Traveling with a camera

On Fri, 06 Feb 2009 11:12:45 -0800, mcescher wrote:

I was just wondering about air travel with a digital camera. I have a
Nikon D70s (Compact Flash), and a Canon p&s (SD). Do I need to pull my
cards and/or cameras out before the scanner?

I always do unless there is nothing on the card. I just put them in my
pocket; I've never had them set off the detectors when I walk through.

Stef

Stefan Patric wrote:
On Fri, 06 Feb 2009 11:12:45 -0800, mcescher wrote:

I was just wondering about air travel with a digital camera. I have a
Nikon D70s (Compact Flash), and a Canon p&s (SD). Do I need to pull my
cards and/or cameras out before the scanner?

I always do unless there is nothing on the card. I just put them in my
pocket; I've never had them set off the detectors when I walk through.

I'm thinking this is not a rational precaution. The X-ray machine should
not be a threat to magnetic memory cards (film, otoh, is another
matter). However, those handheld metal-searchers they manually search
people with, theoretically could. I do not know how much energy these
devices put out, so I say theoretically. I alway send all my stuff
through the x-ray anyway, and have never had ANY dataloss due to
travelling. Most times I have a laptop with me and backup to that
regularily (It too goes through the X-ray) so I don't worry about it.
When travelling in certain international airports I have found I have
very little control over what is scanned by what device, so in the end I
have found I sometimes simply have to trust the quality and engineering
in my devices.

(In general, I think we worry too much, I have accidently washed my
jeans forgetting my USB Memstick in a pocket in 40 degrees Celsius -
twice - without damage.. ;-) The important thing is having backups and
using Truecrypt on stuff you cannot afford to lose.)

F Hansen wrote:
Stefan Patric wrote:
On Fri, 06 Feb 2009 11:12:45 -0800, mcescher wrote:

I was just wondering about air travel with a digital camera. I have a
Nikon D70s (Compact Flash), and a Canon p&s (SD). Do I need to pull my
cards and/or cameras out before the scanner?

I always do unless there is nothing on the card. I just put them in
my pocket; I've never had them set off the detectors when I walk through.

I'm thinking this is not a rational precaution. The X-ray machine should
not be a threat to magnetic memory cards (film, otoh, is another
matter).

Sure it can. X-rays are energetic. Their ability to knock a bit or two
out is a matter of chance. That would affect one photo, and possibly
without visible damage, so no big deal.

However, those handheld metal-searchers they manually search
people with, theoretically could. I do not know how much energy these

I doubt it. They just have a weak ac field in a feedback circuit. If
metal affects that field, then they scream louder.

devices put out, so I say theoretically. I alway send all my stuff
through the x-ray anyway, and have never had ANY dataloss due to
travelling. Most times I have a laptop with me and backup to that

I've had a hard disk whacked and I've heard of others.

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F Hansen wrote:
The X-ray machine should
not be a threat to magnetic memory cards (film, otoh, is another
matter).

What kind of memory card are you using? Any memory card or USB stick
that I know of is solid state, not magnetic. Only exception being
micro-drives.

jue

Alan Browne wrote:
...
Sure it can. X-rays are energetic. Their ability to knock a bit or two
out is a matter of chance. That would affect one photo, and possibly
without visible damage, so no big deal.

However, those handheld metal-searchers they manually search people
with, theoretically could. I do not know how much energy these

I doubt it. They just have a weak ac field in a feedback circuit. If
metal affects that field, then they scream louder.

devices put out, so I say theoretically. I alway send all my stuff
through the x-ray anyway, and have never had ANY dataloss due to
travelling. Most times I have a laptop with me and backup to that

I've had a hard disk whacked and I've heard of others.

Probably good points all of it.

However Google gave me this:
From letsgodigital.org :
"Recent tests found no evidence of X-ray scanner damage to digital
camera media cards or to the images they hold. The tests of scanner
models currently in use in the U.S. transportation industry were jointly
conducted by the International Imaging Industry Association (I3A), the
leading global association for the imaging industry; SanDisk
Corporation, a manufacturer of digital media cards; and the U.S.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA). These findings mean that
digital cameras and their image storage media can travel safely in
either checked or carry-on bags, which will be reassuring to holiday
travelers. And though they were not explicitly tested, it is likely that
images on camera-phones will be safe in either situation as well.
More care is needed for cameras with film, however, as the X-ray
scanners for both checked and carry-on luggage can fog both developed
and undeveloped film."

F Hansen wrote:
Alan Browne wrote:
..
Sure it can. X-rays are energetic. Their ability to knock a bit or
two out is a matter of chance. That would affect one photo, and
possibly without visible damage, so no big deal.

