Laser pointers are becoming increasingly popular among the general public. While they are often used for industrial purposes and they can be dangerous. The beam from a laser pointer can be harmful to the eyes and damage optical equipment.
So, if you use a camera for your work, it’s important to take steps to protect it from lasers. But now the question is how to protect your camera from lasers? While there are many solutions available, there is no one-size-fits-all. So, it is important to choose the right one for your camera.
This article will show you several effective methods to save your camera from being damaged by laser beams. But before going to the solutions, we need to know how laser lights can damage camera lenses. So let’s get started.
Can a Laser Pointer Damage a Camera?
The short answer is yes, but not all laser pointers can do that. There are several types of laser pointers available in the market. Each type has a different wavelength of light. The wavelength determines the extent to which the laser can damage the lens.
The ones children play with or the lasers used in schools as a pointer are generally very weak. So, these low-powered laser pointers cannot cause damage to your camera. Also, they’re safe for the human eye.
Some powerful lasers can produce a lot of heat and can damage your camera lens. The intensity of a laser’s light beam is measured in watts (and often reported in terms of NW, mW, W, etc.). So, the higher the power of a laser pointer, the stronger it will cause more damage.
Also, relatively low-powered lasers can disable your camera, but it takes some time before they start doing that. This means that a laser beam needs to be focused on the camera lens for a long time before it starts damaging it.
On the other hand, high-powered lasers can damage your camera instantly. That’s why you need to take extra care while dealing with high-power lasers. They are also dangerous for human eyes.
So, how do lasers damage cameras?
Lasers are light in the form of a narrow beam. When they focus on the camera’s lens, they produce heat. When the temperature of the lens reaches a certain level, it starts to melt and deform. This can cause permanent damage to your device.
A laser’s power, exposure time, and safety are related. The longer the exposure time, the more damage the laser can cause. But wait! Is there any way to save my camera from the laser light? Yes, it is! Le’s see what they are.
How to Protect Your Digital Camera from Lasers?
There are many ways to avoid damages to your camera from lasers, but not all are equally effective or practical. So let’s see some effective methods that can save your camera from being severely damaged by lasers:
If you are using a camera that has an external lens cap, you can put it on the lens to prevent the heat from reaching it.
Furthermore, you can use a piece of black cloth or some dark-colored fabric to protect the lens from the heat of a laser beam. This will absorb the heat and keep it away from your lens.
If you have a digital camera, you can place a piece of black tape on your camera’s sensor. The tape will absorb most of the heat and keep it away from your sensor.
You can also use an anti-glare shade to protect your camera sensor from the laser beam. But these shades are not always effective and may not be safe enough for use with high-power lasers. Therefore, they are only recommended for relatively low-powered lasers.
Increase the distance between your camera and the laser beam. This way, you will be able to prevent the heat of the laser beam from reaching the lens.
So, these steps should be enough to protect your digital camera from the heat of a laser beam. There are some other methods to avoid damage to your security camera. We’re going to discuss these methods in the next part.
How to Protect Your Security Cameras from Laser Light?
You can save your security cameras by applying various protective measures. Let’s take a look at some of them.
Use an Infrared Filter Over the Lens
The infrared filters can effectively protect your camera from bright laser light. They are made of special glass that blocks the laser beam. They do not affect the quality of your photographs, but they can protect your device from being damaged by lasers.
In addition, it gives you extra protection against dust particles and other particles that might cause harm to the camera sensor or sensitive materials.
Different infrared filters are available in the market, depending on their wavelength and size. So, you can select one that fits your need for protection best.
Use High-quality Surveillance Cameras
The quality of your camera is very important for protecting it from damage. However, it is impossible to prevent all types of lasers from damaging your camera. But you can get the best protection by using a high-quality surveillance camera.
Some security cameras are equipped with special lenses that block laser beams and lessen the damage. These models have an anti-glare coating, which protects the sensor from scratches. But they are expensive.
Install the Moving Cameras
If intruders frequently disable your security camera, moving cameras could be a good solution for you. These units move back and forth quickly and easily dodge the laser beam. But how?
As you already know, laser lights need some time to affect the lens. So when your camera is moving back and forth across its field of view, the laser will not be able to focus the target for a long time. As a result, your device will be safe.
Install the Infrared Lights
Infrared lights are used to illuminate the area where your camera is installed. High-power LEDs effectively protect your security cameras from lasers by acting as a filter and an infrared light source.
High-power LEDs are made of special diodes that emit infrared light when they get hit by a laser beam and block it, thereby saving the camera sensor from being damaged by lasers.
Install an Anti-laser Shield
You can also install an anti-laser shield over your camera. This shield is a great way to protect your camera from the harmful effects of laser beams. It works by reflecting the ray, stopping it before damaging anything else in its path.
Install Your Camera in a Secret and Higher place
It is not good to install your camera where intruders can easily see it. So if you place it in a secret and higher place, they will not be able to see it and might not even know that your camera is there. They will not be able to reach it even if they find it.
Install Blinding Notification Software
Blinding notification software is one of the best tools to protect your security cameras from intruders. With this software, you can set your camera to notify you whenever there is an intrusion. This software is very easy to install. All you have to do is download the software, install it and configure it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if you point a laser at a camera lens?
When you point a laser at the lens of a camera, it emits light that can blind and harm your camera. This happens due to the high intensity of power in the beam; this creates excessive heat, which can damage your lens.
Can I use my security system’s motion detection sensor to detect a laser beam?
You cannot use the motion detection sensor to detect a laser beam. The reason is that they do not have any light detector or lens that can detect infrared light beams of the laser pointers. So if there is any infrared beam of light, it will not be detected by the motion detection sensor.
Can a laser break the camera sensor?
Yes, a powerful laser can severely damage your camera sensor and other sensitive materials. Even a strong laser can cut through metal, glass, or other materials.
What can block lasers?
There are different types of materials that can block a laser beam. The common ones are metal, glass, and plastic. The metal shield is very effective because a laser beam can be reflected and stopped by the shield. But you can not block extremely high-powered laser beams with these simple materials.
Conclusion
Now you know how lasers damage cameras and effective methods to protect your camera against them. So, if you want to protect your expensive camera from being severely damaged by lasers, use these methods!