Recording/Cpapturing laser beam show

[elvis]

I need some tips on how the camera needs to be placed while recording laser beam show.
Last time i tried to record the beams using my handy cam,by keeping it in front of source ,i managed to gets its CCD damaged within no time

So,any tips this time for how to record it indirectly with the aim to capture all the patterns by placing camera in the center of the patterns being formed.

[stanwax]

placing the camera in the centre means you will either stand a chance of getting the beams in the ccd - which may or maynot damage it (power distance smoke- are all factors) or you will see the shadow of the camera if you are recording the beam termination on a screen.
To protect against these you should place the camera just below the tallest scan and adjust the angle (preferably on a tripod - handheld looks shit due to wobbling around) so that the beam fan starts close to the bottom edge of the viewfinder image or the display on the screen is all captured by the camera and not too close so the image burns out due to brightness. That way you are getting as much in the clip as poss.
I film my clips from 3 or 4 angles and edit them to get a much better show
see my clips on youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/stanwax

hope this helps

Rob

[Alsone]

If you have Pangolin (you lucky thing) you could take the professional approach and create a space in the beam field (protection zone) around the camera position.

This means the entire pattern happens but arround the camera so no beam ever directly enters the lens.

There's instructions here on how to create a protection zone:

http://www.pangolin.com/ubb/showflat...=0&page=0#1692

[allthatwhichis]

If you have Pangolin (you lucky thing) you could take the professional approach and create a space in the beam field (protection zone) around the camera position.

This means the entire pattern happens but arround the camera so no beam ever directly enters the lens.

There's instructions here on how to create a protection zone:

http://www.pangolin.com/ubb/showflat...=0&page=0#1692

This is what I now do. Just put the camera where you want it and leave the shutter or lense cap on. Make your projection zone attinuation area around your camera, save it to all the projection zone that will be used during the show, and then you are ready to go.

[stanwax]

In Mamba you could also do this by defining an area on the attenuation map
Rob

[allthatwhichis]

attenuation map

Now that I see it, that is also what it is called in Pangolin, the attenuation map.

[elvis]

thanks a lot guys...ya i do have pangolin and that attenuation map thing is working just fine.