spectrum range

[Hrvoje Simic]

I'm interested in the spectrum range which cameras can usually record.
How far under infra-red and how far above ultra violet do they go?

[David Fairbanks]

All digital sensors have IR filters over them. They used to be called hot mirrors, I don't know if that's what they are still called. The only exception to that is I've heard of (might be wrong on this), Canon made a special 5D without it but I think the camera was set B&W only.

[jbeale]

The CCD/CMOS sensor spec sheet normally has a spectral sensitivity plot, but companies that make their own sensors don't normally make the spec sheet public. I've never seen a spectral curve for a complete general-purpose video camera, except for the ones I did myself.

Several years ago I measured the spectral response of a few camcorders I had, you can see the results here:
http://www.bealecorner.com/trv900/tech/spec.html

The "nightshot" mode on the Sony Digital-8 camera physically removed the IR-cut filter from the CCD, so there was some response nearly out to 1000 nm. The B/W video cameras used for security don't have the IR filter. They are more sensitive, but the image has a somewhat harsh and un-natural look.

The Canon EOS 20Da is a modified 20D (8 Mpixel DSLR) without the IR-cut filter. It is intended for astro-photography. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_EOS_20Da
http://cweb.canon.jp/camera/eosd/20da/

Normally the manufacturers attempt to make the camera spectral sensitivity match the eye as closely as possible. Anything else make the image look unnatural, since material reflectivities are generally different in the IR and UV regions than in the visible spectrum that we are used to.

[chuck colburn]

All digital sensors have IR filters over them. They used to be called hot mirrors, I don't know if that's what they are still called. The only exception to that is I've heard of (might be wrong on this), Canon made a special 5D without it but I think the camera was set B&W only.

I think that camera was for astonomical photography.

[GlennChan]

To make the camera match our eye's sensitivities, you'd have to do something like Sony's RGB+E sensor to get a spectral response that mirrors the CIE CMFs (or, you could aim to mirror the cone fundamentals of human vision). In practical designs (for 3 sensor cameras), the manufacturer may extend the spectral response into the infrared slightly to increase sensitivity, at the expense of color accuracy.