Reading mode: Light Dark

WARNING: I just heard that

Go to last post
S

SPy149399

Senior Member
Messages
1,064
Reaction score
0
Location
AU
metal detectors at airports will damage memory cards or the data on them. The way that they work, this does actually make sense.

So, film exposure to airport xrays must be kept to a minimum, and
Memory card exposure to metal detectors is a no no.

This could explain a thread I read last year about someone loosing images during a cruise.

Does anyone have any experince with this?
--
Sloppy workers blame bad workmanship on their tools.
Bad photographers can also blame it on their subjects!



'Most people see me this way... - behind the lens'
Stewart
 
I went through many airports and had no problems whatsoever with my DSLR and CF cards.
SPy said:
metal detectors at airports will damage memory cards or the data on
them. The way that they work, this does actually make sense.

So, film exposure to airport xrays must be kept to a minimum, and
Memory card exposure to metal detectors is a no no.

This could explain a thread I read last year about someone loosing
images during a cruise.

Does anyone have any experince with this?
--
Sloppy workers blame bad workmanship on their tools.
Bad photographers can also blame it on their subjects!



'Most people see me this way... - behind the lens'
Stewart
Click to expand...
 
SPy said:
metal detectors at airports will damage memory cards or the data on
them. The way that they work, this does actually make sense.

So, film exposure to airport xrays must be kept to a minimum, and
Memory card exposure to metal detectors is a no no.

This could explain a thread I read last year about someone loosing
images during a cruise.

Does anyone have any experince with this?
--
Sloppy workers blame bad workmanship on their tools.
Bad photographers can also blame it on their subjects!



'Most people see me this way... - behind the lens'
Stewart
Click to expand...
--
Minë Corma hostië të ilyë ar mordossë nutië të
Mornórëo Nóressë yassë i Fuini caitar.
Un thoron arart’a s’un hith mal’kemen ioke.
Saurulmaiel
 
same here, traveled several times by air, post 911, never a problem with the xray machines or metal detectors. All gear and CF cards fine.

Bill
Daniella said:
SPy said:
metal detectors at airports will damage memory cards or the data on
them. The way that they work, this does actually make sense.

So, film exposure to airport xrays must be kept to a minimum, and
Memory card exposure to metal detectors is a no no.

This could explain a thread I read last year about someone loosing
images during a cruise.

Does anyone have any experince with this?
--
Sloppy workers blame bad workmanship on their tools.
Bad photographers can also blame it on their subjects!



'Most people see me this way... - behind the lens'
Stewart
Click to expand...
--
Minë Corma hostië të ilyë ar mordossë nutië të
Mornórëo Nóressë yassë i Fuini caitar.
Un thoron arart’a s’un hith mal’kemen ioke.
Saurulmaiel
Click to expand...
 
I travel a lot with many memory cards. Never have I lost an image due to the security area screening machines. These were not only machines in the U.S. but in numerous other countries.

There is a warning though about placing film in checked luggage. They warn you to remove any film from checked luggage.

Olga
 
SPy said:
metal detectors at airports will damage memory cards or the data on
them. The way that they work, this does actually make sense.

So, film exposure to airport xrays must be kept to a minimum, and
Memory card exposure to metal detectors is a no no.

This could explain a thread I read last year about someone loosing
images during a cruise.

Does anyone have any experince with this?
--
Sloppy workers blame bad workmanship on their tools.
Bad photographers can also blame it on their subjects!



'Most people see me this way... - behind the lens'
Stewart
Click to expand...
 
Word of mouth vs peoples experience speaks volumes doesn't it.

If anyone can definitely confirm metal detection causing errors we would like to hear.
SPy said:
metal detectors at airports will damage memory cards or the data on
them. The way that they work, this does actually make sense.

So, film exposure to airport xrays must be kept to a minimum, and
Memory card exposure to metal detectors is a no no.

This could explain a thread I read last year about someone loosing
images during a cruise.

Does anyone have any experince with this?
--
Sloppy workers blame bad workmanship on their tools.
Bad photographers can also blame it on their subjects!



'Most people see me this way... - behind the lens'
Stewart
Click to expand...
--
Sloppy workers blame bad workmanship on their tools.
Bad photographers can also blame it on their subjects!



