- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
i know i do and heres alittle dark tip to top it all off
Dark Tip: X-Ray Camcorder
Straight from an ad in a comic book, the x-ray camcorder.
With only a slight modification, your camcorder can turn a day at the beach into a personalized peep show.
First, a primer on how light works. Our eyes only use a tiny percentage of the electromagnetic spectrum called visible light. A camera charge-coupled device (CCD), on the other hand, can see both visible and infrared light. Infrared light has a much longer wavelength than visible light, and this longer wavelength allows it to penetrate objects that visible light can't. Soon, we're going to show you how to exploit this difference for your viewing pleasure. In the meantime, you need to know that viewing both visible and infrared light at the same time leads to a distorted image with all kinds of funky colors. To prevent this, camera manufacturers install an infrared cut filter (ICF) between the CCD and the lens. The filter blocks out most infrared light.
Why night vision?
These cameras have a switch that does two things.
Moves the ICF out of the way. This lets you see in the dark using either the moon's reflected infrared light or a light mounted on the camera.
Activates a night-shot mode, pumping the iris open as wide as possible. This prevents daytime use. Manufacturers implemented this feature after customers complained that it was possible to see through clothing using night-shot mode in direct sunlight.
Modifying your camera
If your camera doesn't have a night-shot mode, you'll have to open it up and remove the ICF yourself. For more detailed instructions, take a look at this explanation. Removing the ICF affects the focus and the camera in strange ways. Your camera will not function normally after this tweak and will only be good for looking through clothes. So only do it if you have an old VHS-C camera or something equally obsolete.
We've disabled NightShot mode on the Sony camera by opening the case and removing a small switch. Now, when we flip the NightShot switch, all it does is move the ICF out of the way. This allows your camera to view visible and infrared light simultaneously, while giving you control of the iris. The result? You can shoot in direct sunlight. If you have a Sony camera with NightShot that was made before 1998, you already have full control over NightShot mode and no modifications are necessary.
With the ICF out of the way you can start to make out X-ray vision-type details, but it's still a little fuzzy. This is where our filter comes in. It's a 1,000 nanometer infrared filter. You can find similar filters on eBay. Search for X-ray filters, which sell for about 50 bucks. This filter does exactly the opposite of the ICF: It blocks all light except infrared, leaving you with a black-and-white image that leaves nothing to the imagination.
Using your camera
This is not a magic camera. It can't see through overcoats, silk, or many other materials for that matter. At best, the infrared light will penetrate one layer of thin, sheer clothing. The tighter and more sheer the material, the better. But you already knew that, right?
Most indoor and fluorescent lighting puts off no infrared at all, so it won't work with this camera. Your best bet is sunlight. A perfect testing ground would be the beach, especially with the latest fashion trend: solar tan-through suits. These suits are specially designed to allow you to get a full body tan while wearing them by letting through "tanning rays, which just happen to be infrared light." Woo hoo!
Is using your camcorder this way legal? Yes, just don't distribute the images. You're not bombarding your subject with any harmful rays, simply using natural light against them. Is it moral? Heck no, but if you want to go to hell with a smile on your face, by all means, go crazy.