Does any camera come with a laser pointer?

On Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:46:26 -0500, nospam
wrote:

In article , Eric Stevens
wrote:

Lots of DSLRs or interchangeable lens cameras with tiltable LCD
screens around. Why wouldn't a pro use them?

You won't find that sort of feature above the consumer-level produts; in
the Nikon line (the one I know) it's not on the D700, D800, or D4 (or
older models at that level).

Actually lots of DLSRs and interchangeable lens cameras, good enough for
a "pro", have a tiltable LCD screen.

those cameras may be good enough in some situations, but pros don't
generally use those cameras outside of a backup, and if they do, they
don't use the tiltable lcd anyway.

Not true.

I've several times seen 'a pro' (several in fact) using a Canon DSLR
with a tiltable screen to enable them to see what they are doing when
setting their cameras up for peculiar shots from a tripod. I've
envied the flexibility that such a screen gave to their work.

several out of millions of pros does not mean it's common. it's the
exception, not the rule.

I was responding to your " they don't use the tiltable lcd anyway".

My point was that they sometimes do. The total denial of your "don't"
is wrong.
--

Regards,

Eric Stevens

On Thu, 17 Jan 2013 23:12:20 -0800 (PST), Bryan
wrote:

Peter Jason asked:
Like laser pinpointing on rifles and pistols.

I need it for shooting from the hip at weddings
and the like when the exposure is set for
pinpoint.

Sort of. The Sony DSC-F707 has a built-in laser pointer that enables
it to auto-focus in the dark. The camera is obsolete in many ways, and
long out of production, but it was a great camera in its day. I hope
to see some of its ground-breaking features again, including the
laser.

The F707's laser isn't for "shooting from the hip". It rapidly draws a
pattern to provide lines with enough sharp contrast for the auto-
focus. I could never even see it from behind the camera, though my
subjects in front could see flashes of red when it kicked in. The
laser is too low power and too fast moving to damage anyone's eyes.

There is a bit of a design flaw: The F707's laser emits from behind
the filter ring. It worked fine through the multicoated UV filter that
I kept on mine for protection, but other filters can render it worse
than useless.

The F707 is great for "shooting from the hip" though not because of
the laser. Its lens-centric design with articulated body lends itself
to a wide variety of viewfinding styles.

Great camera.

Agreed
--

Regards,

Eric Stevens

If you use a red laser pointer, or any other color, won't you get a colored
spot in your image?

Also, it would be very distracting to the audience.

Gordo

"Usenet Account" wrote in message
...

On 15/01/2013 8:48 PM, Peter Jason wrote:
Like laser pinpointing on rifles and pistols.

I need it for shooting from the hip at weddings
and the like when the exposure is set for
pinpoint.

Peter


Perhaps if you learn to use a camera? There have been well known street
photographers that have done documentary work with 35mm film SLR that
"shot from the hip"

--
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Alfred Molon writes:

In article , David Dyer-Bennet says...
Lots of DSLRs or interchangeable lens cameras with tiltable LCD screens
around. Why wouldn't a pro use them?

You won't find that sort of feature above the consumer-level produts; in
the Nikon line (the one I know) it's not on the D700, D800, or D4 (or
older models at that level).

Actually lots of DLSRs and interchangeable lens cameras, good enough for
a "pro", have a tiltable LCD screen.

There's an interesting terminology problem here. We're both right.
Quite a few people use cameras that the market and the manufacturers do
NOT market as "professional" to earn money (which seems like what
"professional" ought to be based on).

I was using the market category term.
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nospam writes:

In article , Eric Stevens
wrote:

Lots of DSLRs or interchangeable lens cameras with tiltable LCD
screens around. Why wouldn't a pro use them?

You won't find that sort of feature above the consumer-level produts; in
the Nikon line (the one I know) it's not on the D700, D800, or D4 (or
older models at that level).

Actually lots of DLSRs and interchangeable lens cameras, good enough for
a "pro", have a tiltable LCD screen.

those cameras may be good enough in some situations, but pros don't
generally use those cameras outside of a backup, and if they do, they
don't use the tiltable lcd anyway.

Not true.

I've several times seen 'a pro' (several in fact) using a Canon DSLR
with a tiltable screen to enable them to see what they are doing when
setting their cameras up for peculiar shots from a tripod. I've
envied the flexibility that such a screen gave to their work.

several out of millions of pros does not mean it's common. it's the
exception, not the rule.

Which is strange (the use part). Because in the film era, swappable
viewfinders, right-angle attachments, and the like, were hallmarks of
the top-of-the-line professional cameras (the Nikon F series for example
had swappable viewfinders, up through the F6 anyway). (The F100 is not
part of the F series by the usual terms; it's more a follow-on to the
N90).

