Sony see through X -ray cameras: A demo video explaining how to see through clothes with it has 35 million hits on youtube.

Sony see through X -ray cameras "sold on internet" : Can See Through People's Clothes  

How to see through clothing?

Sony: With my Camcorders That Could See Through People's Clothes.

Own a Sony Handycam video camera with infrared technology? If you do, you too can see through certain objects - mainly clothes.

In 1998 ,Sony Accidentally Sold 700,000 Camcorders That Could See Through People's Clothes.

And the demo video has even 35 million hits on youtube.

 

A  demo video explaining how to see through clothes on youtube. 

 

Under some lighting conditions and with the use of a particular type of camera filter, the infrared technology - designed for use at night - can see the warm bodies under clothing by detecting heat. But the trick works only in the daytime.

As news of the video camera's unique feature has spread, shoppers have headed to electronics and camera stores to buy the Sony camcorders equipped with NightShot.

After Sony Consumer Electronics' acknowledgment that its new "NightShot"-equipped Handycams can reveal what's under people's clothing, retailers around the country have been deluged with calls from consumers trying to snap up the camcorders before their "disabled" replacements begin arriving on store shelves later this month. 

"Today, at least once every half hour I've been receiving a call," said Jesse Roggio, a video salesman at Camera Sound in Philadelphia. Roggio said demand for the cameras has been "at least 100 percent more than usual," leading Camera Sound to raise the prices of all the models.

"It's all about supply and demand, and the demand is incredible," said Roggio, noting that many people have ordered without asking how much the camcorder costs. "We had too many in stock before this started, and now we're running low. So we're happy."

Six of Sony's 10 available consumer camcorder models are equipped with the technology, from the TR-940, which retails for as little as US$650, to the $1,400 TRV-99.

See through camcorder Sony CCD-TRV99 auctioned on internet

Sony will replace or exchange camcorders for any customers who do not want the see-through feature, said Neiman.

Philadelphia privacy advocate John Featherman, editor of the Privacy Times newsletter, said people should not be surprised by the camcorder's capability.

``We live in a society in which technology moves faster than our ability to understand its ramifications and consequences,'' he said.

From now on, Sony will have to take extra precautions before it introduces a new camcorder, testing it for unexpected uses, said Bruce Kasrel, a senior analyst at Forrester Research.

``Now that the cat's out of the bag, Sony's going to have to hope and pray that no more nefarious uses will be found,'' he said.

Within a week, Kasrel expects there will be Internet sites that detail how to get the best see-through results with the camcorder.

But Kasrel said the Internet is only the beginning of what will become a black market for the thousands of camcorders with the technology.

``They're going to be collector's items. I'm sure, if I had one of these right now, I'd probably sell it,'' he said.