Is this bad for your camera?

Jamoke

The guy at the welding shop said looking at it would burn your eyes....


My sensor looks fine (And takes fine pictures afterwards...)
He was really worried about burning out my sensor...

Jamoke

My Scout Troop was learning to weld... Got some great shots...

Art Scott

There is a reason they were the black lens over their eyes.....it will seriously damage YOUR EYES....and that lens magnifies the light from the welder.......Scenario.....would you take pictures of the sun without protection for you and your camera.......close to samething with the welder......It may not have damaged your sensor this time or maybe not enuff so you can tell now....but it has shortened its life......I know of a couple of fiolm photogs that are nearly blnd due to photographing welders in action....you do need polarizers to off set the intensity of the arc.....also the shots should be prefocused in manual and you wearing protective goggles....then as they welder arcs...start snapping.....

But protect yourself first and the camera second.......yes I have had my eyes burned twice....once by snow and the second was by observing an arc welder from a few yards a way......it is no fun dealing with the burning and blisters and pain....plus those dang patches of gauze and the salve put into yours eyes several times aday.....

David_S85

I would be more worried for the coatings on the objective element. This is a good case for using a protective clear filter to protect from tiny flying hot pieces of metal.

Jamoke

I had a CPL on the lens, and I wasn't viewing through the viewfinder. I was just shooting in the general direction, and viewing - altering by using the 2 second preview on the display screen. It was y first time around an Arc Welder, and they didn't tell anybody not to look at it... Didn't mention you could burn your eyes... Well - they did after a while... and I didn't think it was good to look at, but I didn't think about the camera... It was exposing them appropriately, and the histogram looked fine, so I didn't think the heat, or intensity of light was too severe... but after talking to they guy later, he told me about burning your eyes, and possibly my sensor, or camera....

Oh well - we learn through experience right?

Art Scott

they say experience is the best teacher...however it could be quite costly.....and not in Dollars......shame on them....

mr peas

yeah i wouldnt look through the viewfinder when theyre welding something.. you might burn out some cones and rods in them eyes of yours

Awais Yaqub

Nice photos loved them thanks God everyone is safe

Jamoke

Yeah -
I was nervous - they told me that in a couple hours my eyes could feel like sand was dumped behind them. (If I had burned my eyes) - So my eyes are fine. I had some grated patatoes ready just in case though (Wifes tale...?) Doesn't the camera have filters in it to limit the light coming in - to only allow visible range of light in. Similarly wouldn't a CPL have helped to limit the light as well? I know the welders helmets have an entirely different and more protective layering system... Plus There was a piece of steel directly in front of the area they were welding, so it wasn't direct.....

I thought I was fine (And my eyeballs are) but it sounds like I might have slightly damaged my camera.... I really didn't think it would....

DJ-S1

Welding throws off UV and IR radiation, so you need to protect yourself against them. That's why welding damage is the same as damage from sunlight on snow in the mountains; tons of UV. It does feel like sand in your eyes when the damage is minor. Never heard of the potato thing...

Also don't forget to cover exposed skin if you are going to be around welders, you can get a "sunburn" easily from the UV. Last tip: no cuffed pants or rolled sleeve to catch hot sparks in!

As for the camera, I would think you can block the UV and IR with filters. That just leaves the ultra-bright light problem, and I really don't know if that is an issue or not.

mr peas

if you can read this message, you should be fine

just try not to do that again, or if you do, wear special sunglasses or goggles specifically made to protect yourself from the electric arc radiation.

heres some information about arc welding:
http://www.lincolnelectric.com/knowledge/articles/content/arcweldfund.asp

and heres some info about electric arc radiation:
http://www.praxair.com/praxair.nsf/AllContent/BE0B0CC4D15E69CD8525656D000BB470?OpenDocument&View=LeftNavMenu&Expand=9

as the wise words of biggie smalls states..'and if ya dont know now ya know'.

pathfinder

Just ask the welders about welding flash or flash burn. Thay all know - they've been there. The UV causes severe sun burn of the surface of the eye, and it blisters off, just like a bad sunburn with blisters. And like a bad sunburn with blisters, the longterrm effect is increased cancer risk.

The glass in a camera system probably attenuates the UV significantly, but can augment the visible and IR wavelenegths. I know these can be extremely damaging to central vision. I would suggest a Point an shoot with an LCD viewfinder (non-optical) as an alternative.

As for damage to your sensor - don't know for sure - if it seems ok, then I wouldn't worry about it, but for that kind of shot I would use an old film camera, rather than an expensive digital camera.

ziggy53

Jamoke,

As I understand it, never had to do it, the test for accidental "image burn" is about the same as testing for dust and lint on the sensor. You might try that test.

You are right that the most serious damage would be caused by looking at, and photographing, the arc itself (or the plasma jet, or the area around a cutting flame, in different scenarios.) This is the area of most concentrated light and greatest potential for harm. In the case of arc welding, there is a tremendous amount of damaging UV produced. This can be reflected in a lot of different clutter around the area of work, and presents a hazard in addition to the direct view.

Part of the problem, with any eyes, is that they cannot react quickly enough to the rapid change and increase in light, so some damage occurs at the first "flash" of the arc. The fact that the light is rich in damaging UV and is so concentrated just compounds the problem dramatically.

As far as your camera, I'm not seeing anything in these photos that looks too bad, so I'm hopefull for you and your camera.

Best,

ziggy53