A buddy of mine who was a photojournalist all over Eastern Europe where they really didn’t want to do any extra checks used to carry an old expired, trash roll of Delta 3200 in his film bag just so he could say he had high speed film in the bag. Worked 99% of the time....
My 16yr old daughter nearly got a full body cavity search at LAX after politely and confidently asking for a hand check of her point & shoot with a half exposed roll already loaded. I’ve never seen someone get scrutinized as much as she did. It’s good to know lower ISO would be less risk through the x-Ray.
I fly out of LAX also and always get the third degree from TSA. They assume everyone is a terrorist from a 6 month old baby to a 99 year old. Meanwhile, it the news, they are constantly bust the TSA agents at LAX for property theft, they are organized bands that rob you of valuables on your carry on and checked bags. I try to fly out of Long Beach if I can.
I had to go through two or three levels of supervisors when I asked for hand inspection. I was told that asking was not standard. I was told I was being difficult by asking for hand inspection. I will not risk that again. I will simply ship film on ahead, along with my gear by Fedex and ship it back if I intend to shoot film wherever I'm going.
I fly out of LAX every month. Your advise is perfect. Clear bag, take film out of boxes and be cool with TSA. I've tested a roll of CINESTILL BWXX 250 by having it go through airport x-rays twice. I shot it and I didn't notice any problems.
A few other points from my 15 years of international travel with film: 1) Give yourself extra time, up to 30 mins more for customs. Airport workers that will hand check your film may be on the other side of the airport, the machine is at a different part of the airport, staff is on break, or it is between shifts. Best to be safe than sorry with making your flight. 2) You can buy lead bags for your film, which protect it against x-ray radiation. They can be heavy depending on the size & also not that cheap. Just another alternative. 3) Keep your cool. I've been in situations where I've been persistent about a hand check, but the airport worker was not even bothered to try & help me. It was majnly in French speaking European countries in Western Europe. This escalated the situation a few times to where a physical confrontation almost ensued. 400 ISO film & below is safe from xray radiation as the chemicals are not as sensitive, but 800+ ISO black & white negatives get cloudy if the film has been damaged by x-ray, whereas colour film will be mostly unuseable at all.
I recently left Japan from Narita Airport and found Ilford film at their electronics/camera boutique there and it was cheaper than most places in Tokyo proper. So when people are arriving here, when this country opens for tourism, grab some rolls! Also, I'd like to see comments from people who HAVE had their film ruined because of the airport check-in process. It seems many folks are speculating that film will be ruined? I'm not ruling things out, just want actual 100% confirmation that the airport screeners ruined film. I'll be traveling to the States again and want to hear from people who have had their rolls ruined. And I'll definitely be scouring the interwebs to see if I can find actual documented scary results. Thank you so much for a great video.
Unfortunately, i've experienced it. During my trip to Capo Verde. 80% of my rolls were ruined. One month of work lost... And it was not >800 iso but mainly 100/200/400iso.
All great tips Ribsy and I've been travelling with film like this for decades. Also, forget those lead film bags, the airport staff just crank up the x-ray power to see what's inside creating even more risk and damage to the film. The only time I ever had a major issue with airport staff was at Gatwick in '91. (Grrr...). Four months of Europe and North Africa photos ruined. Live and learn!
Thanks.You're right. No matter how friendly and confident you are, if they're stressed, everything goes through the X-rays. My Rolleiflex with a partially exposed film was once taken out of my bag. No matter what I said, I had to open it to prove that this weird time bomb did not contain explosives. If you have a camera that doesn't look like one that millions of tourists carry, leave it unloaded. (Hasselblad, Mamiya, Bronica, Rollei, Yashica, etc.) In my experience, the rudest (underpaid) staff is found in the USA, Europe and Cuba. In South and Central America, my gear was often treated with respect.
In Japan the security will be extremely respectful and careful with checking your film by hand. BUT a couple times now they have asked me to take a test shot with my film camera to make sure it's a proper camera. SO, if possible don't load film into your camera before you are going in if you don't want to waste a shot. I just shoot 35 so I wasn't too mad, but 120 shooters be careful.
@@ribsy Ya I think despite the fact Japan has a heavy camera culture, a lot of young security guys will be clueless to what they are looking at. Especially my all blacked out taped up Bessa R2A. It just looks like a funky black thing. So theirs some oblivious newbies out here that will probably need to learn how a film camera works before they let you go. OR its a real thing they do no matter the case. Not sure.
A director I know was doing some filming in Mexico in the 9Os and, hearing about the dodgy airport X-ray and acting on local advice, had an arranged meet with a local airport worker before he got to the X-ray and handed him the film in a bag along with some cash. After he’d gone the through the checks the airport worker reappeared with bag and handed it back. The director said it was a very scary experience and one he’d be unlikely to repeat.
I just travelled from Thailand to the U.S. last week... I'd done some research and basically did most of these things. However, I also translated a short sentence to Thai, that said something like, 'Please hand check only, do not x-ray as it may ruin the film.' I think it can be useful to translate this into different languages, depending on where you are travelling through, as this can also make the process that bit smoother. I actually had no issues in Thailand, and they hand checked my film right away. But at my layover in Adu Dabi they seemed very reluctant to hand check and the guy actually said, 'It's fine, it won't damage it.' 😂 Needless to say, I was calm but persistent, and stated that it would in fact damage the film, and they did a half-ass check of the film and passed it through, no problem.
I travelled internationally as a cinematographer and, to a degree, photographer up until about 2008 and would insist on hand inspection. Sometimes things would get a little tense but eventually you’d get your way. We’d always give advance notice that you’d be coming as we were often carrying up to 20 x 400 ft cans of film. Usually they’d check a few random ones in a dark bag but once, coming out of China , customs checked every single can and held up a full 747 for about 20 minutes. We got some very dirty looks when we boarded. They always insisted that X-Rays were safe under about 1000 iso but we knew that wasn’t always the case.
At least Kodak says, that Vision3 should be never X-rayed. Their information is more lax on still camera films, but they are saying very clearly that movie film should never be x-rayed, or it will be ruined.
I've even braved hand checking large format film (US only though). Mostly I've had good results. The worst case was my local airport folks required me to scan my open boxes of film (though no other airport has requested that). I've heard horror stories but luckily it's been a-ok. I will be trying it again soon and we'll see how it goes. My concern is the high demand but low staffing levels of the TSA since the pandemic and even though film is making a nice comeback, not every agent will have seen film before. Apart from that, everything Ribsy said is what I do and from 35mm to 4x5 I've thankfully had good results. Being nice is key!
In my experience travelling with a few rolls of 35mm film is much easier than with even 5 rolls of 120 film. It seems like security guys at the airport are more relaxed when they recognise consumer film the used themselves back in the days. With 120 film I’ve always felt like they checked it very carefully and one day they even asked me to remove light proof plastic cover to show what’s inside. That episode made me mad actually. I demanded the manager and she actually helped a lot with hand check and let me go quickly. By the way, I heard this security checks made Sebastiano Salgado switch to digital, because one day he was travelling back home with several hundreds rolls of exposed film and security guys generated a lot of “butt hurt” because of this.
yea good call 35mm is much less risky since its recognizable. i also agree that volume could be a big problem -- 50 rolls is much more of a pain than like 5 rolls
My dad gave me an old Canon Rebel G camera that still had film inside after having been through at least 3 or 4 airports and the film wasnt that damaged, except on the far older images on the roll, but that could have been age as they would have been shot in the early 2000's
Just an FYI, I used to work in logistics and international shipping. This wasn't my area, but I'm pretty sure from conference calls I sat in on that basically everything from ordinary consumers gets x-rayed if it's shipped internationally and even cross-country USPS could sometimes have some pretty stringent checks to stop people shipping stuff they shouldn't. Maybe individual carriers might make exceptions if you label the package and clear it with them first, but I don't know if there are any guarantees there. YMMV, but I'd probably trust carrying my film with me on the flight more than I'd trust shipping it and hoping they don't ignore your request and x-ray it anyway or worse, open it up!