However, those handheld metal-searchers they manually search people
with, theoretically could. I do not know how much energy these

I doubt it. They just have a weak ac field in a feedback circuit. If
metal affects that field, then they scream louder.

devices put out, so I say theoretically. I alway send all my stuff
through the x-ray anyway, and have never had ANY dataloss due to
travelling. Most times I have a laptop with me and backup to that

I've had a hard disk whacked and I've heard of others.

Probably good points all of it.

However Google gave me this:
From letsgodigital.org :
"Recent tests found no evidence of X-ray scanner damage to digital
camera media cards or to the images they hold. The tests of scanner
models currently in use in the U.S. transportation industry were jointly
conducted by the International Imaging Industry Association (I3A), the
leading global association for the imaging industry; SanDisk
Corporation, a manufacturer of digital media cards; and the U.S.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA). These findings mean that
digital cameras and their image storage media can travel safely in
either checked or carry-on bags, which will be reassuring to holiday
travelers. And though they were not explicitly tested, it is likely that
images on camera-phones will be safe in either situation as well.
More care is needed for cameras with film, however, as the X-ray
scanners for both checked and carry-on luggage can fog both developed
and undeveloped film."

It's not a question of a limited test and policy statement but physical
probability. eg: they tested n samples where there are millions more
'transactions' occurring. My position was not that it was common, but
that your previous statement (oddly cropped out) above was not the whole
truth.

I really don't worry about it... The chance is very remote and my
recovery s/w would recover most (big most) of the data anyway. Further,
by that time the phots are on a hard disk as well.

--
-- r.p.e.35mm user resource: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm
-- r.p.d.slr-systems: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpdslrsysur.htm
-- [SI] gallery & rulz: http://www.pbase.com/shootin
-- e-meil: Remove FreeLunch.
-- usenet posts from gmail.com and googlemail.com are filtered out.

Jürgen Exner wrote:
F Hansen wrote:
The X-ray machine should
not be a threat to magnetic memory cards (film, otoh, is another
matter).

What kind of memory card are you using? Any memory card or USB stick
that I know of is solid state, not magnetic. Only exception being
micro-drives.

That's an error on my part. Not magnetic of course, but they are
electrically programmable and erasable.

Alan Browne wrote:

It's not a question of a limited test and policy statement but physical
probability. eg: they tested n samples where there are millions more
'transactions' occurring. My position was not that it was common, but
that your previous statement (oddly cropped out) above was not the whole
truth.

Cropping text when replying is considered netiquette in my parts, and
the only reason I did so.


I really don't worry about it... The chance is very remote and my
recovery s/w would recover most (big most) of the data anyway. Further,
by that time the phots are on a hard disk as well.

My point exactly.

"F Hansen" wrote in message

Alan Browne wrote:

[...]

millions more 'transactions' occurring. My position was not that it
was common, but that your previous statement (oddly cropped out)
above was not the whole truth.

Cropping text when replying is considered netiquette in my parts, and
the only reason I did so.

That is true and I for one wish more than a few people in here would do the
same instead of mindlessly regurgitating ever accumulating quantities of
increasingly irrelevant material. However, part of netiquette is to
indicate that you have snipped, as I have done above.

DRS wrote:
"F Hansen" wrote in message

Alan Browne wrote:

[...]

millions more 'transactions' occurring. My position was not that it
was common, but that your previous statement (oddly cropped out)
above was not the whole truth.
Cropping text when replying is considered netiquette in my parts, and
the only reason I did so.

That is true and I for one wish more than a few people in here would do the
same instead of mindlessly regurgitating ever accumulating quantities of
increasingly irrelevant material. However, part of netiquette is to
indicate that you have snipped, as I have done above.

How very true, I stand guilty of that. This being my first few posts on
this usenet group and all, I cannot expect to be believed when I say
this, but still, I usually remember to do that -leaving a snipmark on
the top. I will try and raise my standards in the future, there seems to
be much to learn in this newsgroup (and I'm not sarcastic saying that).

On the topic of the thread, I feel that it tends to become somewhat
veiled by the mist of such rather digressing discussions, so I will add
this: Having some experience, all amateurish of course, in travelling
with kids and their devices, photographic equipment and lots of
electronic everyday devices in general, I have come to the conclusion
that risk management in such situations can be a game of diminishing
returns if one get monomanically obsessed by one topic, as for example
the x-ray machine. If there is qualified authorities, testing and
research done indicating that this is practically risk free, I am happy
to stop using my energy on collecting memory cards for what I wrongfully
believe to be a safer passage for those through the airports. In fact, I
think one could argue that handling them in such a way and under what
will often be stressful circumstances, introduces risks of mechanically
damaging them, or simply dropping them or - God forbid - forgetting
them. Risk management is tricky and mileage will vary - this is my two
cents.