Sweden here: last time security personell did not even know what film is. Did not trust explanation and film was scanned in order to be let thru. Imagine working with that type of equipment and not having any interest in what it does to sensitive materials, not beeing the least bit prepared for worried customers. Crazy.
I recently brought a bunch of film with me on a cruise, which includes some security checks. I asked for a hand check, and they were really polite and friendly. They said “we don’t see film much these days”. I’m very glad I shot film on the trip.
Well, i just considered it another opportunity to share some good info. But it was a pretty depressing flight for the first part. Thank goodness for Walmart!
A well placed thank you … Remember to be kind … The best advice in your video. You never lose as long as you learn (or in your case, teach). Thank you for sharing your experience so we can benefit.
Thanks so much! It was, indeed, a learning/teaching opportunity. But I was in a serious funk for most of the flight. My smart wife, however, was all “we can find film when we get there”. So thankful for that!
I remember back in the day they used to sell lead lined film bags (x-ray proof was usually the wording) specifically to solve this issue. Sure they might be refuse to hand check it, but they are still going to have to check it by hand afterwards. I wonder if they still do.
From what I’ve gleaned from a lot of the comments so far is that those bags are no match for the CT scanners. But if your airport doesn’t employ the new scanners, they would work. But the regular X-ray machines really shouldn’t affect film below ISO 800 anyway. I’ve had film go through X-ray machines with no ill effects.
These days, those bags are useless. Nowadays they just turn up the power of the X-ray machine until they can see through the bag. In other words, the lead only blocks most of the x-rays... not enough? Just use more! 😅
Great video, Steven. I'm from Australia and recently returned from a vacation in France. I took several rolls through three airports (Brisbane; Australia, Changi; Singapore and Charles de Gaulle; Paris and the staff happily provided hand checking of film. The results were definitely worth it.
Back 40 years ago when I traveled, I always made sure that my film was in a clear plastic bag, and if they insisted that it had to go through the x-ray machine, I would ask the TSA agent to please hand me your badge which happen to be a film badge, which is also sensitive to x-ray. And only a dumb TSA agent would agree to let his film badge go through beside your film through the x-ray unit.
Last trip. Going out, TSA very accommodating. Mailed exposed film to my home. All was well. Have also mailed directly from my remote location to The Darkroom.
Great video and advice. One additional thought that I didn't hear so much but which I believe is vital, is to make sure to leave yourself extra time for the hand check. In other words, leave for the airport early enough to give yourself an appropriate time cushion so that the agents can perform the hand check. Again, otherwise a terrific video!
I used those bags for years without any problems but haven't encountered those new machines. But will be alert to them. Has anyone tried the lead lines bags with the new CT scanners?
Those bags do absolutely nothing. Security will either turn up the x-ray strength to see what’s inside, or just take everything of the bag and scan it all again individually. Why would they let an invisible bag through when it could be full of explosives?
I have travelled by air within Canada and asked that my 35mm film (HP5+ and Velvia 100) be hand checked with no problems. I've read that they swab it to check for explosive residue. Just like you mentioned in your video, I keep it in a clear ziploc bag without the packaging and plastic container. I did travel to Philippines with a 35mm roll of Ektar 100 with several stopovers, and my film only got scanned once at Incheon -- they assured me that anything under ISO800 was okay to go through the x-ray (not CT scanner). After the roll was developed and scanned, it doesn't seem to show any fog and/or patterns so that one x-ray scan was probably okay. Vancouver, Hong Kong, and Manila all had no problems with hand checking my film. I'm planning to shoot some film on an upcoming trip to Japan, but I just don't wanna deal with hand checking several rolls of film, so my plan is to just buy film there and also get it developed there and then get the negatives sent to me by mail. I looked at some prices for film I wanted to use and they're similarly priced so I don't even have to buy beforehand. I will just have to double check with whoever develops the film if they can mail the negatives back to Canada. If not, then I may have to rely on forwarders for extra cost if it means saving all my film.
Good plan. If you know you can find film at your destination, I’d certainly go that route. And I think the general consensus is that the regular X-ray machines don’t do much damage at all - even after multiple scans.
thank you for sharing your experience. I've got a couple of photo trips where I was planning to take a bunch of film. thank you for helping me understand I'm not just being paranoid.
Not paranoid at all. BUT, it may be helpful to determine whether the airports you’ll be visiting do indeed have the new scanners. They’re not implemented everywhere. And if they have just the “regular” X-ray machine, your film would be relatively safe in those.
Just this month I flew in and out of Montana with 120 film. I kept it in the sealed back, but removed the boxes. Labeled the ziplock bag “Unexposed film, please hand check” so as it got passed around the message did not get lost. Everything went smoothly. They had a CT scanned and I wonder if TSA staff are better trained in the impacts to film.
Nothing I've heard personally, but in a discussion group I'm in, I read of several people who were refused hand checks in Europe. It was a matter of lose your film or get arrested.
Happened to me in Madrid, changing flights en route to Morocco. It's the only time I've ever been refused. They were rude AF, and--not that it should matter--but I was conversing with them in Spanish.
These are the stories I’ve heard and remember when in the security lines. The standard X-ray machines are indeed relatively safe for low ISO film. And if that’s the tech the airport is using maybe they should just post that and not have to worry about folks requesting hand checks. But if as a traveler I don’t know what they’re using, I’m gonna ask about it. And I guess that’s enough to piss some people off.
I was recently told at Heathrow that they'd only hand check film that's ISO 800 or higher, and they literally pulled the Lomo 800 and Ilford Delta 3200 *out of the clear ziploc of film* and hand checked only those rolls, putting the rest through the machine! It was only an old style machine (I hope!) but it still hurt a lot to see, especially as I've not developed the film yet so I've no idea if the film was still good or not. Kodak, Ilford, etc all need to start pressuring the xray machine manufacturers to stop giving bogus advice to customs officials using their machines. They need to be told that *all* film needs to be hand checked. Always. No exceptions or excuses. Even old machines affect film, and taking a trip with a layover means you could have to put it through those machines four times to get it there and home again.
@@yetanotherbassdude Heathrow’s official policy is anything under 800 goes through the old x-ray scanners, and nobody has ever found consistent damage through having this done. Anything over 800 is hand checked. On the new CT scanners, a hand check will always be granted for all film. I flew recently and the new CT scanner staff were familiar with the rules and hand checked everything I had, including a disposable.
AbsoLUTEly remove your 120 film from the wrapper! Heading from SFO to JFK in June, I politely asked to have my three rolls of Ektachrome 100 hand checked. I had not removed them from the wrapper, just the box. After about 10 minutes, the TSA agents approached me, apologetically, and said they needed to give me a full body pat down, AND that they had to run the film through the scanner anyway as per the instructions of their supervisor. I was not rude or snarky at all, I let them pat me down. Luckily, my film came out fine. Make it as easy for the agents as possible.
The 120 film wrapper is also there to protect the film from moisture that can penetrate the backing paper. This create visible problems on the images if it happens
If you are of a certain age, as I am, you will remember the old Kodak vertical standing slide boxes that your processed film is returned in. I put 35mm film into those. It takes four films (without the can'), easy to pack and when handed to the airport staff, they can quickly see what they are.
I always did this at airports. Got a lead bag and put films inside it in a ziplock bag. To my surprise, traveling within in Chinese cities is a different story... Every subway in Beijing has Xray security check, you have to put everything through there... ZAP, lost 3 rolls. Next day walking on foot, go into the Bell tower museum, BAM, 3 more rolls of film lost to XRAY. Language barrier made it hard to request hand checks when it happens so quick and unexpectedly.
@ in Shanghai film is very easy to buy, didn’t have time to sort out development though. I like to always have something loaded and ready to go as time in transit is limited and I fear missing out image making opportunities. Digital system at that time was practically cromulent and bulky, a DSLR not worth the heft of its unsharp kit lens that completely lacks character. Now I have a new digital system that uses my old film lenses as well as modern lenses, so film will become secondary (but I still love it - can’t let go of film completely).
This is super helpful. Sorry you lost all that film. I’ve heard lots of horror stories about asking for hand checks in Europe. Based on that, I’ve decided to either go digital only when traveling there or buy and process my film at our destination.
I’ve also heard the negative stories re: European air travel. My only experience with that was flying out of Rome last summer. Didn’t get the opportunity to ask for a hand check because the agents were busy in a corner engaged in some conversation and not paying attention. Luckily they still had the old X-ray machines, and the film wasn’t affected. But I echo your thoughts on sourcing film and processing at the destination, if at all possible. I ended up shipping all my exposed rolls back home. And of course that’s not a bad solution for domestic packages. But shipping in or out of the country is probably gonna subject any package to various scanning along the way.
I just traveled through Buffalo and Phoenix and left some Fujifilm Instax instant film (800 speed) in my bag just to see what it would do. I haven't noticed any difference in the film vs a brand new package that wasn't scanned. I also do not know what type of scanner they had whether it was the old or new scanners. I would also recommend putting your name and do not X-ray in sharpie on the outside of your hand check bag. With 120 film, remove from the foil package and place small rubber bands around each end of the 120 roll to make sure it stays tight when they are checking them.
I just did a google search, and it says that both of those airports DO use the new tech. So, let us know if you do notice any kind of issues. One way to tell if the checkpoint uses the CT stuff is that you can leave all electronics in your bag. With the old machines, you had to take that stuff out and put in separate bin.
Thanks a lot! If you have 120 rolls, you could try to just put them in your pocket and go with it through the metal scanner. One guy in the lab gave me the idea. Sadly hand checking is often denied,even if they have nothing to do. The last time, I let them develop it on site and they sent it over afterwards.