Guys! Use DOMKE Film Guard Bag! It’s a lead lined film bag which will perfectly protect your film. No more hassle. Of course you should only keep this bag on you on plane. As a professional, I’m using DOMKE film guard bad and never had problems. I’ve read a lot of comments here but probably none of them mention most common effect of X-ray on film : added grain and underexposed look or less bright image. These are most common signs and Will happen to 400 iso films and not everyone is going to notice it.
@@ribsy no. You can just go through x ray scanner without worrying. The bag itself is quite heavy about 1.5 pound. This bag is only to pass through weaker scanner such as scanning people’s belongings. Big scanners for luggage are too powerful.
Kodak have a downloadable ''Don't XRAY'' notice you can put with your film. It's the CT scanners that are the problem, the old XRAY machines are usually safe.
The only pain in the ass story I have is that one time, a TSA agent opened every box and every canister of 30 rolls of 35mm HP5 to swab each and every one of them. Luckily they didn't pull out any of the leader, but they did leave me with a bin full of open canisters and destroyed boxes to deal with.
Most of the old X-Ray machines won’t do anything to your films under 800 ASA. But a lot of the big airports now have new X-Ray machines that can even kill slower films. But they usually let you hand check.
I used to travel a lot back in the 90’s and I don’t remember ever having an issue back then. I remember putting my carry on bags through X-ray machines. I never worried about it.
Good timing, I'm (hopefully) flying to Croatia In the autumn and thinking of taking a film camera with me. I guess I'll just take my trusty Pentax ME Super and a few rolls of 35 mm B&W in 100 ISO and if they won't hand check I'll put it though the machine and hope for the Best. Of course I'll be talking a couple of digital cameras too so it's not a big deal if the film gets damaged.
But maybe a lot of grain and/or you didn’t noticed. Not many people can distinguish. More grain and less bright image (like underexposed) are the sings
From my experience X-ray scan does not affect any of my films whether they're exposed or not so I'm pretty comfortable letting them blasted by x-ray now
I have done the steps outlined in your video at several domestic (US) airports with little or no problem from TSA or with my film. I will note that they were all 100 ISO 35mm films, though, and that may make a difference as too why I so no problems in the development once I got them home.
Courier companies like DHL say that they have film hand inspected when importing and exporting. I’m not sure about postal services. When travelling over many years I’ve packed ISO 100 film and haven’t had trouble but to be honest I’ve never yet gone through one of the newer machines that blast everything.
I brought a few rolls of C41 135 and 120 through Heathrow and Dubai a few years ago. If I recall, Heathrow just said that the scanner would be ok, and I got it hand checked in Dubai. I had some 120 film still in the foil packaging and they asked to open them. After opening one, they let me through. The scanning at Heathrow didn't seem to cause an issue. On another trip I think that my B&W + C41 film was scanned more than once and it didn't seem to cause an issue. These were all ISO 100 - 400. As you said - make it easy for them, ask politely, but if it's a no, there's not much you can do. Might still be fine though.
I flew to NZ last year, I tried to be as polite as possible, some of the airports were up for hand checking others not. At one airport the lady wanted to open each of the 20 wrappers 🙈 My plan next time is to chuck some 3200 in so they maybe have to hand check.
Look, do this if you're doing domestic travel within the US. I have done this for decades. Ship the film ups/fedex to the hotel or motel you'll stay in. Before I retired to Utah(yeah, I'm looking at Bryce from my porch right now), I shipped film to the motel out here i would stay in the first night. If you call, most will do this. I've even sent expensive lenses and they will safeguard it for you. Also, film format matters. When i traveled with 4x5 film, the airport people always seemed to think it wasn't film because it wasn't in a roll. And, USPS still does general delivery. You can ship it to the local post office where its held in a secure location. You'll have to show id to get it. Ive done this all over the US and only had 1 post office complain but i did get the film, and there's no cost. Also, some cities have small shops like card stores or gas stations that ups/fedex pick up and deliver to for the locals. My town has this. I know quartzsite,Az does as well. Small towns are poorly serviced out west so they often have these hubs and they are glad to help, no charge.
Thanks so much for this advice I'm going on a trip soon and I wanna shoot film but I'm nervous about bringing it on a plane so I will use some of these methods.
I took 30 rolls of 120 film to Europe earlier in the year. No issues at all with hand checks. Not sure what I’m going to do when I go to London next year. I was thinking of buying the film there and shipping back home from London. Great video, also instant film I definitely recommend to have the box open because they’ll open it to swab inside anyway
If you're flying from one country to the next, shipping can be a bit hazardous, but if you're flying around in the same country, I've had good success with shipping to my destination hotel, at least here in the U.S. I drop my film in the mail either on my way to the airport, or the day before with Priority Shipping, then when I get to my hotel, I tell them I'm expecting a package. Some hotels don't handle guest mail, so it's worth checking with them before hand to make sure they do that. Once it's shot, I just do the reverse. The day before I leave, I just go to the closest post office, and mail all my film home.
Incheon airport in Korea straight out refused to hand check. They said I needed an authorization which is actually not possible to get anywhere and no info on it. They were very un pleasant... Surprisingly arriving in France, I asked again hand check and they agreed. I had a bag full of maybe 100 120 rolls. However, the guy explained nicely to me it would not be affected if its under 1600 iso... after a bit of thought I trusted him. Now Im waiting for dev of some of those rolls which were 800 and Im praying for them not to be ruined ...
Great video as always! My question is: When the film travels from the factory to retailers in other continents all over the world, isn’t it scanned for security in customs anyway? Thanks again!
Definitely true of UK culture and customs here, but I've seen just as much if not more of this attitude from TSA or US CBP too. God help you if you piss them off while you're trying to travel! Scariest border crossing I've ever done was taking a bus from Detroit to Windsor, Ontario back in 2017 at the height of Trump. We had scary dudes armed with shotguns boarding the bus and loudly questioning every single passenger before they let us through, and that was to *leave* the US! Man, that was even worse than taking a bus from Croatia into Slovenia and crossing at the Dragonja River, and they still have a disputed border there after the Yugoslav Wars in the 90s!
I use Domke X-ray bags to put your film in and let them scan it. It should protect it and they will automatically hand check them when it passes through the machine
@@ribsy I haven't had any issues. I use the large bag for my point and shoot and also film backs. The smaller ones I use for 120 and/or 35mm film. I think it's the fastest way for TSA to hand-check automatically without hassle.
Great topic and comments below. I suppose you could also simply ship your exposed rolls home ahead of your departure or ship fresh rolls to wherever you might be staying abroad. Seems like a worthwhile expense to avoid ruined film or a potential headache at the security checkpoint.
