Re: urgent question!

[Don Roberts <droberts@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I am puzzled by all the paranoia and subterfuges used to smuggle film past
check-in Xray machines.  I have flown frequently for athletic events using film
rated as high as 1000 ISO and had it pass through 3-4 Xrays while unexposed and
another 3-4 after exposure and before developing.  I have never been able to
find any sign of damage or changes in the film as a result.  I have taken strips
of unexposed film which I developed and exposed negs along as tests.  When I
flew to southern Mexico I was concerned so I had an unexposed short roll and a
test roll processed immediately after getting to my destination.  This was all
800 ISO film and I could find absolutely no difference between the film that
went through the check-in Xray and my control film.  My conclusion is the
empirical evidence clearly indicates it is safe to take film as carry on (but
not checked) and any attempt to get around it is likely to cause you grief with
the people trying to expedite boarding and still safe guard the flying public.
Put the film in your camera bag, run it through the Xray and forget about it.

RLCaldwell@xxxxxxx wrote:

> I have had to go through the stringent inspections at Heathrow twice and can
> suggest one way to get film safely through.
>
> If you are shooting 120 film on plastic spools, just conceal it under your
> clothes, and walk through the metal detector.  Be sure to wear very simple
> clothes.  My wife had on a multi-pocketed, hooded outer coat, and they made
> her remove it and send it through the x-ray machine.  My 20 rolls of Tri X
> under a windbreaker never saw the x-rays.
>
> Here is an example of how strict they are at Heathrow:  I had three cassettes
> of exposed 35mm Velvia and casually dropped them in the change basket before
> I entered the metal detector.  They immediately demanded to know whose they
> were, and then picked them out of the basket and passed them through the
> x-rays.
>
> Here is an example of how irrational they are at Heathrow:  they considered
> the three film cassettes more of a threat than my large, multi-bladed Swiss
> Army Knife.  (All you hijackers out there please ignore the preceding
> statement and continue to arm yourselves with film cassettes.  It drives the
> English crazy.)
>
> All US airports must hand check items, if requested.  I have always carried
> film in large plastic zip lock bags for this purpose and have never been
> requested to open the plastic bag, let alone a box of film.
>
> I just read a British photo magazine (Amateur Photographer) which reported on
> a survey of European film prices.  The prices in the UK were the highest, but
> were still lower than in the US (even for Kodak film).  IR film can be hard
> to find, but for other film, you are probably better off to buy and process
> it in Europe.  (My good friend in York buys process-paid Fuji Sensia II 100,
> 36 exp., for less than ten dollars, for example.  It's even cheaper on the
> continent.)
>
> Bob
>
>
> *
> ****
> *******
> ******************************************************
> *  To remove yourself from this list, send:          *
> *         UNSUBSCRIBE INFRARED                       *
> *       to                                           *
> *         MAJORDOMO@xxxxx                            *
> *----------------------------------------------------*
> *   For the IR-FAQ, IR-Gallery and heaps of links:   *
> *  http://www.a1.nl/phomepag/markerink/mainpage.htm  *
> ******************************************************

--
====================================================================
      Don Roberts   *  Bittersweet Productions  *  Iowa City, IA
                      *                                    *
Of course, that's just my opinion.  I could be wrong. -- Dennis MIller
====================================================================


*
****
*******
******************************************************
*  To remove yourself from this list, send:          *
*         UNSUBSCRIBE INFRARED                       *
*       to                                           *
*         MAJORDOMO@xxxxx                            *
*----------------------------------------------------*
*   For the IR-FAQ, IR-Gallery and heaps of links:   *
*  http://www.a1.nl/phomepag/markerink/mainpage.htm  *
******************************************************