Italy.... film or digital?

[cesc]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

On 6/28/2022 at 2:13 AM, oldwino said:

Last big trip for us was pre-Covid, to Barcelona and southern France. 
Took my barnack III, a 35 and 50mm lens, and a bunch of color film. No issues, and it was great to travel so light. One lens on the camera, the other in my pocket. 
I also took my X2 in case I wanted some low-light or casual nighttime shots. Used it for maybe 30 exposures.

I sent the films out for development and scanning, and decided to have 4x6 prints made too, like in the good old days. Was quite a fun experience to thumb through those.  

I would love to see your pics from Barcelona. Being my hometown I always enjoy seeing photos from people that sees the city with fresh eyes! 

[Olaf_ZG]

On 6/29/2022 at 4:07 PM, 28framelines said:

Long story short, finish your rolls before putting your cameras through. 

This is probably a good advice. I don’t do films for a long time, but many times security would like to see through my lenses or use the camera in front of them so they see it is a camera. Also have been regularly tested (swapped) for explosives. So better have empty cameras.

[R4p70r]

I was a few months ago in Venice with my M6, Mamiya 645 Pro TL, Yashica AF T and a X100V. The latter one as a backup. 

Take a lot of film with you. Also in different variations of film stocks, colour, B&W and ISO. You don't want to run out of film. I found 3 shops in Venice which sell film 35mm & 120 film rolls.

35mm film stocks like Kodak Gold 200, Kodak Color Plus, Ilford HP5, FP4, XP2, Delta 400, Portra 160, 400, Portra 800.

120 film stocks Kodak Gold, HP5, Delta 400, Delta 1600, Portra 160, Portra 400, Portra 800. 

Each film stock you have to add 5 EUR to the regular price you can get on the European mainland. 

[grahamc]

Just a note to ask how you went with this decision @Linford ?

I’m travelling at the moment with film and digital but have barely touched the digital and when I have I haven’t paid the images much attention .  Next time I’m strongly considering  film-only. 
 

Travelling with a large amount of film has been a little inconvenient in terms of planning and strategies / stress of dealing with XRay checks , but no harm done so far. 
 

I’ll post a full run down in a new thread once I’m home of experiences but I don’t want to tempt fate yet by saying “no problems” 😁 still some security points to get through. 

i also put a roll of tri-x 400 through each X-ray on the trip (8) as a test so I can shoot it at home and see if it was damaged 

 

best 

Graham 

[stray cat]

I’m in the USA at the moment, having traveled from Melbourne two weeks ago. Prior to the trip I did a lot of research, including on the LUF, about airports, films and x-rays. In the end I decided to take just five rolls with me and get the rest in America. So for the five rolls I took all the packaging off including the plastic canisters, put them into a clear plastic bag into which I’d added some pre-printed “DO NOT X-RAY” labels I’d found on Kodak’s website and printed. Also, just in case, I took my Domke lead-lined bag.

So at Melbourne Airport I approached the x-ray machine and asked the security guy very nicely and politely, this is sensitive photographic film, may I please have these hand inspected? The gentleman assured me there was no need, as the scanner they were using was safe for film. I courteously explained that Kodak had specifically warned that film photographers should not put their film through the Smith’s Detection machine, for that is what they use in Melbourne and it was written on the machine right in front of me, because Kodak’s tests had found that just one scan could fog a roll of film (this is actually the case - Kodak tested it and wrote about it on their website). The security guy would have none of it, insisting they were not able to hand inspect; the film had to go through the scanner. I said, OK then, but if it has to go through the scanner I’ll have to insist that it goes through in this lead-lined pouch, to which he (much to my surprise) readily agreed. So it went through in the bag, they opened the bag at the other end and saw that it contained film rolls, and everyone was happy. But my point is, not every security agent will accommodate a hand inspection, even at a place like Melbourne where I thought they’d be reasonable.

As an addendum, we caught a domestic flight from LAX a few days later and I thought “oh no, here we go again”. So I put the film (I had more by then, including some exposed film) back in the clear plastic bags with the Kodak “Do Not X-Ray” labels and approached the lady at security, holding up the bag and just about to start my polite request. She just said “it’s OK”, took the bag and gave it to a colleague to hand inspect. I’m SO looking forward to the return journey! I’ll have mainly developed rolls by then but there will still be some undeveloped and unexposed rolls.
 

[grahamc]

Thanks Phil @stray cat

This worries me a bit about Melbourne as I’m transferring there to Sydney.   Are the Smiths machines you mentioned CT scanners? If so were you confident in the Domke bag ? I have one with me although it specifies they are for low XRay “typically used in Airport hang baggage”.  It states that to protect from higher power XRay the lead lined bag would become too heavy. I guess that’s their polite way to say the bag doesn’t protect from more powerful X-ray.  Presuming CT may fall into this ?

 

Disappointing that you had this experience in Melbourne because on my current trip all but one security check has been like your LA experience.   I’ve been away a month so now have a lot of exposed rolls, it’d be a real shame if I get on the home stretch and have issues in Melbourne

Edited July 31, 2022 by grahamc

[stray cat]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Yes, Graham, they are the CT scanners, the very ones Kodak warned about. I’m having film developed this week locally here in Seattle - I won’t know how effective the Domke bag will have been until I see the results. I can only satisfy myself that it must be better than nothing. My film was 125ISO FP4+ so that might help a bit too (Kodak tested with Portra 400). Either way, good luck (to both of us!) There seems to be a great abyss of the unknown about this at the moment.