I just returned from a trip to Arizona with two rolls of Portra. Went through Hartsfield Jackson and returned via Phoenix airport. I had my unbottled rolls in a small plastic bag and at both locations the TSA people did hand checks with no complaint whatsoever. Prior to departing I had read that the new scanners were bad for film.
Don’t know if anyone has already mentioned it - but Lina Bessanova did an excellent results experiment on CT and normal scans - even with a table on how to best develop the film if it has been scanned.
Ahh man I'm sorry to hear that! I always get my film hand checked and I've really not had a problem here in the US. However, on my last trip, I was traveling with 3 boxes of Portra 800 and 1 box of Ektachrome 100. As always, I asked for a hand check and they did. However, their wand (or whatever it is) at the hand check station came back with an alarm. Another TSA agent came by and told me that per policy, they have to send it through the machine since it got flagged. In hindsight, I should have asked them to open the boxes and check again. My film went through the scanner, and same on the way back home (because I didn't want to deal with it getting flagged again for whatever reason). I usually travel with my film still in the boxes because I've noticed it's easier/faster for them to hand check, rather than having to open each canister one by one and swab them. Guess I won't be doing that now. =\ Luckily, the airports I traveled through did not have those new CT scanners, but I'm still worried about the Portra 800. Guess we'll see when I develop!
Let us know how the 800 comes out. Because they always said regarding the standard X-ray set-ups that ISO 800 or below is fine. Good luck! What do you think could’ve caused the wand to go off? That’s an interesting conundrum.
Regardless of what TSA says, I request a hand check every time. I just went through Hartsfield and they have been really cool about hand checks. It also helps to have a dummy roll of 1600 or higher film. That will help move along the request. I did have a few folks at my local spot ensure the new CT scanners wouldn’t hurt my film. I love that you were told otherwise. Just further ensures I’ll continue to ask for hand checks.
Depending on where I travel, I sometimes order it ahead of time through B&H, Adorama or Amazon that can provided two day shipping to my destination. On the way back, I send it back to my home. Yes, it costs a few dollars, but it is better than loosing great shots.
Great tip! It was one I considered on a trip last year - and what I should have done for this trip. I did end up shipping all my exposed film home, so that’s a good idea as long as it’s a domestic destination. I’m fairly certain international packages get scanned by the same machines - or possibly MORE powerful. Cheers!
@@vintagecameradigest Yes this, any faster shipping is sent in the same aircraft you fly on, and it's defiantly zapped by the higher power scanners, only ship domestic ground if you have to. I'd have no idea about international. would they even do surface anymore?
I bought lead lined bag, since on Xray machines (even the new ones that are stronger) most tsa agents just ask for iso number, and whatever iso number you say, they mention one higher and say that yours will be fine and then chuck the film into machine. Hopefully with CT scanners they will actually hand check
I wish you shot some photos on one or two of these rolls to see if you can tell on an actual picture, since it doesnt really matter on a blank roll if you can see dark spots or not. I'm still pretty new to film, but I would think in an actual image you wouldnt be able to tell too much.
Yes, I plan to do that. There will be the potential for unevenness since the scanner does expose it some. But, absolutely, a real image on it is the next logical step.
This is a great example of life giving you lemons and turning around to make lemonade. My experience as of late is that some airports are getting better with hand-checking, Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi for example they are super quick and professional when presented a ziplock bag of film - off it goes for hand inspection and it's waiting for you on the other side. Frankfurt... I think I got the "tough" agent, and we ended up in a bit of a stand off with me refusing to put dozens of rolls into a CT Scanner. Eventually a supervisor came and without issue did the hand inspection. "We'll have to do the swab." "Yup, no problem with that at all, thanks."
To be honest I would have expected it to be more exposed, to unusable levels even. Seems the casing helps a lot to protect it from X-rays (CT scanners also use an X-ray tube), after all radiography for both health and inspections are/used to be done by just exposing the subject with X-rays on one side and a photographic film on the other. For those curious, nowadays health X-rays are usually done on a digital plate, but welds are still usually inspected through film, either with X-ray machines or radioactive sources like Cesium or Cobalt. For VERY thick stuff even a particle accelerator might be used. Using film on a weld is quite simple after all, you basically place it exactly on top of the weld and the source on the opposite side, will give you a great view of the inside of the welds.
That’s very interesting about the welds. Super cool. In any case, I’m going to shoot some of this film to see if the results will be terrible. Stay tuned.
I just went through Nashville airport which has the new CT Scanners. All I did was hold up the bag of film and the TSA agent knew I wanted a hand check. I did not have to take the 120 film out of its wrapper as some suggest. Flying through LAX I had the same experience, just held up the bag of films and the TSA agent knew and asked me if I wanted it hand check. BTW, where are the links for the other videos you mentioned, I didn’t see them in the description.
Yeah, I’m a dummy and forgot to put it there. I just fixed it but the link is below. Back to the film, though, that’s very encouraging! So many thanks for sharing that positive experience! The Nikon F2 - Greatest Mechanical SLR Ever? ruclips.net/video/7lHQCf06cg8/видео.html
Did pretty much everything (except lead bag): ask for hand-check (80% success rate I think), forget to ask, forget film in checked in bags 😂 (multiple times). I know it can happen but never had any problem with my negative at any iso (up to 1600). I really feel like it’s not under my control to care really (doesn’t matter how nice you are, some will just refuse to hand check). I’m just lucky I don’t do professional works on film, and really if shit happens I’ll just laugh it off. You know, one of those un-expected things you have shooting film.
I posted images that were so toasted on reddit once about how they turned green flying ONCE out of Indianapolis International. People thought I was lying but I only sent one roll of film through the scanner as an experiment as I had the rest developed in Indiana at Roberts before I left. I wish I could post them but not gonna risk getting flagged. If it looks like a MRI machine DONT DO IT. on a side note I liked the effect of it haha
Glad you liked the result! But, yeah, I see some folks just don’t believe there’s an issue. What I’m assuming is that they’re not aware that this is a new screening technology - not the type of 30 years ago.
@vintagecameradigest yeah I basically had a full blown argument over it before. I've flown a few times and never had issues with hand checks. If im flying with new film just leave it in the box or whatever like how you bought it from Walmart or the 120 boxes. They just swab the box and that's it at least for me
What this is leading to is an opportunity for someone to open photo film kiosks at all the airports (in the terminals, passed the TSA checkpoints, of course). Hmmm…..
I often fly thru London Heathrow and whether or not you get a hand search on request seems to depend very much on how busy they are, and who you get. I've not encountered any of the new scanners yet, but I did write a while ago to the department who deal with airport security asking for their advice. The reply was rather non-committal and didn't fill me with confidence that I'd necessarily get my request.
This is the type of story I’ve heard for years - agents being too busy and ornery about film. My experience - at least this time - showed that it’s not necessarily true. I imagine that the number of travelers with film has dropped significantly and is much less a hassle than before. STILL - the response you received wouldn’t instill confidence in me at all. I’d rather mail a box of film to where I’m headed and have it waiting on me, if possible.
I've asked for a handcheck about 10 times over the past two years, every time that was fine with the exception of coming out of Cuba it was refused but the machine had FILMSAFE on it..
If you still have some unused film that was scanned it might be informative to shoot some test images with it. In the darkroom I did occasionally “pre-flash” B&W paper for exposure by a negative in the enlarger. The chemistry action of B&W image formation is not linear and slow to start. I never got very good at this, but the idea was to get out more detail a high contrast negative especially in the highlights. (I mostly used graded contrast paper instead.) I had slide film in the middle of multiple destination trip in Asia and I forgot to hand check (for a long leg of the trip) and at least once my 35mm film got “x-rayed.” When later developed the rolls I had already used were ruined; the images were faded and had color shifts. I was in a remote destination, and I used a few of the other rolls of that same slide film (I think it was Fujifilm Velvia) and remarkably the images looked fine. 😊 I would guess the x-ray exposure raised the ASA sensitivity of the unexposed film to some degree; however I could not see a problem in my results. It would be interesting to find out if the issues caused by security machines might be hidden by a larger effect of the actual/intended exposure in the camera. I suspect that the effects of this new use of CT scan (that is a form of 3D x-ray imaging) on film might be different from other types of scanners. You deserve kudos for sharing this and reminding all watching your video, “to be kind.”
I hadn’t thought about in a way similar to the “pre-flashing”. You may be on to something. I do plan to shoot a few of those rolls to see what practical effect it might have. And the idea that the exposure of each image might provide different results on the film is quite insightful and something else I haven’t considered. So thanks for this. We’ll see what happens. Cheers!
@@vintagecameradigest If I know from my experience and your excellent video, if my film was put through and x-ray (and CT is x-ray) I would not use if possible, but it would be good to find out more, B&W, color, before or after in camera exposure, etc. This video below also looks into these questions in what looks to be a careful science-y approach by a skilled film-based photographer: ruclips.net/video/oRlReCTzDV8/видео.html
Thanks for doing this video! The same happened to me, but I coincidentally changed my scanner as well. Now I know that it wasn't the scanner to blame for the super grainy results. Yet, when I smooth and downsample the images to be viewed on a smartphone, the images are still okay. So if you accidentally let your family pictures through the CT scanner, it's not the end of the world!
Hi Steven. I am glad that you found some film. I’ve not tried traveling with film since before the existence of CT scanners. If I did, I would try to source the film and developing locally as a work around; or ship the film to a trustee at my destination and ship the film directly to a lab. Great content on your channel! 😎
It’s interesting that the carry-on CT damage is overall fogging and minor uneveness, which is quite unlike the banding experienced with checked baggage CT systems. Perhaps this can be considered progress!?!?
