Topic: Travelling with sheet film

[Moiz]

I've travelled in the past with roll film and had it hand checked but that's easy enough. How do you travel with sheet film? Do you hand them a box and ask them to just look and not open it? Or do you just bite the bullet and let them X-ray it?

Cheers

Moiz

[Francois]

Sheet film shouldn't be as big a problem as roll film. With roll film, the main issue is uneven fog caused by the X-ray machine's core and the fact that the film is rolled (so x-rays don't penetrate the emulsion evenly all around).

With sheet film being flat, the fog should be very even making it impossible to notice. But that's just my 2¢.

[thil]

hi Moiz

I've never had a problem with roll film going through low dose hand luggage x-rays multiple times. As far as I know anything up to 800ASA is fine. Not sure if this is totally true but I seem to remember reading somewhere that push processing films (over 800) that have been exposed to x-rays can show fogging.

The only time I've had problems is in Colombia where at airports they sent all baggage through high x-ray dose luggage scanners. 25 rolls were wasted on that trip.

You may find more technical info here:

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/tib/tib5201.shtml

[Moiz]

Thanks guys. Guess ill just let it through my hand luggage and keep my fingers crossed.

[Francois]

If the film boxes lay flat on the conveyer, there shouldn't be any visible problem.

[Moiz]

I'll probably take them out of my bag and put them flat in one of the plastic trays, that'll probably be safest.

Thanks.