In the worst case scenario it might be best to keep high-medium speed film with lead protection and keep lower iso film in a plastic bag. Haven't really done my research but I'm sure there's a brand out there selling lead cases or bags
Newer CT scanner will kill any iso film. I think the best thing to do is to print a do not x-ray film warning label. I think kodak made them they are easily found online. It makes it look more legit. And bring along some delta 3200
X-ray exposure is accumulative in the same way as all other light. So their argument that films under 800 ASA are ok, is definitely NOT ok. I avoid Heathrow as much as possible. Many security guys are returned military vets, and can be really pigheaded about their authority. .. their rank. Newcastle is better, but all the recommendations are still worth following to minimise the risks. ■ Check in as early as possible to avoid last minute panics.
I have travelled multiple times a week for years pre covid and forgot pretty much everytime that I had rolls in my carry on. Hp5 and trix...never had an issue.
Thanks for another well-made video. I'm traveling to France soon and plan to shoot a lot of 35mm B&W film. I'm probably safe with 100 ISO but better safe than sorry. I downloaded Kodak's warning label and modified it in Photoshop to include warnings in French as well as English. I'll stick that to a plastic bag and carry all my unexposed / exposed film in that, and hope that they will comply.
Shipping with any courier is the same as you are traveling with, all shipping items will be scanned at least twice at the city of origin and destination.
I’m about to fly out of LAX and I understand they now have the new CT scanners, which will damage any and all film. Never had any problem with x-ray machines, but these CT machines are a problem for film. I’ll either ask for a hand check or just buy film when I get to my destination. Or maybe only shoot digital.
I've had ISO 400 fogged by the scanners in the hand bag scan at Frankfurt IAP Germany in the 90's back when it was all film... they couldn't have given a shit less.
I have been traveling with film for years and the reality is that 99% of airports wont give a single fuck about your film and simply will not hand check it at all, no matter how politely you explain the situation. That has been my experience with european, asian and middle eastern airports.
I’m new to film photography and plan on taking some with me during holiday this summer. If I haven’t completely used the film of a roll is it safe to roll back up and take it out of the camera for TSA?
I didn’t even think about this as I’m fairly new to film photography but I’ve gotten the 35mm kodak ultramax 400 film for my trip and I’m only planning on taking 3 rolls of film. Do you think that would be okay with it being less than 800 iso? From experience the staff at the airport I fly from isn’t the most patient so I’m worried they’d just completely disregard me and tell me to put it in the tray regardless .
im traveling to the philippines in february, which is my first time traveling with film AND it be international. any advice/ tips would be much appreciated!! especially if anyone has had an experience with the philippines specifically. thanks! 😁
have your film in separate pouch or bag so you can easily pull it out. and always ask politely. however, if they say no or just don't care, don't worry too much. bring lower ISO film 400 and lower
hi! thanks for this video! it rlly answers all my questions. but i’m just wondering, after using up your film, and your flying back home, is it okay to put used films under x-ray?
Silly question but is the person you ask for a hand check from the TSA agent that you eventually give your ID to prior to getting to the scanners OR is it the airline clerk that checks your bags? I've never traveled with film but the last time I flew I was concerned I might have forgot some nail clippers or some other little object that was banned and I didn't realize I had. I can't imagine now adding film in the mix. 😂
Hi! If I am bringing my kids 800 waterproof disposable cameras, would you say that's safe to security check if they won't hand check? The film is encased in a disposable waterproof plastic shell
Well I guess if I travel with film I can just put it in a plastic bag and remove film packaging and hope for the best. Even if it was checked by and in Heathrow Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Naples etc won't. So I guess we don't have a choice which is a bit of a pain.
The same ideas apply to that as well. However, I didn’t say X-rays will destroy your film - likely nothing noticeable will happen to film in disposable cameras given the low ISO
I’ve travelled between SF and Pakistan a couple of times with film. The TSA staff in SF have been totally cool every time I’ve gone through with film, requesting them for a hand-check. A slight amount of delay, but that is to be expected. On the journey back from Pakistan I had the security staff at Karachi airport very emphatically trying to reassure me that their x-rays won’t damage my firm, but I firmly and politely stuck to my guns and requested my film not be zapped, and they complied eventually. I would have really hated my film get ruined since I had shot my brother’s wedding on it and it had sentimental value for me. This time around I’ll be travelling with exposed/unprocessed film (various, HP5, Tri-x, Ultrafire Xtreme 400) and I have a feeling I’ll need to again do a bit of firm but polite convincing that I don’t want my film x-rayed. I bought me one of those metal Kodak 6-roll film carriers, worse comes to worse, they might not entertain my request, and I’m hoping a metal case may afford some protection to the film. All my cartridges are hand rolled from bulk, so they lack any factory labelling about what ISO film they are, which may work against me. I will have a throwaway roll of ultrafine with some dummy shots, which I’ll get zapped with x-rays on purpose, and then develop it to see what the damage looks like. Then I’ll do a comparison between zapped and unzapped ultrafine and be the judge myself of how bad (if any) it is, when exposed to x-rays. Will keep you posted.
How about the film inside camera already used halfway? Have we still unload the film from camera? And how about if we pass the body scanner metal detector, is it still safe for our film?
Just a few days ago I emailed the Copenhagen Airport Security to request guidelines regarding this subject. Here is what they wrote back to me: "Security has specific instructions when it comes to analog film in hand luggage, as they are aware, that these film my not be exposable to X-ray. In these cases you will have to purchase a filmbag, so that Security can inspect the contents with their hands. If required, they may need to supply this with ETD-test. The filmbag will basically function like a darkroom.According to the regulations Security have to be able to inspect the film with their hands, hence they will need to be in a filmbag, so that the film won´t risk any damage."4 So I have to bring a dark bag... that's very unhandy I think.
That’s weird and doesn’t make sense. They can hand inspect it in the light. It’s not like they need to pull the film out do the literal canister. Maybe if you shoot sheet film
Maybe motion picture film. Production companies are shooting a lot more film, and carrying it through airports is super stressful, because they always want to open the cans.
i recently flew domestically and am still really new to film photography, so i had a couple of rolls of 35 mm film in my checked bag, and i was wondering if 35 mm film is less than 800 ISO and if it will be damaged??
ahhh its prob fine, but maybe shoot part of a roll and develop to see. if you already shot the entire film. just get it developed and enjoy whatever results you get 😊
Hey Ribsy I have some questions, one is hand check a big process or small, two I have a polaroid now plus camera and if I bring Polaroid color 600 film would it get damaged under a carry on bag scanner, and 3 how much iso is on a color 600 film
Just went through the Torino airport security and they refused to do a handcheck, I should be fine because I only have iso 400, 200 and 100 but I’m still scared that they’re ruined
Does this apply with Instax films aswell? I am travelling this holiday and I am very worried about if I can take my instax mini evo through TSA. The film is exactly ISO 800 and I was wondering if I have to take it out of it’s original packaging? Can the camera itself be scanned?
Also since I have a Polaroid now plus, the flim for it comes in a box, how could I put in it a plastic bag and let them scan it if it is in a plastic box?
I'm going to be flying to Spain in August and am seriously considering just leaving the film at home. It's just not worth the hassle. Also I'll be in Tenerife on the Canary Islands. From what I can tell there is no place to even develop film there.
Is the film gonna be damaged if he is already in the polaroid ? And can I ask to hand check my polaroid in itself cause my films are already in the polaroid ? BTW your video is awesome thanks for the tips !👍
As a side note, I'd love to know if anyone has experience with travelling with developer chemicals at all? I definitely like the idea of buying film locally and just developing the stuff in my hotel room rather than risking a flight with my precious, unexposed holiday images. I'd just be worried that packing even some travel-sized, decanted bottles of concentrated dev chemistry might set off their bomb detection swabs or something and cause me far more problems!
