Hey guys I am finally interested in possibly doing a beam shot comparison between my Surefire Arc Lights as well as my Superpower Lemax. I have a 500 acres cabbage field behind my property that is over a mile in depth and sure seems like with some pointers from the beam shot guru's i might be able to pull this off. Any suggestions..?
Beam Shot Pointers
- Thread starter bulbmogul
- Start date
Help Support Candle Power Flashlight Forum
StarHalo
Flashaholic
A camera with manual settings on a tripod; set ~2 second timer drive mode, focal length to ~50mm [for initial/first-person view of the beam,] set ISO as low as it'll go, f-stop to something intermediate, and take a shot with the shutter speed at 5 seconds, then review on the camera - if it looks darker than what you see, go longer on shutter speed, too bright go shorter. When you get a shot that looks just like what you're seeing, leave the settings there, then shoot the comparison of all the lights.
When/if shooting your target downfield, zoom in to compose the scene you want and then go through the process of setting the shutter speed to match what you see once again, then shoot all lights once again.
If you also want the tint of the beams to be represented/compared, be sure to lock the white balance to what looks correct during that shutter speed setting phase; this setting isn't crucial so just go with what looks roughly correct, as the differences between lights will show better than individual tint.
When/if shooting your target downfield, zoom in to compose the scene you want and then go through the process of setting the shutter speed to match what you see once again, then shoot all lights once again.
If you also want the tint of the beams to be represented/compared, be sure to lock the white balance to what looks correct during that shutter speed setting phase; this setting isn't crucial so just go with what looks roughly correct, as the differences between lights will show better than individual tint.
tab665
Flashlight Enthusiast
Ive never done beamshots. im posting here because i would like to commend you on stepping up to the plate and wanting to give it a stab!! have a free bump sir! im sure someone with beam shot experience will chime in.
edit: oops, must have been typing when starhalo posted.
edit: oops, must have been typing when starhalo posted.
Great pointers! One little thing I would like to add though is that my cameras all have a had time focusing on auto in the dark. So I have to switch to manual focus. Switch on one of your lights so that you can see your target and then manually focus the camera on the target.
StarHalo
Flashaholic
Yeah, if you're doing the first-person beam view, compose so that the head of the flashlight is partially in view, then just focus on the lip of the head where contrast is starkest between the flashlight and the beam; this will also show dust/bugs moving through the beam near-field nicely. For the target/distance shot, light it with your brightest flashlight, autofocus easily with the abundant light, then lock to manual focus so you only have to focus the one time.
Echo63
Flashlight Enthusiast
As a full time professional photographer, i cant add much to StarHalo's posts - it covers beamshots in a very straightforward manner.
only thing i can add - use a good tripod for the camera, and a good support for the light (dont handhold it) - any movement will reault in blurring.
only thing i can add - use a good tripod for the camera, and a good support for the light (dont handhold it) - any movement will reault in blurring.
One other little thing I have found to be helpful is a remote, or a timer on the camera set to take the photo a few seconds after the shutter is pressed. Sometimes with long exposure shots, the slight movement from pressing the shutter button is enough to ruin the image. A timer delay or remote will eliminate this issue.
Echo63
Flashlight Enthusiast
the mirror and shutter in an SLR can cause movement too (especially on a flimsy tripod)
FRITZHID
Flashlight Enthusiast
Many modern dslr cams have a mirror lock setting to prevent this. I haven't needed it for the beam shots but use it often for stellar photography.
Echo63
Flashlight Enthusiast
Live view and 2sec self timer works for my 1DX - and theres nothing else to remember to bring, and i dont have to dig into a menu to turn mirror lock up on and off
i use it frequently when working at night
I'm no help b-mogul but it's sure good to hear from you. It sounds like you have an ideal place for some potentially awesome beams shots too!
I'm disappointed to say that I've yet to pull the trigger on the LX70 Superpower though. Petr sent me another email recently but I just can't find the cash... and me buying lights every other day isn't helping either.
I think it'll happen eventually, and when it does I'll give you a call so you can tell me how to turn it on!Good luck with the beam shots!!
Any attempts?!
