Becoming a master user of illumination tools

[SilverFox]

Hello Don,

In my last post I give the impression that I do not find flood lights useful.

Let me set the record straight. I have and use several flood lights and find them very useful.

My favorite lighting condition is sunlight behind clouds.

The purpose of a flood light is to raise the ambient lighting condition of an area. I was doing some work in the crawl space under my house. I grabbed my InReTech Super 6 and lit up the whole crawl space with some ambient light. I then used my more focused light to concentrate on the details of my work.

In photography you try to balance the lighting conditions. You need fill light to reduce contrast, and highlights to accent your main subject. Using a flash with a camera makes you quickly explore indirect and difused lighting options. I took a plastic milk carton and made a difuser for my flash that worked well. I lost throw, but the smooth lighting paid big dividends in the quality of the image. Film has contrast limits, so it is up to the photographer to do the balancing. Sometimes you have to work with the image in the dark room to get it right.

I think flashlight use is similar. If you are trying to get a general view of the whole area, flood type lights are the light to use. If you are trying to sort out a small detail, focused lights work better. Sometimes you are working in an area of some ambient lighting and just need to accent something.

I find that my flashlight use is generally to accent something in the presence of an existing amount ambient light.

Just last night I was out for a walk and as I was coming home I noticed a cat on the hood of my truck. I could tell it was a cat because of the ambient light from the street lights. I was about 150 yards away and was courious as to the color of the cat. I just happend to have my 990 with me. The cat was grey. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Tom

 

[McGizmo]

Tom,

I think your comparison to the lighting challanges faced by a photographer are right on. As you have stated, film doesn't have the range that our eyes have and the balance of light is even more important if you want a photographic image to have information throughout; no deep shadow or overexposed areas. I think a photographer who has mastered lighting, has a good feel for how to use a flashlight but interestingly, the typical photographer likely has little experience in night shots when ambient is very low whereas the typical flashlight user probably has little experience in using flashlights in the daytime where ambient levels are high. Those of us who carry a flashlight at all times have no doubt found many times where a flashlight can be used to bring up a shadowed area to "visible" level based on ambient and the eye's current sensitivity.

I think your comment on adding light to highlight the area of interest or work is well taken. I recall mentioning once in another thread that I think a real photon wrangler would also have a good mirror in their set of tools. At high noon in a cloudless sky, the cheapest and most abundant supply of light is from the sun itself! Capturing the light and redirecting it where you want it is not easy or possible in many cases but the results are quite satisfactory when you can pull it off. I used to have a full sized Chevy PickUp and had meant to put some loc-line on a magnet and stick a rectangular piece of mirrored acrylic on the other end as a lighting aid for working under the hood. Never got a round to it though. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Alan's comment on the use of a bright colored light is also interesting as I suspect its real value is in the increased contrast you can get from a monochromatic light source where different objects within the field of beam reflect more or less light depending on their color and the color of the light source.

 

[McGizmo]

DUPLICATE POST

 

[Kiessling]

Well ... have to admit that I do not care a penny about "just enough light to do the task" and such. I want it bright, and I want it bright every time I use a light /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif. Shining a bright white light around is such a pleasure, I just WANT to do it the silly way and grin like an idiot.
Should it really be TOO bright, I use the "indirect light" method, but that's all.
That might chage should I actually need my lights for very serious tasks, but untill then ... to hell with reason ... let the light shine brightly! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/party.gif
bernhard

 

[SilverFox]

Hello bernhard,

I share your enthusiasm. That's why I have the 990. It is so much fun to use...

Tom

 

[Beretta1526]

I find that a small portable fluorescent light works well under the hood of a car on a sunny day. A mirror works well, but that takes some real wrangling to get it to reflect where you need it. The loc-line/magnet with mirror sounds like a great situation. If you could reflect the light onto a partially reflective surface like something similar to a piece of a movie screen or even a white piece of paper, it could quite possibly give you the same result. I've found the widest area of illumination works the best for that.

 

[imgadgetman]

I carry multiple lights also but when I really need dim levels so as not to wake up wife or kids, I put the ARC AAA so it shines in the back of my mouth and open/close my lips to adjust light levels. To "scare" the kids, I put in the 9P and flair my nostrils. Looks cool to them but all I see is red. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif
imgadgetman

 

[js]

At the time this thread was posted I did not feel qualified to comment. I understood that the intent was not to talk about the tools themselves, and what combinations we liked and used and so on, but to talk about the techniques that we had developed to make the most out of our tools. At the time this was first posted, I was still too new to flashlights to feel I had much to offer about good technique for their use.

And now, much later, I find that SilverFox and McGizmo have pretty much said it all anyway. LOL!

But for what it's worth, I would very much second the notion that various levels of lighting and various incident angles of that lighting, are needed. In some cases we bounce the light of something else, or partially mask the lens. In other cases we use only the spill light or light filtered through a shirt of an actual filter. All of these techniques are useful, even if we carry multiple lights, and/or multi-level lights.