'Most people see me this way... - behind the lens'
Stewart
 
CF cards are made from silicon integrated circuit memories that are not affected by xrays or magnetic fields. You shouldn't have any problems with them.

Microdrives are small magnetic disks that could be affected by magnetic fields. If the metal detectors operate with magnetic fields then it would be a good idea to have someone hand check your microdrive rather than pass the detector over it.
SPy said:
If anyone can definitely confirm metal detection causing errors we
would like to hear.
SPy said:
metal detectors at airports will damage memory cards or the data on
them. The way that they work, this does actually make sense.

So, film exposure to airport xrays must be kept to a minimum, and
Memory card exposure to metal detectors is a no no.

This could explain a thread I read last year about someone loosing
images during a cruise.

Does anyone have any experince with this?
--
Sloppy workers blame bad workmanship on their tools.
Bad photographers can also blame it on their subjects!



'Most people see me this way... - behind the lens'
Stewart
Click to expand...
--
Sloppy workers blame bad workmanship on their tools.
Bad photographers can also blame it on their subjects!



'Most people see me this way... - behind the lens'
Stewart
Click to expand...
 
Memory cards use flash memory technology. The firmware for many electronic devices (including most digital cameras) is also stored on a flash memory chip. If the memory cards were corrupted, chances are your camera, laptop, etc. would be rendered useless as well.

--
'There is no conversation more boring than the one where everybody agrees.'
 
You be taking memory cards through a metal detector anyway?

1st, I always remove everything from my person going through (and I still always set the darn thing off)

2nd my camera and stuff would be in a bag, which goes through x-ray, not a metal detector. You cannot easily carry your camera round your neck or anything since passport control and security are always very strict no photo zones.

3rd x-ray has been proven consistently safe with cameras and digital media.
SPy said:
metal detectors at airports will damage memory cards or the data on
them. The way that they work, this does actually make sense.

So, film exposure to airport xrays must be kept to a minimum, and
Memory card exposure to metal detectors is a no no.

This could explain a thread I read last year about someone loosing
images during a cruise.

Does anyone have any experince with this?
--
Sloppy workers blame bad workmanship on their tools.
Bad photographers can also blame it on their subjects!



'Most people see me this way... - behind the lens'
Stewart
Click to expand...
--
http://public.fotki.com/wibble/public_display/

 
I go through a metal detector every day at work with my camera and have never experienced a problem.

Rudi.
SPy said:
metal detectors at airports will damage memory cards or the data on
them. The way that they work, this does actually make sense.

So, film exposure to airport xrays must be kept to a minimum, and
Memory card exposure to metal detectors is a no no.

This could explain a thread I read last year about someone loosing
images during a cruise.

Does anyone have any experince with this?
--
Sloppy workers blame bad workmanship on their tools.
Bad photographers can also blame it on their subjects!



'Most people see me this way... - behind the lens'
Stewart
Click to expand...
--
http://www.pbase.com/rudolfzx
 
unless you forget it in your pocket and go through the metal detector but that shoudl not be hapening to begin with.
peteb said:
1st, I always remove everything from my person going through (and I
still always set the darn thing off)

2nd my camera and stuff would be in a bag, which goes through
x-ray, not a metal detector. You cannot easily carry your camera
round your neck or anything since passport control and security are
always very strict no photo zones.

3rd x-ray has been proven consistently safe with cameras and
digital media.
SPy said:
metal detectors at airports will damage memory cards or the data on
them. The way that they work, this does actually make sense.

So, film exposure to airport xrays must be kept to a minimum, and
Memory card exposure to metal detectors is a no no.

This could explain a thread I read last year about someone loosing
images during a cruise.

Does anyone have any experince with this?
--
Sloppy workers blame bad workmanship on their tools.
Bad photographers can also blame it on their subjects!



'Most people see me this way... - behind the lens'
Stewart
Click to expand...
--
http://public.fotki.com/wibble/public_display/

Click to expand...
--
Minë Corma hostië të ilyë ar mordossë nutië të
Mornórëo Nóressë yassë i Fuini caitar.
Un thoron arart’a s’un hith mal’kemen ioke.
Saurulmaiel
 
I have never had any problems with CF cards and airport security. About 18 months ago there was an article when all mail was being scanned and sanitized for anthrax. The scanning devices were causing corruption in the memory cards and other memory devices.