I just don’t trust any scanners, so I’m totally fine with the TSA doing a hand inspection on my rolls and sheets. I have a swap out process when approaching the TSA checkpoint. I believe the process is much easier for me as I have TSA Pre-check, so the ask with a please at the start goes a long way. Funny enough, a lot of TSA folks get super interested in my camera gear as most of which have never seen film gear in decades since we live in a digital age.
Oh, I’m sure a lot of them would be interested in the gear. I’m sure they see millions of boring things through that machine. But, yes, asking for a hand check is the best place to start.
@@vintagecameradigest I came across your video by accident, I love the cross comparisons you provided, shockingly repelling to say how they affect your film.
Great video! Would love to have seen some photos after the film was sent through the MRI scanner. Every time I have asked for a hand check in the USA (ATL, DEN, SF, DET, CHI,...+) and Central America (en espanol) it has been granted. Most recently in Madrid I was told no, not unless it is 1600 ISO film 🥲 coincidentally carrying more film than I ever have before.... it went through. First roll back and it looks okay... but cant shake the feeling there is some green cast in my portra shadows I am not really used to. May be in my head!
Yes, I think I’ll take a couple of these rolls and do a follow up. I can see what the damage is so far, but how does it actually affect the photos? That’s a good question that I can find answers to. Great suggestion!
Last time flew with film was in 2003 and I can see the damage to the negatives - but I also few across the world (Amsterdam -> Dulles -> LAX -> Auckland. Auckland -> Christchurch. Auckland -> LAX -> O'hare -> Amsterdam). I have half a roll of TMax 200 which was exposed in Europe, which is almost fine, but everything which was non exposed and went with me to NZ has grain (especially the Gold 200). Sad, but such is life. I only recently have picked up film again, and am thinking about the hand check - there are horror stories from Europe where security refuse to do a hand check.
Forgive me if you’ve already answered this. I’ve never bothered to ask for a hand check of sheet film (both 4x5 and 8x10) because I’ve assumed they would insist on opening the boxes. Can you shed some light on how I can get a hand check of sheet film without shedding light on it? 😊
That is indeed the question. Sheet film is a bit of a problem since you can’t open the box. I don’t have any suggestions for this, unfortunately. Maybe someone else could shed some light. When I first began thinking of this trip a year ago I had planned to take my 4x5 field camera. And to avoid the airport issues I was just going to ship it to meet me at my first destination. I would probably still do that if at all possible.
Thanks for sharing - firstly I am totally not doubting you. And there has been a lot of discussion on threads lately as well. I fly international quite a lot between Europe and Asia. That includes with film in my hand luggage as well as loaded cameras in hold and hand luggage. Over the years I have constantly looked to see if my film is suffering and other than a single roll of Acros have yet to find any real evidence and even that film I am not certain. I also fly through multiple airports. CDG, El Prat, Schipol, Seoul, Narrita, Dubai, SNG, HK, BKK, Hanoi, Phnom Penh, Abu Dhabi. Have just scanned a Rollei RPX which had not gone through and one which had and there is a very similar grain pattern on both. Same with Fuji colour 200. Including a HP5 which has been through 4 scans/xrays If I was flying into the USA I think I would certainly have film hand checked. but I also teach a 1st year college equivalent course on Environmental radiation and I think it is probably a greater problem in the USA where and I am not certain about this, CT scans have a higher "dose" limit than in the EU. I think what you do highlight is higher ASA film will always be more of a risk. I rarely use faster than 200ASA. Another video on YT highlights Brandenburg Berlin with 1600ASA film, as a problem, but BER advice that they are having to use machines with higher dose rates at times and that people should hand check. Schipol and CDG T1 have the newest system in Europe and both will only say film under 800ASA is safe - interestingly if your film was fogged in Schipol or CDG, because of those signs you would have recourse to consumer protection. but it is a minefield and I can totally understand why people take the precaution, just its not quite as clear cut as all scans in all airports.
Precisely. “Minefield” is great description. If I were certain that an airport was still using the old-school X-ray machines, I’d just let the film go through. But if I can’t confirm what they’re using, I’ll play it safe and request a hand check. I appreciate your insight!
@@vintagecameradigest Yes entirely thats the hard part. So its obvious why people are panicked by it. On a side note - I have seen film which has been fogged by Radon, inside a house - In Cornwall some homes have a Radon level that dose wise over about 3 months his higher than around 4 passes through a CT scanner. Interestingly theer are a couple of film distributors in Europe whose premises are in high Radon background areas. Whilst alpha particles from Radon shouldnt pass through a plastic film canister it does beg the question about long term storage of any film, in high Background areas. Like I said I teach a course on Environmental radiation equivalent to a US 1st year college course - so i am fascinated by it.
I thought you were going to take some pictures with the CT-exposed film. We went to Scotland in 2022 and I had HP-5 with me. It seemed OK, but the pictures seemed really grainy. I don't know what type of scanners they had in Edinburgh and Cleveland, but I wonder if that was the cause.
I am planning to use the film and do a comparison soon. It would be a good follow up to this and was suggested by several viewers. Not suer why it didn’t occur to me at the time, but yep - working on it. Thanks for watching!
Unfortunately you can't take your darkroom with you when traveling. It is not possible to wait for weeks abroad for film to be developed. But yes, to be 100% sure, this is the only way, as in many countries all requests for hand check will be routinely denied. And you will be denied boarding if you complain.
At least I was indeed able to buy locally. Before we flew home, I went to the local post office and mailed the whole lot back home. Was worth the peace of mind.
@@vintagecameradigest It's great to buy local, not least because it keeps 'destination'-based retailers in business. I'd always prefer to hand carry undeveloped film if I possibly can, because the post office xray machines might aswell be from the and are way more energetic. Develop in situ if at all possible too.
When I’ve gone through airports, I’ve always asked them to hand inspect. my film in a plastic see-through bag so they can hand inspect or visually inspect🎉🎉
Yes I have had experience, all be it many years ago once in Schipol and in Singapore. Schipol I asked for a hand search, was denied so I grabbed my bag and stepped aside allowing others to pass, a second person done the same, then someone came, a woman of Tamara Press build with a weapon who reluctantly searched the bags of a few who all refused the x-ray. Singapore was rather different, when a guard with a machine gun motioned to put it through the x-ray, we compromised he allowed me to unload my cameras before passing them through, I have to say it was a bit frightening.
Gotta admit I’d be a bit frightened, myself. I guess it’s just gonna get to a point where if you’re traveling internationally, leave the film camera at home. Which sucks.
This is the best option for sure. Plan well and make arrangements. I ended up shipping all my exposed film back home from the local post office where were staying in Idaho. It wasn’t cheap, but the peace of mind made up for it.
@@vintagecameradigest back when I was still shooting Kodachrome, I used mailers to process, because it was the lowest cost option. I would ship those stuffed mailers direct to the Kodak lab from location, via FedEx, to minimize heat damage. I am glad you brought up this business about CT scanners, I rarely travel with film, and had no idea it would be at risk.
I have traveled with film many times in the last year leaving out of ATL and I always have asked for handcheck. It's never been an issue. I am TSA precheck, so maybe they are nicer, but I don't think so. Only problem I have ever has was at London Heathrow. They refused to handcheck and said the film would be fine. This was after exposing a bunch on out trip. I was relieved that they were not wrong and the photos came out ok. Their machines in London had posted that below ISO 1600 was ok. So I guess that was accurate.
It seems that if ATL can do it without a fuss then anyone should be able to. The old, standard X-Ray machines were usually safe for film at least ISO 800 and less. I’m pretty sure that’s why I lucked out last year flying out of Rome. I just wonder how long it’ll be for every airport to include the new tech.
Very good questions. I hope to answer them soon, as I plan to shoot some of the film just to see what sort of real damage we’ll see. I fully expect the negs to be uneven in density due to the exposure pattern from the scanners. But how much? Hope to get to the bottom of it soon.
Lower ISO like 100 is not as bad as 400. But my film was still affected. My guess is that I can probably shoot the ISO 100 film and not notice much degradation. I’ll be checking this soon.
I never fly with film anymore. Use digital when travelling (and mostly when not travelling). Even earlier when I travelled a lot more I was refused manual check several times and started buying and (if possible) also get the film developed before the return trip. That's of course more difficult today, but still worth a try. Here's another film and airport video who did a lot of checks: ruclips.net/video/oRlReCTzDV8/видео.html
Hi Steven, thanks a lof for sharing your experience, I recommend video from Lina Bessonova’s channel, she did very detailed test of airport scanners. Have a nice day to all!
To be honest, I have not been traveling with film outside of my country in decades, so digital only. Now, with that been said, in my country airports are still use old x-ray machines. Not so in Germany, where I flew often, but then again, I flew there with digital only, so I was safe...
Not 100% convinced. Are you comparing the same exact stock? Why is the exposed image always more blurry? Also the letters of the film are never the same. Example 8:45 the K from KODAK is completely different. Also brand name is bold on the right side. Could it be that they are old and new stock? I can only find examples of the right side, so I assume this is the newer version. 🤔 I also think both images are scanned with completely different scanners.
