Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

Just now,someone just played with my N900 and then he pointed his green laser into my camera and tried to capture it. But then i've found out parts of my N900 camera's lens have burnt by the laser:eek:. It's permanant i guess... Ouch:(... heartache!:mad: I'm here just to remind people never point lasers into your camera... And never lend your phone to someone else unless they REALLY need it...

Re: Have you point a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

Yeah man... those green lasers are few steps up more powerful than the red laser pointer ones.

Sorry for your loss. But thanks for posting that warning. Ouch.

Re: Have you point a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

Thanks man. Some people just too selfish to take care of other's property, even though you trusted them...

Re: Have you point a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

I hope your friend is paying for the repairs...

Re: Have you point a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

Hmm... Can the camera be repaired? Like changing the whole thing?

Re: Have you point a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

@MaxJP: I think a Nokia repair centre can order and install a new module for you, but it will probably cost you.

BTW, ordinary remote controls can be pointed at the N900 camera,it wont do any damage(and it's great since you could check if the remote is working or not).

Re: Have you point a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

Wow! really? N900's camera can capture IR? I've oc'ed my N900, hope they don't mind that though...

Re: Have you point a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

Make him buy your phone and you buy a new one. Why should you suffer.

Re: Have you point a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

Heh. He's using SE Satio eh... 12.1 Mp camera... I think I've always being too nice eh...He din't even realize that he damaged my camera...

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

you can you lend me your phone once in a while, so that i can expirement new stuff, and not get in trouble ;)

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

I once directed a powerful red laser towards my N900s main camera. Did not do a thing. You will probably get the cheapest spare part by buying a used N900... I`m sorry for your loss.

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

All I can say is, wow, that guy is a top class *****. you should contemplate setting him on fire and give him a stearn kick in the ballz. idiocy like that deserves repurcussions imo.

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

BTW powerful lasers are really dangerous. Most of them probably illegal if used in public.

What could have happened to a retina if a camera is burned by that green laser?

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

Ouch! Thanks for sharing and warning us all. I guess the rule of thumb should be to not point anything into the camera that you wouldn't point into your own eyes.

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

Well, there goes using my N900 to document People of WalMart.

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

You would instantly lose control of all motor functions and be able to speak only in hyperbole. It's the secret behind iphone 4's "retina view".

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

That goes for DSLRs vs direct sunlight focus, too. ;)

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

Sounds like it's a good reason for the N900 to have a camera cover. =P

*imagines some crazed idiot destroying everyone's cell phone cameras since they don't have a cover*

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

:( @ lasers


hmmm you are right...
now, how FAST do you have to read to decode normal TV remotes?
can it be done with a suitably low resolution image perhaps...

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

I think they need to be powered (camera activated), but I really would like to know by someone who knows that for sure. :)

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

"Caution: Do not point laser at remaining eye."

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

Hmm... So Nokia can replace the whole camera for me? Or they just replace the burnt lens?

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

I certainly hope you called him a few choice names, seeing as he used YOUR phone for his Professor Screwtop experiment. I would have done.

Chances are though, he's probably wrecked the CCD as well.

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

Yeah. I guessed so. He's just my classmate, can't call him a friend though... I guess I'll let it be, until Nokia's new devices out first, then move to it. or maybe iPhone4?

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

your mate who just fried your camera.........was he born with a low IQ or did he develop it over time by doing stupid things like pointing lazer technology at phones???

sorry man, but if someone done that to my kit I'd be seriously pissed

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

lmao! as soon as i read the title i thought "no! of course not! that'd be a stupid thing to do and would probably damage something" it would appear i was right.

hope this doesn't help at all!

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

@n900faniam: He's not low IQ, he's top physics student, he knows it would fry the lens, so instead of using his own SE Satio's camera, he used mine. People are selfish that's alright, but not selfish until break others property.
@festivalnut: And you're right! Never play with lasers, they're dangerous.

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

Proof that lasers and image sensors do not mix.

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

hmm? lasers and image sensors?how do you relate them?

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

Point laser into phone camera. Fry $5 image sensor. Camera stops working.

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

but did he manage to capture the image?

sorry for your loss

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

Can you post some photos taken by the burnt CCD?

Sorry for your loss. Maybe you should try the same on his Satio.

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

@Max: Sorry for your loss... one thing bugs me though... from your own admission it seems that your friend did it intentionally to your device knowing what would happen and you seemed perfectly okay with it.

Was it done over a bet?

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

lmao @ the "sorry for your loss" comments, its not quite a funeral, but yeah ur 'friend' deserves a good slap!

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

Yes, we all have these 'friends' that step in when we done something too stupid to admit... ;)

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

It would be a green, full, image with black taints as the sensor darkens. You can't capture what is beyond sensor ability. It might even be some other colors, if the software never expected to see over-unity light.

