Quick airport question

[Dunn]

I have about 50 rolls of film I want to have hand inspected at the airport. Right now all of it is still in its original packaging and unopened except for a few rolls.

Would it be better to leave the film in the packaging or take it out? Just wondering which would make the process easier/faster at the airport.

Thanks

[BTMarcais]

I usually have it all out of the package, bagged in clear ziplock bags. Has the added advantage of taking up quite a bit less space in my camera bag!
-Brian

[kokoshawnuff]

They'll have to "swab" most or all of them either way so it probably wouldn't save you time.

[JHutchins]

It doesn't matter, really. I always take film out of the boxes immediately so I don't have to carry a bunch of boxes around, but that's really all you're getting. Also, if I'm determined to have film hand checked (and I don't bother much anymore), I carry around a couple of rolls of Delta 3200 with the rest. I have, in the past, had people balk at handchecking film that's slower than ISO 3000, so I decided to carry some film mixed in with the rest that's faster. That always worked.

[rxmd]

The easiest would be just to send it through the scanner and not worry. X-ray damage from hand baggage scanners is pretty much a myth. The topic has been coming up on forums for years and there is a lot of scary talk, but I don't think anyone has ever shown a picture anywhere that exhibits X-ray damage from hand baggage scanners.

(Checked baggage scanners are another story, but that's not what you're planning to do.)

That said, if you are afraid of this it's probably easiest to take them out of the container before putting them into ziploc bags. Airport security staff won't love you either way because they usually swap every roll, but it will be significantly faster if you don't have to take every single roll out of the container to swab it and then pack it in again. Also as pointed out it takes up less space that way. It also depends on where you're going and what you're doing though.

[Leigh Youdale]

I used to be quite paranoid about this having had several rolls of ISO400 film ruined in the checked baggage scanners at Heathrow, but time and experience tell me that the carry-on scanners won't harm ISO400 or less (unless you're planning to take it through 10-15 times!) I used to do the ISO3200 trick too and it worked but every time there was a lengthy deliberation and, frankly, it wasn't necessary.

However, if you think about it from the security guys' point of view, it's a PITA to have to hand check rolls anyway and 50 will probably raise the ante a little. Add to that the need to unpackage all those films, you'll probably be told to do it yourself before presenting them for inspection. And I doubt they'll be willing to repackage them.

The easiest way to disguise something would be to put it in a film canister, pop it back in the box and reseal it so it looks like it's never been opened.
Unless you've got the choice of several later flights than the one you're booked on, I'd suggest unboxing them and get there early!

[Rayt]

I have taken color and b/w film through airport scanners 15 times without signs of damage. HK to Karachi to Lahore to Delhi to HK. In Pakistan they got scanned three times prior to each flight- at the entrance, at security and at the gate. Also the hotel entrances in both India and Pakistan have X-ray machines so more than 15 times including those. I see better photos of Big Foot than any evidence of X-ray damage from carry on scans.

[rxmd]

Originally Posted by Leigh Youdale

time and experience tell me that the carry-on scanners won't harm ISO400 or less (unless you're planning to take it through 10-15 times!)

You can probably change that to "hundreds of times" and drop the ISO restriction too... in the 15 years or so that this topic is being discussed on the Internet, has there ever been any sample picture of damages from hand baggage scanners? I don't remember seeing one, not from films scanned dozens of times, not from ISO 3200 film, nothing.

[Sparrow]

Originally Posted by rxmd

You can probably change that to "hundreds of times" and drop the ISO restriction too... in the 15 years or so that this topic is being discussed on the Internet, has there ever been any sample picture of damages from hand baggage scanners? I don't remember seeing one, not from films scanned dozens of times, not from ISO 3200 film, nothing.

What he said :yes:

[tj01]

i had 20 brass IXMOOs, everyone wanted to see what I was carrying. they were quite disappointed it was only film.
Again, hand carry, do not do checked luggage.

[Chuck Albertson]

If I'm carrying that much film, I usually pull it out of the cans and slot it into some Tupperware square flat containers I bought from my seceretary of 20 years ago (she was selling Tupperware as a sideline). They're more rigid than ziploc bags and give the film a bit more protection. They facilitate hand inspection (16 rolls to a flat) if you're into that sort of thing, but I don't bother with it anymore.

[Blanc]

Depends on you,

got films that get threw those scanners hundred times without any damage, other ones got only once and were fried. I think this depends on the guy behind the machine.

A sure thing, when I used a special bag to protect some 3200 they pushed the x rays to see inside, everything else was fried.

An other piece of advice is trying to process where you are, I was never bothererd with powdered chemicals in the bottom of the case.

[Bob Michaels]

In the US, I have always had very quick and very friendly hand inspections of film for the last 3 years. TSA will sometimes swab a roll or two but usually just look inside the zip lock bag with 30-40 rolls of film in plastic canisters and hand it back. Usually takes about 10 seconds extra.

In Cuba, there is no formal provision for not x-raying film. But my very limited Spanish language skills have been sufficient to always bypass the x-ray and have visual inspection all 20 times. (they want to x-ray arriving and departing) This is the x-ray machine I deem important to avoid as Cuba keeps everything running by swapping parts, frequently with those intended for some other purpose.

I have no issue with those who allow their film to be x-rayed. I just choose to bypass it myself.

[rxmd]

Originally Posted by Blanc

got films that get threw those scanners hundred times without any damage, other ones got only once and were fried.

Just as a matter of interest, have you ever seen an actual example of the latter ("got fried"), anywhere?

[ColSebastianMoran]

Originally Posted by rxmd

Just as a matter of interest, have you ever seen an actual example of the latter ("got fried"), anywhere?

This made me curious.

Kodak has a nice information page. Checked baggage x-ray doses are not safe.

The page has several examples of the kind of damage from checked baggage x-rays. In some examples, the film is just fogged overall or in large areas. In others, there are distinct bands of exposure on the film.

No examples of damage in carry-on screening.

[Sparrow]

... so where are the real world examples of these films fried by hand luggage scanners where the operator cranked up the power? ... in fact apart from Kodak's site where are the damaged film from checked baggage? you would think someone would have tried pass off the latter as the former by now!!

[anjoca76]

I always take my film out of the boxes and plastic canisters, toss the rolls in a Ziploc, and ask for a hand check, but only about half the time will they ever oblige me that. The other half of the time they just send it through anyway. So far I've never noticed a problem either way. Though I definitely disagree with those who say it's a myth that xray machines affect film, I do think the affect is negligible and ultimately not worth stressing out about.

[shadowfox]

Next time I travel, I'm considering to just stow my films in my camera bag for x-ray.
I don't shoot anything above 400 ASA.

I highly doubt 2 passes of security (not bagage) x-ray would make a visible impact on let's say Adox CHS 25.

[Chuck Albertson]

Originally Posted by Sparrow

... so where are the real world examples of these films fried by hand luggage scanners where the operator cranked up the power? ... in fact apart from Kodak's site where are the damaged film from checked baggage? you would think someone would have tried pass off the latter as the former by now!!

There aren't any examples, because the operator can't up the dosage. The op looks at the display, he/she is not a radiologist. If they can't figure out what's on the screen, they open up your bag.