 BetterPhoto Member |
Color Washout from X-ray Machines Greetings, What's the real scoop on airport x-ray machines? How about the x-ray machines used for agricultural inspection in places like Hawaii? Will they hurt films with an ASA less than 800? If there is degradation, what is the effect of the X-ray on my images? Thanks
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John A. Lind |
John, I can speak about ISO 64 and ISO 100 film in carry-on through U.S. airports. I've never encountered any fogging, even after a half-dozen passes through X-Ray machines. Don't pack undeveloped film (exposed or unexposed) in check baggage, even in a lead bag. The check baggage X-Ray systems are much stronger and will be cranked up to bore a hole through it if necessary. All the lead bag does is cause the power level to go up. The general effect is fogging the film as if it were exposed to stray light. It is cumulative, and the faster the film speed, the sooner it becomes detectable (number of passes it can survive). You shouldn't have any trouble with a few passes of ISO 800 through carry-on machines. I cannot help with agricultural x-ray systems. I've never heard of them, but I've never travelled to Hawaii either. -- John
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Ron Stein |
800 speed film will be degraded if the airport has their x-ray equipment turned up. Pack your film in ziplock bags (so you can see what is in the bag) and hand the bag to the security person and ask them to hand check it. I have my whole camera bag hand checked. In most U.S.airports, they will honor your request. This may not be so in other countries. There, you take your chances. Some people have their film processed before bring it home from over seas.
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Mark Carter |
Not really an answer but a question on this subject. I have just returned from Mexico and my camera and film passed through the x ray machines. I asked both times if the machine degraded film the answer was no. I used 400 film should I believe them? I don't want to be disappointed as I have 5 rolls to develop. I would be interested in the general opinion on this subject. Many thanks Mark
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Sreedevi Swaminathan |
you've probably already developed your film by now, and hopefully are not disappointed. I find that recently, US airports are the worst. I had a problem on a recent trip to England- I took a 4x5 field camera and some 4x5 film. They wanted to open the box and I had to run to the lady, screaming "no!!!" They wouldn't let me take it through without putting it through the x-ray machine, just because they wanted to know what was in the box. Very frustrating and irritating. It was 400 film, but because of its size, I'm afraid, my pictures just didn't have the right color saturation, and even looked slightly out of focus. In the picture of Wales here, you can see it looks really unsharp, the colors aren't well saturated like normally with Portra film, and if you look at the sky, you'll see a line where you can tell it's been fogged. The whole print just looks muddy. I'm not sure if it's just 4x5 film, because it's bigger or not, but I wouldn't let my film go through those things. Incidently, on the question of foreign airports- I happen to travel a lot, and have never encountered as big a problem as I have here in the states. In Asian countries- where security is tighter than you can imagine- I've never had to pass my film through a machine, They're very understanding. And over there, I fit the profile of many terrorists too! (they use young girls a lot of the time). Hope this helps.
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