- A video filmed in Italy during a concert reminds us that lasers and cameras do not mix
- Lasers can indeed destroy sensors
- And that’s not just for concerts
At concerts, it has become a habit for almost everyone to film the scene with their smartphone. But apart from the fact that it can prevent you from properly enjoying the show, you also risk having a damaged camera, in some cases. It’s not often said, but cameras can be damaged when they receive laser beams, some of which are used at concerts.
Recently, in Italy, someone found out the hard way. His video was released by ViralHog’s YouTube channel and shows the damage allegedly caused by the show’s lasers to his photo sensor. It happened on April 19, during a concert in Naples. According to the description, the lasers would have “burned” the pixels of the camera. On the video, we can see the lines that form, while the smartphone receives the rays.
Laser and camera don’t mix
Unfortunately, we do not have all the details on what happened to this smartphone after this exposure of the camera to lasers. But in any case, this is not the first time that a sensor has been destroyed because of these rays. Moreover, on one of its support pages, Sony warns users of its cameras. “Do not expose the lens directly to beams such as laser beams. It may damage the image sensor and cause camera malfunction”advises the manufacturer.
He explains that it is necessary to avoid exposing the lenses during events including laser shows. “In an outdoor or indoor environment when there is a laser display, the tendency for direct or indirect damage (bounce of the laser beam off a reflective object) to the CMOS sensor of the camera is always very high”also notes Sony.
Our colleagues from PetaPixel also recall that many Internet users have already complained of damage to their cameras after exposure to lasers. On this video, filmed 12 years ago, for example, we can see vertical and horizontal lines forming, after the passage of a laser, during a show.
A person has also complained about damage to a camera after filming a laser tattoo removal. Alternatively, it’s also possible that the lasers used by LiDAR sensors in some self-driving cars could have the same effect.
In any case, if you go to an event that includes laser shows, better avoid filming with your smartphone or a camera, you might regret it.
