Re: New pictures

To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject: Re: New pictures
From: Richard Hull <hullr-at-whitlock-dot-com>
Date: Wed, 25 Sep 1996 09:59:29 -0700
Tesla List wrote:
> 
> >From bert.hickman-at-aquila-dot-comTue Sep 24 22:38:14 1996
> Date: Tue, 24 Sep 1996 19:11:51 -0700
> From: Bert Hickman <bert.hickman-at-aquila-dot-com>
> To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject: Re: New pictures
> 
> Chuck,
> 
> Good luck on taking pictures of your beast while its in operation.
> You'll have to share them with all of us too! I used my [dear, patient,
> understanding, tolerant...] wife's little electronic Nikon, Zoom and
> I've had some friends use camcorders with no problems at all (knock on
> wood..).
> 
> Boy, the sparks sure look fatter and more awesome on video!
> 
> -- Bert --
> 
> <SNIP>
> >
> > Hello Bert:
> >
> >         Thanks for taking the time to post the shots of your coiling efforts.
> > I enjoyed looking at the results of what must have been alot of work.
> > Your comment on you photographic equipment caught my attention.  I
> > bought a manual shutter release in order to take some shots with a 20
> > year old non-electronic Konica but the "Bulb" setting postion doesn't
> > work. H'mmm, guess I could try the new Minolta and see if it blows up
> > after one or two shots!!  Again, thanks for the phot's!
> >
> > Chuck Curran


Bert,

As a video engineer, I can appreciate the (fattening) up of the arc 
channels on video.  The CCDs in the camcorders actually record and pick 
up deep into the IR and this is converted to visible light in playback!  
You are actually seeing a braoder range of wavelengths electronically 
down converted which represent a truer image of the arc channel.

Some cameras have a more or lesser attenuation filter over the CCD to 
limit this IR pick up.  Try this,  Get a lit cigareete cigar, whatever 
and go to a darkened room with the camcorder focus closeup on the cig and 
with the room lights out you should see the glow from the cigarette as a 
more or less intense white light (depending on how well they filtered the 
 camera CCD to avoid IR "blooming".)  Actually, blooming is an old term 
which referred more to the old vidicon pickup tubes, but it is somewhat 
analagous.

Richard Hull, TCBOR