Topics

• Analog Video
• Digital Video
• Infrared Video
• Thermal Video
• Film Camera
• Digital Camera
• Audio Recorders
• EMF Detectors
• Motion Detectors
• Robotics
• Digital Debate

 

Digital Camera

If there is any device that has revolutionized ghost investigations, it would have to be the digital camera. Developing time and costs are no longer a set back, and most digital cameras can take 10 times the amount pictures of an average film camera. Digital cameras work much the same as a camcorder, using a CCD sensor (charge coupled device). Light enters the CCD and is changed into electrical pulses which is saved onto some kind of media for later viewing and downloading to a computer.

Digital cameras have created a whole new controversy in paranormal investigations. CCDs can see light waves far above that of the human eye in the infrared spectrum, though this light is filtered from getting to the CCD, this is not 100% fool proof and some infrared light does actually get past the filter. The qaulity of the CCD, the lenses and the type of infrared filter used can play a big role it what kind of disturbances may be detected.

There is actually 2 kinds of CCD sensors. The first type created was kind of expensive to build, and used expensive metals for the circuitry, but the overall quality of the image is very high. The second type uses cheaper metals and slightly different circuitry and is known as CMOS. This kind of CCD sensor is much cheaper to make, but some quality is sacraficed. CMOS sensors require less power to operate, but more light to create a good image. CMOS is starting to catch up to CCD in quality, but it will probably be a few more years before they are comparable to the original CCD.

So how might a digital camera pickup paranormal activity?

I have come accross some theories that suggest spirits emit infrared energy. If this is the case, a digital camera may possibly pick up this energy and create an image out of it. Since the light reflected back from an object is what actually makes the object visible, could it also be possible that ambient light is able to pass through a spirit, but infrared light is reflected? Other theories suggest that the camera is actually picking up the electrical disturbance produced by the spirit. The CCD device works from electrical impulses, this just may be possible.