RED in Flights

[Michael Brennan]

is it a rumor or not?
i have heard that some digital cameras where damaged by the x-rays in airport. that the sensor had become some pixel failure.

does somebody else heard about this?

There is no evidence that CCD or CMOS sensors are damaged by Xrays or recordings corrupted by metal detectors for that matter, even the more powerful machines in common use since 9/11.

Similar talk/innuendo in the past has come from the pro film fraternity, namely Kodak, whose product is adversely affected by Xrays.

Gamma rays do affect CCDS. Jury seems to be out on Gamma rays vs CMOS sensors.


Mike Brennan

 

[Brent J. Craig]

Similar talk/innuendo in the past has come from the pro film fraternity, namely Kodak, whose product is adversely affected by Xrays.

The luggage scanners definitely do destroy unprocessed film of any speed. See http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/support/technical/xrays_airport.jhtml and some very scary real world examples here

Remember that we still live in a free society. Section 108 of the FAA rules still states that passengers may request hand inspection of unprocessed photographic film. When they start forcing me to xray my film then I'll know the terr'ists have won!

This is one of the hassles I am looking forward to seeing the end of as we move to digital!

 

[Jim Logan]

For what it is worth we usually get carnets. Unfortunately I didn't get one on a trip to Paris. Ended up having gear impounded for a day and cost me a fair amount with a customs broker to get it out. Other interesting thing is that the custom's agent at the airport was clearly looking for a substantial bribe - he told me that I could "post a cash bond" with him and he would let me go. This was within the last few years.

 

[cinemano]

hello.. excuse my ignorance but, what is a carnet and where do i get one?

 

[Michael Brennan]

hello.. excuse my ignorance but, what is a carnet and where do i get one?

In UK they come from the local chamber of commerce or a specialsit media company.


A bond needs to be placed with an authorised customs office. Value of bond is based on where you are going and value of kit. high risk countries the bond will be 150% of declared value of kit.
(Value is not purchase price but street value. SO somewhere between 25% to 40% of purchase price is reasonable for new ish kit)
Basically if all the kit comes back into your home country you get your bond back.
Note that in UK there is a carnet insurance scheme that does not require us to comeup with a bond, instead we pay a non refundable insurance premium.

Not all countries have a company offering this service.

I get a carnet and charge the cost onto the client. Otherwise I would be responsible for any delay to production.

Still photographers tend not to travel with carnets claiming that their cameras are relativley low cost tools of trade.

But historically we travel with over $150k of kit which puts us in a different category.

Generally I find that a large number of professional cases is not conducive to walking through the green channel without being stopped!

The only time in the last 5 years that I didn't use a carnet was to Iceland, a short notice trip. I was severly scolded on entry for having a duplicate listand not a carnet.
I declared the kit in the RED channel on entry, had I tried to walk through green channel I suspect the kit could have been impounded.


I have never tried to busk it through the green channel with a full kit, best policy is to come clean in the red channel if the carnet has been forgotten by production.

A lot of customs guys can't fill out the carnet, it is important that you know what has to be stamped.

The important aspect is to get last re-entry into your home country stamped. If you have missed a exit stamp in a distant counrty the worst that will happen is you need to have evidence that the kit left that country, ie take all the kit to your home customs office who will validate that the kit is back in your home country and was not sold (imported with out duty) in the country where you forgot or were unable to get an exit stamp.

If you can't get an entry stamp in distant country (ie cant find a customs guy if you arrive on an early flight) then simply don't take the kit to customs on the way out of that country.
However if you are in one of the few countries where all baggage is checked by customs on departure you should return to the airport the day following your arrival to get the entry stamp.



Some insurance companes do not cover delays or expenses caused by siezure of the kit by customs, so if you decide not to get a carnet let production take responsibility for cost of delays, including lost rental of your kit.



Mike Brennan

 

[Jonas Nyström]

Now you have scared me a lot - maybe I should start carneting...

 

[Michael Brennan]

If you stop and talk with customs in the Red channel and your experience is that they are letting you through without a carnet then this is valuable info worth knowing!

But if you are walking through the green channel eyes straight ahead...then I have no comment


Mike Brennan

 

[Storyline]

In the US, Roanoke Trade handles Carnets and they've done a good job for us - they're at http://www.roanoketrade.com/. For non-Carnet countries, you can go to the US Customs office at your airport and present them with a filled out form CBP 4455 for them to stamp before you check the gear or take it on board (form available on-line at https://forms.customs.gov/customsrf/getformharness.asp?formName=cf-4455-form.xft). It'll help on both ends of travel. We've gone seamlessly into Ecuador sometimes, but at other times have been stopped and the 4455 form (stamped by US Customs) helped clear things up and speed us through without any impounds or bad delays.

 

[Colin C]

Xrays and digital

Xrays and digital

...This is one of the hassles I am looking forward to seeing the end of as we move to digital!

I did some reading up on this is little while ago. I couldn't find anything that said that X-rays caused any harm.
One thing I did read, that might be a problem, is caused from exposure to magnets used for moving some of the conveyor belts that take things into the x-ray machine. And the hand held wands also are apparently magnetic. I can't see that as being too bad though for the amount of different electronics that must be carried through airports. Maybe just something to think about if you've got something very sensitive that has no shielding at all.

I think exposure to something hazardous during a securty check is far less of a worry compared to having kit mis-handled in baggage or smacked around in the overhead lockers.

 

[Häakon]

I had actually thought of using FED-EX or UPS to ship the camera to where I was going. I really don't trust the airlines.

I felt the same way, so I shipped my gear today via 3-day FedEx for an out-of-state shoot I'm doing this weekend. The cost to ship my one Pelican case - one way - was $260.

Next time I'm checking it on the plane and the worst that happens is my case gets thrashed - in which it will cost me less to replace it than it does to ship it!