All the film is fresh and scanned the exact same way. The only deviation is the Portra 400 (at 8:45) where I compared it to a 120 negative (at the same magnification, of course) and I actually said this in the video. So, no these are two different formats of that stock. The Kentmere frames are taken from the same 100’ roll. The HP5 frames are are taken from an off the shelf roll, and a 100’ roll that was used to bulk load. The markings on these two are different. I’m sure there’s a reason, but I don’t know why it is. I’m also not seeing where the exposed frames are “blurry”. Take this info as you will. But the exposure patterns on the films are certainly the result of the scanner - regardless of the base grain or fog. But, I’m not here to argue. I’m just saying that the CT scanners at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson did affect my film. Lower ISO was not as much, but still affected. Your mileage may vary.
Thanks for sharing. So this is the future then. There are many places in Asia where you basically can’t ask for hand checking since they don’t speak English or are not willing to ask superior for permission
TSA is a joke! I was in the USAF, we checked people 3 miles away from the B52s…Last month, my Kentmere 400 b&w was fogged by the scanners. Could not save any pics in the darkroom. No contrast at all. I,too, forgot to have the film hand checked.
I lost 12 rolls of Kodak Gold 200 in the Istanbul airport. I asked them for a hand check but they couldn't speak English so the security head had to come and she said hand check isn't possible but the machine wouldn't harm the film... Everything gone.
The sensors of digital cameras are not sensitive to X-rays. But even if - unlike the one-time sensor film, where the radioation modifies the sensor itself irreversible, the digital sensors are more like measuring devices of the current state. They reset after the radiation stops, so that you can take images over and over with the same sensor.
Glad you mentioned that. That is the dilemma. There’s no easy way to check it other than just swabbing the box. Seems to me that should be good enough, but I’ve heard otherwise. Maybe someone here can offer more insight.
If I ever travel with my Pentax K1000 and some film I’ll try to ask in advance each airport their inspection policy. Personally I’ve never used anything above ISO 400.
I’m guessing that was because the old X-ray machines were relatively safe for film, but hardly anyone believed it. I think the vast majority still are safe. But the new type is a different animal altogether.
When I'm flying with 120 film, I put my film in a clear bag OR take them out of a the foil wrapper. Not both. I'm more likely to keep the film in the foil instead of putting unpackaged film in a dark bag. I get they have a job to do, but taking care of it is their job. They don't get paid for me to risk my film to make their jobs easier. The most that has ever happened with a hand check is that they swiped the wrapped film with their patch and tested the patch in their machine and then let me go on my way.
Yes, I really don’t want to be told they won’t do it. But I do suppose everyone has a bad day at work now and then. STILL, as I was told, it IS their job. So…
I had film smoked on me while traveling in Europe in the 90's, they didn't give a shit either, through the X-ray it went... I now will *NEVER* travel with film by air anymore, I'll grab the Zf and a few lenses. I would never trust the TSA to know what they are doing.
I was not aware of this new evil machines, but I understand they're ultimately there to help. I've had all sorts of replies to my "can you please hand check my film", from the by all means, very kind, to the blunt no, place it on the xray conveyor or we bin it. And I've been always extremely kind, I think if they're aware the scanner can destroy your film then they'll agree without hassle.
I hope that will ultimately be the case. Apparently the agent I dealt with after the fact had been informed. Maybe it’s part of training on the new machines.
Flew out of Rome in July 2024 had no problem with the film. Flew out of London Sept 2024 all rolls foggy. The European airports will not hand check film below 800ISO. At least in the states they will hand check if you ask.
I also had no issues flying out of Rome last year and the film went through the X-ray machines. So I suppose they’re still using the old tech. But I’m definitely hearing Heathrow as not being very cooperative. So that tracks.
It is certainly possible that new technology will cause new problems. But historically, airport hand baggage x rays will not do any damage to film. But that hasn't stopped a whole cadre of know-nothings from broadcasting doom and gloom nonsense. I've been travelling with film for over 40 years and NEVER had an issue with hand baggage x rays. I just came back from Europe where my film was x-rayed no less than six times with no issues. The Pushing Film guy recently put out a video where his film was scanned at least 17 times with no issues! I respect the analysis you've done, but will remain skeptical for now.
You’re correct, the “standard” X-ray machines do not create this damage. This was caused by the new CT imaging tech. Not every airport has it. But it could become the norm.
Thanks for this advice. We must understand their role, which is for our own protection, so being calm and having things prepared properly to ease the examination seems the best to do. Although I don't fly anymore, it's too many people, to many delays and too many times spent before and after the flight itself, that we really opted for travelling by car, even on long journeys we travel for 6 to 8 hours, then stop for dinner, city walk, a nice sleep and, next day on the road again. Well, I live in Europe, so maybe we have shorter distances than the USA.
Yes we do have to keep it in mind that it’s for everyone’s safety. No one really wants to be antagonistic (hopefully), but anyone can have a bad day here and there. I would’ve loved to have driven to Montana, but it was 3200 Km from here :-) I forget how big the US is sometimes, lol.
Flying out of the US is pretty easy. Ask for a hand check and you are good to go. Munich Germany Airport is terrible, they flat out deny a hand check and they use machines that will ruin the film. Good beer, terrible airport.
If you are going to fly, shoot digital. I asked for a handshake with my Ziplock bag of 10 rolls of 120 film 100 and 400 ISO, out of their boxes. The TSA agent said No, "everything goes through the scanner, or put it in the garbage over there. Your choice sir..." so I asked to see the supervisor. He came and said the scanner is film-safe up to ISO 800! He left and the agents proceeded to scan my film, not once, not twice, but 3 F***ing times. They rolled that conveyor belt forward, looked at the screen, reversed the machine, scanned again, reversed the machine, scanned again, then rolled the bag out, smiled and handed me the bag! I shot one B&W roll and it was a mess.
My wife, trying to calm me down, pointed out that better it happened going rather than on the return flight with 10 exposed rolls. All that to say, hard lesson learned, it's not worth flying with film.
This is the exact type of horror story that gives me anxiety. I’ll probably have nightmares now. Glad your wife alerted you to the silver lining. Smart woman!
I don’t think many of us would ever claim a technical advantage with film. I wouldn’t. The reason I still shoot film is for the fun of it. I enjoy the analog process. But I shoot digital, too.
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
Sweden here: last time security personell did not even know what film is. Did not trust explanation and film was scanned in order to be let thru.
Imagine working with that type of equipment and not having any interest in what it does to sensitive materials, not beeing the least bit prepared for worried customers. Crazy.
Sounds like a good training opportunity for security staff. Crazy, indeed.
I recently brought a bunch of film with me on a cruise, which includes some security checks. I asked for a hand check, and they were really polite and friendly. They said “we don’t see film much these days”.
I’m very glad I shot film on the trip.
Thanks for bringing that up. I haven’t considered the security for cruises. But I imagine it’s about the same. Glad they were willing to oblige!
Sorry for your problems and loss ... a very informative and important video ... deeply appreciated.
Well, i just considered it another opportunity to share some good info. But it was a pretty depressing flight for the first part. Thank goodness for Walmart!
A well placed thank you …
Remember to be kind …
The best advice in your video.
You never lose as long as you learn (or in your case, teach). Thank you for sharing your experience so we can benefit.
Thanks so much! It was, indeed, a learning/teaching opportunity. But I was in a serious funk for most of the flight. My smart wife, however, was all “we can find film when we get there”. So thankful for that!
@ Smart wives are the best! I’m dumber than a sack of hammers compared to my wife but I’m ok with that. We all have a cross to bear and I’m hers! 😁
We are lucky men!
I remember back in the day they used to sell lead lined film bags (x-ray proof was usually the wording) specifically to solve this issue. Sure they might be refuse to hand check it, but they are still going to have to check it by hand afterwards. I wonder if they still do.
From what I’ve gleaned from a lot of the comments so far is that those bags are no match for the CT scanners. But if your airport doesn’t employ the new scanners, they would work. But the regular X-ray machines really shouldn’t affect film below ISO 800 anyway. I’ve had film go through X-ray machines with no ill effects.
These days, those bags are useless. Nowadays they just turn up the power of the X-ray machine until they can see through the bag. In other words, the lead only blocks most of the x-rays... not enough? Just use more! 😅
Great video, Steven. I'm from Australia and recently returned from a vacation in France. I took several rolls through three airports (Brisbane; Australia, Changi; Singapore and Charles de Gaulle; Paris and the staff happily provided hand checking of film. The results were definitely worth it.
Thanks for sharing this! We need to start a list of “hand-check friendly” airports. Cheers!
Back 40 years ago when I traveled, I always made sure that my film was in a clear plastic bag, and if they insisted that it had to go through the x-ray machine, I would ask the TSA agent to please hand me your badge which happen to be a film badge, which is also sensitive to x-ray. And only a dumb TSA agent would agree to let his film badge go through beside your film through the x-ray unit.
That is a bold and brave move. You have my respect. I have the feeling that if I said that now, I’d quickly be in custody :-))
Today, they don't wear badges, since the equipment are mostly self shielded.
Last trip. Going out, TSA very accommodating. Mailed exposed film to my home. All was well. Have also mailed directly from my remote location to The Darkroom.
Another positive experience that I’m glad to hear. I do think making use of the postal service is an excellent recommendation if at all possible.
Interesting video. I haven’t flown in several years and was not aware of the new scanners. Thank you!
Thanks for watching! Yes, these new ones are being slowly implemented. Worth being aware of.
The ‘new scanners’ news had been around for a decade at least I think (when I started shooting film).
Thank you!
Thanks for watching!
This is great information, I sometimes fly in and out of that airport. Thank you for taking the time to make this video.
Hope it helps!
Great video and advice. One additional thought that I didn't hear so much but which I believe is vital, is to make sure to leave yourself extra time for the hand check. In other words, leave for the airport early enough to give yourself an appropriate time cushion so that the agents can perform the hand check. Again, otherwise a terrific video!
