Re: filmscanners: Re: filmscanners: OT:X-ray fogging

["Anthony Atkielski" <atkielski.anthony@wanadoo.fr>]

Rob writes:

> On my travels in the States I did process my
> films along the way because processing was cheap
> and of reasonable quality in the USA.  It was also
> possible to find places to do E6.

And how did the results compare to the development you got at home?

> In a lot of countries the processing quality
> isn't as good ...

I agree.  But if you are in Tokyo, London, or Paris, or any large city in a
developed country, good development and fresh film are often trivially easy to
find.  Here in Paris, for example, you're likely to be able to find fresher
film, in wider variety and more plentiful supply, than you can find at home,
unless you live in Los Angeles or New York.  And you can also find top-quality
development at reasonable prices, including express (1-2 hour) development for
C-41, E-6, and black and white, in a variety of formats (135, APS, and even MF
sometimes).  You're actually better off buying and developing here than doing it
at home.  And Paris is not unique in this respect.

> ... and if they screw up the film, you've lost
> the images.

But you're still in town, and you may be able to retake them.

In contrast, if your film is blasted by x rays at _any_ point in your trip, you
won't know that your images have been ruined until you get home, and by then it
will be far too late to retake anything.  If it was a once-in-a-lifetime trip,
it will all be gone.

> More to the point, a lot of people are on tight schedules
> when travelling and can't afford the time to take films
> to be processed let alone wait for it to be done.

A lot of labs will develop in less time than it takes you to eat lunch.

> Next time I fly internationally I might try putting
> the rolls into a ziplock bag so they can be hand
> inspected easily.

If you are going to a major city in a developed country, consider simply buying
the film at your destination and having it developed their before you return.
You'll travel lighter, and nothing will be fogged, and you'll know whether or
not your pictures came out before you leave.

> The X-ray damage is cumulative.

Yes, and you don't know how much damage has been done until you get home, if you
develop at home.