- Joined
- Sep 16, 2007
- Messages
- 3,660
- Points
- 113
While I was setting up and experimenting for some laser photos earlier tonight, I was visited by a stranger and a police officer.
I went out to the back roads on the outskirts of the city because there is some scenic, flat, undeveloped land out there with lots of distant stuff to point beams at. In the field, there is a dilapidated tower. That was my target. I set up on a dirt trail about 3/4 mile from the tower. I pointed the lasers at the tower on a line that runs parallel to the road. The road gets a bit of traffic at this time but not much.
The idea was to go down to the tower and view the beam, measure it, and take some cool photos.
I set up my 638nm ~200mW pointer and took my bike down to the tower to check it out. The view wasn't that great and I missed the mark a bit so the beam was just a tad over the tower. The backlighting from sunset made it difficult to aim.
I noticed a truck park by where I set up the laser. I rode back there and talked to a guy and his family who apparently saw the laser from the road and decided to check it out. This guy had a green laser he bought for emergencies while hunting. We chatted for a bit, I showed off my lasers, and he gave me his business card. Everyone thought the 495 was great.
So I continued playing around and trying stuff out. Once it was dark enough, I set up the 495 the same way and as I was about to get back on the bike to head down to the tower, a cop drives up.
Long story long: He received a call from someone about a laser and saw the beam from aaaaalll the way down at the end of the road. He asked me what I was doing, told me he gets quite a few calls about lasers and people pointing them at their aircraft, and informed me that it's a felony to do so. I was upfront about everything and assured him that I was keeping the beams on the ground (I was trying to, anyway). He asked for my ID and phone number in case he got another call - no big deal. I showed off my lasers again and he told me he doesn't care as long as I'm not causing trouble (I was far outside the city).
This is the first time I've drawn any attention with my lasers but the encounters were both pleasant. The moral of the story is: 1) everyone likes the 495nm wavelength, 2) these lasers, though only modestly powerful, are quite visible from the right angle for quite a distance, and 3) being honest with the police worked out well for me.
I ended up changing locations since I didn't like the photos I was getting.
Here are some photos, at last:
Aiming at some nearby mountains, the point is apparent at 1.5 miles.
My 638 and my bike. This laser is one of my favorites of all time. It's really well "balanced" among its qualities.
The 495 set up and projected onto a palm tree 0.2 miles down an abandoned road. At this distance the beam is about .3 X .1 meters (1' X 4") across with a G lens. It got cold so I didn't take the time to measure divergence at this distance. The diffraction patterns are clearly visible and the jitter caused by the moving air makes a really cool visual effect. I'll have to capture some video of that later.
I can't wait to put together my next laser and show it off (probably next week). For those that are interested, I'm shooting with a Sony a7R II and Zeiss Loxia 2/35 - a superb combination.
I went out to the back roads on the outskirts of the city because there is some scenic, flat, undeveloped land out there with lots of distant stuff to point beams at. In the field, there is a dilapidated tower. That was my target. I set up on a dirt trail about 3/4 mile from the tower. I pointed the lasers at the tower on a line that runs parallel to the road. The road gets a bit of traffic at this time but not much.
The idea was to go down to the tower and view the beam, measure it, and take some cool photos.
I set up my 638nm ~200mW pointer and took my bike down to the tower to check it out. The view wasn't that great and I missed the mark a bit so the beam was just a tad over the tower. The backlighting from sunset made it difficult to aim.
I noticed a truck park by where I set up the laser. I rode back there and talked to a guy and his family who apparently saw the laser from the road and decided to check it out. This guy had a green laser he bought for emergencies while hunting. We chatted for a bit, I showed off my lasers, and he gave me his business card. Everyone thought the 495 was great.
So I continued playing around and trying stuff out. Once it was dark enough, I set up the 495 the same way and as I was about to get back on the bike to head down to the tower, a cop drives up.
Long story long: He received a call from someone about a laser and saw the beam from aaaaalll the way down at the end of the road. He asked me what I was doing, told me he gets quite a few calls about lasers and people pointing them at their aircraft, and informed me that it's a felony to do so. I was upfront about everything and assured him that I was keeping the beams on the ground (I was trying to, anyway). He asked for my ID and phone number in case he got another call - no big deal. I showed off my lasers again and he told me he doesn't care as long as I'm not causing trouble (I was far outside the city).
This is the first time I've drawn any attention with my lasers but the encounters were both pleasant. The moral of the story is: 1) everyone likes the 495nm wavelength, 2) these lasers, though only modestly powerful, are quite visible from the right angle for quite a distance, and 3) being honest with the police worked out well for me.
I ended up changing locations since I didn't like the photos I was getting.
Here are some photos, at last:
Aiming at some nearby mountains, the point is apparent at 1.5 miles.
My 638 and my bike. This laser is one of my favorites of all time. It's really well "balanced" among its qualities.
The 495 set up and projected onto a palm tree 0.2 miles down an abandoned road. At this distance the beam is about .3 X .1 meters (1' X 4") across with a G lens. It got cold so I didn't take the time to measure divergence at this distance. The diffraction patterns are clearly visible and the jitter caused by the moving air makes a really cool visual effect. I'll have to capture some video of that later.
I can't wait to put together my next laser and show it off (probably next week). For those that are interested, I'm shooting with a Sony a7R II and Zeiss Loxia 2/35 - a superb combination.
.
