It's been known for some time that looking into a laser can damage your eye. However, it's been only recently that people are finding that lasers can damage their HDSLRs as well. Some of the reported damage has been minor such as small areas containing a few dead pixels, while other reports have included major damage including extensive areas of dead-pixels and laser image "burn-in".
Similar to the eye's retina, image sensors can be heated by the concentrated beam of light emitted from a laser, resulting in irreversible damage. According to the International Laser Display Association (ILDA) website, international safety standards have set the Maximum Permissible Exposure (MPE) for laser light to a level that isn't harmful to the human eye. However, there isn't an MPE standard for cameras with image sensors (e.g., CCD and CMOS chips). Meaning what is safe for your eyes may still be unsafe for your camera.
The IDLA website does give some suggestion as to how to go about shooting an event containing laser lights. First, indirect laser beams should not cause any damage to your image sensor. This means you can record laser beams that are projected onto a wall or screen, or record them in midair. The basic rule of thumb is avoid laser beams coming straight into your lens. The more directly the beam hits your sensor, the greater the chance and degree of damage that will occur. If you can't see the laser source in your viewfinder, your camera should have a higher chance of making it out unscathed.
Though some have had to learn the hard way, the rest of us can learn by their mistakes. If you're going to film a concert or event that has laser lights as part of the show, be sure to take the necessary precautions to ensure your HDSLR survives to shoot another day.
August 09th, 2010
