Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/11/15

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: Airport Security...
From: Michael Hintlian <MichaelHintlian@compuserve.com>
Date: Sat, 15 Nov 1997 10:07:10 -0500

Kari Eloranta <eloranta@lammio.hut.fi> writes:

<<A question that I've been wondering sometimes. How do people fare  =

in getting TMZ and other fast stuff through Hearthrow etc. where you  =

definitely don't get a handcheck?

Is that little lead box (for four 35mm canisters) by Hama worth its  =

price and weight?

Kari>>

Kari;

This issue has long been problematic for me on one hand as a source of
worry.  On the other, I too have had numerous x-ray scans of my films
coming through JFK, Heathrow, Charles DeGaulle, Tokyo, Moscow, and other
former Soviet airports (where I am convinced they warm their dinners with=

the x-ray machines between flights...nasty looking things).<big grin>  At=

the end of the day, I can honestly say I have not seen any really noticab=
le
fog on T-Max 3200 (processed at 3200) from two or even four exposures to
the airport xray machines.  And I was looking for it too.  Of course, any=

time you can get a hand inspection of this material it is probably worth
doing from the peace-of-mind standpoint.

Heathrow has a 100% scan policy, don't bother wasting your time with
protest...they either scan it or it isn't going on the airplane.  Tel Avi=
v
(or any Israeli airport) is the same way, only more intense.
  =

The lead bags are a waste of time and cause your bag to become uncessaril=
y
heavy.  I use mine to store P3200 at home...seems that atmospheric
bombarment of gamma(?) rays causes more fog through time with this film
than a few passes through an airport xray.  P3200 will fog all by itself
through time.  In my humble experience, Tri-X seems almost immune to fog
from these devices.

Michael