Airport Security Blacklist

[stray cat]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

2 hours ago, ymc226 said:

I'm going to Asia this fall; leaving from LAX (Los Angeles) which allow hand checking of film.  Does anyone know of any issues with Haneda or Narita in Tokyo or Incheon in Seoul?  I really want to bring a fully CLA'd/rebuilt Nikon F2 with a DP-12 finder back to it's birthplace as my only camera shooting color (Portra 400 or 160).  Consigning my M10 Mono and Q2 soon so will mostly be shooting film.

See post #3.

[ymc226]

1 hour ago, stray cat said:

See post #3.

Thanks. That’s too bad.  Will likely have to go digital then unless their policies change.  

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[Sandokan]

I flew through Edinburgh airport with my 4x5 unexposed film boxes as well as a few exposed sheets still in the holders. They said they don't use CT scanners and would not do a hand search but put the films through the scanner. As it was colour 100 and 400 speed, I havent developed yet so dont know if they are affected. 

[stray cat]

36 minutes ago, Sandokan said:

I flew through Edinburgh airport with my 4x5 unexposed film boxes as well as a few exposed sheets still in the holders. They said they don't use CT scanners and would not do a hand search but put the films through the scanner. As it was colour 100 and 400 speed, I havent developed yet so dont know if they are affected. 

Fingers crossed that there are no issues. Please let us know.

[williamj]

Looks like Brisbane Airport (BNE) MAY be shifting to body scanners. At the moment there are no body scanners being used but the signs are up to inform passengers of what to expect with body scanners. I've tested the X-Ray machines and they seem OK for the ISO 400 black and white film that I use, which is why I don't go through the hassle of getting film checked by hand. Will update as things change.

[Chuck Albertson]

LCY has gone live: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-65163418 

Expect other UK airports to follow soon.

[stray cat]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

This is well worth reading, and also includes excellent info about many white- and black-listed airports: https://petapixel.com/camera-film-x-ray-ct-scanner-tips/

[ivohula]

I am curious if anyone ships their film back home via FedEx or other company to get rid of the ct/ex-ray problem. It seems that several years ago, I was told by a commercial photographer that all his film was couriered back to his studio where it was processed on a daily basis and he would never attempt to fly with any rolls from any airport, not even when he had a one day job or even if he had 100+ rolls to get home. This applied whether he flew 300 miles or internationally.

Just wondering if anyone knows if parcels are/are not exrayed and if this is a good strategy?

[stray cat]

Melbourne Tullamarine goes to the top of the black list. I’ve just passed through security and there is NO request or argument - your films go through the Philips CT scanners. They gave me the complete bullshit story “it won’t harm your film” “even Channel 9 and film crews get scanned” and the best yet “we have thousands of people a day put film through here and no-one has a problem”. This is just so much bullshit and I’m REALLY pissed off.

Absolutely NO chance of getting a hand inspection at Melbourne for international flights. Fuck you Melbourne Airport.

[Mute-on]

11 minutes ago, stray cat said:

Melbourne Tullamarine goes to the top of the black list. I’ve just passed through security and there is NO request or argument - your films go through the Philips CT scanners. They gave me the complete bullshit story “it won’t harm your film” “even Channel 9 and film crews get scanned” and the best yet “we have thousands of people a day put film through here and no-one has a problem”. This is just so much bullshit and I’m REALLY pissed off.

Absolutely NO chance of getting a hand inspection at Melbourne for international flights. Fuck you Melbourne Airport.

I was dreading this eventuality. There goes my great pleasure shooting film overseas. I’m devastated. 
I completely share your sentiment. Fuck you Melbourne Airport cubed. 

[stray cat]

32 minutes ago, Mute-on said:

I was dreading this eventuality. There goes my great pleasure shooting film overseas. I’m devastated. 
I completely share your sentiment. Fuck you Melbourne Airport cubed. 

Look all is not lost- I was carrying 3 rolls of Portra 160 and I’ve loaded one now to see what happens. As insurance I had 15 rolls of Porta 400 sent to our niece in Italy so I’ll pick them up there. And have them processed by a lab in Europe and the developed negatives sent back to me here in Melbourne. So there are workarounds but a lot more hassle. But screw them, they’re no stopping me shooting film! 