These devices are only in use at the US Post Office and not at airport security.

--
Pat

http://www.iceshots.smugmug.com
 
I've been to Asia and South America several times over the last few years, with cards with me each time and no data loss or corruption at all. This includes multiple passes through detectors on the same trip.

Mark
SPy said:
metal detectors at airports will damage memory cards or the data on
them. The way that they work, this does actually make sense.

So, film exposure to airport xrays must be kept to a minimum, and
Memory card exposure to metal detectors is a no no.

This could explain a thread I read last year about someone loosing
images during a cruise.

Does anyone have any experince with this?
--
Sloppy workers blame bad workmanship on their tools.
Bad photographers can also blame it on their subjects!



'Most people see me this way... - behind the lens'
Stewart
Click to expand...
 
SPy said:
metal detectors at airports will damage memory cards or the data on
them. The way that they work, this does actually make sense.
Click to expand...
Techincally and pragmatically it cannot happen. I've been traveling with various cards through airports for 4-5 years and have not lost an image.
 
False urban legend.
Mike
 
Three times with two different PDAs. I used my PDA just fine while checking in (I store my e-ticket info on my PDA), went through security, and the memory was corrupted when I sat down at the gate to use it. It required a hard reset of the PDA each time. I've only had memory corruption one other time, and that was due to a botched sync. So I'm pretty sure it's the x-ray scanners.

The flash memory wasn't affected, but the PDA's volatile memory was. I make it a point to backup everything (to flash) on my PDA before going to the airport now. I also had the same thing happen to my laptop when I put it in suspend instead of hibernate before putting it through the x-ray scannera. Suspend keeps the RAM powered up.
dwalby said:
CF cards are made from silicon integrated circuit memories that are
not affected by xrays or magnetic fields. You shouldn't have any
problems with them.

Microdrives are small magnetic disks that could be affected by
magnetic fields. If the metal detectors operate with magnetic
fields then it would be a good idea to have someone hand check your
microdrive rather than pass the detector over it.
Click to expand...
Hard drive write heads work on a principle where the smaller you make the gap between two poles of an electromagnet, the stronger the magnetic field. I doubt any metal detector can create a strong enough magnetic field at that distance to "write" over the data on a hard drive. Your credit cards' magnetic stripe is more likely to be erased first, and a lot more people carry those than carry microdrives.
 
If you don't travel, why do you post this useless post anyways?
SPy said:
metal detectors at airports will damage memory cards or the data on
them. The way that they work, this does actually make sense.

So, film exposure to airport xrays must be kept to a minimum, and
Memory card exposure to metal detectors is a no no.

This could explain a thread I read last year about someone loosing
images during a cruise.

Does anyone have any experince with this?
--
Sloppy workers blame bad workmanship on their tools.
Bad photographers can also blame it on their subjects!



'Most people see me this way... - behind the lens'
Stewart
Click to expand...
--

Keep it cool guys... remember, this is the internet. It's nothing personal. If you take it personal, you should quit the net.
 
probably used irradation (high level gamma?) in order to kill the anthrax spores. This type of radiation, depending on level/duration, can screw up various components besides flash memory.
PFR said:
I have never had any problems with CF cards and airport security.
About 18 months ago there was an article when all mail was being
scanned and sanitized for anthrax. The scanning devices were
causing corruption in the memory cards and other memory devices.

These devices are only in use at the US Post Office and not at
airport security.

--
Pat

http://www.iceshots.smugmug.com
Click to expand...
 
PC Wheeler said:
SPy said:
metal detectors at airports will damage memory cards or the data on
them. The way that they work, this does actually make sense.
Click to expand...
Techincally and pragmatically it cannot happen. I've been
traveling with various cards through airports for 4-5 years and
have not lost an image.
Click to expand...
so you're saying a magnetic field being introduced to metal object couldn't induce electricity in the said metal object and potentially cause malfunction in it ?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top