Sony officially issued a warning about the laser can damage the camera sensor

Sony recently posted an official notice on its website warning users about the dangers of lasers to camera sensors, although this information may not seem new to many people.

On the FAQ page, Sony answers the question “Can the camera sensor be damaged by laser light?”:

“Do not point the lens directly at light sources that emit laser beams, it may damage the sensor or cause the camera to stop working. Regardless of indoor or outdoor conditions, the laser beam is directed or reflected at other objects, the possibility of damaging the CMOS sensor in the camera is very high.”

Over the years we have had many “traumatic” stories about expensive cameras and camcorders being turned into “paperweights” by lasers. In 2010, a Canon 5D Mark II appeared strange straight lines when used to film a concert with decorative laser lights. In 2013, a RED Epic camcorder costing up to $20,000 was also damaged in a similar situation.

At CES 2019, a Sony Alpha 7R Mark II suddenly had a sensor failure when it was used to photograph self-driving cars using lasers in its LIDAR navigation system. And in the same year, another photographer also had to regret using his Sony Alpha 7SII to film the tattoo removal process.

“Don’t use any camera to film the tattoo removal process. Every time the device is activated, you will see a new mark on the image sensor. To replace the sensor costs the same amount of money to buy a new camera, so everyone try to avoid the laser when shooting.” – the unfortunate photographer shared.