Great point! Thanks for adding that.
When I had my camera store I sold these lead lined bags for X-RAY sensitive items. I still have a few and my son uses them for his trips.
I used those bags for years without any problems but haven't encountered those new machines. But will be alert to them. Has anyone tried the lead lines bags with the new CT scanners?
I remember those bags. I do wonder if it would make any difference.
If the bag block the scan, the TSA agent should ask to remove the item from the bag for had screening.
@@vintagecameradigest I am sure they will pull your bag, take out the film from the bag and scan it again.
.
Those bags do absolutely nothing. Security will either turn up the x-ray strength to see what’s inside, or just take everything of the bag and scan it all again individually. Why would they let an invisible bag through when it could be full of explosives?
I have travelled by air within Canada and asked that my 35mm film (HP5+ and Velvia 100) be hand checked with no problems. I've read that they swab it to check for explosive residue. Just like you mentioned in your video, I keep it in a clear ziploc bag without the packaging and plastic container.
I did travel to Philippines with a 35mm roll of Ektar 100 with several stopovers, and my film only got scanned once at Incheon -- they assured me that anything under ISO800 was okay to go through the x-ray (not CT scanner). After the roll was developed and scanned, it doesn't seem to show any fog and/or patterns so that one x-ray scan was probably okay. Vancouver, Hong Kong, and Manila all had no problems with hand checking my film.
I'm planning to shoot some film on an upcoming trip to Japan, but I just don't wanna deal with hand checking several rolls of film, so my plan is to just buy film there and also get it developed there and then get the negatives sent to me by mail. I looked at some prices for film I wanted to use and they're similarly priced so I don't even have to buy beforehand. I will just have to double check with whoever develops the film if they can mail the negatives back to Canada. If not, then I may have to rely on forwarders for extra cost if it means saving all my film.
Good plan. If you know you can find film at your destination, I’d certainly go that route. And I think the general consensus is that the regular X-ray machines don’t do much damage at all - even after multiple scans.
thank you for sharing your experience. I've got a couple of photo trips where I was planning to take a bunch of film. thank you for helping me understand I'm not just being paranoid.
Not paranoid at all. BUT, it may be helpful to determine whether the airports you’ll be visiting do indeed have the new scanners. They’re not implemented everywhere. And if they have just the “regular” X-ray machine, your film would be relatively safe in those.
Just this month I flew in and out of Montana with 120 film. I kept it in the sealed back, but removed the boxes. Labeled the ziplock bag “Unexposed film, please hand check” so as it got passed around the message did not get lost. Everything went smoothly. They had a CT scanned and I wonder if TSA staff are better trained in the impacts to film.
I think they may be. At least the agent I dealt with was aware of it and knew it was a problem.
Nothing I've heard personally, but in a discussion group I'm in, I read of several people who were refused hand checks in Europe. It was a matter of lose your film or get arrested.
Happened to me in Madrid, changing flights en route to Morocco. It's the only time I've ever been refused. They were rude AF, and--not that it should matter--but I was conversing with them in Spanish.
These are the stories I’ve heard and remember when in the security lines. The standard X-ray machines are indeed relatively safe for low ISO film. And if that’s the tech the airport is using maybe they should just post that and not have to worry about folks requesting hand checks. But if as a traveler I don’t know what they’re using, I’m gonna ask about it. And I guess that’s enough to piss some people off.
I was recently told at Heathrow that they'd only hand check film that's ISO 800 or higher, and they literally pulled the Lomo 800 and Ilford Delta 3200 *out of the clear ziploc of film* and hand checked only those rolls, putting the rest through the machine! It was only an old style machine (I hope!) but it still hurt a lot to see, especially as I've not developed the film yet so I've no idea if the film was still good or not. Kodak, Ilford, etc all need to start pressuring the xray machine manufacturers to stop giving bogus advice to customs officials using their machines. They need to be told that *all* film needs to be hand checked. Always. No exceptions or excuses. Even old machines affect film, and taking a trip with a layover means you could have to put it through those machines four times to get it there and home again.
@@yetanotherbassdude Heathrow’s official policy is anything under 800 goes through the old x-ray scanners, and nobody has ever found consistent damage through having this done. Anything over 800 is hand checked. On the new CT scanners, a hand check will always be granted for all film. I flew recently and the new CT scanner staff were familiar with the rules and hand checked everything I had, including a disposable.
I like this.
AbsoLUTEly remove your 120 film from the wrapper! Heading from SFO to JFK in June, I politely asked to have my three rolls of Ektachrome 100 hand checked. I had not removed them from the wrapper, just the box. After about 10 minutes, the TSA agents approached me, apologetically, and said they needed to give me a full body pat down, AND that they had to run the film through the scanner anyway as per the instructions of their supervisor.
I was not rude or snarky at all, I let them pat me down. Luckily, my film came out fine.
Make it as easy for the agents as possible.
Great story and sound advice.
The 120 film wrapper is also there to protect the film from moisture that can penetrate the backing paper. This create visible problems on the images if it happens
Good point!
If you are of a certain age, as I am, you will remember the old Kodak vertical standing slide boxes that your processed film is returned in. I put 35mm film into those. It takes four films (without the can'), easy to pack and when handed to the airport staff, they can quickly see what they are.
That would have worked nicely. I wonder if I still have any of those laying around? I’m sure I do…where to find them may be the issue :-))
I always did this at airports. Got a lead bag and put films inside it in a ziplock bag. To my surprise, traveling within in Chinese cities is a different story...
Every subway in Beijing has Xray security check, you have to put everything through there... ZAP, lost 3 rolls. Next day walking on foot, go into the Bell tower museum, BAM, 3 more rolls of film lost to XRAY. Language barrier made it hard to request hand checks when it happens so quick and unexpectedly.
Wow. Doesn’t sound like you can escape it in China. Think I’ll stick to digital if I ever get to visit there.
Film may be prevalent enough to be easy to buy and have developed there. If the effort is too much, would just shoot digital.
@ in Shanghai film is very easy to buy, didn’t have time to sort out development though. I like to always have something loaded and ready to go as time in transit is limited and I fear missing out image making opportunities.
Digital system at that time was practically cromulent and bulky, a DSLR not worth the heft of its unsharp kit lens that completely lacks character.
Now I have a new digital system that uses my old film lenses as well as modern lenses, so film will become secondary (but I still love it - can’t let go of film completely).
This is super helpful. Sorry you lost all that film. I’ve heard lots of horror stories about asking for hand checks in Europe. Based on that, I’ve decided to either go digital only when traveling there or buy and process my film at our destination.
I’ve also heard the negative stories re: European air travel. My only experience with that was flying out of Rome last summer. Didn’t get the opportunity to ask for a hand check because the agents were busy in a corner engaged in some conversation and not paying attention. Luckily they still had the old X-ray machines, and the film wasn’t affected. But I echo your thoughts on sourcing film and processing at the destination, if at all possible. I ended up shipping all my exposed rolls back home. And of course that’s not a bad solution for domestic packages. But shipping in or out of the country is probably gonna subject any package to various scanning along the way.
I just traveled through Buffalo and Phoenix and left some Fujifilm Instax instant film (800 speed) in my bag just to see what it would do. I haven't noticed any difference in the film vs a brand new package that wasn't scanned. I also do not know what type of scanner they had whether it was the old or new scanners. I would also recommend putting your name and do not X-ray in sharpie on the outside of your hand check bag. With 120 film, remove from the foil package and place small rubber bands around each end of the 120 roll to make sure it stays tight when they are checking them.
I just did a google search, and it says that both of those airports DO use the new tech. So, let us know if you do notice any kind of issues. One way to tell if the checkpoint uses the CT stuff is that you can leave all electronics in your bag. With the old machines, you had to take that stuff out and put in separate bin.
Thanks a lot! If you have 120 rolls, you could try to just put them in your pocket and go with it through the metal scanner. One guy in the lab gave me the idea. Sadly hand checking is often denied,even if they have nothing to do. The last time, I let them develop it on site and they sent it over afterwards.
Not a bad idea…
I just returned from a trip to Arizona with two rolls of Portra. Went through Hartsfield Jackson and returned via Phoenix airport. I had my unbottled rolls in a small plastic bag and at both locations the TSA people did hand checks with no complaint whatsoever. Prior to departing I had read that the new scanners were bad for film.
I had read that too. I just didn’t know what it actually did to the film. But I’m really glad TSA is aware of it and willing to provide a solution.
Don’t know if anyone has already mentioned it - but Lina Bessanova did an excellent results experiment on CT and normal scans - even with a table on how to best develop the film if it has been scanned.
Yes, her video’s been mentioned a few times. So it’s on my watch list. Sounds pretty extensive and well worth the time to watch. Cheers!
Ahh man I'm sorry to hear that! I always get my film hand checked and I've really not had a problem here in the US. However, on my last trip, I was traveling with 3 boxes of Portra 800 and 1 box of Ektachrome 100. As always, I asked for a hand check and they did. However, their wand (or whatever it is) at the hand check station came back with an alarm. Another TSA agent came by and told me that per policy, they have to send it through the machine since it got flagged. In hindsight, I should have asked them to open the boxes and check again. My film went through the scanner, and same on the way back home (because I didn't want to deal with it getting flagged again for whatever reason).
I usually travel with my film still in the boxes because I've noticed it's easier/faster for them to hand check, rather than having to open each canister one by one and swab them. Guess I won't be doing that now. =\
Luckily, the airports I traveled through did not have those new CT scanners, but I'm still worried about the Portra 800. Guess we'll see when I develop!