I travelled with some ID-11 powder developer, stop and fixer in my checked bag. Wasn't an issue. I can imagine how two bags of white powder may look if stopped :-) But, at least keep it in the box so that you've got a reasonably plausable explaination with your camera gear and film. A small concerntrated bottle of rodinal or similar will probably be ok as well. If dogs can distinguish between drugs and ladies nail polish acetone, they'll probably ignore the film chems as well.
@@ufukkiblat My only issue with that is that I like Ilford HC or a similar Kodak HC-110 derived chemistry and, as far as I know, Ilford only sell that in 1L bottles and I've not seen another brand do it in less than 500ml. That's a lot of rolls I'd need to shoot to make it worthwhile! Using a local lab would definitely be a good shout for something like C41 though, and it'd probably be what I'd do now. To be fair though, I always used to travel with film in my hand luggage as a kid before we had digital cameras without problems so I don't think it'd be the end of the world if I did that again. Just can't wait to start travelling again and find out!
Can I ask for a hand check of a camera with film loaded in it? I don’t want to wind it and take it out since it’s an auto wind and I’m not in my location long before another flight. Can I keep my film in camera for a handcheck?
@@ribsy okay, that makes sense. Would that ruin the film potentially or do you think that would be okay? Just trying to be cautious, especially with CT scanners on the rise
Hi! If we buy the film at our location, does this mean they won’t hand check our camera then? Like it’s safe to just put our film camera in our carry on?
Is it only unused film that get ruined by airport scan? So if I buy rolls at the destination I’m travelling to, finish the roll out there, bringing it back wouldn’t be a problem? Or do fully used film rolls still get ruined on the way back?
undeveloped film (whether new or not) is theoretically at risk. In my experience anything under 800 ISO will be fine despite a couple of scans through a typical X-ray machine
I have flown around the world countless times, and have always just sent my film through the X-ray, all different speeds. I have NEVER had any issues at all with any film even high speeds being compromised. the whole thing with X-rays ruining film is a complete myth. people worry WAYYYY too much, the X-ray machine is not going to do anything to your film.
I went to Ukraine 25 years ago, long before CT scanners. My 400-speed color film was badly fogged after going through airport scanners at San Francisco, New York, Vienna, and Odessa.
A buddy of mine who was a photojournalist all over Eastern Europe where they really didn’t want to do any extra checks used to carry an old expired, trash roll of Delta 3200 in his film bag just so he could say he had high speed film in the bag. Worked 99% of the time....
haha thats very smart!
that's so clever wow
My 16yr old daughter nearly got a full body cavity search at LAX after politely and confidently asking for a hand check of her point & shoot with a half exposed roll already loaded. I’ve never seen someone get scrutinized as much as she did. It’s good to know lower ISO would be less risk through the x-Ray.
That’s a shame. Yea, sometimes going through X-ray is the less stressful option
I fly out of LAX also and always get the third degree from TSA. They assume everyone is a terrorist from a 6 month old baby to a 99 year old. Meanwhile, it the news, they are constantly bust the TSA agents at LAX for property theft, they are organized bands that rob you of valuables on your carry on and checked bags. I try to fly out of Long Beach if I can.
I had to go through two or three levels of supervisors when I asked for hand inspection. I was told that asking was not standard. I was told I was being difficult by asking for hand inspection. I will not risk that again. I will simply ship film on ahead, along with my gear by Fedex and ship it back if I intend to shoot film wherever I'm going.
I fly out of LAX every month. Your advise is perfect. Clear bag, take film out of boxes and be cool with TSA. I've tested a roll of CINESTILL BWXX 250 by having it go through airport x-rays twice. I shot it and I didn't notice any problems.
thanks for sharing the info! good to know the film handled it well
Did it go through the CT scanner?
A few other points from my 15 years of international travel with film:
1) Give yourself extra time, up to 30 mins more for customs. Airport workers that will hand check your film may be on the other side of the airport, the machine is at a different part of the airport, staff is on break, or it is between shifts. Best to be safe than sorry with making your flight.
2) You can buy lead bags for your film, which protect it against x-ray radiation. They can be heavy depending on the size & also not that cheap. Just another alternative.
3) Keep your cool. I've been in situations where I've been persistent about a hand check, but the airport worker was not even bothered to try & help me. It was majnly in French speaking European countries in Western Europe. This escalated the situation a few times to where a physical confrontation almost ensued.
400 ISO film & below is safe from xray radiation as the chemicals are not as sensitive, but 800+ ISO black & white negatives get cloudy if the film has been damaged by x-ray, whereas colour film will be mostly unuseable at all.
Interesting. Yea always good to have some extra time
Is 400 safe if I’m going through multiple airports though ?
@@mateopouhila4271 Yes. Anything under 800 iso is fine.
@@mpk33 will my Instax Film (it's written 800 Iso on the packaging) be safe, if it went through an Xray Machine?
@@lioriowibowo4842 did you have a chance to test?
I recently left Japan from Narita Airport and found Ilford film at their electronics/camera boutique there and it was cheaper than most places in Tokyo proper. So when people are arriving here, when this country opens for tourism, grab some rolls!
Also, I'd like to see comments from people who HAVE had their film ruined because of the airport check-in process. It seems many folks are speculating that film will be ruined? I'm not ruling things out, just want actual 100% confirmation that the airport screeners ruined film. I'll be traveling to the States again and want to hear from people who have had their rolls ruined. And I'll definitely be scouring the interwebs to see if I can find actual documented scary results.
Thank you so much for a great video.
Kodak put out a study that the newer machines definitely ruin film. Give it a look!
@@ribsy will do! Thank you for the info!
Unfortunately, i've experienced it. During my trip to Capo Verde. 80% of my rolls were ruined. One month of work lost... And it was not >800 iso but mainly 100/200/400iso.
All great tips Ribsy and I've been travelling with film like this for decades. Also, forget those lead film bags, the airport staff just crank up the x-ray power to see what's inside creating even more risk and damage to the film. The only time I ever had a major issue with airport staff was at Gatwick in '91. (Grrr...). Four months of Europe and North Africa photos ruined. Live and learn!
Wow! That is upsetting! Sorry to hear
@@ribsy No worries, a long time ago. I'm a better photographer now anyway...😀Thx!
Thanks.You're right. No matter how friendly and confident you are, if they're stressed, everything goes through the X-rays. My Rolleiflex with a partially exposed film was once taken out of my bag. No matter what I said, I had to open it to prove that this weird time bomb did not contain explosives. If you have a camera that doesn't look like one that millions of tourists carry, leave it unloaded. (Hasselblad, Mamiya, Bronica, Rollei, Yashica, etc.) In my experience, the rudest (underpaid) staff is found in the USA, Europe and Cuba. In South and Central America, my gear was often treated with respect.
Good point - def worth always leaving camera unloaded!
Also I love Cuba, but ive been searched reallllll thoroughly there haha
In Japan the security will be extremely respectful and careful with checking your film by hand. BUT a couple times now they have asked me to take a test shot with my film camera to make sure it's a proper camera. SO, if possible don't load film into your camera before you are going in if you don't want to waste a shot. I just shoot 35 so I wasn't too mad, but 120 shooters be careful.
Wow that’s ridiculous. Never heard about the “test shot” / good to know!
