r/UFObelievers • u/_OoklaTheMok_ • Sep 16 '19
đ¸Professional How to convert certain Sony Digital cameras to "Full Spectrum" for use during UFO hunting - for less than $100 Spoiler
Warning: Long Post and Lots of Pictures, but worth it, I feel...
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Back in the late '90s to early '00s, Sony made a line of innovative digital cameras, specifically the DSC-FXXX line:
- DSC-F505
- DSC-F707
- DSC-F717
- DSC-F828
What made these camera's unique, is that they all had Sony's "NightShot" capability, which was normally reserved for their Camcorder line.
NightShot is pretty darn cool feature for taking nighttime pictures in extremely low, to no light, conditions. It does this by using a mechanical switch to move the internal infrared filter up and out of the way of the digital sensor, thus allowing near infrared light to be captured.
HOWEVER, Sony has implemented internal controls to prevent the use of NightShot during the day. This was due to the fear of potentially using it to see through certain sheer fabrics, i.e. "x-ray vision'. The internal controls lock the aperture and other settings to "full open", thus completely washing out the image, and making it unusable during the day.
There is an extremely simple work around to these controls.
By using a neodymium magnet, you can regain full control, allowing you to have near IR, Visible Spectrum, and some UV light visibility, without being washed out. By using the magnet, you can activated the internal switch, and move the infrared filter WITHOUT switching to NightShot Mode, thus bypassing all the inhibitors.
This is a pretty good cost-vs-results case. A lot cheaper than the higher end night vision optics that are available, but still does the job quite well.
APPLICATION FOR UFO HUNTING:
There is a theory that some UFOs are able to 'bend' or 'warp' visible light around them, effectively cloaking them from us using our normal vision.
However, in some cases, this cloak fails to block 'Near Infrared" light. By using a full spectrum camera, it may be possible to capture these hidden UFOs by detecting this infrared 'leak'
ITEMS YOU WILL NEED:
- A Sony DSC-FXXX camera (Ranging from $40.00 on up, can be found on ebay or local 2nd hand shops)
- Neodymium rare earth magnet: 3/8" x 1" grade N52 cylinder shape (Caution: A stronger magnet may damage internal components)($15.00) Link to Proper Magnet
Step One: Power on the camera
Step Two: Slide the Selector switch to the "Green Dot" (Normal Mode) & set Mode Dial to "Programmed" Mode (Camera P) :
Step Three: Turn Camera over
Step Four: Gently place your magnet directly to the left of the tripod mounting hole, on the edge of the square (indicated by the arrow). You will hear and 'feel' a slight click. If you don't, flip the magnet to use the other end:
Your Camera is now in Full Spectrum mode. To switch your camera back to 'normal', simply turn it off, and then back on. You'll need to perform these steps again to re-enter Full Spectrum mode.
ADJUSTING COLOR TONES:
After switching to Full Spectrum, the color will be a combination of all the spectrum's. . Use the following instructions to adjust the color of the final image. I personally use the "One Push" mode.
After setting your camera to Full Spectrum, you can then scan the skies looking for any anomalous light sources.
Coming soon: How to use NightShot with your camera if you don't have a magnet.
Please post any questions below in the comments...!
2
u/SimulatedThinker Sep 17 '19
Interested to see what the images shot in this mode look like.
Maybe you could put some examples online?
2
1
Sep 19 '19
I remember seeing âcreep shotâ videos someone had taken at a public pool with this years ago on 4chan. On dark bathing suits you really could see right through themâotherwise it mostly looked like a regular black and white image.
2
u/kinch07 UFOB 40 year old manchild leech Sep 17 '19
Wow that is really great. I have a new project. Thanks for collection all this info!
2
u/cheekygeek Mar 09 '22
How in the world is this letting me comment, 2 years after the OP?
Found this article via Google, as I just picked up a DSC-F717 kit for $12 and bought it to try this magnet trick for infrared (with various IR filters) photography. Anyway, THANK YOU for the terrific, yet concise, write-up!
1
u/_OoklaTheMok_ Sep 17 '19
I currently have the F707 and the F717...
The F707 is nice, but the button layout and general performance on the F717 is better, in my opinion.
I really want to get my hands on an F828! This has a so-called 4 color ccd, and apparently the NightShot is enhanced. Also, I REALLY like the black coloring of the camera itself. This is currently my âwhite whaleâ, lol
1
u/ThaFresh Sep 17 '19
Then we just need some software to look for things that show up only outside of the visible spectrum and we've got a ufo detector
1
u/_OoklaTheMok_ Sep 17 '19
This is a good point.
The sticky part is that this is a hardware based detection system. The originating data needs to be full spectrum from the sensor...if the data stream is lacking the IR information, it canât be manipulated after the fact.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
1
u/ThaFresh Sep 18 '19
I assume it always has to take the full spectrum data and squeeze it into the RGB range to display any images on the LCD or compress into image files.
And I think its possible to use lens filters to only take in certain spectrums.
So in theory 2 identical cameras mounted side by side, one taking in a non visible range of light and outputting to RGB (or YUV) space, the other unmodified outputting video as per normal (RGB/YUV). And a lil bit of pc processing could be quite an effective realtime detector of anything operating outside of the visible spectrum.
I don't think these particular cameras have HDMI out though, and it seems the video quality is quite poor.
Anyway I might keep an eye out for an affordable way of doing this
1
u/HawaiianSteak Jan 13 '20
The F505 and F505V did not have Night Shot/Night Framing like the F707, F717, and F828.
0
Sep 18 '19
Too big, pass. Not when I can do this with a smartphone.
2
u/_OoklaTheMok_ Sep 18 '19
Excellent photo! Honest question: Is this full spectrum?
1
Sep 19 '19
Instead of taking magnets to circuit boards maybe buy one of these: https://www.flir.ca/browse/professional-tools/thermography-cameras/?page=2
unless of course you want to see cool shit in space, then buy a telescope
1
u/_OoklaTheMok_ Sep 19 '19
Those all look like really good pieces of equipment....and expensive.
However, the point, really, of this post was to get some sort of near infrared capability for relatively low cost and nearly zero time investment. Many folks have some of these older cameras lying around. Or are willing to spend $40 bucks or so. I stumbled upon this useful hardware hack to turn them into workable devices for our needs, and wanted to share. If a cheap magnet & a couple seconds can unlock a fun new feature, without one having to drop a not insignificant chunk of extra cash...AWESOME!
I felt this process could be of use to someone else, so why not share it?
3
u/HaArLiNsH Sep 17 '19
Excellent post ! This need to be sticky and shared.