OnePlus to disable camera colour feature with pervy tendencies in latest flagship smartphone

OnePlus has announced plans to disable the colour filter camera on its latest OnePlus 8 Pro flagship blower after it emerged the device could see through plastics and clothes under certain conditions. In a (Google-translated) post to its Weibo page, the Chinese smartphone giant acknowledged the issue and apologised, saying: " …

[Adrian 4]

Sounds like the Sony camera bug of several years ago : in that case it was iirc the disabling of the camera's IR filter (usually only done when used with IR illumination) in daylight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpWBIt2gjzY

[The Man Who Fell To Earth]

More than a few years ago.

My Sony Digital Mavica MVC-FD71 from the late 90's (used a floppy for storage) had this feature flaw. I still have the camera, and it still works.

[Anonymous Coward]

In case anyone else was wondering ...

.. what this "color filter camera" was, here's a description. Seems to me like not a great deal is being lost by disabling it. I'm surprised that the (intended) effects can't be reasonably well duplicated with the regular camera and some software, but what do I know.

[Anonymous Coward]

Much ado about nothing

So far I've seen nothing approaching NSFW demoz of this "flaw", just males in black t-shirts with something solid underneath. Given the internet, I assume the lack of bra or nipple photos means that this is no more effective than x-ray specs.

True pervs will still need a readily available but expensive IR camera. Note that this is the same technology that is or will be used for mass body temperature screening.

[IGotOut]

Re: Much ado about nothing

You can convert old DSLRs to "infra red" by nobbling the filter.

It's a whole field of photography in itself

[Anonymous Coward]

Some materials are see through in infrared

https://twitter.com/BenGeskin/status/1260607594395250690?s=20

I wonder how long the authorities have known about ir capabilities in daylight, surely they could have been using this tech to see if people gave weapons in public.

[A Non e-mouse]

Re: Some materials are see through in infrared

One of the comments on the post suggest that Apple deliberately made the case transparent to infrared. I doubt many other vendors deliberately make their kit transparent to infrared.

[Dave 126]

Re: Some materials are see through in infrared

Would a case that is transparent to Infra-red help dissapate heat from the internal components in any significant way? Enough to make the vents a tiny bit smaller?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Some materials are see through in infrared

That's the difference between near-IR and far-IR... which is why an IR camera is a very different beast (and price) to a thermal camera.

No, it won't make any significant difference.

[Dave 126]

Re: Some materials are see through in infrared

> using this tech to see if people gave weapons in public

Only people hiding guns under thin black clothing.

[aks]

This has been known of for normal cameras since at least the 1950's.

[Long John Silver]

Where there's a need someone will fill it

Doubtless, independent software fixes will restore this feature.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Where there's a need someone will fill it

Sometimes you don't need software or sensors. Just eyes, and the hope the granny with the skin tight top does not lean in too close at the shopping counter. :(

[jake]

Just to stir thingas up a bit ...

You can often make a standard video camera into a IR camera with a bit of over-exposed film in front of the lens.

(I wonder how many of the kiddies reading this know what over-exposed film is.)

[Tom 38]

Re: Just to stir thingas up a bit ...

X-Men: Dark Phoenix was heavily over-exposed, would the DVD of that work?

[Julz]

Well

Better than the comic book x-ray specs. Now where are the Sea Monkeys...

[Lotaresco]

Oh well...

Cancels order for OnePlus phone.

[GeekyDee]

Well at least they are being transparent about the issue and not trying to hide it like most other companies would do...

[LucreLout]

What's the point?

I'm pretty sure the pervs will simply migrate to photoshop and / or training ML models.

I get why a company wouldn't want to build a perv-setting into a device, but I'm assuming this filter has uses beyond see-thru-ing, for want of a better term.

[Anonymous Coward]

This Chinese Site as a somewhat more factual report on this

https://www.gizchina.com/2020/05/14/oneplus-8-pro-camera-is-able-to-see-through-clothes-and-some-plastics/

[Anonymous Coward]

The same effect could be seen on 35mm film camera pictures. Nothing to do with the camera sensitivity - just the freeze effect of a shutter. When you look at someone wearing clothes the eye is scanning and forms an aggregate picture. A fast shutter camera shot sees from just one instant angle - and you can therefore effectively see through pores in the material. Possibly the same effect - but more pronounced - that you get when white material is wet.

Kiniki make close-fitting swimsuits out of a material that is full of tiny perforations - such that it allows 80% of the sunlight through for tanning. Together with a camouflage pattern the costume looks solid when worn. Hold it up to the light and you can see all the holes. Not sure what a fast shutter camera would see.

[Mark192]

Sadly this article is useless without pictures

Sadly this article is useless without pictures

[jake]

Re: Sadly this article is useless without pictures

I believe that in the Internet vernacular that would more properly be "Post pics or it never happened!" ...