I’m leaving for Spain tomorrow (yeah, yeah, I know I should have maybe asked this earlier, then) and I need to know the straight dope on airport x-ray machines and film. I did a google search, but only found a lot of contradictory information; all I know for certain is to NOT send my film through in checked luggage. Some sites say to stash the film in a lead bag (I do have one that I can use, if need be) but then other sites say that if I send it through in a lead bag then they’ll just up the strength of the x-rays and that the lead will somehow magnify the radiation and super-damage the film, or something, and the OTHER sites say that that’s just bunk. ::sigh:: I’d rather not have to ask the people at the airport to hand-check my stuff every single time, but I suppose if that the only film-safe choice…
If it makes a difference, I’ve got 20 rolls of 400 speed color film, and will be going through the following airports: Minneapolis–> Detroit–> Amsterdam–> Bacelona, and then on the way back: Madrid–> Amsterdam–> Detroit–> Minneapoils.
Dude, just get it hand-checked…it’s pretty easy, really. Just take all the rolls out of their cardboard containers and stick 'em in a couple of big, clear plastic baggies and present them to airport security when you go through the X-ray machines for hand inspection. I’ve done this everywhere from Taipei to St. Louis to Damascus with up to 100 rolls of film at a time, and never once have I been given grief or hassled by the security folks. At worst, they’ll take them out and pop off the caps to make sure there’s really film inside, but most of the time the guards just eyeball it or grab a few at random to check.
Granted, if you’re only shooting 400 speed film, you’re probably safe to send them through the carry-on X-rays (NOT checked luggage, like you said). But do you really want to take the chance on irreplaceable vacation photos? Especially since the effect from the machines is cumulative.
I am a professional photographer. I have gone many times through airport X-ray machines with important film. I have never, ever had a problem. The airport normally says that film up to 1600 ISO will not be affected by their X-ray machines. I’ve taken TMAX 3200 film through several times without the slightest hint of fogging. As long as you are in a Western country, I would not worry. But if you need to be sure, have them handchecked, as schief said. Though I will promise you that nothing will happen to your film if you don’t.
Pulykamell, I’ll bow to your expertise here. I’ve travelled with exposed negative from country to country but always had a changing bag ready, and demanded hand checks ( we’re talking 16mm motion picture stock here).
However…what about the cumulative effect? Say you shoot 400 speed, a nice stable slow stock. You go through one airport, then back to USA. No biggie. What about the effect of X-raying that same bag of rolls of 400 speed film, OVER AND OVER again, twice per country? Doesn’t the accumulated effects of the X-rays make it more likely to fog film over a long trip with lots of ports of call?
Please understand, I believe you absolutely when you say you’ve not had fogging while shooting an assignment. I’m just asking in this case, considering the number of countries, could the film get fogged OVER TIME?
Cartooniverse
p.s. an aside for travellers. X-rays don’t effect videotape at all. However, the metal detectors play HAVOC with it. Don’t get it near those walk-through booths if you can avoid it. Put your 8mm home video tapes in your baggage, it will be fine.
Grok, there ARE no silly questions, only silly member names
Same goes for videotape as goes for any magnetic media storage device. Beware the metal detectors and hand held wands FAR More than X-rays. X-rays are radiation, and can’t fog a magnetic media.
I think I’ll just get 'em to hand-check my film, if the airport’s not too busy, but at least now I know it won’t be a major crisis if it has to get sent through the machine once or twice.
Yes, there can be a cumulative effect, but I remember reading in either the German Foto magazine, or American Photo that they’ve done tests in which they passed film (400 ISO) something like a hundred times through standard X-rays without any fogging. I’ve never really worried about it. I’ve also sent like 30 rolls of film through the checked luggage X-ray (NOT RECOMMENDED!!!) and everything was fine, except for one roll of 3200 which had some weird blotches on it, but it didn’t look like X-ray fogging. Anyhow, whether this was the X-ray or not, I would not risk it again. I’m inclined to believe it was something else, but this was years and years ago when I really didn’t care.
I feel comfortable with most airports, but certainly not outside the US and Europe, where the power of X-ray machines is more standardized. Out there I would certainly get the rolls hand-checked, just to be safe.
So, in the end, I do believe that over time you can (and probably will) get fogging. Just how much time that is, I don’t know. The magazine I read (I wish I had the reference) seemed to indicate that you have quite a lot of margin of error. However, websites I’ve read contradict this information and say to always have your film checked. But none of them have any real studies. I’ve gone through 8 x-ray machines sans problem, but, hey, YMMV.
