the Ultimate laser camera?

[darklandz]

at the moment, my only camera is my phone camera - samsung sgh-800 (5MP)
the camera is really good, its got all the basic features and is quiet good taking pictures in the dark too.
laser beams show up really well on it too.
problem is, i think the sensor is VERY sensitive to lasers because i have had to RMA 2 of these phones in the past 3 months due to the same problem - burnt out lens/sensor.
i have never shined a laser onto the sensor, obviously, but when close up even the reflections hurt it.
its time i splashed out and bought a "good" camera - mainly to take pics of lasers.
i would be very grateful if someone can give me some hints/tips as to what kinda cameras i should be looking at - price range, well i dont wana spend over $300.
as long the sensor isnt too sensitive to lasers, i may consider it.
thanks

 

[styropyro]

First of all, I am in no way a camera expert, or anything close to it ;D

I have a Canon SD550 and it is a great all purpose camera. I think it takes great pictures of laser beams, it has long exposure up to 15 seconds too. It also has a bunch of other random features like "color swap", in color swap if you get it set right you can make a red laser beam look like a blue laser beam on the picture. The macro on it is pretty good IMO, it could be useful for a lot of things. I attached a scaled down picture of a penny I took with the camera. The video quality is pretty good for a digital camera too, you can zoom in while you are taking videos. I know there are newer and better cameras out there, but if you want to stay cheaper, you can get these new for around $200 on ebay, and used for $100-$150.

 

[VillageIdiot]

That's a nice macro picture you got there styro.

Good cameras never seem like they're worth my money - I use my phone for everything, 2 megapixels does the job.

 

[Curiously_Coherent]

hey Styro!

I just came across this awesome How-to Wiki that lets you upgrade the firmware of your Canon to do ultra-fast Edgerton-style shots @ 1/60,000 of a second and time exposures over a minute. Makes me wish I hadn't gone Nikon actually.

Get the scoop here.

Let us know how it goes if you try it. I may pick up a similar Canon on eBay if it works for you.

Cheers, CC

 

[Chad]

Go with an SD550. I have one, and it's phenomenal for laser pics.

 

[styropyro]

hey Styro!

I just came across this awesome How-to Wiki that lets you upgrade the firmware of your Canon to do ultra-fast Edgerton-style shots @ 1/60,000 of a second and time exposures over a minute. Makes me wish I hadn't gone Nikon actually.

Get the scoop here.

Let us know how it goes if you try it. I may pick up a similar Canon on eBay if it works for you.

Cheers, CC

I've never seen that before, thanks for the link! I'll try that out sometime soon.

 

[MB500]

I have shined my lasers into the lens on my camera phone many a time, lol. Nothing has happened yet. My regular digital camera works a lot better.

 

[styropyro]

hey Styro!

I just came across this awesome How-to Wiki that lets you upgrade the firmware of your Canon to do ultra-fast Edgerton-style shots @ 1/60,000 of a second and time exposures over a minute. Makes me wish I hadn't gone Nikon actually.

Get the scoop here.

Let us know how it goes if you try it. I may pick up a similar Canon on eBay if it works for you.

Cheers, CC

On that page they didn't have the software for my camera. I have the SD550, I tried loading the SD500 files instead, but it didn't work. I'll have to try the custom thing sometime later if it doesn't involve me breaking my camera!

 

[Curiously_Coherent]

That sucks!

Maybe someone else with a compatible camera will see this thread and give it a try. It sounds amazing.

Thanks for trying Styro, and I hope it didn't frak your camera trying the SD500 version.

Cheers, CC

 

[Lorgar]

That sucks!  

Maybe someone else with a compatible camera will see this thread and give it a try.  It sounds amazing.  

Thanks for trying Styro, and I hope it didn't frak your camera trying the SD500 version.

Cheers, CC

Thanks for the info but it seems this stuff is only for point and shoot cameras so my XTI isnt compatable
But it still takes a good picture

Penny

 

[darklandz]

hi, thanks for the replies. i looked all over for the canon sd550 but couldnt find it, not even on ebay?
i still havent bought one yet, i was deciding between a samsung NV 10.1MP or a sony cybershot DSC-W200 12.1mp.
any 1 of those is still likely to cost between $180-300.
its a shame really, even quality expensive cameras could be damaged easily when taking laser pics