Air Travel = Hazardous to Digital-Cameras...!!

[tc95]

I just saw this on utube...

Kodak info on how images are captured on a sensor

Kodak info on how images are captured on a sensor

Just thought it was a cool video and useful information....so you don't have to watch all 13 mins like I did...Gama-Radiation kills photosites on a CCD or CMos sensor...so when you get over 20,000 feet these ray will actually kill off photosites on your camera sensor...They go to say that's why all the DSLR's are shipped by boat and not plane...

Who would have know...!!!

[Patti Edens]

Holy Mackerel. I used to fly at least two or three times a month, always with my cam. Maybe that's why my old 20D has so many dead pixels. Interesting.

[crbeveri]

For those that want to skip to it go to 8min.

For some reason I feel that the cabin would be protected. There is quite a difference in the cabin between a passenger plane and a cargo plane.

[Patti Edens]

While alpha and beta particles would be stopped, gamma will go right through the thin metal of the cabin. It takes a lot of lead to stop them.

I don't think there is really much danger though. I used to fly a lot and I don't think my cam really had more dead pixels than normal. I think most of what this guy said is baloney. If there was enough gamma radiation to kill pixels, it would be killing the flight crews too. They are exposed to a lot of cosmic radiation though.

[kenw]

They're shipped by boat because it costs less. That's the real reason. If this was true Hubble would be toast by now.

[revjvegas]

Some additional interesting reading....

Airplane altitudes, gamma levels, and space, the final frontier...: Open Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review
excerpt:

Now, here's why it's not true...
* Gamma radiation levels at an altitude of 40,000 feet are only 5x the average terrestrial surface level. Radiation effects are cumulative, not threshold based, so a 3 hour flight is no worse than 15 hours at ground level. Add up your total air hours. Even a 100,000 mile/year traveler only logs 200 air hours. That's equivalent to 1,000 ground hours or radiation, out of a 8,760 hour year. So, that much flying would cause a whole 11% increase in long term radiation failures.
* Modern aircraft have many cameras on board. These cameras make multiple air trips each day, and accumulate many times more air hours than personal, or even professional cameras.

[bryanlindsey]

Is gamma radiation dangerous in high doses? Yes.
Are you exposed to higher levels of gamma radiation when you fly? Yes.
Do gamma rays kill camera sensors? Maybe.

I think the article is bogus since we (and therefore our cameras) all come into contact with gamma rays every day. People living at higher elevations get more gamma rays - do the camera sensors in Denver wear out faster than the cameras in Houston? Also, if there was a real danger then Nikon and Canon would surely be marketing $500 lead travel cases for your photo gear.

Hey, my day job came in handy!