Let us know how the 800 comes out. Because they always said regarding the standard X-ray set-ups that ISO 800 or below is fine. Good luck!
What do you think could’ve caused the wand to go off? That’s an interesting conundrum.
Regardless of what TSA says, I request a hand check every time. I just went through Hartsfield and they have been really cool about hand checks. It also helps to have a dummy roll of 1600 or higher film. That will help move along the request. I did have a few folks at my local spot ensure the new CT scanners wouldn’t hurt my film. I love that you were told otherwise. Just further ensures I’ll continue to ask for hand checks.
Yeah, when the TSA folks said it would, it put it in the confirmed category for me.
Depending on where I travel, I sometimes order it ahead of time through B&H, Adorama or Amazon that can provided two day shipping to my destination. On the way back, I send it back to my home. Yes, it costs a few dollars, but it is better than loosing great shots.
Great tip! It was one I considered on a trip last year - and what I should have done for this trip. I did end up shipping all my exposed film home, so that’s a good idea as long as it’s a domestic destination. I’m fairly certain international packages get scanned by the same machines - or possibly MORE powerful. Cheers!
@@vintagecameradigest Yes this, any faster shipping is sent in the same aircraft you fly on, and it's defiantly zapped by the higher power scanners, only ship domestic ground if you have to. I'd have no idea about international. would they even do surface anymore?
That's usually my strategy as well when possible. Mail the film there and mail it back from there, I never take it on a plane with me.
I bought lead lined bag, since on Xray machines (even the new ones that are stronger) most tsa agents just ask for iso number, and whatever iso number you say, they mention one higher and say that yours will be fine and then chuck the film into machine. Hopefully with CT scanners they will actually hand check
I think (hope) they will. The agent I dealt with was aware of the issue and had been instructed as such. So, here’s hoping!
Thanks for sharing! I rarely fly with film; but very good to know.
Thanks for watching!
I wish you shot some photos on one or two of these rolls to see if you can tell on an actual picture, since it doesnt really matter on a blank roll if you can see dark spots or not.
I'm still pretty new to film, but I would think in an actual image you wouldnt be able to tell too much.
Yes, I plan to do that. There will be the potential for unevenness since the scanner does expose it some. But, absolutely, a real image on it is the next logical step.
@vintagecameradigest oh awesome! Looking forward to that!
This is a great example of life giving you lemons and turning around to make lemonade. My experience as of late is that some airports are getting better with hand-checking, Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi for example they are super quick and professional when presented a ziplock bag of film - off it goes for hand inspection and it's waiting for you on the other side. Frankfurt... I think I got the "tough" agent, and we ended up in a bit of a stand off with me refusing to put dozens of rolls into a CT Scanner. Eventually a supervisor came and without issue did the hand inspection. "We'll have to do the swab." "Yup, no problem with that at all, thanks."
Good to know! Glad to hear you stood your ground in Frankfurt.
To be honest I would have expected it to be more exposed, to unusable levels even. Seems the casing helps a lot to protect it from X-rays (CT scanners also use an X-ray tube), after all radiography for both health and inspections are/used to be done by just exposing the subject with X-rays on one side and a photographic film on the other.
For those curious, nowadays health X-rays are usually done on a digital plate, but welds are still usually inspected through film, either with X-ray machines or radioactive sources like Cesium or Cobalt. For VERY thick stuff even a particle accelerator might be used.
Using film on a weld is quite simple after all, you basically place it exactly on top of the weld and the source on the opposite side, will give you a great view of the inside of the welds.
That’s very interesting about the welds. Super cool. In any case, I’m going to shoot some of this film to see if the results will be terrible. Stay tuned.
I just went through Nashville airport which has the new CT Scanners. All I did was hold up the bag of film and the TSA agent knew I wanted a hand check. I did not have to take the 120 film out of its wrapper as some suggest. Flying through LAX I had the same experience, just held up the bag of films and the TSA agent knew and asked me if I wanted it hand check.
BTW, where are the links for the other videos you mentioned, I didn’t see them in the description.
Yeah, I’m a dummy and forgot to put it there. I just fixed it but the link is below.
Back to the film, though, that’s very encouraging! So many thanks for sharing that positive experience!
The Nikon F2 - Greatest Mechanical SLR Ever?
ruclips.net/video/7lHQCf06cg8/видео.html
Did pretty much everything (except lead bag): ask for hand-check (80% success rate I think), forget to ask, forget film in checked in bags 😂 (multiple times). I know it can happen but never had any problem with my negative at any iso (up to 1600).
I really feel like it’s not under my control to care really (doesn’t matter how nice you are, some will just refuse to hand check). I’m just lucky I don’t do professional works on film, and really if shit happens I’ll just laugh it off. You know, one of those un-expected things you have shooting film.
Ah yes…the joys of the suspense and the unexpected = film photography 101.
I posted images that were so toasted on reddit once about how they turned green flying ONCE out of Indianapolis International. People thought I was lying but I only sent one roll of film through the scanner as an experiment as I had the rest developed in Indiana at Roberts before I left. I wish I could post them but not gonna risk getting flagged. If it looks like a MRI machine DONT DO IT. on a side note I liked the effect of it haha
Glad you liked the result! But, yeah, I see some folks just don’t believe there’s an issue. What I’m assuming is that they’re not aware that this is a new screening technology - not the type of 30 years ago.
@vintagecameradigest yeah I basically had a full blown argument over it before. I've flown a few times and never had issues with hand checks. If im flying with new film just leave it in the box or whatever like how you bought it from Walmart or the 120 boxes. They just swab the box and that's it at least for me
What this is leading to is an opportunity for someone to open photo film kiosks at all the airports (in the terminals, passed the TSA checkpoints, of course). Hmmm…..
I often fly thru London Heathrow and whether or not you get a hand search on request seems to depend very much on how busy they are, and who you get. I've not encountered any of the new scanners yet, but I did write a while ago to the department who deal with airport security asking for their advice. The reply was rather non-committal and didn't fill me with confidence that I'd necessarily get my request.
This is the type of story I’ve heard for years - agents being too busy and ornery about film. My experience - at least this time - showed that it’s not necessarily true. I imagine that the number of travelers with film has dropped significantly and is much less a hassle than before. STILL - the response you received wouldn’t instill confidence in me at all. I’d rather mail a box of film to where I’m headed and have it waiting on me, if possible.
I've asked for a handcheck about 10 times over the past two years, every time that was fine with the exception of coming out of Cuba it was refused but the machine had FILMSAFE on it..
Was it, indeed, “filmsafe”?
If you still have some unused film that was scanned it might be informative to shoot some test images with it.
In the darkroom I did occasionally “pre-flash” B&W paper for exposure by a negative in the enlarger. The chemistry action of B&W image formation is not linear and slow to start. I never got very good at this, but the idea was to get out more detail a high contrast negative especially in the highlights. (I mostly used graded contrast paper instead.)
I had slide film in the middle of multiple destination trip in Asia and I forgot to hand check (for a long leg of the trip) and at least once my 35mm film got “x-rayed.” When later developed the rolls I had already used were ruined; the images were faded and had color shifts. I was in a remote destination, and I used a few of the other rolls of that same slide film (I think it was Fujifilm Velvia) and remarkably the images looked fine. 😊 I would guess the x-ray exposure raised the ASA sensitivity of the unexposed film to some degree; however I could not see a problem in my results.
It would be interesting to find out if the issues caused by security machines might be hidden by a larger effect of the actual/intended exposure in the camera. I suspect that the effects of this new use of CT scan (that is a form of 3D x-ray imaging) on film might be different from other types of scanners. You deserve kudos for sharing this and reminding all watching your video, “to be kind.”
I hadn’t thought about in a way similar to the “pre-flashing”. You may be on to something. I do plan to shoot a few of those rolls to see what practical effect it might have. And the idea that the exposure of each image might provide different results on the film is quite insightful and something else I haven’t considered. So thanks for this. We’ll see what happens. Cheers!
@@vintagecameradigest If I know from my experience and your excellent video, if my film was put through and x-ray (and CT is x-ray) I would not use if possible, but it would be good to find out more, B&W, color, before or after in camera exposure, etc. This video below also looks into these questions in what looks to be a careful science-y approach by a skilled film-based photographer: ruclips.net/video/oRlReCTzDV8/видео.html
Yes, Lina does a great job with that one!
Thanks for doing this video! The same happened to me, but I coincidentally changed my scanner as well. Now I know that it wasn't the scanner to blame for the super grainy results. Yet, when I smooth and downsample the images to be viewed on a smartphone, the images are still okay. So if you accidentally let your family pictures through the CT scanner, it's not the end of the world!
Glad it all worked out to some degree! It’s a win!
Hi Steven. I am glad that you found some film. I’ve not tried traveling with film since before the existence of CT scanners. If I did, I would try to source the film and developing locally as a work around; or ship the film to a trustee at my destination and ship the film directly to a lab. Great content on your channel! 😎
Thank you! Yes, making arrangements such as this is really the best way. Even if you’re just shipping exposed film back home. It’s some peace of mind.
It’s interesting that the carry-on CT damage is overall fogging and minor uneveness, which is quite unlike the banding experienced with checked baggage CT systems. Perhaps this can be considered progress!?!?
I wonder, indeed. I’ve never checked a bag that included film, but I have seen those examples of the obvious banding. This is certainly better.
thank you
You're welcome
I just don’t trust any scanners, so I’m totally fine with the TSA doing a hand inspection on my rolls and sheets. I have a swap out process when approaching the TSA checkpoint. I believe the process is much easier for me as I have TSA Pre-check, so the ask with a please at the start goes a long way. Funny enough, a lot of TSA folks get super interested in my camera gear as most of which have never seen film gear in decades since we live in a digital age.
