slightly Off Topic

D
Posted By
Dave
Sep 26, 2005
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333
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10
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Is it possible to damage the image sensor of a digital camera by looking at the sun directly through the lens of a camera? I have done it more than once, and there is no reason to think there is any negative effects, but have seen a tutorial writer saying something to this effect.

For incase this is important, I am using Fuji FinePix s5000.

Dave

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K
Kingdom
Sep 26, 2005
Dave wrote in news::

Is it possible to damage the image sensor of a digital camera by looking at the sun directly through the lens of a camera? I have done it more than once, and there is no reason to think there is any negative effects, but have seen a tutorial writer saying something to this effect.

For incase this is important, I am using Fuji FinePix s5000.
Dave

NO, BUT YOU COULD DAMAGE YOUR EYE, NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN THROUGH A LENSE


f=Ma well, nearly…
MR
Mike Russell
Sep 26, 2005
"Dave" wrote in message
Is it possible to damage the image sensor of a digital camera by looking at the sun directly through the lens of a camera? I have done it more than once, and there is no reason to think there is any negative effects, but have seen a tutorial writer saying something to this effect.

For incase this is important, I am using Fuji FinePix s5000.

Certainly it’s possible to damage the sensor by exposure to sunlight. I don’t have any numbers, but short exposures of a few seconds should be no problem.

If you have damaged the sensor, it would be visible.


Mike Russell
www.curvemeister.com
R
Roy
Sep 26, 2005
"Dave" wrote in message
Is it possible to damage the image sensor of a digital camera by looking at the sun directly through the lens of a camera? I have done it more than once, and there is no reason to think there is any negative effects, but have seen a tutorial writer saying something to this effect.

For incase this is important, I am using Fuji FinePix s5000.
Dave
Hi there.

It is very possible to damage anything by having the Sun focussed onto it through a lens.

If that happens to be your eye, you might well end up blind.

I once left a camera with a cloth focal plane shutter, without a lens cap, lying on its back in sunlight for just a few minutes, and ended up with a very neat hole burned right through the shutter blind. The camera was not pointed at the sun, but the sun must have been included in the area of sky the lens was seeing.

An SLR camera’s mirror would direct the sunspot onto the ground glass screen, and out via the viewfinder, so damage is not quite so likely, UNLESS your eye was in the way.

I can imagine a Digital P & S – no Mirror, no Shutter – having its digital sensor burned in a similar manner to my Periflex.

Roy G
N
nomail
Sep 26, 2005
Kingdom wrote:

Is it possible to damage the image sensor of a digital camera by looking at the sun directly through the lens of a camera? I have done it more than once, and there is no reason to think there is any negative effects, but have seen a tutorial writer saying something to this effect.

For incase this is important, I am using Fuji FinePix s5000.
Dave

NO, BUT YOU COULD DAMAGE YOUR EYE, NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN THROUGH A LENSE

Don’t worry. With a camera like the Fuji Finepix you are not really looking through the lens. You are looking at an LCD screen and such a screen can never become so bright that it damages your eyes. Long before that, the screen itself will fail.

But to asnwer the question: Yes, I think that could possibly damage the camera.


Johan W. Elzenga johan<<at>>johanfoto.nl Editor / Photographer http://www.johanfoto.nl/
D
DBLEXPOSURE
Sep 26, 2005
"Johan W. Elzenga" wrote in message
Kingdom wrote:

Is it possible to damage the image sensor of a digital camera by looking at the sun directly through the lens of a camera? I have done it more than once, and there is no reason to think there is any negative effects, but have seen a tutorial writer saying something to this effect.

For incase this is important, I am using Fuji FinePix s5000.
Dave

NO, BUT YOU COULD DAMAGE YOUR EYE, NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN THROUGH A LENSE

Don’t worry. With a camera like the Fuji Finepix you are not really looking through the lens. You are looking at an LCD screen and such a screen can never become so bright that it damages your eyes. Long before that, the screen itself will fail.

But to asnwer the question: Yes, I think that could possibly damage the camera.


