Shining Flashlights at CCTV cameras..

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kris994

Newly Enlightened
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Oct 19, 2008
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I saw a video on youtube where someone accidentally pointed a torch at the camera. The screen turned yellow and crackly until he moved the light.

Would the same happen if you pointed it at one of those cctv cameras?
 
Most likley depends on how much $$ they put into the equipment and what year it was installed.

80% (in my area) would probably do this.
 
Depends on the type of TV camera and how bright the light is. Auto exposure (and maybe color correction) would certainly be distorted by the light while on. In extreme cases (usually a photo flash), a bright light can burn out individual elements in a CCD display, leaving permanent dead pixels. Maybe they're made better now...
 
They're not made better, if one were so inclined you can take a 75 mw laser or more powerful and permanently disable a cheap ccd security camera with a few seconds of exposure. I tried with mine and it worked.
 
I would advise members that the discussion of illegal acts is not allowed, and this thread will be closed if it strays any further into that area.
 
I would think the laser thing is probably illegal, and any other attempt to permanently damage a CCTV camera is obviously illegal but temporarily blinding a camera (while the purpose for doing that ultimately might lead to something illegal) just because you don't want to be seen is most likely not illegal.

Randy
 
ok, then I'd ask how could they make thoese CCTVs so that they would not be harmed by laser light? What is the mechanism of the light destroying the CCDs? Too much energy pumped through the system?
 
keysandslots said:
I would think the laser thing is probably illegal, and any other attempt to permanently damage a CCTV camera is obviously illegal but temporarily blinding a camera (while the purpose for doing that ultimately might lead to something illegal) just because you don't want to be seen is most likely not illegal.

Randy
Click to expand...
I'm just curious... There aren't any intrusive cameras where i am.
 
Most cheap CCDs are just waiting to be destroyed by something simple. The actual security grade cameras are a different story. At most they would see a bright light that would temporarily white out the screen until the iris or CCD compensated. At best you can hope to disturb it's gain for a short bit. Unfortunately (or fortunately) anything you shine at a camera is likely to brighten up a large area. Possibly allowing the camera to see even better than it could before you flipped the light on. I actually have a nice video of this problem around somewhere. I was testing a camera and hit it from about 15 feet with a 64633 at 17V or so. There is a brief flash of light and then a nice shot of me holding a bright light in my hand. Before I flipped the light on it was difficult to see me. Afterwards it was quiet easy... the camera even flipped back into it's full color day mode.
Very few CCDs are damaged by bright lights. CMOS cameras are a little more fragile but even they would take quite a bit the damage. I'm a little surprised that a laser was able to permenantly damage one. I have cameras that have been watching welding for extended periods of time that have seen no ill effects.
It should be noted that the high resolution CMOS chips in most digital cameras are more succeptable to damage than a CCTV chip. The higher the resolution and the more "features" they add to a chip the more things there are to fail.
 
I was testing a laser on a simple wireless ccd camera, often used as the guts of a security system. The whole screen blanks out as long as the laser is pointed and after about 10 seconds of stationary pointing I lost a central circle of about 2 inches in diameter, this is on my 15" monitor. Nothing illegal except destroying an old camera that didn't work properly, just to see if my burning laser can hurt them.
 
keysandslots said:
I would think the laser thing is probably illegal, and any other attempt to permanently damage a CCTV camera is obviously illegal but temporarily blinding a camera (while the purpose for doing that ultimately might lead to something illegal) just because you don't want to be seen is most likely not illegal.

Randy
Click to expand...

Hizzoner Daley got away with it when he blinded cameras with spotlights while he (illegally) tore up the runways at Meigs Field airport.
 
If they can compensate for a constant light source, what would happen with a high power strobe?
 
If that is true I wonder why celebrity bodyguards don't carry a small Wolf Eyes or Deerelight with them when the paparazzi's swarm them. Would be a lot better than smashing camera's. If the paparazzi's can shine their flash camera's they should be able to flash back.
 
A high powered UV light with a wave of 365mw will blind any camera with out causing any damage. Since it would run at 365mw you wouldn't even see the light, making sure no one is around the camera, as it can damage someone's retina.
 
my two cents

our cameras at work have a special lens that darkens when a bright light hit it i.e. the sun. it works kind of like those transition eyeglass lenses.
 
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