Did you know some cameras might be better at catching orbs in photos than others? Actually, “catching” isn’t the best word choice. “Manufacturing” may be a better one.
My good friend Phil Creighton from New York Shadow Chasers is the Muse behind this post. He’s a tech geek who definitely knows way more than I do about all kinds of equipment used in paranormal investigating. (If you want to learn more about such things, Phil reviews and demos equipment on their YouTube channel, then posts the link to the latest review on the New York Shadow Chasers Facebook page for their Para Tech Wednesday installments.)
He saw that I had posted the specs on the new digital camera I bought on my personal FB page. He shared a link with me called “Fujifilm X10: The White Orbs Machine.” He wanted to give me a heads up about a possible hiccup I might encounter with my new camera.
I bought a Fujifilm FinePix S2950 14 MP Digital Camera. It’s manufactured by the same company mentioned in the article, but it’s a different model. Will it be more prone to creating “orbs”?
Gawd, I hope not. But it would serve me right for picking a camera that had such a quirk given how much I hate orbs.
Not that I have anything against orbs personally. If I saw a real orb, I’d probably be thrilled.
But that’s the trouble. Do you know how many people have shown me examples of orbs in photos? If they took a little more time to understand that it’s not a matter of them having a knack for catching orbs in photos, but for having a knack shooting under circumstances where it’s more likely to catch an orb, they wouldn’t be so offended when I burst their bubble that what they think is an orb is usually either dust or a bug.
However, Phil has made me realize it could also be their camera. Not that there’s literally a ghost in their machine, but their machine is predisposed to creating orb-like images.
But which cameras are best at creating orbs in photos?
According to the article Phil shared with me, the Fujifilm X10 isn’t the only Fujifilm camera to do this. So does the X-S1. Something both have in common is a CMOS sensor, something the article references as the most likely culprit for causing white orbs in photos.
I only received my camera a couple of days ago. I haven’t had a chance to play with it enough yet to know if I’ll be picking up orbs in photos more than before or not. However, if I’m reading the specs on mine correctly, it doesn’t come with the CMOS sensor. I might be okay.
Although, one of the other cameras I was considering did have it. I opted not to go for it, because with it the price was more. I decided I could live without the CMOS sensor feature. Maybe my frugal ways paid off this time in the form of saving me from wondering why I’m all of a sudden catching more orbs than I ever used to.
However, if CMOS sensors are one of the reasons people do catch orbs in photos, here’s some other cameras that have such a feature:
Sony HDR-FX7 3-CMOS Sensor HDV High-Definition Handycam Camcorder with 20x Optical Zoom
Fujifilm FinePix F505 16 MP CMOS Sensor and 15x Optical Zoom Digital Camera with 4 GB Class 10 SD Memory Card (Black)
Panasonic DMC-FZ150K 12.1 MP Digital Camera with CMOS Sensor and 24x Optical Zoom (Black)
Canon EOS Rebel T3 12.2 MP CMOS Digital SLR with 18-55mm IS II Lens and EOS HD Movie Mode (Black)
Canon EOS Rebel T2i 18 MP CMOS APS-C Sensor DIGIC 4 Image Processor Full-HD Movie Mode Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-inch LCD and and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens
Fujifilm FinePix F600EXR 16 MP Digital Camera with CMOS Sensor and 15x Optical Zoom (Black)
Fujifilm FinePix HS20 16 MP Digital Camera with EXR BSI CMOS High Speed Sensor and Fujinon 30x Wide Angle Optical Zoom Lens
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-TX10 16.2 MP Waterproof Digital Still Camera with Exmor R CMOS Sensor, 3D Sweep Panorama, and Full HD 1080/60i Video (Silver)
Sony DSCWX9/BBDL 16.2 MP CMOS Sensor with 5 x Optical Zoom Digital Camera Bundle Black
Sony TX Series DSC-TX9/H 12.2MP Digital Still Camera with “Exmor R” CMOS Sensor and 3D Sweep Panorama
Olympus PEN E-PL3 14-42mm 12.3 MP Interchangeable Lens Camera with CMOS Sensor and 3x Optical Zoom (Black)
Philips CAM110BL/37 10 MP Digital Camera with CMOS Sensor and 4 x Optical Zoom (Black)
Sony Alpha SLT-A57K 16.1 MP Exmor APS HD CMOS Sensor DSLR with Translucent Mirror Technology, 3D Sweep Panorama and 18-55mm Zoom Lens
Nikon D3100 14.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens
Nikon D800 36.3 MP CMOS FX-Format Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
Canon PowerShot ELPH 110 HS 16.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 5x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom 24mm Wide-Angle Lens and 1080p Full HD Video Recording (Black)
Sony DSC-WX5/B WX Series, 3D Sweep Panorama, Exmor R CMOS Sensor
Do you own one of the cameras listed above? Do you own a camera with a CMOS sensor? Do you catch a high amount of orbs in your photos?
WHAT THE HECK IS A CMOS SENSOR ANYWAY?
Unlike Phil, most tech specs on equipment are Greek to me. If you’re like me and want to better understand what a CMOS sensor is and how it impacts photos (be it orbs in them or not), here’s some links to articles that are very informative.
- What is the difference between CCD and CMOS image sensors in a digital camera?
- CCD vs. CMOS
- What is CMOS camera. What is it different from CCD camera.
