some new pics 4/11/16

[brucemir]

At the start, these pics were taken using one 635, 589, 520, and 460 lasers pointed down toward the mirrors, each with a fan diffraction grating. I soon realized to do what I was trying to do (have the reflecting beams point straight upwards) I would have to change the angle of the mirrors. Once I got that set I shot a bunch of pics using this configuration. The best one in this sequence to me is the sixth one which I laid my camera in the square looking up with a fisheye lens. Next was to change out the four lasers to 520's and 532's and create a nice green square with many upward beams. By using only one color for this made adding other colors at different parts of the set up look better. I used a reflective fan grating suspended in the back and used different colors to have the beams shoot through all of the green. The first one you see with red beams was using a 120mw 638nm pen which looks nice. I then added to this using two 589 50mw and it produced a really nice true orange glow, much nicer than when I used a 593.5 30mw (6th pic from the end) to try the same, probably since it was so much brighter using three lasers and had a lot of green mixed in too. Next was adding prisms and in a few a beam splitter using various colors. I also changed out the two of the greens with 589's, and repositioned the prisms and mirrors a bit. Enjoy

 

[VirtueViolater]

Awesome , two at the end are money! I wanna come over to your house and play....lol

 

[BowtieGuy]

Beautiful sir! :beer:
Don't know how you did it, but you've outdone yourself .....again!
:kewlpics:

 

[Lux Nitida]

Superb as always Bruce! :beer:

 

[Pman]

I like #7 all green and the second to last the best. Thanks again my friend for kindly sharing with us

It's been awhile since I last asked this but are they all still running strong?

+7 for someone who really deserves it.

 

[brucemir]

Thanks everyone!

Pman - yes I have had some casualties in the past month or so. My Laserbtb LPF445 250/500mw has died. When I turn it on their is a faint blue dot for a second and dies out. It is/was my favorite host. I have also had a 532 100mw I purchased thru the forum from I forget who a few years ago, that now puts out maybe 10mw of green now. I am very fortunate. Most of my lasers have literally dozens of hours of use. I already know any of the more exotic ones could also die out at ANY given moment. The last laser I purchased was a year ago, my 593.5 30mw. Since then I have been saving up for the day of reckoning when I need to replace "X" amount of lasers.

 

[RB astro]

Just keeps getting better and better.
Well done Bruce.
Fantastic imagery.

RB
:beer:

 

[RedCowboy]

Nice pics.
You ever aim them all into 1 spot?
Maybe at something flammable? :eg:

 

[Rivem]

Amazing photos as always.

One thing I do want to see is a video of you setting these shots up Bruce.

 

[Pman]

I couldn't remember that being a model # of one of their lasers until I looked it up and found this review that I even commented in:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f52/skylasers-lfp-445-1000-a-91337.html
I'm guessing that's the one you have. Was wondering how long before an unfortunate death. Things are not looking so great now for a 589nm replacement if they go.
How do you end up getting all the wavelengths looking pretty even in output? Does a long exposure do it or is it Jedi master trickery photo editing?

 

[brucemir]

Hey Red Cowboy - Yes I have aimed them into one spot, but that one spot is usually a mirror or some other piece of glass. The only lasers I use weekly that can burn are my two 405nm 500mws. I have two 1000mw 445's and a 880nm 1000mw that will burn but I only use them every once in a while.

Pman - That was one of my favorite lasers also because it can go from 500mw to 250mw, or pulsed at the click of a button. Having two different mms without having to change out a laser was a nice convienance to me. Getting different color beams to look correct in relation to the other beams is something that has taken time to learn. It is not done by photo editing but by getting lower powered lasers (you can see in my signature what I use) at the right mms that look right next to each other. Also by having lower powered lasers (30nm to 200mw pretty much) enables me to have longer exposures and very nice saturation of colors. One trick I will share is that when using a fog machine (I use very little fog in my pics, just enough) is since I am taking exposures usually between 1 and 30 sec depending, is to blow gently in the direction of the beams and you can see the fog make the beams uniform. In a time exposure it makes the beams look great, even though in person you can see the fog moving, but in a time exposure it makes the beam look like a beam. If this in not done the parts of the beam will be brighter because of fog just hovering in one spot.

 

[RedCowboy]

Those are some cool shots. :gj:

This one must have been taken through a fish eye lens maybe?
The beams look curved.

 

[brucemir]

You are right Red Cowboy. The camera is actually about 8" from the prism making objects further from the center of the pics bend more, which is why the blue is so curved.

 

[GSS]

Its still so cool to me how what looks like a half a room set up looks like a whole universe of laser beams My noob rep when I can:beer:

 

[hakzaw1]

link:
Resources - Pangolin Laser Systems

all a good read but the photo tips are 5th from the top

tons more to read at Pangolin how PJs work how to build them-check out the QS demo--careful-- its more addicting than pointers..

but do be extra careful--consider using your cheapest oldest camera to learn how to NOT burn holes(pixels) in your CMOS..

just like the eye horizontal beams directly into the center of your lens is NOT GOOD--no pics are worth losing an eye or part THEREOF-or N $$$ camera

before you buy Pangolin -get with me--

 

[Pman]

I can't remember where I saw it but someone else said something recently about how he gets his smoke very even. When I am doing a couple close pics I just take a puff on a vape unit and blow it around. Try not to take it into my lungs.