taking 350D to the plane

[akravets]

Hi guys,

I am going to take my 350D to vacation in Mexico. Just wanted to find out about any guidelines I should keep when going thru boarding check. I don't think I should take the camera with me thru metal detector, but what about x-ray? Is it safe?

thanks,
Alex

[NickC]

You don't have a choice where you can carry the camera. They're going to make you put it through the scanner, not through the metal detector carried with you. The camera and your CompactFlash cards will be fine. Just don't put it in your checked baggage or it may get stolen.

This has been covered many many times here before, and many people have affirmed that digicams going through airports is not a problem.

[akravets]

cool. thanks a lot.

[FlyingPete]

You don't have a choice where you can carry the camera. They're going to make you put it through the scanner, not through the metal detector carried with you. The camera and your CompactFlash cards will be fine. Just don't put it in your checked baggage or it may get stolen.

This has been covered many many times here before, and many people have affirmed that digicams going through airports is not a problem.

Yeah, the X-Ray thing is strickly a film thing, mainly in third world countries with older gear. I have some good examples of film damaged by X-Rays, but none of CF cards, in fact one of the parties involved with that made an official announcement that X-Rays are safe to digicams.

[robertwgross]

There have been anecdotal reports of X-rays possibly damaging CF card memory. However, I haven't seen any of those proven. More likely that the CF files were corrupted through normal user errors (like ejecting the card too early).

When taking a camera onto an airliner, you really have only two choices. You can put it in your checked baggage, or you can put it in your carry-on bag. Checked baggage is kind of bad, because it can't be locked, so there is major risk of theft. Checked baggage also gets the highest dose of X-rays. Carry-on bags are scanned with low dosage radiation, and I have never seen that damage a CF card. Unfortunately, you can only store so much camera gear in your carry-on bag.

---Bob Gross---

[neil_r]

Yeah, the X-Ray thing is strickly a film thing, mainly in third world countries with older gear. I have some good examples of film damaged by X-Rays.

Not a third world thing, The new machines in the US will fog film. In fact they even warn you about it in advance. Before a recent trip to the US there was a note from "The Transportation Security Administration" in with my tickets stating

"Recommend not placing film in checked bags, because screening equipment will damage it"
Notice it says will not might.

N

[Jon]

The new machines in the US will fog film. In fact they even warn you about it in advance. Before a recent trip to the US there was a note from "The Transportation Security Administration" in with my tickets stating

"Recommend not placing film in checked bags, because screening equipment will damage it"
Notice it says will not might.

N

That's for the x-ray machines they use on checked luggage. Your carry-on gear (in the US) goes through much lower-dose x-rays, at least partly to keep them safe for the users and passers-by. In some places with less-stringent radiation exposure standards, higher-dose x-ray machines may be used for carry-on screening, but US (and European, I believe) standards for radiation exposure are low enough that they claim that only high-speed film will be affected by the machines used for carry-on luggage.

[CyberPet]

My 350D went through that X-ray machine no problem last time I flew (2 weeks ago). Next trip it'll take with me is in 3 weeks. Always pack my cameras with me and have never had any problems. Only once did I have to show it was a working item (at the Canadian security control, the US one didn't care). But I wasn't allowed to take a photo. :D

[robertwgross]

If we go back in history about 30 years or more, airports in the USA, Western Europe, and some other modern countries used X-ray machines to scan carry-on bags. Checked baggage was not scanned at all. At the same time, airports in third-world countries used just about nothing.

By about 25 years ago, the modern airports shifted to the use of newer X-ray machines that use a lower dosage of radiation. Then the older high-dosage machines were resold to the third-world countries. I recall one period in 1983 when this was very much the situation, and I used lead-lined film bags to beat that.

More recently (within the last five years), newer X-ray machines and lower dosage scanners are used in many modern airports for carry-on, and very high dosage X-ray machines are used on checked baggage. The game is always changing.

Everybody always has a different opinion about whether X-rays affect all film or fast film only, and most of the opinions are anecdotal.

Modern digital cameras like we are using primarily are not affected, and I think that is the bottom line.

---Bob Gross---

[Jon]

Personally, I hold with the group that believes x-ray exposures are cumulative, so I'd really rather prefer that my film not go through any x-ray machines. Of course since I now use only CF cards, that may be moot, but that's why I said "they claim" that only high-speed film is affected.

[robertwgross]

Personally, I hold with the group that believes x-ray exposures are cumulative

I don't think that can be disputed.

Five years ago I was flying through Heathrow, changing to Gatwick, and then continuing to Nairobi, and I was carrying a sizable bag of ISO 200 film. Since I was going to be bouncing around from airport to airport going out and then returning, I thought it would be prudent to pack all of my film into a lead-lined bag and then offer that for hand-inspection at each airport X-ray machine.

When I got to Gatwick and approached the machine there, I pulled the lead-lined bag out of my carry-on, opened it up, handed it to the attendent, and requested a hand-inspection. He took it, ran his hand around inside the bag, and then said "Good." Then, to my dismay, he placed it on the conveyor so that it ran through the X-ray machine anyway!