Oh, I’m sure a lot of them would be interested in the gear. I’m sure they see millions of boring things through that machine. But, yes, asking for a hand check is the best place to start.
@@vintagecameradigest I came across your video by accident, I love the cross comparisons you provided, shockingly repelling to say how they affect your film.
Great video! Would love to have seen some photos after the film was sent through the MRI scanner. Every time I have asked for a hand check in the USA (ATL, DEN, SF, DET, CHI,...+) and Central America (en espanol) it has been granted. Most recently in Madrid I was told no, not unless it is 1600 ISO film 🥲 coincidentally carrying more film than I ever have before.... it went through. First roll back and it looks okay... but cant shake the feeling there is some green cast in my portra shadows I am not really used to. May be in my head!
Yes, I think I’ll take a couple of these rolls and do a follow up. I can see what the damage is so far, but how does it actually affect the photos? That’s a good question that I can find answers to. Great suggestion!
Last time flew with film was in 2003 and I can see the damage to the negatives - but I also few across the world (Amsterdam -> Dulles -> LAX -> Auckland. Auckland -> Christchurch. Auckland -> LAX -> O'hare -> Amsterdam). I have half a roll of TMax 200 which was exposed in Europe, which is almost fine, but everything which was non exposed and went with me to NZ has grain (especially the Gold 200). Sad, but such is life.
I only recently have picked up film again, and am thinking about the hand check - there are horror stories from Europe where security refuse to do a hand check.
That seems to be where I’m hearing them from, as well. I would almost rather mail film to my destination ahead of time if it were possible to arrange.
So, the main takeaway is, probably, whenever possible, don't travel with film, arrange to buy it locally, upon your arrival.
That’s gonna be the best bet. Or ship it to your destination if domestic and back home again.
You didn’t take some photos on the scanned film? What a wasted opportunity.
I’ll be getting to that soon.
Forgive me if you’ve already answered this. I’ve never bothered to ask for a hand check of sheet film (both 4x5 and 8x10) because I’ve assumed they would insist on opening the boxes. Can you shed some light on how I can get a hand check of sheet film without shedding light on it? 😊
That is indeed the question. Sheet film is a bit of a problem since you can’t open the box. I don’t have any suggestions for this, unfortunately. Maybe someone else could shed some light. When I first began thinking of this trip a year ago I had planned to take my 4x5 field camera. And to avoid the airport issues I was just going to ship it to meet me at my first destination. I would probably still do that if at all possible.
@ thanks!
Thanks for sharing - firstly I am totally not doubting you. And there has been a lot of discussion on threads lately as well. I fly international quite a lot between Europe and Asia. That includes with film in my hand luggage as well as loaded cameras in hold and hand luggage. Over the years I have constantly looked to see if my film is suffering and other than a single roll of Acros have yet to find any real evidence and even that film I am not certain. I also fly through multiple airports. CDG, El Prat, Schipol, Seoul, Narrita, Dubai, SNG, HK, BKK, Hanoi, Phnom Penh, Abu Dhabi. Have just scanned a Rollei RPX which had not gone through and one which had and there is a very similar grain pattern on both. Same with Fuji colour 200. Including a HP5 which has been through 4 scans/xrays
If I was flying into the USA I think I would certainly have film hand checked. but I also teach a 1st year college equivalent course on Environmental radiation and I think it is probably a greater problem in the USA where and I am not certain about this, CT scans have a higher "dose" limit than in the EU.
I think what you do highlight is higher ASA film will always be more of a risk. I rarely use faster than 200ASA. Another video on YT highlights Brandenburg Berlin with 1600ASA film, as a problem, but BER advice that they are having to use machines with higher dose rates at times and that people should hand check. Schipol and CDG T1 have the newest system in Europe and both will only say film under 800ASA is safe - interestingly if your film was fogged in Schipol or CDG, because of those signs you would have recourse to consumer protection.
but it is a minefield and I can totally understand why people take the precaution, just its not quite as clear cut as all scans in all airports.
Precisely. “Minefield” is great description. If I were certain that an airport was still using the old-school X-ray machines, I’d just let the film go through. But if I can’t confirm what they’re using, I’ll play it safe and request a hand check. I appreciate your insight!
@@vintagecameradigest Yes entirely thats the hard part. So its obvious why people are panicked by it. On a side note - I have seen film which has been fogged by Radon, inside a house - In Cornwall some homes have a Radon level that dose wise over about 3 months his higher than around 4 passes through a CT scanner. Interestingly theer are a couple of film distributors in Europe whose premises are in high Radon background areas. Whilst alpha particles from Radon shouldnt pass through a plastic film canister it does beg the question about long term storage of any film, in high Background areas. Like I said I teach a course on Environmental radiation equivalent to a US 1st year college course - so i am fascinated by it.
Very thankful to have your expert opinion on this. I’d have never considered Radon to be an issue. Like you say, it’s fascinating.
I thought you were going to take some pictures with the CT-exposed film. We went to Scotland in 2022 and I had HP-5 with me. It seemed OK, but the pictures seemed really grainy. I don't know what type of scanners they had in Edinburgh and Cleveland, but I wonder if that was the cause.
I am planning to use the film and do a comparison soon. It would be a good follow up to this and was suggested by several viewers. Not suer why it didn’t occur to me at the time, but yep - working on it. Thanks for watching!
Buy and develop locally if at all possible. It will getcha!
Unfortunately you can't take your darkroom with you when traveling. It is not possible to wait for weeks abroad for film to be developed. But yes, to be 100% sure, this is the only way, as in many countries all requests for hand check will be routinely denied. And you will be denied boarding if you complain.
At least I was indeed able to buy locally. Before we flew home, I went to the local post office and mailed the whole lot back home. Was worth the peace of mind.
@@vintagecameradigest It's great to buy local, not least because it keeps 'destination'-based retailers in business. I'd always prefer to hand carry undeveloped film if I possibly can, because the post office xray machines might aswell be from the and are way more energetic. Develop in situ if at all possible too.
When I’ve gone through airports, I’ve always asked them to hand inspect. my film in a plastic see-through bag so they can hand inspect or visually inspect🎉🎉
The clear bags do make it easier. There may be a market that Ziploc should tap into :-)
Yes I have had experience, all be it many years ago once in Schipol and in Singapore. Schipol I asked for a hand search, was denied so I grabbed my bag and stepped aside allowing others to pass, a second person done the same, then someone came, a woman of Tamara Press build with a weapon who reluctantly searched the bags of a few who all refused the x-ray. Singapore was rather different, when a guard with a machine gun motioned to put it through the x-ray, we compromised he allowed me to unload my cameras before passing them through, I have to say it was a bit frightening.
Gotta admit I’d be a bit frightened, myself. I guess it’s just gonna get to a point where if you’re traveling internationally, leave the film camera at home. Which sucks.
Ship film to yourself at destination, or find where you can buy it locally after arrival? Know about these option before departure.
This is the best option for sure. Plan well and make arrangements. I ended up shipping all my exposed film back home from the local post office where were staying in Idaho. It wasn’t cheap, but the peace of mind made up for it.
@@vintagecameradigest back when I was still shooting Kodachrome, I used mailers to process, because it was the lowest cost option. I would ship those stuffed mailers direct to the Kodak lab from location, via FedEx, to minimize heat damage. I am glad you brought up this business about CT scanners, I rarely travel with film, and had no idea it would be at risk.
Well I hope some can learn from my mistake :-))
I'll be sending film to relatives in the mail, wrapped in Lead, when going to Iceland. Otherwise I'm sailing.
Lol! But, yes, somehow getting your film to the location in a way other than a flight is probably a very good idea.
I have traveled with film many times in the last year leaving out of ATL and I always have asked for handcheck. It's never been an issue. I am TSA precheck, so maybe they are nicer, but I don't think so.
Only problem I have ever has was at London Heathrow. They refused to handcheck and said the film would be fine. This was after exposing a bunch on out trip. I was relieved that they were not wrong and the photos came out ok. Their machines in London had posted that below ISO 1600 was ok. So I guess that was accurate.
It seems that if ATL can do it without a fuss then anyone should be able to. The old, standard X-Ray machines were usually safe for film at least ISO 800 and less. I’m pretty sure that’s why I lucked out last year flying out of Rome. I just wonder how long it’ll be for every airport to include the new tech.
So, it would not be too bad for family photos, but selling would need to have some additional editing, right? Or are they unusable overall?
Very good questions. I hope to answer them soon, as I plan to shoot some of the film just to see what sort of real damage we’ll see. I fully expect the negs to be uneven in density due to the exposure pattern from the scanners. But how much? Hope to get to the bottom of it soon.
What about lead shielded bags for film?
It will probably have no effect in the CT scanners, unfortunately.
CT machine will increase power to see through the bag. So film will be hit by the same amount of X-ray, if not even bigger.
I didn't think low ISO film would be much influenced even with CT scanner. However, many airports in the world will not hand check.
Lower ISO like 100 is not as bad as 400. But my film was still affected. My guess is that I can probably shoot the ISO 100 film and not notice much degradation. I’ll be checking this soon.
What exactly is a "handshake" for film?
That should be “hand check” by the TSA. In other words, they’ll inspect by hand instead of sending through the scanner.
I never fly with film anymore. Use digital when travelling (and mostly when not travelling). Even earlier when I travelled a lot more I was refused manual check several times and started buying and (if possible) also get the film developed before the return trip. That's of course more difficult today, but still worth a try.
