Are digital camera sensors sensitive to UV light, or is UV blocked by the camera?

Question

I’ve found conflicting information about whether digital cameras can detect ultraviolet light. Some sources say digital sensors are essentially insensitive to UV and therefore don’t need UV filters, while others say sensors can detect UV.

What’s the correct explanation? Is the sensor itself somewhat sensitive to UV, but modern cameras include UV/IR-cut filtering over the sensor so that UV doesn’t affect normal photos? And if so, does the lens also play a role in blocking UV?

user27440 · Accepted Answer

Most digital sensors are sensitive to UV to some degree, and most have UV/IR cut filters installed over them to keep that sensitivity from throwing off visible light colors. However, removing the cut filter to let in the full spectrum, or using a pass filter and long exposures, doesn't really solve the issue of allowing the camera to shoot in UV, because the majority of lenses also have UV cut coatings on them. Few lenses are suitable for UV shooting, and the ones that are tend to be expensive and rare (e.g., the UV-Nikkor 105 f/4.5), which is why this is a much rarer and more esoteric form of photography than IR shooting. It's most commonly done by forensic photographers.

See: All You Ever Wanted to Know About Digital UV and IR Photography, But Could Not Afford to Ask

Are digital camera sensors sensitive to UV light, or is UV blocked by the camera?

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