@@ribsy Ya I think despite the fact Japan has a heavy camera culture, a lot of young security guys will be clueless to what they are looking at. Especially my all blacked out taped up Bessa R2A. It just looks like a funky black thing. So theirs some oblivious newbies out here that will probably need to learn how a film camera works before they let you go. OR its a real thing they do no matter the case. Not sure.
Hahaha yea I bet that camera looks suspicious 😅
A director I know was doing some filming in Mexico in the 9Os and, hearing about the dodgy airport X-ray and acting on local advice, had an arranged meet with a local airport worker before he got to the X-ray and handed him the film in a bag along with some cash. After he’d gone the through the checks the airport worker reappeared with bag and handed it back. The director said it was a very scary experience and one he’d be unlikely to repeat.
yea bribery isn't worth it nowadays hahaha
I just travelled from Thailand to the U.S. last week... I'd done some research and basically did most of these things. However, I also translated a short sentence to Thai, that said something like, 'Please hand check only, do not x-ray as it may ruin the film.' I think it can be useful to translate this into different languages, depending on where you are travelling through, as this can also make the process that bit smoother.
I actually had no issues in Thailand, and they hand checked my film right away. But at my layover in Adu Dabi they seemed very reluctant to hand check and the guy actually said, 'It's fine, it won't damage it.' 😂 Needless to say, I was calm but persistent, and stated that it would in fact damage the film, and they did a half-ass check of the film and passed it through, no problem.
Yea good one! Confidence and being patient is key. Glad it worked out
I travelled internationally as a cinematographer and, to a degree, photographer up until about 2008 and would insist on hand inspection. Sometimes things would get a little tense but eventually you’d get your way. We’d always give advance notice that you’d be coming as we were often carrying up to 20 x 400 ft cans of film. Usually they’d check a few random ones in a dark bag but once, coming out of China , customs checked every single can and held up a full 747 for about 20 minutes. We got some very dirty looks when we boarded. They always insisted that X-Rays were safe under about 1000 iso but we knew that wasn’t always the case.
wow! that sounds stressful. thanks for the story 😊
At least Kodak says, that Vision3 should be never X-rayed. Their information is more lax on still camera films, but they are saying very clearly that movie film should never be x-rayed, or it will be ruined.
I have had my film X-Rayed multiple times and it was fine. I wouldn't be too paranoid about it
Def not paranoid. I’ve had film xrayed many times too. But I think it’s good to be aware, especially with the new CT scanners
I've even braved hand checking large format film (US only though). Mostly I've had good results. The worst case was my local airport folks required me to scan my open boxes of film (though no other airport has requested that). I've heard horror stories but luckily it's been a-ok.
I will be trying it again soon and we'll see how it goes. My concern is the high demand but low staffing levels of the TSA since the pandemic and even though film is making a nice comeback, not every agent will have seen film before.
Apart from that, everything Ribsy said is what I do and from 35mm to 4x5 I've thankfully had good results. Being nice is key!
Yea good luck! Sheet film is risky haha
In my experience travelling with a few rolls of 35mm film is much easier than with even 5 rolls of 120 film. It seems like security guys at the airport are more relaxed when they recognise consumer film the used themselves back in the days. With 120 film I’ve always felt like they checked it very carefully and one day they even asked me to remove light proof plastic cover to show what’s inside. That episode made me mad actually. I demanded the manager and she actually helped a lot with hand check and let me go quickly. By the way, I heard this security checks made Sebastiano Salgado switch to digital, because one day he was travelling back home with several hundreds rolls of exposed film and security guys generated a lot of “butt hurt” because of this.
yea good call 35mm is much less risky since its recognizable. i also agree that volume could be a big problem -- 50 rolls is much more of a pain than like 5 rolls
My dad gave me an old Canon Rebel G camera that still had film inside after having been through at least 3 or 4 airports and the film wasnt that damaged, except on the far older images on the roll, but that could have been age as they would have been shot in the early 2000's
yea its hard to tell in that case! alot of xrays can't be good tho
Thanks Ruby’s. Great tips. Your point regarding “confidence” is key.
thanks for watching!
@@ribsy Sorry Ribsy. Siri’s spell checker changed your name to Ruby!
Very timely, as I am traveling in a couple of weeks and haven't flown with film in almost two decades.
Good luck!
How did it work out for you?
Just an FYI, I used to work in logistics and international shipping. This wasn't my area, but I'm pretty sure from conference calls I sat in on that basically everything from ordinary consumers gets x-rayed if it's shipped internationally and even cross-country USPS could sometimes have some pretty stringent checks to stop people shipping stuff they shouldn't. Maybe individual carriers might make exceptions if you label the package and clear it with them first, but I don't know if there are any guarantees there. YMMV, but I'd probably trust carrying my film with me on the flight more than I'd trust shipping it and hoping they don't ignore your request and x-ray it anyway or worse, open it up!
Yea exactly! The shipping thing prob won’t help that much - I mentioned it cuz it was one of the ways to just avoid the airport hassle
I’ll definitely use these tips on the next family holiday - if we ever have one again lol
Hahah let’s hope!
Guys! Use DOMKE Film Guard Bag! It’s a lead lined film bag which will perfectly protect your film. No more hassle. Of course you should only keep this bag on you on plane. As a professional, I’m using DOMKE film guard bad and never had problems.
I’ve read a lot of comments here but probably none of them mention most common effect of X-ray on film : added grain and underexposed look or less bright image. These are most common signs and Will happen to 400 iso films and not everyone is going to notice it.
This just forces a hand check right? as I understand this to simply fully protect your film, but still the requires the agent to hand check
@@ribsy no. You can just go through x ray scanner without worrying. The bag itself is quite heavy about 1.5 pound. This bag is only to pass through weaker scanner such as scanning people’s belongings.
Big scanners for luggage are too powerful.
@@ribsy it doesn’t just protect film. It has lead fibers and bag feels metallic . It blocks radiation
@@ribsy www.amazon.com/Domke-711-12B-Medium-Filmguard-Black/dp/B00009USZ7
There is a guy who tested radiation in reviews . He made a video
Kodak have a downloadable ''Don't XRAY'' notice you can put with your film. It's the CT scanners that are the problem, the old XRAY machines are usually safe.
those stickers don't mean anything legally. but yes, it could def help!
The only pain in the ass story I have is that one time, a TSA agent opened every box and every canister of 30 rolls of 35mm HP5 to swab each and every one of them. Luckily they didn't pull out any of the leader, but they did leave me with a bin full of open canisters and destroyed boxes to deal with.
LOL damn TSA! What a mess
@The Time is Now It was the world renowned Piedmont Triad International Airport, in Greensboro, NC.
Most of the old X-Ray machines won’t do anything to your films under 800 ASA. But a lot of the big airports now have new X-Ray machines that can even kill slower films. But they usually let you hand check.
yea thats been my experience too! hand check is key
I used to travel a lot back in the 90’s and I don’t remember ever having an issue back then. I remember putting my carry on bags through X-ray machines. I never worried about it.
the classic machines are not a problem
Good timing, I'm (hopefully) flying to Croatia In the autumn and thinking of taking a film camera with me. I guess I'll just take my trusty Pentax ME Super and a few rolls of 35 mm B&W in 100 ISO and if they won't hand check I'll put it though the machine and hope for the Best. Of course I'll be talking a couple of digital cameras too so it's not a big deal if the film gets damaged.
Yea good plan!!
