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Laser
effects on cameras and camcorders
Lasers emit concentrated beams of light, which can heat
up sensitive surfaces (like the eye's retina) and cause damage. Camera
sensors are susceptible to damage, similar to the human eye.
For large scale shows, such as on a televised concert,
laser show producers work with clients to avoid TV camera locations and
video projectors (ILDA Members, see
this page for details).
However, it is not possible for laser show producers to be responsible
for all cameras and camcorders which might be at a show.
Therefore, if
you attend a show as an audience member, you should take reasonable
precautions not to let a laser beam directly enter your camera
lens.
-
You can photograph the
beams in midair, or doing graphics on a screen. If you can't see the
laser source (projector or bounce mirror) in your viewfinder, this means
you're not getting the full beam power into your lens. Indirect viewing
like this should not cause damage.
-
Avoid beams which are
coming straight into your lens (or bounced off a mirror or other
reflective surface). The damage potential is much greater when the
entire beam power enters the camera lens.
Eye
safety is first
The primary safety concern for laserists is that the
show is eye-safe. A good working definition of "eye-safe" is that
everyone leaves the show with the same vision they entered -- there is
no detrimental change to a person's vision. International safety
standards such as IEC 60825 and ANSI Z136 set "Maximum Permissible Exposure" levels for
laser light. Shows done at or below the MPE should cause no problem for
human eyes. Even shows which exceed the MPE have remarkably safe records
(very few claimed eye injuries).
However, there are no MPEs for sensors
such as CMOS or CCD chips. This means a
show may be perfectly safe for eyes, but could possibly damage a camera sensor.
One reason is that camera lenses may gather more laser light, and
concentrate it to a finer point. Another reason is that a CMOS or CCD sensor
may be more easily damaged than the eye.
Due to the many varying factors involved with lenses and
sensors, laser show producers cannot be responsible for audience-member
damage to cameras or camcorders.
Type of damage
The degree of damage can vary widely.
-
We have seen cases of minor damage, such as small
areas of a few pixels which no longer work. The pixels are not
noticeable unless in an area of uniform color such as a blue sky.
-
 In more extreme cases, there may be larger
or more extensive dead-pixel
areas. Or there may be "burn in" of a laser image. The damage is readily noticeable
in most photos or videos. In this case, the camera is ruined for
quality use.
The image at right shows numerous laser-caused spots on an HP
Photosmart 945, a 5-megapixel camera. Click on the image to see a
full-size (100%) crop from the original photograph. (Photo courtesy
Aljaž Ogrin.)
In March 2009, we received a case where it was claimed
that a Fuji F60fd 12-megapixel point-and-shoot camera was severely damaged by a laser. ILDA analyzed
a video from the camera, and determined the probable cause to be a very bright white
light. (Actually, we are not 100% sure of the cause, but it definitely
happened during a very bright white light flash which was not a laser
illumination.)
More
information for Members
ILDA Members can get more
specific information on avoiding camera and video projector damage, on
this page (password required).
There is a discussion as well, on the ILDA Forums beginning at
http://www.laserist.org/forums/showthread.php?t=156 (or search for
the three words DLP, projector and damage).
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