If you are visiting a civilized part of the world, just buy and develop all
film locally; then you don't risk ruining anything.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Meier" <robert_meier_photo@yahoo.com>
To: <anthony@atkielski.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 03, 2002 09:34
Subject: [filmscanners] Re: X rays was Digital PIC
Carlson,
I am not sure what kind of information you are looking for. Personally,
I have had damaged film even when it did go through x-ray machines for
carry-ons 5-6 times (ISO25-200). As I said such damage would be hard to
detect as the damage is low and evenly distributed.
In contrast to you I never had any problems to get my film hand checked
even after 9/11. What I do is putting all my film in zip lock bags and
include a 1600 film. I then pull out the zip lock bags out of my camera
backpack and hand it over. Usualy they ask if I have film faster then
800. I then say yes and they check it by hand. If they are still
resistent saying it is safe I explain that I have to go through many
x-rays which will accumulate damage. Therfore, I would appreciate if
they could check it by hand. Never had a problem. Some Asian countries
are more strict (from my limited exprience Thailand and Malysia but not
Korea and Japan) and won't check film by hand. With multiple flights
from one country to the other and inland flights you easily get 5 or
more exposures. As I said I haven't detected any damages yet. I have
not done any tests for that though.
The new x-ray machines for check-in lugage are a different story,
though. They use much higher x-ray dosages. I have seen extensive test
for scanners of one of the two campanies that produce such scanners.
These scanners use a regualar x-ray machine (similar to the ones for
carry-on) to analyze the lugage. Based on that analysis they do a CT
scan at certain positions of the lugage. If a film happens to be there
it will be damaged where it is hit. Since the x-ray is a fan-beam the
exposure is localized and therefore can be distinguished even better
then if it were exposed equally.
Now I heard and read that earlier scanners of the other company did not
use the initial low dosage scan but scanned the whole bag with a high
dosage which can be increased if necessary. Contrary to some belives
that dosage can not be increased arbitrarly. Anyway, for these scanners
the chances of damage are very high and devasting. I have not seen or
done any test with these scanners, though.
Anyway, the point is don't put unexposed film in check-in luggage. A
few exposures from scanners for carry-on lugage seems not to damage
film in my experience. At least not for low ISO film. If you need
higher ISO films you might consider buying it on location.
Rob
--- Carlson <carlson@olypen.com> wrote:
> Rob, that's unsettling news. I've been universally unable to get
> hand
> checks since Sept 11th. Do you have any more information and would
> you mind
> sharing your source? The x-ray inspections of my carry-on lugage
> including
> in and out of Tokyo twice and in and out of Bangkok and in and out of
> Seattle ( yes they x-ray your film when leaving the terminal from
> international flights from SeaTac.) all during one trip to Thailand
> did not
> seem to damage my ISO 100 film.
> Regards, Ron Carlson
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