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airport x-ray security
Hi there,
I am going to China next month and will carry several ISO 160 & 400 films with me. As I learned from other posts here that I should put the films in hand-carried baggage to avoid the films being exposed by the x-ray, but how many times can these films pass the airport x-ray security system? My schedule is USA to Taiwan, then Taiwan to China, then China to Taiwan, then Taiwan to USA. Will the films be safe under so much exposures as the effect of x-ray is accumulated? Thank you! Evan Jou |
#2
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Evan Jou wrote:
Hi there, I am going to China next month and will carry several ISO 160 & 400 films with me. As I learned from other posts here that I should put the films in hand-carried baggage to avoid the films being exposed by the x-ray, but how many times can these films pass the airport x-ray security system? My schedule is USA to Taiwan, then Taiwan to China, then China to Taiwan, then Taiwan to USA. Will the films be safe under so much exposures as the effect of x-ray is accumulated? Thank you! Evan Jou Well my personal experience is that in the US, the airport systems are pretty OK - I have had no bad experiences until now with film speeds up to 400ASA. Taiwan - I had one bad experience but it was an 800ASA film and China - depends on where you go through security. Shanghai is OK and Bejing as well, others I was told can be tricky. Accumulated exposure is a problem for 400ASA but only if you get through more than maybe 5 or 6 systems which have been not really state-of-the-art. But again, that what I mentioned is only my personal experience - others may have bette or worse ones. rgds George |
#3
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"Evan Jou" wrote in message ... Hi there, I am going to China next month and will carry several ISO 160 & 400 films with me. As I learned from other posts here that I should put the films in hand-carried baggage to avoid the films being exposed by the x-ray, but how many times can these films pass the airport x-ray security system? My schedule is USA to Taiwan, then Taiwan to China, then China to Taiwan, then Taiwan to USA. Will the films be safe under so much exposures as the effect of x-ray is accumulated? Thank you! Evan Jou You can get x-ray safe boxes to store the film in for travel - may be a safer option. |
#4
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"Evan Jou" wrote in message ... Hi there, I am going to China next month and will carry several ISO 160 & 400 films with me. As I learned from other posts here that I should put the films in hand-carried baggage to avoid the films being exposed by the x-ray, but how many times can these films pass the airport x-ray security system? My schedule is USA to Taiwan, then Taiwan to China, then China to Taiwan, then Taiwan to USA. Will the films be safe under so much exposures as the effect of x-ray is accumulated? Thank you! Evan Jou Last year I went from WI to LA, Japan, Thailand, Nepal, Tibet and back. I was carrying 100 and 200 and picked up some 400 and 800 from someone else I was traveling with. I forgot how many xray machines I had to pass through including various customs checks. BTW I was carrying 30+ rolls. I always remove the film from from the canisters and put them in a clear ziplock. I pull the ziplock out and hand it to one of the TSA. Generally no hassle though a little extra delay on a couple of legs. So unless I forgot somewhere, none of my film was xray'd, except for 4 rolls of 100 that I left in one of my bags on the way back. Unless I'm mistaken the only problem I had with those rolls was because I shot them without a polarizer during mid-day. The only hassels I got were because of the packs of polariods that I carrying, the TSA spent extra time with them. good thing they were still in the wrap. Though in LA(?) I had one TSA swab everyone of the packs and rolls. I don't carry the film xray bags. Mainly from the experience of others is because the TSA will usually turn up the machine if they can't see through something. I was also carrying a digital camera. The thing with those is to put it in your carry on. Make sure your CF cards are in your bags and not on your person when going through the metal detectors. It can zap them. Enjoy your trip. |
#5
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Alan schrieb:
You can get x-ray safe boxes to store the film in for travel - may be a safer option. No, this isn't at all! It is just a common _misinformation_ that "x-ray safe" boxes are safe! What do they do at security if they can't look inside something first? They'll increase the intensity of the x-rays to penetrate the object. So you'll need a box with really thick lead walls to avoid that. *But* what is even more disturbing is, that _you'll_ be responsible that the films in bags of people right behind and before you will be influenced by a much higher x-ray radation than these would have been without your "x-ray safe" box. So if you're really disturbed let them hand-check your films. Thats a much better way than to use these "x-ray safe" boxes. |
#6
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Alan schrieb:
You can get x-ray safe boxes to store the film in for travel - may be a safer option. No, this isn't at all! It is just a common _misinformation_ that "x-ray safe" boxes are safe! What do they do at security if they can't look inside something first? They'll increase the intensity of the x-rays to penetrate the object. So you'll need a box with really thick lead walls to avoid that. *But* what is even more disturbing is, that _you'll_ be responsible that the films in bags of people right behind and before you will be influenced by a much higher x-ray radation than these would have been without your "x-ray safe" box. So if you're really disturbed let them hand-check your films. Thats a much better way than to use these "x-ray safe" boxes. |
#7
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Carsten Schurig wrote:
Alan schrieb: You can get x-ray safe boxes to store the film in for travel - may be a safer option. No, this isn't at all! It is just a common _misinformation_ that "x-ray safe" boxes are safe! Agreed. Domke once described a test they made with lead-lined bags. They said that for film to be safe when passed through the xray machines used to inspect CHECKED baggage, the lead bag would be so heavy as to be impractical for everyday use. The bags do, however, reduce the intensity of the xrays hitting the film when used in CARRY-ON luggage, and might gain a few extra trips through the scanners before damage becomes a problem. What do they do at security if they can't look inside something first? They'll increase the intensity of the x-rays to penetrate the object. So you'll need a box with really thick lead walls to avoid that. The xray machines are not user-adjustable. That is a myth. The machines are purposely set to a low dosage to reduce the risk of the machines. The operator can adjust the contrast and brightness of the display, but that is similar to what you would do on your computer monitor. |
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