- CMOS Is Winning the Camera Sensor Battle, and Here’s Why
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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Interesting. My digital camera has a CCD image sensor. I’ve gotten some orbs in photos with it, usually because of the lighting conditions when the photo was snapped. I’ve never considered any of the orbs that appear in my photos to be anything paranormal. They can all be chalked up to lens flare, or reflections of dust or moisture in the air. Though it was kinda cool to have a rather large orb of this nature caught in a photo I took of Jay & Grant from Ghost Hunters at one of their lectures. LOL The orbs I’ve seen with my naked eye on the other hand, well that’s a whole different story. I have no clue what they are but I am intrigued by them. The first time I saw one it was outside near the home of some friends where I was walking my dog. I thought it was just my tired eyes playing tricks on me, but then my dog started barking and took off chasing it, dragging me behind her as I was attached to the other end of the leash. The second time I saw one, my dog and I were pup-sitting two of her lab buddies at the same friends’ house while they were away for the weekend. We were all crashed out on the living room floor, dogs laying all over me while I watched a movie. The light caught my attention and I turned my head to look through the doorway into the next room, and saw an orb just hovering in the corner about half-way between the floor & ceiling. I turned back to face the TV, dismissing that one as a trick of the mind also, until it moved and all three dogs jumped up and ran into that room. By the time I got up & got in there, all three dogs were standing there looking at the wall dumbfounded, like, “WTF? Where’d it go?” I’m assuming that it went through the area of wall they were all staring at & poof, it was gone. There was other weird activity at that home and on the property too, and we all saw it, but it never seemed to happen when I had a camera handy, of course. But I digress. Good info to keep in mind for when I buy a new digital camera. 🙂
Hmmm… I wonder how much of this I should mention to my s/o as a means of getting another camera?
Oh, Kimberley, how awesome you shared your 1st person orb experiences! You are one of the very few people who I’ve ever heard say they’ve seen an orb with their eyes. Most people see them in their photos. I have never seen an orb in real life. If I did, I’d be more excited about it. I’ve caught some “orbs” on camera, but they were all 100% explainable. This is SO neat you shared this. Thank you for taking the time to do that!!!!
LOL! Do you currently have one with a CMOS sensor, Lane? Or do you want one so you can try and get orbs? I can see how it could go either way you know!
LOL, yeah, I rambled a bit there. Orbs are a hot button topic for me too. 😉
Hey, I’m all for rambling! I’ll never discourage it. And orbs…they get a lot of people going!
CCD and CMOS are simply the image processors that are used to take a picture to digital and are used in camcorders as well. CMOS processors are generally better for low light conditions and high speed shots but many cameras have a built in flaw that manufactures ‘orbs’ if you’re not careful(even CCD cams). If you want to make artificial Orbs simply change the settings on your camera for the fastest ISO 1600 and up, and take shots under low lighting. Magical orbs all the time. It’s a fault in the processor, since the camera wasn’t able to make out enough detail of the scene it simply leaves it blank(orbs). The problem with the Fuji cams is that the processors are faulty and create these ‘artifacts’ under all conditions, hence the recall. Thank you Courtney for attributing this article to my product warning and great that you didn’t get one of those models. 🙂
Hey, Phil! I appreciate you looking out for me and giving me the heads up. I’m just SO thankful I didn’t buy one of those recalled ones either. Sometimes dumb luck is the best kind to have! LOL And I’m glad you inspired my muse. I don’t often feel compelled to write on weekends, but I did this past one! 😉
I’ve been using a Nikon CoolPix 90 for the last 5 years to take pictures. Before that, I had a Kodak EasyShot (or was it EasyShare?) until I lost it while traveling. On the evening of October 8th, 2014, something compelled me to take my Nikon onto the deck to take some night photos of a new garden area I’d just planted. Or so I thought. When I came inside to look at the photos, I saw a large blue orb imposed over our pergola. I gulped, went back outside, took more shots, and spent an hour photographing Light Orbs of all sizes and colors. I Have been on a spiritual path, and intuitively knew these were real. So, I know this camera has “the right stuff” for detecting Orbs, light rods and other emanations. My problem is this: the PC with Windows 7.1 on which I added the photo software for the Nikon crashed. My laptop has Windows 8.1, and the software is incompatible. So, I placed the Nikon’s memory card in my HP All-in-One printer and captured the images on the jump drive. Then I inserted the jump drive into my laptop, hoping to be able to see the images. Didn’t work. Got a message they were in VHF or VFH format. I know enough about cameras & computers to use them, but not overcome this hurdle. I went to the Nikon website, looking for updated software, but couldn’t find any. I have some awesome Light Orb and rod images, but they’re “stuck” in the Nikon’s memory card and now the jump drive. I’ve even thought of buying a new camera, if I have to.I actually took some photos of the Orb pictures as displalyed on my Nikon screen, using my Samsung Galaxy S5 iPhone, then displayed them on facebook (Barbara J Reed) . Of course, they’re very grainy and don’t do them justice. Any suggestions? Thanks for any input you have. BJ Reed
Wow. BJ you blew my mind with all you know about cameras and transferring the data. I wish I had any suggestions myself, but I’m not that tech savvy. HOWEVER, I will share this on FB and see if anyone there might have any suggestions. If they do I’ll re-reply and see if that might help.