Photographer accidentally sends hundreds of dollars worth of film through CT scanner – immediately regrets it
(Image credit: Ilford / Digital Camera World)
Professional photographer, videographer and YouTuber, Steven Broome (AKA @vintagecameradigest), has released a video that – by his own admission – he didn't want to make: how the new high-tech CT scanners at airports affect camera film. Yep, you guessed it, poor Steven ended up finding out the hard way…
As he tells his viewers in the video (below) he was on a trip through the Northwestern United States. So, he packed his Nikon F2, some of the best 35mm film rolls – Kodak Pro Image 100, Kodak Portra 400, Ilford HP5 Plus, Kentmere 100 and even some Wolfen PF2 (with a crazy ISO3) – and headed to the airport.
Steven explains that some confusion at Atlanta airport distracted him from asking airport security to check his film manually. Unfortunately, it went through one of the new CT scanners...
He says in the video: "Really, I wasn't terribly concerned about that (...) I had flown to Rome last year and (...) the film went through the security checkpoint (...) and I didn't have any issues with the film when I got back."
It turns out that the woman checking the scan initially thought the film canisters were batteries, but when Steven explained what they were: "her face (...) went from happy, cheerful (...) to one of grief". Sadly, Steven's 18 or so rolls of film were ruined.
What Airport CT Scanners Really Do to Film - YouTube
ABOVE: What happens when camera film meets CT scanners?
It's a darn good job the photographer had elected to bring his Nikon F2 instead of a medium format film camera, because – as we all know – 35mm film is much easier to find when out and about than 120 film.
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Major kudos to Steven for sharing his story, because he's getting the word out that these high-tech CT scanners can ruin film. He also makes it clear that airport staff are aware of the problem and should be happy to 'hand-check' film instead of putting it through the scanner.
But he goes one further than simply warning fellow photographers. He actually decided to shoot on three different rolls of the affected film, to see if they were indeed ruined.
Unsurprisingly, they was affected, so you'll absolutely want to ensure that your film avoids the new CT scanners the next time you head to the airport. But by analyzing the film Steven came up with some very interesting findings.
You'll have to watch the video to find out, and you can also find out more about Steven's vintage camera journey by visiting his website.
Mike is Digital Camera World's How To Editor. He has over a decade of experience, writing for some of the biggest specialist publications including Digital Camera, Digital Photographer and PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine. Prior to DCW, Mike was Deputy Editor of N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine and Production Editor at Wex Photo Video, where he sharpened his skills in both the stills and videography spheres. While he's an avid motorsport photographer, his skills extend to every genre of photography – making him one of Digital Camera World's top tutors for techniques on cameras, lenses, tripods, filters and other imaging equipment – as well as sharing his expertise on shooting everything from portraits and landscapes to abstracts and architecture to wildlife and, yes, fast things going around race tracks...
