going overseas, shooting film

[faa]

hi ppl, wud be going overseas for a comm service proj in mid nov.. really glad cuz its the first time abroad.

i'll be bringing both film and digital..

i've read in CS a looooong time regarding the Xray system at customs will fog the film.. so how should i prevent this from happening?

and also, after buying a new lens, i'm told by someone with experience tat tat particular type of lens will grow fungus easily.. and its advisable to buy dry box..

with my current standard, a dry box is kinda far fetched.. any idea tat i can prevent fungus from growing?

really look forward to all ur advices..

thnx in advance ppl!

 

[Stoned]

Are you really thinking about bringing a dry box overseas?! Or have i misinterpreted your question? Fungus takes at least several months to a year to grow so for trips it should be pretty safe. If the humidity is low even better.

The xray at customs doesn't fog film anymore. Well at least it hasnt happened to me yet. If you're really kiasu you can buy a xray-proof box or something like that, but i'm quite certain the customs people will stop you to check what it is.

 

[faa]

haha.. of cuz not bringing a dry box overseas... :bsmilie:

i see.. but possible to let the customs officer check manually instead of running thru the machine?

suddenly tot of this: instead of spending hundreds of dollars on a dry box, why not clear a drawer or cupboard and place "thirsty-hippos" or other drying agent inside? does it work the same way? :think:

 

[Stoned]

Its ok don't worry, the machine is trustworthy. There's a big label 'film safe'
Plus i doubt they would check specially for you.

The thirsty hippos are too drying. It'll dry out the grease on the camera's moving parts.

 

[blurblock]

hi ppl, wud be going overseas for a comm service proj in mid nov.. really glad cuz its the first time abroad.

i'll be bringing both film and digital..

i've read in CS a looooong time regarding the Xray system at customs will fog the film.. so how should i prevent this from happening?

and also, after buying a new lens, i'm told by someone with experience tat tat particular type of lens will grow fungus easily.. and its advisable to buy dry box..

with my current standard, a dry box is kinda far fetched.. any idea tat i can prevent fungus from growing?

really look forward to all ur advices..

thnx in advance ppl!

Most X-Ray system are Film safe.
Most X-Ray system will create blue hue even if it is film safe (just ask the shop to compensate for the blue)

If you want the film not exposed to X-Ray, put it in a plastics back and hand carry it to show the security.

For Dry cabinet ...... how long would be be going? If you really scare, buy clear dry box (instead of electronic dry cabinet) and use gel to dry. Basically, the dry box will be air tight, most drawer are not. (come to think of it, I had used Dry box for over 10 years before I switch to Electronic Dry cabinet ;D .... no fungus)

 

[LKSC]

i see.. but possible to let the customs officer check manually instead of running thru the machine?

It depends which country you are visiting. Except for airports in USA, there is no guarantee that you will allowed hand inspections.

One solution is to buy and process your film at your destination.

 

[leadwe]

For films, you should make it as easy as possible for custom to check. I usually put the films in clear containers in a ziplock bag for them to inspect manually.

As for dry box, you can try using a ziplock bag with some drying agent inside. I bought one of those porous handphone pouch and put gel inside. It works beautifully. If the gel turns white, just use hair dryer to blow.

 

[faa]

i see.. wow thanx for all ur responses man.. feeling more relieved now..

thnx alot ppl! shall continue posting queries should i have any.. thnx again!

 

[showtime]

Many airports use this brand of scanners. and here is their websites warning to protect your film... read it carefully.

http://www.invision-tech.com/products/film.htm

just hand carry your film and never check it in. the hand luggage scanners are film safe.

 

[Brandon]

i see.. wow thanx for all ur responses man.. feeling more relieved now..

thnx alot ppl! shall continue posting queries should i have any.. thnx again!

Went to europe mid this year with more than ten rolls of film. Went through several airport xray with them and in the end things turned out okay. So I guess hand luggage xray is safe for films.

Not sure if you put your film in your suitcase and goes into the cargo.

Hope it helps
Cheers

 

[Prismatic]

When I go overseas, usually I will come back with a whole batch of films which are not available in Singapore. So far haven't had any problems of them going thru the x-ray.

