> I have really gotten into photography in the last couple of years.
> With the advent of digital cameras, I am able to take pictures without
> dealing with developing chemicals, or the cost of many takes in film
> to keep one shot.
>
> I was recently gifted (birthday gifted) a Digital SLR Camera. It
> works very well and takes great pictures.
>
> First thing I did was check it's EMF output. Very low electrical
> fields. That can be dealt with simply. Great!, I thought.
>
> Then I check it's magnetic fields. And I thought, "sh*t!". Because
> naturally whenever the lens focuses automatically, or the shutter
> opens to take a picture, there is a burst of a magnetic field from the
> motor. I can't BELIEVE I didn't think of this before. Gah...
>
> It jumps to about 35 milligauss on average (meter up against the
> camera, just like the face of whoever's using it - this is the kind
> where you look through the viewfinder, it's not a point and shoot
> where you use the screen).
>
> Do I have reason to be concerned about these bursts of magnetic
> fields? I mean, it's not constantly against my head, and they last for
> perhaps a second or less at a time, only when the shutter fires. I
> can even get away from the motor focusing the lens most of the time by
> using manual focus and adjusting it by hand.
>
> Unfortunately, I can't just take this thing apart and try and shield
> the motor from the inside, myself. There is a very thin and flexible
> foil called Met Glas that sounds like it could be used for such a
> purpose, but it's the matter of getting it inside that's the issue.
>
> Maybe I can find a technician who's willing to do it?...Hmm...
>
> I can theoretically shield some parts of the camera from the outside
> with this material.
>
> But - what are your thoughts on these brief magnetic fields?
>
> Best,
>
> R.
>
>
>