Grrr! Those crazy Brits!

With digital cameras, I don't even think about it.

---Bob Gross---

[mvonditter]

There have been anecdotal reports of X-rays possibly damaging CF card memory. However, I haven't seen any of those proven. More likely that the CF files were corrupted through normal user errors (like ejecting the card too early).

When taking a camera onto an airliner, you really have only two choices. You can put it in your checked baggage, or you can put it in your carry-on bag. Checked baggage is kind of bad, because it can't be locked, so there is major risk of theft. Checked baggage also gets the highest dose of X-rays. Carry-on bags are scanned with low dosage radiation, and I have never seen that damage a CF card. Unfortunately, you can only store so much camera gear in your carry-on bag.

---Bob Gross---

Hey Bob, you can buy TSA approved locks for your bags and lock them. They have to have a red diamond on the lock to be approved. Just and FYI:eek: Mine even have an indicator on them saying if the gang at TSA has opened them.

[Andy_T]

Hey Bob, you can buy TSA approved locks for your bags and lock them. They have to have a red diamond on the lock to be approved. Just and FYI:eek: Mine even have an indicator on them saying if the gang at TSA has opened them.

Does that mean that only TSA approved people can steal your camera then :lol:

Best regards,
Andy

[jimsolt]

You don't have a choice where you can carry the camera. They're going to make you put it through the scanner, not through the metal detector carried with you. The camera and your CompactFlash cards will be fine. Just don't put it in your checked baggage or it may get stolen.

This has been covered many many times here before, and many people have affirmed that digicams going through airports is not a problem.

In addition, checked bags are often x-rayed and this, unlike the scanner, is suspect in harming the cards.
As your mother would say, wear socks with no holes in them, clean underwear, and carry your camera on board with you.:lol:

Jim

[mvonditter]

Does that mean that only TSA approved people can steal your camera then :lol:

Best regards,
Andy

You bet and they'll do it with a smile. Isn’t it grand that you can't lock your stuff but no one at the TSA or airlines will take responsibility for your luggage. Why you ask, well, it’s because it’s not locked. Duh!! Somehow they managed to not change that little rule. It’s all a bunch of BS anyway.:evil:

[Jackal]

As far as I know there's a law that states they have to HAND CHECK your photography equipment if requested. No matter if it's 100 ISO or 1600 ISO. When I traveled to Chicago and back I asked them to handcheck my ISO 100 rolls (yeah i was paranoid about the Xrays)at MIA and O'Hare and they politely listened to my request. Always keep the rolls in a nice ziplock bag (preferably inside the clear roll holders) to make things easier on the guys checking.

There's also signs posted saying you can request a hand inspection at MIA. I'm not quite sure how friendly other countries are about this though.....

Also, on the subject of lead bags. Do you think the Xray operator is going to let a "big black void" slip by him? No. He's going to stop the machine, pour more Xrays into it to try to get through the lead bag and of course he'll still fail. At that point they'll remove the contents from the bag and scan it.

If the lead bag trick worked I'm sure handguns can slip by in them. ;)

On the subect of digital. Run that thing through there as much as you'd like.

[robertwgross]

Hey Bob, you can buy TSA approved locks for your bags and lock them.

Those were not available five years ago.

---Bob Gross---

[FlyingPete]

If the lead bag trick worked I'm sure handguns can slip by in them. ;)

Nope tried that one in the early ninties, not with a gun, but with my film in one of those lead tubes, when they saw it, they just pumped up the power until they could see inside, come to think of it, that was the trip when I had the worst X-Ray damage to my Film.

Around these parts they X-Ray everything except yourself and the clothes you wear, they even chuck the tray they make you put anything metal in (watches jewellery etc) though the machine.

FYI, for anyone comming to NZ, watch out what you bring in, a slap on the wrist for weapons or drugs, but if you try and bring any fruit. dairy or meat products in watch out :rolleyes:

[ssim]

Does that mean that only TSA approved people can steal your camera then :lol:

Best regards,
Andy

Perhaps I am a little thin skinned on this one given that I am an employee of an airline. This does happen, no doubt about it but there are many other industries that have theft issues as well. The key is making sure that your checked baggage looks nondescript.

Over the past year I have accumulated way too much gear to be able to carry it all on. I was faced with having to start to let some of my stuff go as checked baggage.

I investigated getting a pelican type case to fit some of the larger items. Looking closely at this, a bag like that is just saying "I've got some really expensive stuff in here, steal me". I ended up buying a hard sided samsonite type suitcase which doesn't look out of place in the checkin line at the airport. I am able to fit the 500 f4, 300 f2.8, my gitzo 1325 tripod, and a variety of other odds and ends in this one bag. It is key locked as well a combination lock. In order to ensure the items safety I can pack additional clothing items in there as well. I've travelled with this a few times now and never had a problem.

If I am going through a US airport I just ask the TSA agents for a hand inspection on the checked baggage in my presence. I unlock it for them, they do the inspection , I relock it and they slap the inpsection tape on it. They have been most accomodating on this.

I do have piece of mind doing this as my stuff is insured to the hilt.