For outdoor walking or hiking, I prefer to flash my light when I need it, and retain as much of my dark adaption as possible. I will flash the light to see far out, or flash it with the hotspot far away just to use the spill light. But most of the time, I simply use my dark adapted vision all by itself. It is the most satisfying way to take a walk at night!

But anyway, just wanted to post to this and knock it to the top. We need more information and discussion of the finer and less gadgety aspects of flashaholism. Good stuff here. I recommend reading this thread from the top, in full.

 

[bwaites]

I had forgotten this thread, and like Jim, I was completely unqualified to report or talk about much at the time it was posted.

But now, a few things occur to me.

I recently had the opportunity, (well I actually created it by getting very angry about something that in the long run was inconsequential and unimportant but that bothered me a lot at the time!) and decided to take a long hike home on my own on a very dark night. I had my A2 with me, with THC3 LED's, as well as a CR2 Larrry Light.

I didn't need anything on the short portion of the walk that was next to city streets, as the streetlights gave me more than enough light to walk.

However, when I moved away from the roads, I found that I could walk just fine with just the A2 LED's, even in fairly rough terrain. (I chose to walk through some unimproved parkland and a small orchard on my way home. Lots of rocks and ruts, and tree branches on the ground and in the air.) A couple of times I used the incan portion of the A2 to select which of 2 trails I wanted to walk down, and once I heard some movement to my right in the brush. I stopped and carefully examined the area, only to find a mature skunk about 25 feet ahead and slightly to my right, crossing in front of me. If I hadn't heard the rustling, I probably would have walked right up on him, (I walked the 5 plus miles in about 65 minutes, so I walk fairly fast) and I definitely couldn't pick him out with just the LED's.

I found, however, that with dark adjusted eyes and the incandescent out a ways in front of me that I could EASILY see 50+ yards and distinguish trees, rocks, trails, etc.

The different uses of the light, and the difference in using the LED for close in and the incan for distance reminded me that using lights as a tool is something that you actually have to practice at to achieve competence.

I like incandescent lighting, but appropriate use of well colored LED's is effective as well.

Bill

 

[carrot]

Thanks for digging this thread up. An interesting read. I find that, for the most part, I really do prefer to carry multi-level lights with me, especially if I expect to encounter darkness where you *do* need to use a light to see, and sometimes there really is such a thing as too bright. Maybe it's just the feeling of being too conspicuous sometimes. Other times it's a question of conservation of battery life. But then having an extra boost of power is always great, because being able to see better and at greater distances makes it easier to identify things, as in the example bwaites gave.

 

[jezzyp]

Put your thumb over the end of your fenix L1P - Instant red filter and super low mode. Just don't leave it there for too long...

 

[Sable]

I'm quite new to this whole thing, but in terms of how I use my lights it's actually been a lot of fun, learning what they can do!

I've been a theatre lighting tech for a long time, and spend long hours on poorly-lit catwalks, poking at connectors, cables, bulbs, shutters, gels, and mounts. I always, always used a Mag-AA for this, and as a result basically just kept it on tight focus, cussing that it wasn't brighter.

Now I have a multi-brightness ML1, and let me tell you the game has changed. The low mode is far more useful than my Mag ever was by itself - and the corona/spillbeam is so wide that all it takes is a slight flick to get a little light on something I want to see. If I need more - and during a show, bright lights on the catwalks is a major no-no - I sometimes shine it through a cup or something as a beamshaper, to make the corona go away.

I use the corona all the time to look down in cracks between desks and walls, too. The corona on the ML1's "high" is just bright enough to read a wallplate jack label (for Ethernet - I'm a network engineer! Yay.) without reflecting so much back off the shiny surface that it's unreadable.

About covering the light with one's hand - I've never done that, I have to admit. I usually bounce the lighto ff of something else (snow, dogs, trees, cars) if I need real diffuse lighting.

Off to work...

 

[Bogus1]

I live in the wilderness and lights are a part of life. I like my lights to come on high first because there's nothing worse than a light turning on low in my opinion when you need it to be bright. Of course if you're in the middle of a bank heist the opposite may be true

I can always cup the light or point it away to use the corona if I am afraid of being blinded.

I would agree with Tom to a degree about using less. In fact it's almost a bummer for me sometimes because I like walking in darkness so much, but feel compelled to always be testing or trying a light so I don't keep it 'quiet' as much as I would otherwise.

Unless there is a bright moon and/or snow on the ground there is very little ambient lighting under a forest canopy in the winter and there are considerable risks to trying to move around in the dark in adverse conditions. Therefore the common use of a forward only lighting setup can create a tunnel vision effect and anything out of the window of lighting is actually darkened by contrast. Of course you can wear a head light and do other things to compensate for this, but in a city or the lighted environments most people live in a single forward throwing light is probably the perfect compliment to the ambient lighting that normally exists.

When you think of lighting, where are the most important areas to view? Is it always straight ahead or wherever your light is shining? I don't think so. We tend to view motion quite well in the periphery. It's not what's in front of you that perhaps should always concern you the most, whether you are on mean streets or in the woods, however with a forward only lighting system you are actually blinding your periphery by the light you are using.

