[mdlug] OT - IR jamming

[Aaron Kulkis]

Raymond McLaughlin wrote:
> Aaron Kulkis wrote:
>> Dave Arbogast wrote:
>>> I was just in DC with my top of the line SLR digital camera. I was in 
>>> the right place at the right time to take photos of a motorcade entering 
>>> the big house. I was about 12 feet from them and 16 feet from the inter 
>>> gate as it opened. (I shot for several newspapers in the day, so you 
>>> could say I'm not am amateur.)
>>>
>>> OK, shoot, shoot, shoot.  Daylight, immediate response pro camera. 
>>> What's the problem ?  This was a high raking official as the tailing 
>>> S.S. Tahoe had the back 3 windows open and 3 armored soldiers with 
>>> fingers on their machine guns. Yes, they gave me the evil eye for trying 
>>> to take their photo from 4 meters, but my camera refused to take their 
>>> photo.... it took many photos minutes before they arrived and many more 
>>> minutes after the iron gates closed behind them.
>>>
>>> The only explanation is IR / RF  jamming of my system. I wish I had gone 
>>> to manual focus as I do often, but I have never held down the shutter 
>>> release with no result.  The guys following up the rear were too cool. 
>>> None of the other motorcades we saw that day had the heavy artillery 
>>> exposed in the trailing SUV ready to fire.
>> Very interesting.  It could be IR jamming the IR system.
>>
>> Alternate theory: have you ever noticed how the definition of
>> a Class C consumer electronics device states, "this device
>> *MUST* accept interference causing unwanted operation."
>>
>> I've seen this even on my top of the line HP calculators.
>>
> 
> Though I'm too lazy to look up a link, I remember a year and a half, to
> two years age thee were a few articles about new anti-camera technology
> being used at high tech trade shows. It involved a sophisticated lens
> detection system that recognized the aperture of a camera lens (or the
> "black body" behind it). This camera detector was coupled was coupled
> with a very bright, precisely directed strobe that blinded any cameras
> detected.

I believe I've seen images where such anti-photography technology
was in place (usually with a caption by the photographer indicating
that he/she wonders what the heck happened to ruin the shot).