Your Map to Laser Beam Profiling Accessories:Which Cameras Do They Work With?

Few lasers can be profiled directly with a camera.  Attenuation is almost always a must.  Sometimes you might need additional optics as well.

I discussed how to determine what accessories you need and how to use them in a couple of other posts:

• ND filters
• Expanding optics
• Reducing optics

But there’s another consideration I haven’t yet touched on.  Once you decide how much attenuation you need, you also need to make sure the accessory will work with your camera.  This is often just a simple question of whether the threads match up, but sometimes (when optics are involved) it gets complicated.

I’m going to help you navigate the maze of beam profiling accessories.

To determine if a camera works with an accessory, you have to check wavelength, mounting type, and CCD recess (for optics where the distance between the accessory and detector is crucial).  And if you think this looks a little confusing, it’s because it is.  I’m trying to make it less so, but I still highly recommend you discuss your particular application with one of our sales engineers.  They’re the experts.

Here’s a table of all Ophir-Spiricon’s cameras, along with their wavelengths and mounting type.  If you just want to cut to the chase and see what works with your camera you can skip this and find the appropriate table below.

Wavelength, mounting, and CCD recess:

Let’s get right to it.  There’s a table for each category of accessory: ND filters, beam splitters, beam expanders, and beam reducers.  So if you need a beam splitter and you have a Gevicam, just find the “beam splitter” table and the Gevicam row will show an ‘X’ for each compatible splitter.

ND Filters:

Beam Splitters:

Note: The LBS systems are actually combinations of beam splitter with filter attenuation included.

1. Needs special adapter mount

Beam Expanders:

Beam Reducers & UV adapters: