If you didn’t already know this, let this poor guy’s misfortune serve as a warning. Never try to capture a laser light show with your Canon 5D Mark II, or any other DSLR for that matter. A direct hit from a laser will brick your expensive camera by leaving a permanent impression on the sensor.
Have any of you had a personal experience with lasers damaging your camera?
For additional proof, check out the rest of the DSLR-death-by-laser videos below.
[via PetaPixel]
Actually, I was trying to figure out what was wrong with my sensor and now I know… I used my camera for taking pictures of laser effects in my recent optics lab and now I know why the sensor is fubar: when I take pictures of something bright, a dark spots appears; when I take pictures of dark things, I see bright spots. Huh. Good thing I have full coverage…
Oh man. That sucks.
Good to know for concert photographers – first I heard about this happening.
I blame the laser operators. Lasers should always be set to shine above the audience and anyone’s camera. Who cares about your fancy DSLR when the lasers are burning out your retinas, too?
Read camera’s notice -book or cd rom – . Never point any camera or movie camera towards the sun. (except at dawn or sunrise when it is red) .
Never try to picture direct light emitted by strong sources – sun – strong lasers – dvd screen projecters, etc.
Direct light is dangerous for your eye and your cameras .
If you really intend to picture it, use a very very dark filters designed to picture sun eclipses .
Or then again…shoot film. No harm, no foul…
OK this is really important and not really good news at all. Is there such a thing as a camera that can take both stills and video of lasers? I sure hope so if we’re to be able to take demo shots of our stock.
Any ideas? I’m all ears… and eyes.
Marc,
Not sure what type photos/videos you need. The focused laser beam should not directly, or indirectly (via reflection) enter the lens and strike the sensor. There should be no problem if you are shooting from the side and the only image reaching the sensor is scatter off of normal atmospheric dust particles or smoke/fog. The sun comparison holds up well; we routinely view and photograph objects illuminated by the sun when we would never consider looking, directly or through the viewfinder, into the sun.
That’s very important for photographer.
Thanks very much….!
So logicl it is!
As most people know laser is a highly amplified and concentrated ray of light which is suppsoedly harmful and dangerous to every light senesitive thing, be it a live being like human eye or a device !!!
But in my opinion, having a bricked and dead camera is much better than having a burnt retina ! I wish it never happens to any human being or animal !