Johan W. Elzenga johan<<at>>johanfoto.nl Editor / Photographer http://www.johanfoto.nl/

For a brief amount of time, no. But, did you ever play with a magnifying glass as a child? And yes, your eye will fail before the sensor…
N
nomail
Sep 26, 2005
DBLEXPOSURE wrote:

For a brief amount of time, no. But, did you ever play with a magnifying glass as a child? And yes, your eye will fail before the sensor…

You’re missing the point, because you do not seem to know this camera. This is not a camera with an optical viewfinder. The camera has a Electronic Viewfinder, which means that you are looking at an video image generated by the CCD. It is like looking at a television. Could you damage your eyes by looking at an image of the sun on your television? I think you’ll agree that is impossible.

Look at the camera specs and a picture here:
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/fuji/finepix_s5000-review/


Johan W. Elzenga johan<<at>>johanfoto.nl Editor / Photographer http://www.johanfoto.nl/
D
Dave
Sep 26, 2005
Thanks for everybody’s response on this.
Two things seems to be a general meaning,
1… it can maybe cause damage to the sensor
but not if only for a few seconds exposure
2… there is little (if any at all:-) reason to do it.
Thanks again for all the replies – (maybe it was not really off-topic:-)

Here is a photo which I have taken a few minutes after three this afternoon. The girl and I shared a few words and on an impulse I have taken this photo.
It is sharpened with Unsharp Mask and I also sharpened it with Smart Sharpen, but were (a little ) more satisfied here.

It is as if Smart Sharpen may be less tricky
but I’ll have to spend time on it.

http://home.intekom.com/davesplace/marineworld/DSCF9238s.jpg

Dave
S
SCRUFF
Sep 26, 2005
"Johan W. Elzenga" wrote in message
DBLEXPOSURE wrote:

For a brief amount of time, no. But, did you ever play with a
magnifying
glass as a child? And yes, your eye will fail before the sensor…

You’re missing the point, because you do not seem to know this camera. This is not a camera with an optical viewfinder. The camera has a Electronic Viewfinder, which means that you are looking at an video image generated by the CCD. It is like looking at a television. Could you damage your eyes by looking at an image of the sun on your television? I think you’ll agree that is impossible.

He’ll figure it out when he fries his eyes out of his skull.
D
DBLEXPOSURE
Sep 26, 2005
"Johan W. Elzenga" wrote in message
DBLEXPOSURE wrote:

For a brief amount of time, no. But, did you ever play with a magnifying glass as a child? And yes, your eye will fail before the sensor…

You’re missing the point, because you do not seem to know this camera. This is not a camera with an optical viewfinder. The camera has a Electronic Viewfinder, which means that you are looking at an video image generated by the CCD. It is like looking at a television. Could you damage your eyes by looking at an image of the sun on your television? I think you’ll agree that is impossible.

Look at the camera specs and a picture here:
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/fuji/finepix_s5000-review/


Johan W. Elzenga johan<<at>>johanfoto.nl Editor / Photographer http://www.johanfoto.nl/

I do understand your point. You are correct, I do not know the camera in question. And I agree, You cannot damage your eyes looking at an LCD.

But my point does remain, Short duration through the lens exposure of the sun to you image sensor is not problematic, However, and this is especially important with the camera in question as it is more likely to happen when the viewer can look at the sun via an LCD and not a viewfinder, If you point and focus you camera at the sun, especially with a telephoto lens, you may damage the sensor via heat. How long is too long… Don’t know…
N
nomail
Sep 27, 2005
DBLEXPOSURE wrote:

I do understand your point. You are correct, I do not know the camera in question. And I agree, You cannot damage your eyes looking at an LCD.
But my point does remain, Short duration through the lens exposure of the sun to you image sensor is not problematic, However, and this is especially important with the camera in question as it is more likely to happen when the viewer can look at the sun via an LCD and not a viewfinder, If you point and focus you camera at the sun, especially with a telephoto lens, you may damage the sensor via heat. How long is too long… Don’t know…

I never disputed that the sensor will become damaged, in fact I already mentioned that. But that was NOT your point. You were talking about people’s eyes failing before the sensor fails.


Johan W. Elzenga johan<<at>>johanfoto.nl Editor / Photographer http://www.johanfoto.nl/

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