Here's another film and airport video who did a lot of checks: ruclips.net/video/oRlReCTzDV8/видео.html
Thanks for sharing the link. I know it’ll be helpful to a lot of us!
What a shame! Still have my x-ray bag I took too Japan in 1983, don't know if that would do any good now?
I wonder that, too. I never had one, but I’d certainly add one to my bag if it made any difference.
@@vintagecameradigest Just watched a tiktok post someone shared of you, Right On!
Hi Steven, thanks a lof for sharing your experience, I recommend video from Lina Bessonova’s channel, she did very detailed test of airport scanners. Have a nice day to all!
I'll check it out! Someone else has mentioned her video, as well. So it’s on my list. Cheers!
To be honest, I have not been traveling with film outside of my country in decades, so digital only. Now, with that been said, in my country airports are still use old x-ray machines. Not so in Germany, where I flew often, but then again, I flew there with digital only, so I was safe...
I hate that we even have to waste any brain effort on whether we should take film when we travel by plane. But it is what it is, as they say.
Not 100% convinced. Are you comparing the same exact stock? Why is the exposed image always more blurry? Also the letters of the film are never the same. Example 8:45 the K from KODAK is completely different. Also brand name is bold on the right side. Could it be that they are old and new stock? I can only find examples of the right side, so I assume this is the newer version. 🤔 I also think both images are scanned with completely different scanners.
All the film is fresh and scanned the exact same way. The only deviation is the Portra 400 (at 8:45) where I compared it to a 120 negative (at the same magnification, of course) and I actually said this in the video. So, no these are two different formats of that stock. The Kentmere frames are taken from the same 100’ roll. The HP5 frames are are taken from an off the shelf roll, and a 100’ roll that was used to bulk load. The markings on these two are different. I’m sure there’s a reason, but I don’t know why it is. I’m also not seeing where the exposed frames are “blurry”.
Take this info as you will. But the exposure patterns on the films are certainly the result of the scanner - regardless of the base grain or fog. But, I’m not here to argue. I’m just saying that the CT scanners at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson did affect my film. Lower ISO was not as much, but still affected. Your mileage may vary.
@@vintagecameradigest Thanks for the clarification, highly appreciated!
Lina Bessonova did a very detailed video about this, comparing old machines with the new ones, for BW and color.
Cool. I’ll need to check that out. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing. So this is the future then. There are many places in Asia where you basically can’t ask for hand checking since they don’t speak English or are not willing to ask superior for permission
Looks like it is. For better or for worse.
I've hand-checked in multiple airports without an issue.
I’m glad that you’re finding it to be a non-issue. I hope we can continue to count on it to be so.
TSA is a joke! I was in the USAF, we checked people 3 miles away from the B52s…Last month, my Kentmere 400 b&w was fogged by the scanners. Could not save any pics in the darkroom. No contrast at all. I,too, forgot to have the film hand checked.
I won’t forget next time, for sure.
I lost 12 rolls of Kodak Gold 200 in the Istanbul airport.
I asked them for a hand check but they couldn't speak English so the security head had to come and she said hand check isn't possible but the machine wouldn't harm the film...
Everything gone.
Not a happy story. So sorry. But I think things are getting better in US airports.
Begs the question, what effect does this have on digital camera sensors?
The sensors of digital cameras are not sensitive to X-rays. But even if - unlike the one-time sensor film, where the radioation modifies the sensor itself irreversible, the digital sensors are more like measuring devices of the current state. They reset after the radiation stops, so that you can take images over and over with the same sensor.
@arbytsplatz thanks for that info!
What about sheet film? It's packed in a box, and we can't take it out for inspection, as that would ruin the film.
Glad you mentioned that. That is the dilemma. There’s no easy way to check it other than just swabbing the box. Seems to me that should be good enough, but I’ve heard otherwise. Maybe someone here can offer more insight.
If I ever travel with my Pentax K1000 and some film I’ll try to ask in advance each airport their inspection policy. Personally I’ve never used anything above ISO 400.
Not a bad strategy
Got a bit of attitude from security clerk during the 1990s. For hand checking film during the era of film photography.
I’m guessing that was because the old X-ray machines were relatively safe for film, but hardly anyone believed it. I think the vast majority still are safe. But the new type is a different animal altogether.
When I'm flying with 120 film, I put my film in a clear bag OR take them out of a the foil wrapper. Not both. I'm more likely to keep the film in the foil instead of putting unpackaged film in a dark bag. I get they have a job to do, but taking care of it is their job. They don't get paid for me to risk my film to make their jobs easier. The most that has ever happened with a hand check is that they swiped the wrapped film with their patch and tested the patch in their machine and then let me go on my way.
Yes, I really don’t want to be told they won’t do it. But I do suppose everyone has a bad day at work now and then. STILL, as I was told, it IS their job. So…
I had film smoked on me while traveling in Europe in the 90's, they didn't give a shit either, through the X-ray it went... I now will *NEVER* travel with film by air anymore, I'll grab the Zf and a few lenses. I would never trust the TSA to know what they are doing.
It can certainly be different from agent to agent. But, yeah, that’s one of those horror stories.
For future reference 7:55
TLDR: Nothing
That’s not what my rolls show, but your mileage may vary.
I was not aware of this new evil machines, but I understand they're ultimately there to help. I've had all sorts of replies to my "can you please hand check my film", from the by all means, very kind, to the blunt no, place it on the xray conveyor or we bin it. And I've been always extremely kind, I think if they're aware the scanner can destroy your film then they'll agree without hassle.
I hope that will ultimately be the case. Apparently the agent I dealt with after the fact had been informed. Maybe it’s part of training on the new machines.
In my experience, 100 ISO colour is usable and photos will turn out fine. Everything else won't.
I’d say my 100 speed might be the most usable. I probably won’t trash it, but save it for less important projects.
Flew out of Rome in July 2024 had no problem with the film. Flew out of London Sept 2024 all rolls foggy. The European airports will not hand check film below 800ISO. At least in the states they will hand check if you ask.
I also had no issues flying out of Rome last year and the film went through the X-ray machines. So I suppose they’re still using the old tech. But I’m definitely hearing Heathrow as not being very cooperative. So that tracks.
It is certainly possible that new technology will cause new problems. But historically, airport hand baggage x rays will not do any damage to film. But that hasn't stopped a whole cadre of know-nothings from broadcasting doom and gloom nonsense.
I've been travelling with film for over 40 years and NEVER had an issue with hand baggage x rays. I just came back from Europe where my film was x-rayed no less than six times with no issues. The Pushing Film guy recently put out a video where his film was scanned at least 17 times with no issues!
I respect the analysis you've done, but will remain skeptical for now.
You’re correct, the “standard” X-ray machines do not create this damage. This was caused by the new CT imaging tech. Not every airport has it. But it could become the norm.
Don’t toss that film, give it to students.. or send it to me, I’ll use it. 😂
These will probably end up as test rolls in some degree or another. But I’ll keep that in mind :-))
Shoot some photos with the exposed film and show us.
Excellent suggestion! Would make a great follow up to this. So noted!
Sorry, but you can’t get arrested for this in an EU country. In US, you probably can at certain airports.
Arrested?
Thanks for this advice. We must understand their role, which is for our own protection, so being calm and having things prepared properly to ease the examination seems the best to do. Although I don't fly anymore, it's too many people, to many delays and too many times spent before and after the flight itself, that we really opted for travelling by car, even on long journeys we travel for 6 to 8 hours, then stop for dinner, city walk, a nice sleep and, next day on the road again. Well, I live in Europe, so maybe we have shorter distances than the USA.
Yes we do have to keep it in mind that it’s for everyone’s safety. No one really wants to be antagonistic (hopefully), but anyone can have a bad day here and there.
I would’ve loved to have driven to Montana, but it was 3200 Km from here :-) I forget how big the US is sometimes, lol.
@vintagecameradigest Absolutely. In 3.200km, I could cross three or four countries in Europe. It's a completely different scale :)
VOTE BIG GOVERNMENT : and Bye Bye to freedom and FILM traveling safely. Votes count.
Indeed, they do.
Flying out of the US is pretty easy. Ask for a hand check and you are good to go. Munich Germany Airport is terrible, they flat out deny a hand check and they use machines that will ruin the film. Good beer, terrible airport.
Duly noted!
If you are going to fly, shoot digital. I asked for a handshake with my Ziplock bag of 10 rolls of 120 film 100 and 400 ISO, out of their boxes. The TSA agent said No, "everything goes through the scanner, or put it in the garbage over there. Your choice sir..." so I asked to see the supervisor. He came and said the scanner is film-safe up to ISO 800! He left and the agents proceeded to scan my film, not once, not twice, but 3 F***ing times. They rolled that conveyor belt forward, looked at the screen, reversed the machine, scanned again, reversed the machine, scanned again, then rolled the bag out, smiled and handed me the bag! I shot one B&W roll and it was a mess.
My wife, trying to calm me down, pointed out that better it happened going rather than on the return flight with 10 exposed rolls. All that to say, hard lesson learned, it's not worth flying with film.
This is the exact type of horror story that gives me anxiety. I’ll probably have nightmares now. Glad your wife alerted you to the silver lining. Smart woman!
There is no advantage and many problems shooting film these days. A simple solution….Buy and use a digital camera. Problem solved!
I don’t think many of us would ever claim a technical advantage with film. I wouldn’t. The reason I still shoot film is for the fun of it. I enjoy the analog process. But I shoot digital, too.