also about x-rays but in different aspect

[mentos_007]

in a week I'm flying to London for a meetup. And it will be my first flight by plane... is it safe to let the airport stuff scan my digital camera with x-rays? Do I need to take the batteries out first? I'm a bit afraid of letting the rays scan my cam - after all it's electronic device... what do you think?

 

[amoki]

I don't think that'll be a problem... X-ray is EM waves (photons related, all you need to know ) , and basically digital sensors detects photons (light is comprises of photons) to create a digital image... however if your digital sensor is not even on it wouldn't work! Photons from the X-ray will just "bounce off" the surface when in contact with your sensor. Probably wouldn't do any harm to your digital equipment (whether battery is on or not).

X-ray will damage film on high ISOs because of the nature of film itself: film are basically lattices of silver nitrate. Photons from the X-ray changes the lattice structure of the molecules even before the film are used (high ISOs tend to have slightly weaker intermolecular bond between the Silver-nitrate ions) ... so technically what you get from of a X-ray-ed film is a "exposed" film even before you use it .

If you are still worried just carry your camera on your body

 

[doenoe]

i recently read somewhere on the net, that you can ask if they can check your camera stuff by hand. Forgot where i read it though. Think it was somewhere on this forum.
Greetz

 

[Meysha]

They won't handcheck your camera, and there's no need to. Just put it through the x-ray machine. It'll be fine. I've put my 350D through a couple of times and it's fine. I also put my small P&S Digital camera through what seems like a hundred times and there's no problem. It won't affect it from what I've read.

 

[fadingaway1986]

But I would carry it on...

Those airplane loader people are rough with bags

 

[vonDrehle]

I've taken my digital with me to Chicage, Miami, and the Bahamas recently and it still works fine. I carried it on each time.

 

[mentos_007]

on? one the neck? seriously?

 

[Big Mike]

You don't have to carry it on your neck all the time, but don't put it in your suitcase to be checked. Just take a carry-on bag and keep all your important stuff in there.

Actually, if you are going on a short trip...it is really helpful to put all of your things into a carry on bag...and not check anything. Sometimes you can get away with a slightly larger carry-on bag than they normally allow. It's so much easier to travel when you have all your luggage with you at all times.