airport x-ray and digital photography

I've been reading conflicting suggestions re the topic of passing digital cameras and image storage cards through either belt-line x-ray or the "big daddy" x-ray used to clear unzipped luggage. I know the latter is stronger than the former, and anything beyond your socks and shorts will likely end up either fried or stolen.

I ordinarily have my camera hand inspected. I also have used or unused film cartridges hand inspected. Should I do the same with my compact flash cards--either with or without data on them? Or can I leave them along with my lenses in my camera bag, which I place on the belt?

I've tried calling my local airport with the question, but the answers are always too pat--"of course we wouldn't ruin your pictures!" But I've heard enough horror stories to keep my paranoia level high.

Any advice...based on more than hunch? I've got until late January before I take off for Sedona and points west.

Floyd

I've flown quite a bit with camera and CF cards and never had any problems, though that doesn't mean nothing can happen.

One thing you can do is leave your card in the camera where it is a bit more shielded. I'll be taking a 40GB storage/viewer gizmo for my next trip, so I am hoping its case will give good shielding too.

Forget what they are called, but there are also shielded bags for film and cards, I think from B&H Photo and OPTECH/USA.

In november i had 3 business-flights (to and from) in 3 weeks (6 times x-ray)
Always took my G3 and CF-cards with.
It passed the small-luggage x-ray without problem.

As for the shielded bags... I guess that when the customs see a black box through the x-rays in your luggage, they'll begin to bother you, open all boxes, etc, and fingering your gear do perhaps more damage than the x-ray...

Compact flash cards are something entirely different than photographic film. Compact flash cards are not sensitive to light or mild X-ray radiation, so airport X-ray machines will not have any effect on CF cards at all. Not even the stronger kind of X-ray machines.

I'm not in electronics, so here's a question:
the data on a compact flash card is stored how? magnetically, electronic state, or how? Doesn't a high energy ray (like x-ray) modify such a state?

I fly an inordinate amount. I have never had a problem with either the compact flash cards or the film. Mind you I never have film long enough for it to be xrayed several times.

Here is a link to the website for the government agency in Canada that is responsible for airport security.

http://www.catsa.ca/en​glish/travel_voyage/ba​g.htm
(You have click on camera film about a third of the page down)

They say xraying won't affect anything under ISO800 but several xrays on the same file could provide issues. No issue with flash cards

Sheldon

It is stored in electronic circuits made up of microscopic transistors as electric charges. X-ray radiation isn't so strong that it can change these electric charges.

(By the way, I am an electronics engineer....)

Or do you just play one on TV?

X-rays affect film, not Compact Flash cards or digicams. Don't worry, fly happily.

This would seem to be the majority opinion, so I'd like to thank those who responded. I will, however, continue to keep valuable photo gear of any kind out of my large bag, which gets the "heavy dose" of rays. And I'll do so also to protect the gear--especially from theft.

Incidentally, for those who do fly with film (either exposed or unexposed), I've learned that despite what the people at the belt may say, you DO NOT have to place the film on the belt. As of this writing anyway, you have a legal right to request and receive a hand check.

Floyd

I studied EE but I'm a software engineer now...

Just a note:
I have heard from someone that Dayton, Ohio's new airport scanners are using he newer technologies that apparently can damage hardrives and even solid state storage (such as CF cards).

I have trouble believing it, but I know it is theoretically possible with some of the newer scanners.

The person who mentioned it to me is a frequent traveller out of Dayton and should know what he was talking about. He also mentioned they have signs telling you this. Lastly, it is possible he was pulling my leg, but this was aperson who was not likely to do so.

Anyway thought I would mention this for people traveling through Dayton. I have heard of no other airports in the US using these scanners yet, but have heard of some outside the US.

Ask him to take a picture of the sign and send it to you for "verification". I agree with u02bnpx that one should carry your valuables with you in the carryon instead of placing in luggage. The luxury of having your film hand scanned is only reserved to USA and maybe a few westernized countries. You won't be ask lucky in other places.