lightmeter airport security

[Felix Wiedemann]

Sorry for this rather boring question. I am going to shoot abroad, so for the first time I am taking my light meter on a flight. I just wanted to double check that the X-Raying or whatever they do to the luggage at security checks doesn't mess up the sensor of the lightmeter ? Does it need recalibrating afterwards ?

 

I have the Sekonik 758 Cine and I was planning to take the meter in my handluggage.

 

To make this thread slightly more interesting : Does anyone know how a lightmeter actually works in terms of physics ?

 

Thank you very much !

Edited April 20, 2010 by Felix Wiedemann

[Chris Keth]

Sorry for this rather boring question. I am going to shoot abroad, so for the first time I am taking my light meter on a flight. I just wanted to double check that the X-Raying or whatever they do to the luggage at security checks doesn't mess up the sensor of the lightmeter ? Does it need recalibrating afterwards ?

 

I have the Sekonik 758 Cine and I was planning to take the meter in my handluggage.

 

To make this thread slightly more interesting : Does anyone know how a lightmeter actually works in terms of physics ?

 

Thank you very much !

 

It's perfectly safe. I've travelled all over with my meter with no problems at all.

 

Physically, the jist of a lightmeter is a sensor very much like a little solar panel. It generates current proportional to the amount of light hitting it.

[John Sprung]

That particular Sekonic meter uses two photodiodes in photoconductive rather than photovoltaic mode. They regulate rather than generate the flow of electrons, which is why it needs a battery. Airport X-rays should be no problem. With a digital display, it won't need re-calibration after traveling, like the old mechanical meters did. Vibration and shock was the issue back then.

 

 

 

 

-- J.S.

[K Borowski]

Only things you have to worry about getting X-rays are film (unprocessed), and sometimes certain tapes or hard-drives (has more to do with magnets than the actual X-ray source, I think).

 

 

Light meter will come out perfectly fine.