"Ghost" in the New Paltz Library

[PPI Brian]

During my daily paranormal ramblings through the dark corners of the internet I stumbled across this New York Times article about an alleged ghost in the New Paltz Library.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/nyregion/20ghost.html?_r=3&em&ex=1208836800&en=307038010949d543&ei&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

They even had a link to the surveillance video on Youtube:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=GhIB6MAKUIk

Any thoughts?

[johnny]

It looks like a daddy long legs spider on the lens walking up the lens

[MichaelF (FPIE)]

If it was something like a bug on the lens it would look solid and be huge, it wouldn't let light pass through.  It's interesting because it looks free floating and doesn't seem to be a shadow on the floor.  It also looks a lot like something that I actually saw once, except mine was about 100 times darker.

Could be valid.

[johnny]

If it was something like a bug on the lens it would look solid and be huge, it wouldn't let light pass through.  It's interesting because it looks free floating and doesn't seem to be a shadow on the floor.  It also looks a lot like something that I actually saw once, except mine was about 100 times darker.

Could be valid.

If the camera is focused out about 12 feet could a small bug seem really fuzzy and somewhat transparent due to the focus?

[MichaelF (FPIE)]

I don't think so, a bug on the lens is still solid, it would take up a decent amount of the lens, and block the screen.  I've seen a bug on a lens before and it didn't look like that.  I don't know, maybe a very small bug like a tsetse fly could do that, but it doesn't look like a bug to me.

[johnny]

Yup, definitely makes me go "hmmmmmm..."   

[PPI Brian]

If it was something like a bug on the lens it would look solid and be huge, it wouldn't let light pass through.  It's interesting because it looks free floating and doesn't seem to be a shadow on the floor.  It also looks a lot like something that I actually saw once, except mine was about 100 times darker.

Could be valid.

If the camera is focused out about 12 feet could a small bug seem really fuzzy and somewhat transparent due to the focus?

The answer to your question is... Yes.   It's a classic Depth of Field vs. Aperture effect. Most of these surveillance cameras have very small lenses in the 6mm range that don't afford very much depth of field to begin with. When a very small object get really close to the lens you get this weird effect. The first time I saw this effect was back in the late 70's when I was working security at the County Administration Building. 

The movement of the "ghost" is consistent with the movement of a spider, probably a common cob web spider. The problem with surveillance cameras is that they have a fixed focus lens. Anything that gets too close to the lens blurs to the point that it's almost transparent.

If you watch the clip closely, you will see that the ?ghost? never changes in size or shape as it moves across the lens. It is logical to expect an object to diminish in size as its distance from the camera lens increases ? that doesn?t happen in this clip. Also, it does not appear to have any perspective relative to the scene in the surveillance camera. 

[johnny]

If it was something like a bug on the lens it would look solid and be huge, it wouldn't let light pass through.  It's interesting because it looks free floating and doesn't seem to be a shadow on the floor.  It also looks a lot like something that I actually saw once, except mine was about 100 times darker.

Could be valid.

If the camera is focused out about 12 feet could a small bug seem really fuzzy and somewhat transparent due to the focus?

The answer to your question is... Yes.   It's a classic Depth of Field vs. Aperture effect. Most of these surveillance cameras have very small lenses in the 6mm range that don't afford very much depth of field to begin with. When a very small object get really close to the lens you get this weird effect. The first time I saw this effect was back in the late 70's when I was working security at the County Administration Building. 

The movement of the "ghost" is consistent with the movement of a spider, probably a common cob web spider. The problem with surveillance cameras is that they have a fixed focus lens. Anything that gets too close to the lens blurs to the point that it's almost transparent.

If you watch the clip closely, you will see that the ?ghost? never changes in size or shape as it moves across the lens. It is logical to expect an object to diminish in size as its distance from the camera lens increases ? that doesn?t happen in this clip. Also, it does not appear to have any perspective relative to the scene in the surveillance camera. 

Thanks for the education   good information sir!

[MichaelF (FPIE)]

Thx Brian, I guess my experiance with security cams is lacking.  The bug on the lens stuff that I have seen were a lot less transparent, and blocked stuff a lot more.

[bellalaghoste]

i do not know?  I hate spiders though

[PPI Tim]

It's a bug.

[Shellshock]

I think its a bug-a-boo . also. 

[PPI Tracy]

I think its a bug-a-boo . also. 

Yep...it's a bug-a-boo.  (mom's rule, so that is the explanation for sure)