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WAVELENGTH POLL - 473nm vs. 589nm vs. 593.5nm - VOTE NOW!

What is YOUR FAVORITE wavelength (color) in a 35mW laser?


  • Total voters
    76
  • Poll closed .
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For comparison: If anyone has ever seen a low pressure sodium lamp IRL (they're more common in the UK I hear), they are almost monochromatic at 589nm. I know pictures and precise color rendering don't always work out, but...

800px-LPS_Lamp_35W_running.jpg
 





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Ok guys, as has been said, the LPS lights are 589nm. They look a bit more yellow to me than the picture that's posted.

For comparison, the LED yellow traffic lights are 595nm. THis should give you an idea of how the lasers would compare.
 
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For comparison: If anyone has ever seen a low pressure sodium lamp IRL (they're more common in the UK I hear), they are almost monochromatic at 589nm. I know pictures and precise color rendering don't always work out, but...

800px-LPS_Lamp_35W_running.jpg

Id go for 589nm , Cyparagon - nice picture they are quite popular here in the uk , I have 2 35 watt tubes and a 135 watt one too :p
 
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Ok guys, as has been said, the LPS lights are 589nm. They look a bit more yellow to me than the picture that's posted.

For comparison, the LED yellow traffic lights are 595nm. THis should give you an idea of how the lasers would compare.

The LED yellow traffic lights are 595nm? That's strange. People always told me that yellow lasers are actually orange and jet traffic lights that are yellow are 595nm.
 

cmak

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thanks for the insight, QC

oh and my next laser is almost assuredly going to be a 589nm (a 1-5mW GLP-CR2 from Glenn's CNI GB) and is most likely coming up soon. Not my dream >80mW PGL-III-M, but it'll do for now :yh:

peace & thanks
-cmak
 
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The LED yellow traffic lights are 595nm? That's strange. People always told me that yellow lasers are actually orange and jet traffic lights that are yellow are 595nm.

I've never had any person comment that my yellow lasers' dots where orange. Every person has said that it looked yellow. Every person that I've given the comparison to has agreed that the laser's dot looks just like a yellow LED traffic light.

When the laser gets really dim, it does look orange or orangish anyway. When you diffuse it very dramatically, it looks orange. The beam looks orange. Under certain lighting conditions the dot can look orange.

The wavelength is so close to the border that the perceived color depends on each person's eyes, ambient light and especially the power of the laser.

Those of you who have a yellow laser in the uS, if you want to see the LED traffic light comparison, shine your laser on one of those reflective road signs that're always by the traffic light while it's yellow. It's scary how similar the colors are.

Just in case I have to actually say it, don't do that when cars are around. This is the type of thing you do on an abandoned country road at 1am when no cars are around.
 
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I've never had any person comment that my yellow lasers' dots where orange.
Are you talking 594 or 589? The 594 in your "Avatar" looks like it goes from yellow to red... :undecided:
p.s. I can't believe that beam could belong to a 3mW 635nm...
 
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Are you talking 594 or 589? The 594 in your "Avatar" looks like it goes from yellow to red... :undecided:
p.s. I can't believe that beam could belong to a 3mW 635nm...


The one you're referring to is the 635. I had the camera taking long exposures and the 635 is very over exposed in that shot. In some of the other pics from that photo set, the 635 had a much more accurate color. The 594 is the one next to the 635.

edit-

http://laserpointerforums.com/f48/six-colors-beamshot-pics-32927.html
 
Last edited:
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Id go for 589nm , Cyparagon - nice picture they are quite popular here in the uk , I have 2 35 watt tubes and a 135 watt one too :p

Oh, Camera's broke (non-laser related). that's a stock photo from wikipedia. I've got a 35W and a 55W, but I have to run them with metal halide ballasts on variacs because a new ballast is $300 here :wtf:
 
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Oh, Camera's broke (non-laser related). that's a stock photo from wikipedia. I've got a 35W and a 55W, but I have to run them with metal halide ballasts on variacs because a new ballast is $300 here :wtf:

Cool , Ouch , They are around 140£ over here for a 135 watt tray :s
 
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I've never had any person comment that my yellow lasers' dots where orange. Every person has said that it looked yellow. Every person that I've given the comparison to has agreed that the laser's dot looks just like a yellow LED traffic light.

When the laser gets really dim, it does look orange or orangish anyway. When you diffuse it very dramatically, it looks orange. The beam looks orange. Under certain lighting conditions the dot can look orange.

The wavelength is so close to the border that the perceived color depends on each person's eyes, ambient light and especially the power of the laser.

Those of you who have a yellow laser in the uS, if you want to see the LED traffic light comparison, shine your laser on one of those reflective road signs that're always by the traffic light while it's yellow. It's scary how similar the colors are.

Just in case I have to actually say it, don't do that when cars are around. This is the type of thing you do on an abandoned country road at 1am when no cars are around.

Oh, so it really is yellow. Thanks for explaining that, I was always wondering about that laser's color since it looked orange on pictures. Well I guess the cameras can't show it how it really looks like which is good in this case since the laser is really yellow.
 




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