Title says it all. Does anyone know if videoing a medical procedure with a laser would damage the sensor. The laser would not be directed at the camera but I'm concerned so just want to check with others if they know. I would set up the camera and focus on talent and then maybe leave the room unless they have another set of laser glasses. Would appreciate feedback on this. Thanks heaps
I know people working with lasers on a regular basis often have safety glasses to filter out the laser radiation. Perhaps there is a lens filter that will do the same thing?
if you are not shining the laser directly into the sensor then it won't cause any issue. your eyeballs are much more sensitive to damage and so there is laser safety ocular hazzard specifications. It its safe for your eye its safe for the sensor. I grew up making electronics comms devices using high powered (relatively) lasers shining onto exactly the electronics which are used as the basis for sensors. http://www.optique-ingenieur.org/en/courses/OPI_ang_M01_C02/co/Contenu_09.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_safety you will note that occular hazzard is determined by distance and focus ... think focused points of light with a magnifying glass burn while diffuse ones don't. Its just light, so obeys normal rules of physics.
It seems to me that the laser would need to be pointed directly at the sensor in order to do damage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0TgaGePhJA
I really don't think that you'd have an issue. The safety glasses are there as a precaution so that risk and potential liability is avoided. The retina is very sensitive to a direct hit, from say a reflection, which is going to be of lower power; whereas, with a camera, the laser light has to go through many glass surfaces where it's going to be attenuated anyway, as it's not the point of focus.
thats a very interesting video ... I wonder if it was permanent? I'd expect that the laser in that show was class 3 laser (not one for surgery which would be in class 4, checkout lasers are class 1) and thus should have a low occular hazzard . Some of the comments in the youtube link were very illuminating (pardon the pun). I take the point about "blink response" raised by one poster and am confused by another reference to UV sheilding and the sun, for its not just the UV of the sun which can damange. None the less, good to see that an example of a high power laser shone directly into a camera may damage it. I would also wonder if that was reversed by powering down or remained permanent damage ... to the OP, thanks for asking this question. I learned a few things that need answers to