[brendan111102]

Never posted here before. Geneva refused handcheck

[jaapv]

On 4/11/2023 at 6:11 AM, stray cat said:

Look all is not lost- I was carrying 3 rolls of Portra 160 and I’ve loaded one now to see what happens. As insurance I had 15 rolls of Porta 400 sent to our niece in Italy so I’ll pick them up there. And have them processed by a lab in Europe and the developed negatives sent back to me here in Melbourne. So there are workarounds but a lot more hassle. But screw them, they’re no stopping me shooting film! 

The problem is that mail is sometimes X-rayed in a film-unfriendly manner Better to purchase and develop locally. 

[jaapv]

On 1/29/2023 at 1:18 AM, lmans said:

From my understanding..... if the film is 400 and below (maybe 800?)...the scanner shouldn't effect it...correct? 

It does in multiple scans. X ray damage is cumulative. 

[ymc226]

With the seemingly faster adoption of CT scanning of carry on luggage at many more airports, the unpredictability of accommodations being made for a hand scan which can vary simply from which security staff you happen to encounter, and the effort to have film shipped to your destination while at the same time, trying to get it processed STAT before you leave the country seems only worth it if one is shooting with purpose for a project.  For me, traveling with family, trying to enjoy the trip as a vacation with varying stays in several cities, I will just take a digital camera.

[wattsy]

On 4/1/2023 at 7:35 AM, ymc226 said:

Thanks. That’s too bad.  Will likely have to go digital then unless their policies change.  

Perhaps consider buying film in Japan and South Korea on arrival and get it processed prior to leaving? Undoubtedly a pain but better than using a medium you consider second best.

[frame-it]

On 4/1/2023 at 11:49 AM, ymc226 said:

I'm going to Asia this fall; leaving from LAX (Los Angeles) which allow hand checking of film.  Does anyone know of any issues with Haneda or Narita in Tokyo or Incheon in Seoul?  I really want to bring a fully CLA'd/rebuilt Nikon F2 with a DP-12 finder back to it's birthplace as my only camera shooting color (Portra 400 or 160).  Consigning my M10 Mono and Q2 soon so will mostly be shooting film.

Tokyo and Seoul:

can easily buy film, tonnes of film, developing in Seoul is fast usually within hours, Tokyo is even faster for multiple rolls.

so just land, go buy film, shoot, give it for developing while having lunch, and scan once back home. simple.

 

[wattsy]

On 4/12/2023 at 9:40 AM, jaapv said:

The problem is that mail is sometimes X-rayed in a film-unfriendly manner.

Supposedly FedEx, DHL and the like do not x-ray packages but I guess there is no guarantee that a given journey by courier will always remain in the hands of the courier. Sometimes third-parties and, of course, customs agents, may be involved. All said, I think the risk of damage is low.

[frame-it]

16 minutes ago, wattsy said:

Supposedly FedEx, DHL and the like do not x-ray packages but I guess there is no guarantee that a given journey by courier will always remain in the hands of the courier. Sometimes third-parties and, of course, customs agents, may be involved. All said, I think the risk of damage is low.

https://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?22099-UPS-x-rayed-my-film-(

 

ive used some acros 100 that went through around 8 xray scans, not fedex or the like, just me flying around,  just a little more grainy..maybe?

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

 

 

but the fuji color film definitely felt more grainy:

 

 

 

 

Edited April 17, 2023 by frame-it

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[ymc226]

On 4/17/2023 at 5:40 AM, frame-it said:

Tokyo and Seoul:

can easily buy film, tonnes of film, developing in Seoul is fast usually within hours, Tokyo is even faster for multiple rolls.

so just land, go buy film, shoot, give it for developing while having lunch, and scan once back home. simple.

 

 

On 4/17/2023 at 5:29 AM, wattsy said:

Perhaps consider buying film in Japan and South Korea on arrival and get it processed prior to leaving? Undoubtedly a pain but better than using a medium you consider second best.

Thank you frame-it and Wattsy.  I did not realize film was so popular in Seoul and Tokyo.  We will have a guide in Japan and my sister in law and wife both speak Korean so I would be quite happy if developing only takes a day.  I do my own scanning at home and looking at even negatives digitally captured, the aesthetic is not only preferred by me, the minimal adjustments I have to do with Negative Lab Pro literally takes a minute compared to the multitude of changes I usually end up doing with a digital file.

As an aside, what is the film availability and ease and speed of film development in Taipei?  I might have to go there as well; haven't been there for 37 years.  With respect to the above quoted comments and my question about Taipei, does it only pertain to C-41 only.  Here in the States, when I re-started shooting film, prior to developing my own, B&W was done only once a week or so depending on how many rolls the lab received while color C-41 was processed daily.