Film and x-rays

>>
Hand luggage scanners will not do any damage at all, [...]
Take it in hand luggage, and don't worry about it.
<<

While one pass might not, several passes might, depending on the speed of the
film. I always ask for hand inspection (it is your right)

Jose




(for Email, make the obvious changes in my address)
 >> Stay informed about: Film and x-rays 

Two points:

1. There's a lot of paranoia here I suspect. Personally I don't think
I've ever seen, or experienced fogging due to x-ray machines - at least
not in the last 10 years. That's carrying everything from Kodachrome to
6400asa and 3200asa stocks. The 3200 asa stock was x-rayed 8 times and
didn't appear to suffer. Perhaps I was lucky.

2, I can't comment on internal flights, I don't do many. But I haven't
had a request for a hand search agreed to on an international flight for
many years. (may be you get better treatment if you travel business..!).
There's no right, especially post 9/11 to a hand search and a camera
makes an ideal place to hide a knife or a bomb. 35mm film canisters are
prime places for hiding small items of contraband and drugs. Obviously
if you a recognised and professional crew travelling on business;
different rules may apply.

3. Understand there's two main types of detectors. Metal detectors that
work by magnetics and x-ray scanners that pass radiation through your
stuff. Metal detectors don't harm film. X-rays can, and in theory do.
However the x ray machines installed at most (I'm not going to say
all...) is a very low dose machine. That's not because they care about
your film. More like they don't want employees glowing the dark.

best

SS


Teacherjh wrote:
> Hand luggage scanners will not do any damage at all, [...]
> Take it in hand luggage, and don't worry about it.
> <<
>
> While one pass might not, several passes might, depending on the speed of the
> film. I always ask for hand inspection (it is your right)
>
> Jose
>
>
>
>
> (for Email, make the obvious changes in my address)
 >> Stay informed about: Film and x-rays 

>>
But I haven't
had a request for a hand search
agreed to on an international flight for
many years.
<<

They give me a hard time too. But I'm a pilot, and have called the FAA on them
when necessary (I happened to have the numbers for the FSDO and a cell phone).
It is your right.

Yes, you can hide a knife or bomb in your camera, or anywhere else for that
matter. If you travel first class, they even GIVE you knives and glassware.
The whole thing is silly feel-good stuff that is not all that effective. But
we have to live with it.

Jose





(for Email, make the obvious changes in my address)
 >> Stay informed about: Film and x-rays 

The newer X-ray scanners need much less X-ray exposure than machines from 20 to
30 years ago because the image pickup is much more sensitive to X-rays than the
older units, like putting a faster film in a camera which would need less
exposure to light to get an image.

The older machines had to blast your baggage to get an image because of the
less sensitive pickups and it of course fogged film. Since most if not
virtually all airports use newer scanners it should not be a problem.

There could be an older machine still in operation at a small airport somewhere
in the dark corners of the earth that might cause a problem but I doubt it.
(Why would they need one?)

As Steve previously said, the metal detectors are not a problem at all.

Richard
 >> Stay informed about: Film and x-rays 

> While one pass might not, several passes might, depending on the speed of
the
> film. I always ask for hand inspection (it is your right)
>
> Jose

Don't count on it. Heathrow airport in London insist on scanning all items
of hand luggage, and won't allow it on board if not scanned.

Lee
 >> Stay informed about: Film and x-rays 

>>
Heathrow airport in London insist on scanning all items
of hand luggage, and won't allow it on board if not scanned.
<<

Ok, I was talking about the US. My bad.

Jose

(for Email, make the obvious changes in my address)
 >> Stay informed about: Film and x-rays 

Teacherjh wrote:
> They give me a hard time too. But I'm a pilot, and have called the FAA on them
> when necessary (I happened to have the numbers for the FSDO and a cell phone).
> It is your right.

I think you must be talking about internal USA flights.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the FAA doesn't have any juristriction in
Heathrow, Gatwick, Frankfurt, Moscow, Leningrad, Oslo, Stockholm,
Melbourne, Milan, Stansted, Barcelona airports to name but a few that
have insisted that all photographic equipment goes through X-Ray.

SS
 >> Stay informed about: Film and x-rays 

you should try Poland
my one exec producer had his 8mm confiscated off him, they didn't know what
it was and he just gave up trying to reason with them!!


"Steve Spicer" <steve.TakeThisOut@NOSPAMblueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:3F011F86.9030902@NOSPAMblueyonder.co.uk...
>
>
> Teacherjh wrote:
> > They give me a hard time too. But I'm a pilot, and have called the FAA
on them
> > when necessary (I happened to have the numbers for the FSDO and a cell
phone).
> > It is your right.
>
> I think you must be talking about internal USA flights.
>
> Correct me if I'm wrong, but the FAA doesn't have any juristriction in
> Heathrow, Gatwick, Frankfurt, Moscow, Leningrad, Oslo, Stockholm,
> Melbourne, Milan, Stansted, Barcelona airports to name but a few that
> have insisted that all photographic equipment goes through X-Ray.
>
> SS
>
 >> Stay informed about: Film and x-rays