Traveling with IR film

[awhitt99]

I'm going to be going out of town next week, and would like to try my hand at

some IR photography (no, I've never shot with it before, yes, I've read all the

tips on the forums) I've searched forums on how it will do through airport

security, but could not find anything about it. The place I'm going to isnt a

very big town, and I'm not sure if there's a place to buy it there. Does

anybody know how I could get it safely through the airport?

[colin turner]

In my experience it should not be a problem - depending which film you intend to use. Both

Kodak Hie, HSIR (no longer avaible!) and Aero IR 2424 should not be affected by hand

luggage screening - I've carried it through 16 gates in a week worldwide without visible

deterioration.

[wickedmartini]

Carry on inspection should not be a problem or ask for hand inspection. I would not leave it in luggage for plane x-ray. The x-ray that general luggage receives is much stronger and will do more damage to film.

[timbowles]

If it is EIR or HIE, DO NOT GET IT HAND INSPECTED! There's no anti-halation layer on either, and must be kept in the dark, and loaded/unloaded in the dark. If they open a tin at the airport, it's shot.

[ma_ho_fong]

I had an EIR film opened by accident when I gave it for development: the staff at the lab opened the container so fast that I had no time to say "do not open it". The film has no suffered and there are no visible traces of light on it. (the film cartridge was exposed about 10 seconds at the indoor lighting of the lab.

[john lehman, college alask]

Likewise, I have had HIR opened at the airport with no problems. So long as the inspection is not in direct sunlight, there should be no damage in spite of the lack of an anti-halation layer and Kodak's warning to the contrary. The florescent lights used in most airports do not have all that much IR emission.

 

BTW, I also load it indoors in dim light rather than in the dark, and have since it came out with no problems

[wickedmartini]

The "load in complete darkness" statement on the film can is a little strong and has more to do with the support that these films are on and not the lack of an anti-halation layer. These emulsions are on an Estar support and exposure to strong light may cause an issue known as "light piping". This is where light is able to travel down the support and slightly fog the emulsion. I have loaded hundreds of rolls of both HIE and EIR in broad daylight without any issues.