Generally, pros are more likely to take the extra trouble to shoot from
unusual angles when they see a possible benefit there, and this makes
viewfinder flexibility important to them. (Dyer-Bennet's Dictum: the
best position to take a photo from is frequently the one that makes your
knees hurt.)
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Savageduck writes:

On 2013-01-17 09:36:40 -0800, David Dyer-Bennet said:

"Steve B" writes:

"Peter Jason" wrote in message
...
Like laser pinpointing on rifles and pistols.

I need it for shooting from the hip at weddings
and the like when the exposure is set for
pinpoint.

Peter

Bad, bad, bad.
Endangers eyesight.

Class 1 lasers are safe "under all conditions of normal use" including
using optics to concentrate the power.

"Normal use" does not include aiming, at humans.

Yes it does. That's completely and utterly normal for laser pointers
for example.

Some laser pointers are Class 2
or 2m,

Most laser pointers are Class IIa or 2D.

Some are, but that's still safe for use around humans so long as they're
in visible frequencies (which laser pointers always are), because they
won't damage the eyes fast enough that it can happen before you blink,
and you WILL blink.

and are safe if they're visible light (not infrared) because they
won't damage your eye faster than you can blink (and aren't any threat
to anything less sensitive than your retina).

Tell that to the FAA and the reports of "flash blinding" cockpit
intrusion incidents pilots have experienced on final approach.

Dunno what those sources are, do we? The laser safety standards are
very formally laid out, you know.

Few folks are going to intentionally look at even a "weak" laser
source. Unintentional or accidental direct exposure to a laser source
mounted on a camera, where the subject is unaware of the potential
danger is the problem.

Not a problem with properly chosen lasers. (And people look into Lasic
machines deliberately all the time; just to be pedantic :-).)

Lots of fear about lasers around, but what you can easily get are hard
to hurt yourself with.

Stupidity of individuals using laser pointers as toys, and beyond the
recommendations of the manufacturers is the problem, not proper safe
use. Using them within safe guidelines is a far better idea.

And safe guidelines say that up through class II you don't have to worry
about damaging a human (for visible frequencies) in casual use.
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Kennedy McEwen writes:

In message
,
RichA writes

I'm wondering though, if a weak IR laser would produce a visible laser
spot on a subject via viewing through an EVF or LCD? If so, it might
be possible to do what the op wanted without risking any injury or
annoyance with the people he's shooting at?

Just because you can't see an infrared laser doesn't make it safe!

That's why he said "weak", of course.
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nospam writes:

In article , Kennedy McEwen
wrote:

I'm wondering though, if a weak IR laser would produce a visible laser
spot on a subject via viewing through an EVF or LCD? If so, it might
be possible to do what the op wanted without risking any injury or
annoyance with the people he's shooting at?

Just because you can't see an infrared laser doesn't make it safe! Quite
the opposite, an IR laser beam doesn't provoke a blink reaction or
contraction of the eye pupil, as a visible laser would. Consequently
the laser gets focussed on the retina without any natural restriction,
causing much greater retinal damage. You don't get into the so called
"eye safe" region until you are up around 1.5um, well beyond the
response cut-off of silicon so it wouldn't show up on the EVF. Even
then, the "eye-safety" is only achieved by absorption of the beam
through the vitreous humour (the internal fluid in the eye) which isn't
total, so there are still dangerous levels especially at close
distances. For example, infrared laser rangefinders have minimum eye
safe ranges.

yet every day, police point infrared lasers at oncoming cars. although
they may aim at the license plate, plenty of the laser still hits the
eyes of the occupants of the vehicle. it's also 904 nm, well below your
1.5 um limit.

Class 1, right? So safe in that use and about any other.
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In article ,
Whisky-dave says...
Pros tend to go for solid relible products rather than the lastest thing unless of course ut';s very useful.

A tiltable screen *is* very useful.
--

Alfred Molon
------------------------------
Olympus E-series DSLRs and micro 4/3 forum at
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/MyOlympus/
http://myolympus.org/ photo sharing site

On Wed, 16 Jan 2013, Peter Jason wrote:

Like laser pinpointing on rifles and pistols.

I need it for shooting from the hip at weddings
and the like when the exposure is set for
pinpoint.

Probably not.

But magazines like Popular Science used to have projects like how to make
a pistol grip for your camera. Since I can picture those, I can even
picture a sort of rifle grip, the stock against your arm and then a place
to attach the camera.

So you might as well start with that.

Then buy a 1.99 laser pointer, mount it in some fashion. You might want
to run it off external batteries (just AA are bound to last longer than
the internal button cells) and a switch that can stay on rather than
needing to be pressed. Holding the button on a laser pointer for more
than a few seconds can be painful.

Then you get the mix of a 'gun" and a laser.

Of course, I'm not sure the laser is going to help the camera to autocosu.

Michael