[grahamc]

15 minutes ago, stray cat said:

Yes, Graham, they are the CT scanners, the very ones Kodak warned about. I’m having film developed this week locally here in Seattle - I won’t know how effective the Domke bag will have been until I see the results. I can only satisfy myself that it must be better than nothing. My film was 125ISO FP4+ so that might help a bit too (Kodak tested with Portra 400). Either way, good luck (to both of us!) There seems to be a great abyss of the unknown about this at the moment.

Thanks for coming back so quickly Phil.  

Agree that would be better than nothing ! 

Again sorry you had that experience before you’d even got started ... fingers crossed for your films.  Do let me know please how it goes 

Best

Graham 

[egrossman]

I am now in Italy (Rome) for a week with the family and went through this same exercise. Thought about bringing the BP MP but in the end decided to bring my M10-D and the M10M. Lenses that I brought with me are the 28mm Summilux, 35mm Summilux v2, 50mm APO and 50mm Noctilux v4. Yes there is overlap in my lens selection, but it works for me.

Erik

[Topsy]

4 hours ago, stray cat said:

I’m SO looking forward to the return journey! I’ll have mainly developed rolls by then but there will still be some undeveloped and unexposed rolls.
 

Don't forget your exposed film is just as vulnerable to fogging in the X Ray.

[stray cat]

5 hours ago, Topsy said:

Don't forget your exposed film is just as vulnerable to fogging in the X Ray.

Oh I’m well aware of that! Thanks Topsy.

[Topsy]

1 hour ago, stray cat said:

Oh I’m well aware of that! Thanks Topsy.

No disrespect intended Phil I think I misunderstood when you said you were SO looking forward to the return juorney.

[stray cat]

16 minutes ago, Topsy said:

No disrespect intended Phil I think I misunderstood when you said you were SO looking forward to the return juorney.

No problem Topsy, I think my attempt at irony probably called for an emoji ie 🙄

[grahamc]

Hello.  I'm bored at the airport on a final leg of a long-haul trip with a lot of film, so posted some observations here :

 

 

[MarkP]

On 7/1/2022 at 4:55 AM, Huss said:

You may not want to travel w/800 or faster films.  Those are the ones most susceptible to x-ray damage.

I always being along 1-2 rolls of fast film. Not so much to use, but if I get the 'scanner is safe for low-ISO film' argument I just show the high-ISO film. Never had a problem.

[Lord Wilmore]

I have travelled for the past year with an average of 70 rolls of film in my bag pack, in about 25 airports and 10 countries. Only once an agent refused my kind request of hand inspection. It was in Marseille, France. Recently elected the most dangerous city in Europe 😄

Edited August 9, 2022 by Lord Wilmore

[MarkP]

I've never had a problem in Sydney or Melbourne airports when I've asked film to be inspected by hand. I think you just ran into a dickhead. 

However, as per my post above I always throw in one or two high-ISO rolls even if I never plan to use them. In fact I have two very old expired rolls of 1600 ISO film that I often carry as I never shot such fast film. So when I ask for hand inspection, I qualify the request by showing the high-ISO film before the 'it's safe for film' reply even gets out of the security officer's mouth.

My understanding is that lead bags don't protect the film as if they can't see through the bag they just up the intensity of the scanner to see what is there so the film gets fried regardless. Interesting to see how your film goes. 

[Linford]

Just a Status update. Went all analog. MP, M6TTL and 40-rolls of film. The airport I feared the most has been the easiest experience so far, Paris CDG could not have been more friendly and accommodating. Breezed straight through with nothing but smiles and pleasantries. Fingers crossed. One more to go. Next Sunday, Rome FCO. Cheers—LT

[M9reno]

After years of travelling out of London Heathrow I don't even bother to request a manual check of my film.  It's always been "no".  So I just travel with my film inside Domke lead bags.  I lay the lead bags separately on the tray next to my laptop.  I explain that there is film inside the lead bags.  Nobody seems to care, and I've never had any problems with film suffering x-ray damage.

This includes Polaroid peel-apart film (two months ago ISO 100, though in the past I've even put through BW film rated ISO 3,200!).

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[ktmrider2]

I go slightly nuts when planning for any big trip.  I just completed 5300 miles on a Harley up around Cape Breton in Nova Scotia.  I had a really hard time selecting the photography gear to take.  I ended up with a FujiX-T4 with the equivalent of 35f2 and 85f1.2 and it did everything I asked of it and did it well.  I am loving the mirrorless viewfinder and see it as the next logical step compared to a traditional SLR.

But on the third day or so, I started missing my M4 but could not do anything about it.  Now, I am back in Alaska and since I abhor cold weather I am plotting a six week escape to Vietnam and SE Asia at the end of November.  Although I usually don't make final gear decisions until the last moment on this trip, my gear will be an M4 with a 35 and a 90.  And the FujiX100f is so small it fits into one of the lens compartments of my Billingham Hadley so it goes too.

I have traveled with film from the days when it was all we had.  I ask for a hand inspection and so far have never been refused.  As far as I know I have never had any film ruined in over 50 years of travel.  I am not saying that it can't happen but it has not happened to me.  People on this forum have stated they only travel with digital because of their worries about film fogging.  I would be more worried about someone stealing a nice new digital camera but ignoring my old film camera.

Take what you want.  Don't live in fear.  Fear is the killer of dreams including the use of film vice digital when traveling.

Edited October 10, 2022 by ktmrider2