In 1998, Sony sold 400,000 camcorders with 'NightShot' infrared technology that could see through some clothing in daylight. After a Japanese magazine exposed this unintended capability, Sony halted shipments and modified future units to prevent the feature from working in bright light.
Sony's NightShot Camcorders Could See Through Clothes
In 1998, Sony introduced a revolutionary feature called NightShot on its Handycam camcorders. The infrared technology was designed for wholesome purposes—recording babies sleeping in darkened nurseries, capturing wildlife at night, or filming family gatherings in low light. But users quickly discovered a far more controversial application.
When used in bright daylight with the right conditions, the infrared sensor could detect body heat through certain types of clothing. Dark, thin fabrics like some swimsuits and synthetic materials became partially transparent to the camera's infrared eye, revealing silhouettes underneath.
The Magazine That Broke the Story
In July 1998, Takarajima, a popular Japanese men's magazine, published an exposé demonstrating the camera's see-through capabilities. The article included instructions on replicating the effect using an inexpensive infrared filter. The story spread internationally within days, sparking a firestorm of privacy concerns.
Phil Petescia, Sony's marketing manager for Handycam at the time, later confirmed what many got wrong: there was no recall. By the time the controversy erupted, Sony had already sold approximately 400,000 units. Rather than recalling existing cameras, the company took a different approach.
How It Actually Worked
The physics behind the phenomenon were straightforward but overhyped. As one photography equipment specialist explained: "Any sheer blouse or clothing, if you hit it with enough light, you're gonna get a silhouette of what's underneath; and that's essentially all you get with these Sony camcorders."
The effect required a perfect storm of conditions:
- Bright daylight (ironically, since NightShot was meant for darkness)
- Dark-colored, thin fabric
- Synthetic materials that don't block infrared
- Close proximity to the subject
- The right camera angle
Sony confirmed that only "in some very special circumstances—depending on the daylight, the type of clothing, the texture, the color, the thickness, how much clothing is worn, the distance of the person to the camera—that reported capability could be replicated."
The Quick Fix
Sony immediately halted shipments of unsold units and modified the NightShot feature. The new version included an ambient light sensor that prevented NightShot from activating in bright conditions. If users tried to enable the feature in daylight, they'd see only a blank white screen.
The company never modified or recalled the 400,000 units already in consumers' hands, leading to a brief boom in secondhand sales of the original models. Some retailers reported customers specifically seeking out pre-modification units.
The incident became a cautionary tale about unintended consequences in consumer technology. Sony's engineers had focused on low-light performance without considering how the same infrared technology might behave in the opposite conditions. What seemed like an innocent feature for parents filming their sleeping children became an international privacy scandal almost overnight.