Film and TSA
sb
Loc: Florida's East Coast
I recall that film with speeds less than ASA 800 are not damaged by one or two trips through the scanner - but some trips require more than that. Also - I had screeners in the past refuse to hand screen my film and force me to put it through the x-ray. In the past, on trips where possible, I would have my film processed before returning home in order to avoid one or two more shots of x-ray.
billnikon
Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
DougBlearning wrote:
How do i get film (not digital) through a TSA checkpoint without ruining the film??
When I used to shoot for UPI, United Press International, we always handed the person in charge our film in a separate clear bag and informed them that the x-ray machine would ruin the film. Never had a problem but that was years ago. Things might have changed.
A few years ago I traveled with film fairly frequently. My first advice is to be polite and remain calm no matter what they say. Film below ASA 800 can be X-rayed up to 5 times before the accumulated exposure damages it, supposedly. Don't ever put film in your checked luggage- the X-rays down there are much more powerful. Don't bother with the TSA page on traveling with film because the agents at the gate ignore those rules and you can't argue with them. I had a really bad experience in Philadelphia with that one. According to that page, TSA agents are required to do a hand search if you request it. No they don't. It is very hit or miss. I carried my film in a 9"x13" lead bag. When the TSA saw it they would hand search my whole camera bag and especially the lead bag. I went through Newark Liberty Airport three times with that lead bag and they didn't even see it. I could have had anything from guns to explosives in the bag or hidden below it. The TSA is largely Kabuki theater to make you feel better. When tested by the federal government they have a huge failure rate (85%?). Finally, it used to be that UPS did not X-ray packages so you could ship film to your destination that way. Check with a UPS store about current policy.
Used to travel extensively (including right after 9/11) with film. Agree with most of above statements. Take film in lead bag (leave none in camera for flight). Get to check in early. Take lead bag out at TSA check in and ask politely for hand inspection. If TSA says xrays won’t hurt Film, politely say ‘that’s probably true, but don’t want to take chance on cumulative affect. (FYI, I’ve read frequently that lead bags are also good for in-flight protection of film during the slight radiation one receives in the air, particularly on long flights.). I never had any problems with that procsss, although a couple of times I recall they had me go through a separate line. Actually led to a couple of friendly comments about ‘still shooting film’, ‘like film’, etc. Absolute key is courtesy and politeness, not argumentative, etc. Since I’m back into shooting more film I may soon get a personal update on how it works today.
I still use film in my travels. Use lead film bag.
Never had a problem and it has never been opened and inspected by TSA.
Larry
pquiggle wrote:
I'm not sure how TSA agents will react to an opaque block moving through their x-ray machines.
As long as you don't use the "C-4" brand, you should be okay. Seeing that written on a package would arouse suspicion.
A6K said the magic words: multiple scanning. Even when traveling in the US and I had to take multiple planes, passing even low speed film through scanners more than a couple of times affected the colour. Lately, I've scanned some of them, trying to correct it in LR, but there's still something "off." And foreign scanners vary a lot in strength. When film was prevalent, the only place I found the agents refusing to hand inspect my film was in Houston, TX. Nowadays, they're not so willing to take the time to do so. And if the lines are long, expect to be refused. No amount of showing them what the "rules" say will change their minds. They are king of that heap and they know it. Expect to be scanned. My lead bag goes through without a hitch, although once it did cause a hand inspection of the bag.
Haven't traveled with film in years, but if I did, I would always ask for a hand check. I cannot speak for today's x-ray devices, but a fellow photographer a destination wedding in Hawaii...his ISO 400 film was ruined (ouch). One of the photographers in a group I belonged to said his daughter worked at baggage inspection; she told him the signs were put up to discourage hands checks (it slowed things down). However, she said the machines world definitely damage film. Gee... This current government wouldn't lie to us, would they?
jerryc41 wrote:
As long as you don't use the "C-4" brand, you should be okay. Seeing that written on a package would arouse suspicion.
Years ago, after the TSA was invented but before I bought my first DSLR I made a trip to St Petersburg and other cities with 10 rolls of film. It was hand inspected, no problem. The USA scanners might be OK, but the other countries equipment is hard to say. If I had left it to be xrayed it would have gotten so 6 times. 1 in the USA, 5 overseas. I did buy 10 more rolls in the these countries and marked each one as such with a sticker.
However, one roll was in my luggage the whole six time and when I got home discovered it, shot some photos with it and they turned out all brownish like.
Longshadow wrote:
They may have changed the machines over time, but I knew of a guy years ago that came back from Europe with four rolls of "yucky green" slides, not even the frame numbers were visible.
I still won't trust them.
With respect, I think your key words are, Years Ago. I am not disputing at all the experience of a guy you knew. I carry a film camera and a digital camera when I fly. Film is always ASA 400 and under. I have done this, for years, and never a problem.
Like Paul said, every person relies on something to make their decision. I rely upon my own experience and a TSA agent telling me that my film would be just fine. The agent, and Paul, were right.
Dennis
TSA agents are humans, there are good & not so good. They are not allowed to ignore the rules. If you are ever denied a hand check, or any other courtesy, ask to speak with a supervisor. The only downside of a hand check is that if the ETD machine alarms, and there are many false positives, you will have to go through further screening. Likely a pat down. I worked for them for three years.
rmalarz wrote:
Simply, and politely, ask them to hand check the film. Prior to heading to the airport, remove all the film from your camera(s). If your cameras are going to be carried on, prepare to remove the lens, cock the shutter, and release the shutter to show them it's really a camera. Politeness is the key.
--Bob
Hand check.
Ask for a hand inspection of film. Not sure about this today, but not all that long ago, FAA rules required the TSA to hand inspect film if asked to. I've had frowns and grumbling even though polite in my asking, yet insistent, and they've taken it out on me by "sniffing" every single roll individually even though they were in clear 35mm plastic canisters with film in the clearly marked "Ilford" factory metal canisters. In Europe I've had agents take my zip-lock bag of film and just hand it over to someone else on the other side of the scanners and that was the end of the checking. I've found that the TSA personnel in the USA usually have a bit of attitude.
Hand inspection is a good idea, or you can use a lead bag, but it's probably a good idea to put it in your luggage.
Disregard those who tell you the X-rays won't hurt your film. The problem is that X-rays are cumulative. It may well be that one pass through the machine doesn't harm your film, but you're probably going to come back from your trip, which is two passes, and maybe more. The result will be vertical streaks in your film for where the X-rays pass through the slit in the cannister.
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