the

cameras have film in them. I carried exposed film from Kyoto on.

They were scanned sometimes twice at Adeliaide, Sydney, HK,

Kyoto,Paris,Oslo,London, NY and Sydney.Cheers, Gary Haigh