Remember when you gave me that roll of Venus 800 that went through 30+ x-rays? It came out normal, no haze or discoloration.
Haha that roll went through every X-ray machine in Shanghai and beijing. Amazing!!
But maybe a lot of grain and/or you didn’t noticed. Not many people can distinguish. More grain and less bright image (like underexposed) are the sings
From my experience X-ray scan does not affect any of my films whether they're exposed or not so I'm pretty comfortable letting them blasted by x-ray now
My wife got me a film bag that is made to save film through an airport scanner. I will have to let you know the results!
Yea! I hear the domke one works well
@@ribsy That is what I got!
I have done the steps outlined in your video at several domestic (US) airports with little or no problem from TSA or with my film. I will note that they were all 100 ISO 35mm films, though, and that may make a difference as too why I so no problems in the development once I got them home.
yea 100 iso is less risky
Timely video brother. Good reminder!
For sure! Tryna be helpful 😇
Courier companies like DHL say that they have film hand inspected when importing and exporting. I’m not sure about postal services. When travelling over many years I’ve packed ISO 100 film and haven’t had trouble but to be honest I’ve never yet gone through one of the newer machines that blast everything.
Interesting. Curious how consistent that policy is enforced
I brought a few rolls of C41 135 and 120 through Heathrow and Dubai a few years ago. If I recall, Heathrow just said that the scanner would be ok, and I got it hand checked in Dubai. I had some 120 film still in the foil packaging and they asked to open them. After opening one, they let me through. The scanning at Heathrow didn't seem to cause an issue. On another trip I think that my B&W + C41 film was scanned more than once and it didn't seem to cause an issue. These were all ISO 100 - 400. As you said - make it easy for them, ask politely, but if it's a no, there's not much you can do. Might still be fine though.
Yea it seems like everything will be ok as long as you avoid those new CT scanners
I flew to NZ last year, I tried to be as polite as possible, some of the airports were up for hand checking others not. At one airport the lady wanted to open each of the 20 wrappers 🙈 My plan next time is to chuck some 3200 in so they maybe have to hand check.
opening the wrappers is ridiculous! wow haha. def try the iso 3200 trick and see what happens 😂
Look, do this if you're doing domestic travel within the US. I have done this for decades. Ship the film ups/fedex to the hotel or motel you'll stay in. Before I retired to Utah(yeah, I'm looking at Bryce from my porch right now), I shipped film to the motel out here i would stay in the first night. If you call, most will do this. I've even sent expensive lenses and they will safeguard it for you.
Also, film format matters. When i traveled with 4x5 film, the airport people always seemed to think it wasn't film because it wasn't in a roll.
And, USPS still does general delivery. You can ship it to the local post office where its held in a secure location. You'll have to show id to get it. Ive done this all over the US and only had 1 post office complain but i did get the film, and there's no cost.
Also, some cities have small shops like card stores or gas stations that ups/fedex pick up and deliver to for the locals. My town has this. I know quartzsite,Az does as well. Small towns are poorly serviced out west so they often have these hubs and they are glad to help, no charge.
Yea this makes sense!
Thanks so much for this advice I'm going on a trip soon and I wanna shoot film but I'm nervous about bringing it on a plane so I will use some of these methods.
dont be nervous! it's less of an issue than everyone makes it out to be, for the most part
I took 30 rolls of 120 film to Europe earlier in the year. No issues at all with hand checks. Not sure what I’m going to do when I go to London next year. I was thinking of buying the film there and shipping back home from London. Great video, also instant film I definitely recommend to have the box open because they’ll open it to swab inside anyway
Expect the unexpected. You have been lucky
@@ribsy in Spain they thought I was crazy and gave me a hard time but in Denmark, so cool!
Flying out to USA from Heathrow so won't bother asking for hand check as Im taking delta 100 and 400. Thanks for this advice.
yea heathrow will prob reject any request
If you're flying from one country to the next, shipping can be a bit hazardous, but if you're flying around in the same country, I've had good success with shipping to my destination hotel, at least here in the U.S. I drop my film in the mail either on my way to the airport, or the day before with Priority Shipping, then when I get to my hotel, I tell them I'm expecting a package. Some hotels don't handle guest mail, so it's worth checking with them before hand to make sure they do that. Once it's shot, I just do the reverse. The day before I leave, I just go to the closest post office, and mail all my film home.
yea that def makes sense. shipping internationally prob doesn't help avoid any xrays
Incheon airport in Korea straight out refused to hand check. They said I needed an authorization which is actually not possible to get anywhere and no info on it. They were very un pleasant... Surprisingly arriving in France, I asked again hand check and they agreed. I had a bag full of maybe 100 120 rolls. However, the guy explained nicely to me it would not be affected if its under 1600 iso... after a bit of thought I trusted him. Now Im waiting for dev of some of those rolls which were 800 and Im praying for them not to be ruined ...
Sounds like a huge headache!
How was your ISO 800 films? Was it okay??
@@JB-is5br I think they ended up all okay so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ But I still would have preferred havong them handchecked haha
Interesting!
Thanks for the info!
Have a nice week!
Thanks for watching!
Super nice tips! I definitely just took some film through airport x rays while shooting a video in Maine. Hopefully it’s okay😬
Yea it prob is ok!
Great video as always! My question is: When the film travels from the factory to retailers in other continents all over the world, isn’t it scanned for security in customs anyway? Thanks again!
“They might spite you and say no on purpose” Welcome to UK culture 👌
Hahaha happens in JFK in NYC all the time
Definitely true of UK culture and customs here, but I've seen just as much if not more of this attitude from TSA or US CBP too. God help you if you piss them off while you're trying to travel! Scariest border crossing I've ever done was taking a bus from Detroit to Windsor, Ontario back in 2017 at the height of Trump. We had scary dudes armed with shotguns boarding the bus and loudly questioning every single passenger before they let us through, and that was to *leave* the US! Man, that was even worse than taking a bus from Croatia into Slovenia and crossing at the Dragonja River, and they still have a disputed border there after the Yugoslav Wars in the 90s!
A lot of these people are on power trips. I've been in verbals with quite a few over the years, especially on the topic of handling my film.
Yooo this was super useful- going Texas next year so this is rlly helpful, thanks.
Dope! Glad it helped 🤟🏽
You could also get one of those Domke bags. A bit pricey. But its supposed to protect 800 iso films for handluggage xrays.
very interesting - just looked it up! www.nivo-schweitzer.nl/domke-711-12b-filmguard-x-ray-guard-bag-12-medium/p25440
@@ribsy I wonder how they handle CT scanners though. As far as I know CT scanners is just an american thing? Maybe someone knows for sure.
I use Domke X-ray bags to put your film in and let them scan it. It should protect it and they will automatically hand check them when it passes through the machine
Interesting. Seems like the domke bag gets the job done without causing issues like a pure lead bag
@@ribsy I haven't had any issues. I use the large bag for my point and shoot and also film backs. The smaller ones I use for 120 and/or 35mm film. I think it's the fastest way for TSA to hand-check automatically without hassle.
Great topic and comments below. I suppose you could also simply ship your exposed rolls home ahead of your departure or ship fresh rolls to wherever you might be staying abroad. Seems like a worthwhile expense to avoid ruined film or a potential headache at the security checkpoint.
potentially! although you def can't control what xrays they are exposed to on that journey, if any
@@ribsy haha, I suppose. I guess I'll just have to shoot digital again. Lol. Jk.
