Laser systems used at concerts and even self-driving cars are known for damaging camera sensors, but now there’s one more thing to add to the list — tattoo laser removal lasers, even when the laser isn’t being pointed directly at the camera.
As unfortunately demonstrated in the 37-second video above, Andy Boyd destroyed the sensors inside his $ 2,200 Sony a7S II when he was filming a laser tattoo removal.
In the video description, he writes:
‘Hot tip: Don’t record laser tattoo removal on…anything. You can see with each pulse the sensor shows new damage. The repair cost was about as much as a new camera so try to avoid this. Club lasers can do this too but we’d never seen the reflection of a laser beam do damage, only when the beam itself hits the sensor.’
Hopefully you’re never in a situation where you’re asked to film a tattoo removal — especially one that reads ‘I am juicy’ with a strawberry next to it — but in the event you are, either use a camera you don’t mind destroying or pass up the opportunity as a whole.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)