 

[student]

1 NEVER put films in the checked luggage. They will be cooked!

2 If your films are ASA 400 or less, do not worry. Films with ASA >400 ask for hand inspection.

3 Do not worry about fungus especially if your trip is less than a couple of weeks.

 

[Madmax]

1 NEVER put films in the checked luggage. They will be cooked!

2 If your films are ASA 400 or less, do not worry. Films with ASA >400 ask for hand inspection.

3 Do not worry about fungus especially if your trip is less than a couple of weeks.

I thought check-in luggage suffers from freezing temperatures in the cargo hold instead of cooked?

 

[faa]

yup.. all my cam stuffs (cam, films, lens etc) will all be carried by hand.. so i guess its gonna be fine la.. hope so.. haha.. thx man..

 

[faa]

I thought check-in luggage suffers from freezing temperatures in the cargo hold instead of cooked?

haha.. :bsmilie: :bsmilie: :bsmilie:

 

[Steviemac]

Greetings Faa I live in the UK and over the years the family holidays have taken in quite a few countrys we've been to Spain ,Usa ,Italy ,Norway Austria,Germany,Barbados and Thailand to name a few , Ive never had any problems with any customs people regarding cameras and/or film , my advice is , if you can ,carry your cameras and film with you in a separate holdall - camera bag and take through customs by hand .most will just ask for a quick look in the bag and pass you through anyway .
I have had no problems with airport security people and these days some of them have small hand scanners ( minimum x-ray ) for sensitive equipment like cameras , laptops etc .
Also dont worry about your films , I may just be lucky but Ive brought dozens of exposed rolled home for developing and not had any problems yet .

 

[Steviemac]

I thought check-in luggage suffers from freezing temperatures in the cargo hold instead of cooked?

might not be bad idea at that , A quick note on this aspect , my father allways kept his films in a plastic container in the freezer at home and even though some of the films could run 2 years out of date ,they still produced good results .
Not so sure about modern film emulsions though , I wouldnt know if this still applies regarding new stuff and mine rarely stay unused longer than a month after Ive bought them anyway .

 

[faa]

Greetings Faa I live in the UK and over the years the family holidays have taken in quite a few countrys we've been to Spain ,Usa ,Italy ,Norway Austria,Germany,Barbados and Thailand to name a few , Ive never had any problems with any customs people regarding cameras and/or film , my advice is , if you can ,carry your cameras and film with you in a separate holdall - camera bag and take through customs by hand .most will just ask for a quick look in the bag and pass you through anyway .
I have had no problems with airport security people and these days some of them have small hand scanners ( minimum x-ray ) for sensitive equipment like cameras , laptops etc .
Also dont worry about your films , I may just be lucky but Ive brought dozens of exposed rolled home for developing and not had any problems yet .

hi! nice to hear that.. yup, gotta have a separate bag for cam stuffs.. gonna be handheld when passing through customs.. :thumbsup:

 

[finkster]

I put my film along with my camera gear in one bag and hand carry them. I also send it thru the x-ray machine with other carry-on luggage, and it does not affect my film so far. I don't bother to request for hand inspection as they are low ISO film.

Also, from what I've read, putting your film in lead-lined bags meant to protect film may result in the customs people just turning up the x-ray machine's power to enable them to see what's inside.

Unless I bring along ISO 1600 or 3200 film, I wouldn't ask for hand inspection. Even if you do ask for hand inspection, be prepared that they will not oblige and you might cause a scene if you insist. Incidents have happened as airport staff can be very sensitive in other countries.

 

[espn]

I put my film along with my camera gear in one bag and hand carry them. I also send it thru the x-ray machine with other carry-on luggage, and it does not affect my film so far. I don't bother to request for hand inspection as they are low ISO film.

Also, from what I've read, putting your film in lead-lined bags meant to protect film may result in the customs people just turning up the x-ray machine's power to enable them to see what's inside.

Unless I bring along ISO 1600 or 3200 film, I wouldn't ask for hand inspection. Even if you do ask for hand inspection, be prepared that they will not oblige and you might cause a scene if you insist. Incidents have happened as airport staff can be very sensitive in other countries.

Never carried film thru b4, so just asking... if place it visible in ziploc bags that can see thru would it be ok to hand-carry through? The last time I went overseas I brought digital and was a bit hesitative to put my entire lowepro bag through the machine :what: