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Subject:Re: x-rays/airports/disks From:James Perkins <perkins -at- BILBO -dot- NTC -dot- NOKIA -dot- COM> Date:Mon, 14 Aug 1995 15:02:27 +0300
On Mon, 14 Aug 1995, Heilan Yvette Grimes wrote:
> You didn't ask, but you should also know about film. The airline will swear
> up and down that the x-rays do not harm film unless it is a high ASA. This is
> abosolutely not true and they know it, but it takes time to hand examine
> film. X-rays will fog your film, and cause a definite loss of color quality.
> Always have your film hand examined. And don't send your camera through the
> x-ray if it has film in it. Have that hand examined also.
Not in my experience. I have been on trips and taken unexposed film,
then exposed film, through the x-ray machine on the way to a
destination, and on the way back. I left my spare film and camera in my hand
luggage, and everything came out unscathed. None of my film was fogged
or lost any colour. If the machine says "filmsafe", this is actually
true. However, it may be a good idea to be wary of machines in more
questionable places, for example India or some African countries.