In the worst case scenario it might be best to keep high-medium speed film with lead protection and keep lower iso film in a plastic bag. Haven't really done my research but I'm sure there's a brand out there selling lead cases or bags
yea good thinking
This was definitely helpful. Thank you!! :-D
For sure!
20th century concerns hahaha thanks for the info, gonna find a place to get and develop at the the destination.
Good luck!
Newer CT scanner will kill any iso film. I think the best thing to do is to print a do not x-ray film warning label. I think kodak made them they are easily found online. It makes it look more legit. And bring along some delta 3200
Yea def. those new machines are no good
@@ribsy kosmofoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/xray_updtaed.jpg
One of these makes you look professional and confident in what you're saying
I had no problems with hand check in KTW (Pyrzowice airport, Poland) and TRD (Trondheim, Norway). 👍
Thanks for sharing 😀
X-ray exposure is accumulative in the same way as all other light. So their argument that films under 800 ASA are ok, is definitely NOT ok.
I avoid Heathrow as much as possible. Many security guys are returned military vets, and can be really pigheaded about their authority. .. their rank. Newcastle is better, but all the recommendations are still worth following to minimise the risks.
■ Check in as early as possible to avoid last minute panics.
👍
I have travelled multiple times a week for years pre covid and forgot pretty much everytime that I had rolls in my carry on. Hp5 and trix...never had an issue.
Yea agreed. I don’t bother anymore
@@ribsy oh I meant to ask does pushing a 400 speed film beyond 800 affect the film if it went through a carry on scanner?
I like how my photo made it to this video at 5:56 lol
that's yours?! 😅 i figured this was the type of photo i could pirate with little to no offence
@@ribsy none taken lol. Good and informative video
Thanks for another well-made video. I'm traveling to France soon and plan to shoot a lot of 35mm B&W film. I'm probably safe with 100 ISO but better safe than sorry. I downloaded Kodak's warning label and modified it in Photoshop to include warnings in French as well as English. I'll stick that to a plastic bag and carry all my unexposed / exposed film in that, and hope that they will comply.
Good luck! It’s never guaranteed
Hi, can you prodvide an update? I’m heading to France soon as well!
@@SugaSugaBoobooz I haven't gone yet -- I'm going next month. Fingers crossed.
Shipping with any courier is the same as you are traveling with, all shipping items will be scanned at least twice at the city of origin and destination.
depends on if you are shipping locally (within one country). usually local shipments can skip xrays
Great video...Thanks for doing this video....Pleasure talking to you about this...Teo
yea def! i hope its helpful
super helpful video!
👍🏽
I’m about to fly out of LAX and I understand they now have the new CT scanners, which will damage any and all film. Never had any problem with x-ray machines, but these CT machines are a problem for film. I’ll either ask for a hand check or just buy film when I get to my destination. Or maybe only shoot digital.
Yea the CT machines are no good
Saw video by the The Real Sir Robin and he let a single roll of film goes through the X rays like 30 times and the film wasn't too badly affected.
Yea it seems like regular scanners won’t cause too many problems for most film
I brought ektar 100 with me on a trip to Mexico and my film came out ok. So to be safe I'll stick to lower ISO film when traveling
Yea definitely. That’s a good way to minimize risk
I've had ISO 400 fogged by the scanners in the hand bag scan at Frankfurt IAP Germany in the 90's back when it was all film... they couldn't have given a shit less.
Ah that sucks
What about disposable cameras? Would they want to open the camera?
I dunno
I have been traveling with film for years and the reality is that 99% of airports wont give a single fuck about your film and simply will not hand check it at all, no matter how politely you explain the situation. That has been my experience with european, asian and middle eastern airports.
USA airports are the most tolerant surprisingly enough. but yes, around the world no ones cares
Great tips!
good luck!
I’m new to film photography and plan on taking some with me during holiday this summer. If I haven’t completely used the film of a roll is it safe to roll back up and take it out of the camera for TSA?
I didn’t even think about this as I’m fairly new to film photography but I’ve gotten the 35mm kodak ultramax 400 film for my trip and I’m only planning on taking 3 rolls of film. Do you think that would be okay with it being less than 800 iso? From experience
the staff at the airport I fly from isn’t the most patient so I’m worried they’d just completely disregard me and tell me to put it in the tray regardless .
I think you will be fine
im traveling to the philippines in february, which is my first time traveling with film AND it be international. any advice/ tips would be much appreciated!! especially if anyone has had an experience with the philippines specifically. thanks! 😁
have your film in separate pouch or bag so you can easily pull it out. and always ask politely. however, if they say no or just don't care, don't worry too much. bring lower ISO film 400 and lower
hi! thanks for this video! it rlly answers all my questions. but i’m just wondering, after using up your film, and your flying back home, is it okay to put used films under x-ray?
The risks are the same on exposed and unexposed.
NYC always happy to manual inspect regardless of ISO ✌🏻
hasn't been my experience ... but lets hope!
@@ribsy Might be the old london accent and the cheeky wink 🤪
Silly question but is the person you ask for a hand check from the TSA agent that you eventually give your ID to prior to getting to the scanners OR is it the airline clerk that checks your bags?
I've never traveled with film but the last time I flew I was concerned I might have forgot some nail clippers or some other little object that was banned and I didn't realize I had. I can't imagine now adding film in the mix. 😂
You’ll ask for handcheck from the people at the xray machines. Not anyone before
I use domke too just in case they refuse
Yea that’s what I’m hearing
Hi!
If I am bringing my kids 800 waterproof disposable cameras, would you say that's safe to security check if they won't hand check? The film is encased in a disposable waterproof plastic shell
i don't think you have a choice there. will likely be fine if it a normal scanner (not CT scanner)
Well I guess if I travel with film I can just put it in a plastic bag and remove film packaging and hope for the best. Even if it was checked by and in Heathrow Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Naples etc won't. So I guess we don't have a choice which is a bit of a pain.
Good luck
SUPER helpful video! Thanks.
Glad it was useful!
Hi, just wondering if this also applies to disposable cameras? would the x-ray also destroy the film?
The same ideas apply to that as well. However, I didn’t say X-rays will destroy your film - likely nothing noticeable will happen to film in disposable cameras given the low ISO
I’ve travelled between SF and Pakistan a couple of times with film. The TSA staff in SF have been totally cool every time I’ve gone through with film, requesting them for a hand-check. A slight amount of delay, but that is to be expected.
On the journey back from Pakistan I had the security staff at Karachi airport very emphatically trying to reassure me that their x-rays won’t damage my firm, but I firmly and politely stuck to my guns and requested my film not be zapped, and they complied eventually.
I would have really hated my film get ruined since I had shot my brother’s wedding on it and it had sentimental value for me. This time around I’ll be travelling with exposed/unprocessed film (various, HP5, Tri-x, Ultrafire Xtreme 400) and I have a feeling I’ll need to again do a bit of firm but polite convincing that I don’t want my film x-rayed.
I bought me one of those metal Kodak 6-roll film carriers, worse comes to worse, they might not entertain my request, and I’m hoping a metal case may afford some protection to the film. All my cartridges are hand rolled from bulk, so they lack any factory labelling about what ISO film they are, which may work against me.
