Quote:
Originally Posted by doreenjoy
I've been told the film ISO is the key factor. Higher ISO film can be degraded by the X-ray machine, apparently.
Ah, film...makes me all nostalgic to think about those old darkrooms.
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I'm going to get seriously off topic....
A featured columnist from 'Popular Photography' (I believe it was Herb Keppler. He just passed away last January,) used to have a standing offer of
a cash award for anyone who could send him the negatives ruined by X-ray scanners to use in his column.
He never received any.
There was always a lot of
talk about this problem, plenty of lead-lined bags sold to
protect from this problem,
but never any proof that the problem actually existed, only anecdotal evidence. Personally, I carried thousands of rolls of film, both high and low ISO (in those days we called it ASA) shot all over the world, going through airport security scanners in dozens of Third World countries using the extreme exposure machines, and never had a single damaged negative to send to Keppler so I could collect his reward!
I always asked to have my film bag hand checked, but many, many times
the security people refused and just put the bag though the scanner.
I even tried to get ruined rolls! 15 years ago I put 1600 ISO (ASA) Kodak film (without lead-lined protective bags) into my checked baggage going through an airport on an island in the Micronesian chain. I was able to see the security screen while the bag when through the high dose scanner used for checked baggage. I could clearly see each roll of film. In fact, I asked the guard if he could increase the dosage, which he did. (It was late at night and few people on the check-in line.) These were rolls of film that I had just snapped around the island for the purpose of the experiment so I wasn't going to lose anything valuable if they were ruined. After development, there wasn't one single piece of streaking, blurring, or snow pattern on any of the photographs. None! High ISO film, high dosage X-rays from an older scanner, excessive exposure, and no protection.
Yet I still was unable to collect on Keppler's award!
This is still anecdotal evidence.
We know for a fact that X-rays 'can' and do show up on X-ray film. We just don't know for a fact that the scanners in airports have any effect on camera film. What we do know is that the X-ray machines have no negative effect on our e-book readers or other electronic devices. And personally, I don't miss darkrooms at all!
Stitchawl