Air Travel with LF Camera

In article ITrOh.8927$yo3.5402@trnddc04,
Jean-David Beyer wrote:

The solution would be to buy the film when you get there, and
process it, or have it processed before you take the next plane.
Of course, many places have no sheet film, or at least, not the
film you want to use.

You could just have the film shipped to where you are going
to stay.

Hi,

Very sensible idea but I was just wondering if packages shipped by air,
USPS, FedEx, UPS, don't also get x-rayed?

Anybody have any info on this????

Cheers,
Bogdan



wrote:


You could just have the film shipped to where you are going
to stay.

--
__________________________________________________ ______________
Bogdan Karasek
Montr‚al, Qu‚bec
Canada www.bogdanphoto.com

"I photograph my reality"
__________________________________________________ ______________

mike odonoghue wrote:


Following quote from your link asks us to remove undeveloped film from
canisters and place in clear plastic bags! Wow. What next? That will
surely expose the film.

"Film

The equipment used to screen checked baggage will damage undeveloped
film. Pack your undeveloped film in your carry-on bag. High speed and
specialty film should be hand inspected at the security checkpoint. To
facilitate hand-inspection, remove your undeveloped film from the
canister and pack in a clear plastic bag."

I don't think this is a viable suggestion.

You carry the plastic bag with you and hand it to the inspector who
looks through it and then passes it "around" the x-ray equipment. This
was common even BEFORE 9/11, although back then you could leave it in
the canisters if you shoot Fuji.

That's why it's called "hand-inspection".

Bogdan Karasek wrote:
Hi,

Very sensible idea but I was just wondering if packages shipped by air,
USPS, FedEx, UPS, don't also get x-rayed?

Anybody have any info on this????


They might.

OTOH, USPS, UPS, & FedEx all have procedures for shipments of
photographic materials. After all, that's how Kodak, Fuji and the big
mail order houses get film out to their customers.

Best thing to do is to ASK them how to label it so it won't get X-rayed.

For USPS, check the Domestic Mail Manual.

A quick on-line search indicates:

1. Envelopes suitable for mailing photographic film must be "24-pound
basis weight or greater".

2. "A customer may file an indemnity claim for insured, collect on
delivery (COD), registered with postal insurance, or Express Mail"
including loss and damage for "Cost of film stock or blank tape for
photographic film, negatives, slides, transparencies, videotapes, laser
disks, x-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) prints, computerized
axial tomography (CAT) scan prints, etc."

You won't get any reimbursement for IMAGES lost if exposed, un-processed
film gets screwed up, but you can get the film replaced if you insure it.

In article ,
Pudentame wrote:

You carry the plastic bag with you and hand it to the inspector who
looks through it and then passes it "around" the x-ray equipment. This
was common even BEFORE 9/11, although back then you could leave it in
the canisters if you shoot Fuji.

Even before 9/11 I had trouble getting them to do this. Haven't tried
it lately.

wrote:
In article ,
Pudentame wrote:

You carry the plastic bag with you and hand it to the inspector who
looks through it and then passes it "around" the x-ray equipment. This
was common even BEFORE 9/11, although back then you could leave it in
the canisters if you shoot Fuji.

Even before 9/11 I had trouble getting them to do this. Haven't tried
it lately.

I've flown 4 times since 9/11.

The first and last times, my carry-on included a machine gun, automatic
pistol, acoustic guitar, medical bag and a DSLR camera.

The two middle times I carried just the DSLR.

BEFORE 9/11, I traveled at least once with a Crown Graphic and a
half-dozen 4x5 holders. I just put the holders in a gallon size zip-lock
and explained to the baggage checkers what they were for. I told them it
was an "old-fashioned camera like they used years ago", and they got the
picture.

I mailed the holders back home with the exposed film inside and simply
wrote on the outside of the box "Exposed photographic film - DO NOT
X-RAY. May be opened for hand inspection."

Didn't tape the box until I got it to the post office in case they
wanted to look inside it there. I also mailed the camera back since by
that time I didn't have any more unexposed film or film holders.

Insured the package for what it would cost to replace the camera and
holders plus a couple boxes of film if they got lost or damaged, which
only cost a couple bucks extra beyond the postage. Included an inventory
sheet in the box and kept a copy to carry with me.

On Mar 28, 5:58 am, Jean-David Beyer wrote:


It is really hopeless. Perhaps we should spend more time making less enemies
instead of wasting so much time putting band-aids on things.


The only way to make less enemies is to kill them.

Now to avoid making enemies....

....don't have anything they want.

David

You might want to check out this long discussion at Photo.Net in the
Travel forum: http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=006Awg

It looks like sending film FedEx within the US is probably ok, but
anywhere else is a crpashoot, with no good options. It's not FedEx,
it's customs.

I've flown w/my 4X5, four lenses and readyload film about six times
since 9/11. The huge tripod goes in luggage, along with the Lowe Pro
bag full of clothes, the expendable stuff. At least that gear falls
under the max $1,200 airline claim limit for baggage. The camera,
lenses and film all go into a max-size carrryon. I carried 120 Fuji
readyloads last week. I found that readyloads work best w/the TSA
folk, since there are no boxes they want to open up. A friend of mine
who uses sheet film in grafmatics carries a small Harris film tent and
actually sets it up at the checkin because once in a while somebody
wants to open those up.

Jan B.




I mailed the holders back home with the exposed film inside and simply
wrote on the outside of the box "Exposed photographic film - DO NOT
X-RAY. May be opened for hand inspection."

Didn't tape the box until I got it to the post office in case they
wanted to look inside it there. I also mailed the camera back since by
that time I didn't have any more unexposed film or film holders.

Insured the package for what it would cost to replace the camera and
holders plus a couple boxes of film if they got lost or damaged, which
only cost a couple bucks extra beyond the postage. Included an inventory
sheet in the box and kept a copy to carry with me.