I will have a throwaway roll of ultrafine with some dummy shots, which I’ll get zapped with x-rays on purpose, and then develop it to see what the damage looks like. Then I’ll do a comparison between zapped and unzapped ultrafine and be the judge myself of how bad (if any) it is, when exposed to x-rays. Will keep you posted.
it all depends. i do find that the US is nicer that other airports. even in the UK, people give you a hard time
How about the film inside camera already used halfway? Have we still unload the film from camera? And how about if we pass the body scanner metal detector, is it still safe for our film?
the same rules apply, doesn't matter if in the camera or not. anything that isn't a CT scanner shouldn't really harm film
Just a few days ago I emailed the Copenhagen Airport Security to request guidelines regarding this subject. Here is what they wrote back to me:
"Security has specific instructions when it comes to analog film in hand luggage, as they are aware, that these film my not be exposable to X-ray.
In these cases you will have to purchase a filmbag, so that Security can inspect the contents with their hands. If required, they may need to supply this with ETD-test.
The filmbag will basically function like a darkroom.According to the regulations Security have to be able to inspect the film with their hands, hence they will need to be in a filmbag, so that the film won´t risk any damage."4
So I have to bring a dark bag... that's very unhandy I think.
...do they want to open the canisters down in the film bags? I don't get it.
@@Vincent171090 i dont get it either... It deserves a follow up question 🙂
That’s weird and doesn’t make sense. They can hand inspect it in the light. It’s not like they need to pull the film out do the literal canister. Maybe if you shoot sheet film
Yea this is very strange
Maybe motion picture film. Production companies are shooting a lot more film, and carrying it through airports is super stressful, because they always want to open the cans.
i recently flew domestically and am still really new to film photography, so i had a couple of rolls of 35 mm film in my checked bag, and i was wondering if 35 mm film is less than 800 ISO and if it will be damaged??
ahhh its prob fine, but maybe shoot part of a roll and develop to see.
if you already shot the entire film. just get it developed and enjoy whatever results you get 😊
Scary with sheet film which is so expensive...
haha i can imagine!!
Hey Ribsy I have some questions, one is hand check a big process or small, two I have a polaroid now plus camera and if I bring Polaroid color 600 film would it get damaged under a carry on bag scanner, and 3 how much iso is on a color 600 film
if there alot of people in security hand check can be slow and tedious. it all depends on the staff
Does film not get X-Rayed when its being shipped from the manufacturer to the stores?
it all depends. either way, its still ideal to not add on to it
Just went through the Torino airport security and they refused to do a handcheck, I should be fine because I only have iso 400, 200 and 100 but I’m still scared that they’re ruined
it should be fine. refusing hand check is the norm in most places
What about the instax mini 11 film ?
should be fine. so many people travel with that film
Does this apply with Instax films aswell? I am travelling this holiday and I am very worried about if I can take my instax mini evo through TSA. The film is exactly ISO 800 and I was wondering if I have to take it out of it’s original packaging? Can the camera itself be scanned?
I think your instax will be fine in older scanners
Also since I have a Polaroid now plus, the flim for it comes in a box, how could I put in it a plastic bag and let them scan it if it is in a plastic box?
leave it in the box
I'm going to be flying to Spain in August and am seriously considering just leaving the film at home. It's just not worth the hassle. Also I'll be in Tenerife on the Canary Islands. From what I can tell there is no place to even develop film there.
I never had any trouble having them hand check my film. Never took more than five minutes even with 12 rolls.
sometimes it can be very annoying
you are lucky! if you travel tons, the odds are you are gonna have a bad experience eventually
Can you bring cameras with loaded film?
cameras don't offer any protection
Is the film gonna be damaged if he is already in the polaroid ? And can I ask to hand check my polaroid in itself cause my films are already in the polaroid ? BTW your video is awesome thanks for the tips !👍
Your film will most likely be fine. Tons of travelers out their isntax film through security X-rays
Does anyone know what to do if there is a roll loaded in the camera already? Will they want to open the camera to check that roll too?
def don't take the film out (unless you can do so in the dark and roll it back into the cassette)
Hello :) what if I have a polaroid camera that has already the film inside the camera and has like 8 shots left, what can I do?
you don't have much of a choice there. but you will likely be ok
As a side note, I'd love to know if anyone has experience with travelling with developer chemicals at all? I definitely like the idea of buying film locally and just developing the stuff in my hotel room rather than risking a flight with my precious, unexposed holiday images. I'd just be worried that packing even some travel-sized, decanted bottles of concentrated dev chemistry might set off their bomb detection swabs or something and cause me far more problems!
Why not buy developers locally as well? If you don't plan to develop that much then develop at the local lab
Ive actually traveled with some developer in 100ml bottles. It was pyro developer. And I put with my toiletries bag 🤣
Yea buying locally is a good idea too, unless you have some special stuff like I did in the example above 🤣
I travelled with some ID-11 powder developer, stop and fixer in my checked bag. Wasn't an issue. I can imagine how two bags of white powder may look if stopped :-) But, at least keep it in the box so that you've got a reasonably plausable explaination with your camera gear and film. A small concerntrated bottle of rodinal or similar will probably be ok as well. If dogs can distinguish between drugs and ladies nail polish acetone, they'll probably ignore the film chems as well.
@@ufukkiblat My only issue with that is that I like Ilford HC or a similar Kodak HC-110 derived chemistry and, as far as I know, Ilford only sell that in 1L bottles and I've not seen another brand do it in less than 500ml. That's a lot of rolls I'd need to shoot to make it worthwhile! Using a local lab would definitely be a good shout for something like C41 though, and it'd probably be what I'd do now. To be fair though, I always used to travel with film in my hand luggage as a kid before we had digital cameras without problems so I don't think it'd be the end of the world if I did that again. Just can't wait to start travelling again and find out!
there are also body scanners here in my airport, does it ruin my kodak colorplus 200 film?
its most likely ok
Anyone have experience with the airport in Mexico City? I'm flying there in two days and I'm debating whether I should bother trying to take film...
Def bring some film! Don’t know about that airport but it’s low risk anyways. Stick to 400 or less
Can I ask for a hand check of a camera with film loaded in it? I don’t want to wind it and take it out since it’s an auto wind and I’m not in my location long before another flight. Can I keep my film in camera for a handcheck?
hand checking only applies to loose film. if it's in your camera, tsa will likely want the entire camera to go through the x ray machines
@@ribsy okay, that makes sense. Would that ruin the film potentially or do you think that would be okay? Just trying to be cautious, especially with CT scanners on the rise
I bring Polaroid color 600 film would it get damaged under a carry on bag scanner?
prob not
Hi! If we buy the film at our location, does this mean they won’t hand check our camera then? Like it’s safe to just put our film camera in our carry on?
an empty film camera is totally fine. put it in carry on so it doesn't get banged around
Is it only unused film that get ruined by airport scan? So if I buy rolls at the destination I’m travelling to, finish the roll out there, bringing it back wouldn’t be a problem? Or do fully used film rolls still get ruined on the way back?
undeveloped film (whether new or not) is theoretically at risk. In my experience anything under 800 ISO will be fine despite a couple of scans through a typical X-ray machine
@@ribsyyou know how you said under 800 ISO but what if it is 800 ISO?
I have flown around the world countless times, and have always just sent my film through the X-ray, all different speeds. I have NEVER had any issues at all with any film even high speeds being compromised. the whole thing with X-rays ruining film is a complete myth. people worry WAYYYY too much, the X-ray machine is not going to do anything to your film.
i do think its overblown a bit historically, but that is changing. the CT scanners will ruin film
I went to Ukraine 25 years ago, long before CT scanners. My 400-speed color film was badly fogged after going through airport scanners at San Francisco, New York, Vienna, and Odessa.