2 Camera's Damaged! laser light and CMOS sensit at DVinfo.net

Bobby Singh · April 19th, 2009, 01:25 PM

Just shot a wedding with 2 Z7's, and midway through the picture on each viewfinder messed up... Green strokes and lines... looks all psychadelic! we were shooting on the dance floor with lots of green laser lighting. We figured it has something to do with this? Any ideas? What what something like this roughly cost to repair ? :(

Bobby Singh · April 19th, 2009, 01:30 PM

we were shooting with an FX1 and a Canon A1 too... both use CCD chips.. and these were fine . Really scary that something like this can happen...

Petrus du Toit · April 19th, 2009, 02:53 PM

Lasers can damage the CCD/CMOS sensors, I spoke to the Panasonic technician, and he warned me never to point my DVX in the direction of a laser light source! He has seen some damaged video cameras and you have to replace the CCD's/CMOS sensors or replace the camera

Bobby Singh · April 19th, 2009, 03:09 PM

The way the stage was set made it difficult to avoid. Surely Sony thought this through . I sincerely hope it can be replaced...

any idea what something like this would cost?

Petrus du Toit · April 20th, 2009, 03:14 PM

Bobby, I am sorry for the damage you suffered, I have no idea what it will cost to fix. you should contact your Sony reseller and find if this damage will be covered by the warranty.

Laurence Kingston · September 29th, 2009, 08:28 AM

Just noticing this thread for the first time. Did you get the camera fixed? I wonder if there is a screw on filter that might protect a CMOS camera from lasers.

Bob Hart · September 30th, 2009, 05:05 AM

If these things can damage CCD and CMOS sensors then this hints at a health and safety issue which maybe needs examination????

Rob Morse · September 30th, 2009, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Hart

If these things can damage CCD and CMOS sensors then this hints at a health and safety issue which maybe needs examination????

That's the truth. It was probably something where the camera was pointed directly at the light for a period of time.

Luc De Wandel · October 3rd, 2009, 01:54 AM

Powerful lasers, such as the ones used for big shows, are emitting a very concentrated beam of light (laser stands for: 'Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation') and should never, and I mean never, be pointed at a human eye. Permanent eye damage can be the result. Operators of powerful lasers should always aim the beam over the head of the public. In your case, if it hit your camera lens, I suppose it could also have hit your eyes. That's an act of criminal neglicence from the laser operator, if you ask me.

Stuart McAlister · October 4th, 2009, 01:20 AM

I'd hate to be the harbinger of doom and break up the party, but it sounds as though the cameras were submitted to more than just a glancing peek at laser light - prolonged and repeditive exposure, more like.

The fact that both cameras suffered the same problem during the same shoot is a little more than simple coincidence.

As the failures were caused under 'abnormal' lighting conditions, no manufacturer would cover this eventuality under their guarantee. It's like submerging a camera in water and claiming it was 'a light rain shower'.

Laser light cannot be filtered out. The only way of avoiding this unfortunate situation in future is not to point the camera at the direct laser source.

The laser operators cannot be pursued for negligence, nor the venue. None of the wedding guests were blinded or hospitalised? You introduced the cameras to the environment, so the blame (and the repair) rests firmly on your shoulders.

It's an expensive lesson to learn and I'm sorry you've been through it.

Stu

April 19th, 2009, 01:25 PM	#1
Bobby Singh New Boot Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: London Posts: 21	2 Camera's Damaged! laser light and CMOS sensit Just shot a wedding with 2 Z7's, and midway through the picture on each viewfinder messed up... Green strokes and lines... looks all psychadelic! we were shooting on the dance floor with lots of green laser lighting. We figured it has something to do with this? Any ideas? What what something like this roughly cost to repair ? :(

April 19th, 2009, 01:30 PM	#2
Bobby Singh New Boot Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: London Posts: 21	we were shooting with an FX1 and a Canon A1 too... both use CCD chips.. and these were fine . Really scary that something like this can happen...

April 19th, 2009, 02:53 PM	#3
Petrus du Toit New Boot Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Centurion Gauteng, South Africa Posts: 19	Lasers can damage the CCD/CMOS sensors, I spoke to the Panasonic technician, and he warned me never to point my DVX in the direction of a laser light source! He has seen some damaged video cameras and you have to replace the CCD's/CMOS sensors or replace the camera

April 19th, 2009, 03:09 PM	#4
Bobby Singh New Boot Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: London Posts: 21	The way the stage was set made it difficult to avoid. Surely Sony thought this through . I sincerely hope it can be replaced... any idea what something like this would cost?

April 20th, 2009, 03:14 PM	#5
Petrus du Toit New Boot Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Centurion Gauteng, South Africa Posts: 19	Bobby, I am sorry for the damage you suffered, I have no idea what it will cost to fix. you should contact your Sony reseller and find if this damage will be covered by the warranty.

September 29th, 2009, 08:28 AM	#6
Laurence Kingston Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Clermont, FL. Posts: 941	Just noticing this thread for the first time. Did you get the camera fixed? I wonder if there is a screw on filter that might protect a CMOS camera from lasers.

September 30th, 2009, 05:05 AM	#7
Bob Hart Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PERTH. W.A. AUSTRALIA. Posts: 4,477	If these things can damage CCD and CMOS sensors then this hints at a health and safety issue which maybe needs examination????

October 3rd, 2009, 01:54 AM	#9
Luc De Wandel Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Knokke-Heist, Belgium Posts: 963	Powerful lasers, such as the ones used for big shows, are emitting a very concentrated beam of light (laser stands for: 'Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation') and should never, and I mean never, be pointed at a human eye. Permanent eye damage can be the result. Operators of powerful lasers should always aim the beam over the head of the public. In your case, if it hit your camera lens, I suppose it could also have hit your eyes. That's an act of criminal neglicence from the laser operator, if you ask me.

October 4th, 2009, 01:20 AM	#10
Stuart McAlister Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Paris Posts: 71	I'd hate to be the harbinger of doom and break up the party, but it sounds as though the cameras were submitted to more than just a glancing peek at laser light - prolonged and repeditive exposure, more like. The fact that both cameras suffered the same problem during the same shoot is a little more than simple coincidence. As the failures were caused under 'abnormal' lighting conditions, no manufacturer would cover this eventuality under their guarantee. It's like submerging a camera in water and claiming it was 'a light rain shower'. Laser light cannot be filtered out. The only way of avoiding this unfortunate situation in future is not to point the camera at the direct laser source. The laser operators cannot be pursued for negligence, nor the venue. None of the wedding guests were blinded or hospitalised? You introduced the cameras to the environment, so the blame (and the repair) rests firmly on your shoulders. It's an expensive lesson to learn and I'm sorry you've been through it. Stu