It's not the lens that's burned, it's the sensor. Anyway, the whole module is easily dismantled and replaced. If you find them free they can do it on the spot in about 5 minutes.

Not incredibly expensive, though I would make the dolt pay for me. In fact, I'd take it to Nokia right now, pay them, then present him with the bill. Ask Nokia to specify "darkened camera sensor" as to not have a dispute later.

If you don't he'll never learn. Next time you'll hear "hey, there's this trick I found".

Most remotes are quite slow by communication standards, sometimes operating as low as 300 baud, sometimes 4800 on high-end remotes.

On a camera, that's 300 to 5000 FPS, way, way beyond the capabilities of the camera.

Remember, you capture 15 million samples (5 for each color component) from 0 to 256, that translates into 15 MB, or 120 Mega bits per frame. Multiply that by 25 or 30 and you have an impressive amount of data - it requires specialized hardware.

Meantime, a remote receiver only captures 1 bit every "tick", a grand total of 300 bits for low-end (sometimes lower), that's 40 bytes. I've seen remotes as low as 12.

So, no. But if you really wanted to receive a remote, the IR port could help. If not, an adapter isn't very complicated, and with the USB OTG that's being cooked as we speak you could use a USB-RS232 adapter and simply get codes in the terminal.

Note, however, that under 10$ there are several ways to read them on a PC, maybe send the codes over.

Depends on DSLR, on focus, etc. However, remember that a nice DSLR has a 55 or 60 mm lens that gets focused on a 16x24 mm sensor (APS-C). That's a ratio of 3:1 or (let's make it interesting) 4:1. (less for full-frame, even less for telephoto)

Sun delivers about 3000W per sq m. That's 3000W/1,000,000 sq mm, or 3 mW per sq mm.

A red pointer is little danger at 5 mW, but a green pointer goes from about 10 (very, very low), to 50mW (medium) to 300 mW(strong). The beam completely fits the lens if it's any good.

A generic camera sensor is 4x3 mm, or 12 mm (if you're lucky). That delivers an average of 3W per sq mm, with a very rough rounding.

So, a strong laser pointer in an N900 delivers about 1000 times the power of a DSLR in the sun.

You shouldn't _leave_ a DSLR in the sun, as there is no ventilation and it WILL go kaboom. There is no danger in taking shots upwards, as long as you don't take forever.

Lasers above 5 mW are illegal in most of the world.

The blink reflex kicks in at about 2.5 mW(max), that's why the 2mW and 5mW pointers are legal to use, annoying as they might be. The blink reflex kicks in and blinks a few milliseconds after exposure, so under about 5 mW not enough damage is done, that's why the signs say "do no STARE into beam". This assumes, of course, that you are sober, you see the light (don't laugh, it's not hard to make an IR laser) and, of course, you are not adverse to temporary damage.

Note, however, that there is no way to know if some idiot didn't overvolt, replace, upgrade the diode or optics, so the general safety rule is: if someone points a laser close to your eyes, punch them. 5 seconds of fun do not balance out a life of decreased visual acuity and depth perception.

And finally, the sensor is a CMOS, not a CCD. Just sayin'.

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

Sorry for your loss...However I wonder if its somewhat Nokia's fault as well.... You see my old N95 8gb also has amazing 5mp camera without mechanical protector but there was an additional layer inside the camera which (I'm guessing) was protecting it from powerful light sources, i wonder why they didn't include it in N900' camera

p.s. take a look at pics and correct me if I'm wrong:)

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

AFAICT it's a (maybe) UV filter on a thicker plastic since it's unprotected. I doubt it has any light dimming qualities, as small CMOS cameras (especially pinholes) are notoriously "dark". At the most optimistic, it's a polarized filter, but would help with reflections and sparkle, but do nothing with a coherent beam such as a laser.

Don't make this the truth, I'm guessing here, it might just be plastic.

I am, however, quite sure you'll fry the N95 camera with the same laser in roughly the same time.

ETA: My camera! The goggles do nothing!

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

I did not place a bet on that. He just don't want to risk his own thing that's all.Thanks for all the information thogh, they are very helpful.

Re: Have you pointed a powerful laser into your phone's camera?
 

Uh, since i consider my content-laden N900 to be an extension of my mind, including all the twisted aspects and dark corners, i would never lend it to anyone, any more. Apart from that, i don't believe in the concept of lending anything anyway.

As a small anecdote regarding that issue. I made one mistake once, i gave it to a female(!) classmate of mine while we, a group of 4 people, were sitting in a bar. She needed to check her emails and saw all my uhm.. favorites, but i realized too late. But when i finally did a couple of minutes later i was blushing hard, at the same time silently realizing that i am an idiot (yes, one of those moments when you wish to drown in quicksand instantly).

She didn't say anything at that time, it was just one or two times several days later, that she smiled with that knowing expression in her eyes, calling me a "freak". :o

It turned out ok this time, but i learned my lesson. :p