[Laser] (OT) Uses for a 35-60 zoom lens

[Glenn Thomas]

Hi Paolo!

I think the camera optics ought to be usable for an optical receiver. 
Although the entire image is 35mm, a distant light source will appear as 
a small point at at particular place in the image. Putting the detector 
at that place will give you the advantage of the larger aperture of the 
lens and also provide spacial discrimination between the signal and 
light coming from other directions. Light from other sources will appear 
elsewhere in the image and may be best dealt with by a flat black surface.

73 de Glenn wb6w


On 12/27/2010 2:08 AM, Paolo Cravero wrote:
> Sirs,
> I couldn't find any idea through a search engine, so I ask to the
> largest community of "optical builders" I know of. Please reply directly
> since my request is off-topic. Thank you for you patience.
>
> After few days in the hands of my daughter, a point and shoot 35mm
> camera plastic has started to break apart... time to put it aside and
> start opening it up.
>
> The viewfinder lens is good for a macro addition to my cameraphone
> (instead of a much smaller DVD laser head lens!). Then there are
> electronics, motors, flashes, and ... the motorized 35-60 mm (f/4,3 to
> f/6,3) zoom.
>
> Is there any useful re-use of that piece of optics? Not necessarily in
> front of my never-finished light receiver... I know the focus area is
> pretty wide, 35mm in fact :-), way larger than any photosensor, so an
> opto-RX might not find that zoom too useful.
>
> Any idea is welcome, also for reusing other parts I will find inside the
> camera.
>
> I wish you all a Bright 2011,
> Paolo IK1ZYW