What I do is combine two lights to achieve my purpose. My walk around lighting is the ultimate in flood. As seen in the photo it's a lantern head we made at TnC for the TnC SF-Series lights. Of course guys do this with caps of all sorts on lights that have true candle mode. Candle mode gives you greater than 180 degrees of light and this shouldn't be confused with ceiling bounce which is meaningless outdoors.

With the 'lantern' on I can see the periphery quite well and if you turn quickly or otherwise move you have a steady light source that doesn't require aiming to see close in. Then for spotting, or to increase the light you turn on the second light with the measure of throw that is needed. In this case it's the TnC SF 27mm head using Don's 27L reflector. If you need a lot of flood you can run a LuxV with the lantern and a LuxIII in the head for more throw, or make similar compromises with the crees etc. Also I use lights that have very low levels as well as being very bright so you have the full contingent of uses at hand. In this set up I'm using the 18650 cells because it makes very little sense to me to shorten a light marginally and use R123 cells for 1/4 the actual capacity. I do have three setups I carry. I use two Key-Lux AAs in one, with the same lantern/head for a virtual keychain sized solution. I also have a setup for major lighting with a hotwired mag for throw and an overdriven X bin LuxV for the lantern use. With this I have redundancy, modularity and have discovered other benefits as well. If you want to travel light, just free up one of the lights and you are off. Anyhow for my uses I am pleased with this setup.

 

[woodfluter]

Back onto the subject of technique, as opposed to equipment, I do have this one thought to contribute.

The height at which you hold a light affects visibility of objects and terrain, and the degree to which atmosphere interferes with vision.

When walking or running on or off a trail, I generally hold the light below waist level. That emphasizes obstacles and dips or rises on the path due to shadows and heightened differences in reflectivity. If a specific object of interest needs more illumination, that is usually accomplished best by moving the light to a higher position, sometimes over the head but more often off to one side. Changing light angles gives more cumulative information about shape.

The position of a headlamp, directly above the eyes, is particularly bad when there is much atmospheric moisture or dust. Maximum illumination falls on every particle between your eyes and the thing you are trying to see. If the light is held low, the brightly illuminated particles are now below the sight line and don't interfere with vision. Hence the value of holding the light well off to one side when you need to hold it high.

These are the reasons why I much prefer a flashlight to a headlamp in most instances, unless I really need to have both hands free.

BTW, I agree with those who like lower levels of illumination. Bogus1 finds deep woods at night to have insufficient illumination for walking unaided, but I can often move around fine without any light. As he correctly points out, adverse conditions are a whole other story. As is running. I always find that using the lowest feasible level is best; otherwise my awareness outside the pool of light is effectively zilch.

- Bill

 

[Bogus1]

Good points woodfluter. I guess I never put my finger on why I didn't prefer head lights for walking on rough terrain. The concept with headlights is good since everywhere you look you effortlessly have light. You are right, holding a light lower creates greater visibility for the relief through shadows and the like and there isn't the beam in your way. Headlights are good at looking far forward and not down at your feet IMO.

In terms of forest travel at night, I think it depends on how gentle is your landscape. Where I am in the cascades the punishment for a mistep off a rock ledge or into a hole can be severe. If I'm on a road I know I'm more apt to take risks.

 

[js]

Really good points made about the position of the light in relation to the eyes--holding the light low, at waist heigh or below, vs. holding it just to the right of your head, vs. holding it farther to the side but still at head level, or even over the head. All of these positions have their uses and value, and I find I often use every single one during a night walk, at one point or another. This is one reason it's great to have a true tail-cap switch, as opposed to one mounted on the side near the head of the light. This facilitates the overhand grip combined with flashing the light on and off. And of course, a rear placed, but side mounted switch, is mid-way between the other positions mentioned in terms of usefulness (the TL comes to mind--I like that it's a rear mounted switch, but I prefer the switching action of the SF M6, for example).

Anyway, yes, I totally agree that things like this are actually a skill set that you learn over time. Having a bunch of cool lights is not enough. There are things to actually learn about skillfully USING them. And when to use which one and why.

 

[tvodrd]

Practicality can also include being able to mouth/lip-hold an illumination instrument to free both hands. Obviously not applicable for 50+ yard targets, but useful for illumination while walking and carrying a large box in the dark. Sanitation issues aside, it's a must for me in my home and when camping. Many mobile tasks require two hands! Another variable for the "equation."

Larry

 

[jayflash]

Having a nice collection of lights is somewhat frustrating in that I often prefer the ambient light, alone, when hiking at night. An occasional, momentary, point & shoot is usually enough for that distant object. Under very dark conditions and uncertain footing, a dim, flood, beam is good for me. I don't enjoy blinding myself with excess light.

Living in a high humidity area can limit the usefulness of bright lights due to the backscatter reflecting into your eyes and limiting perception of distant objects. Sometimes my TL-3/1499/Li-Ion is too much - even for distant targets, when humidity is high. It's really irritating that brighter isn't always better. That just seems...wrong.

A ceiling bounce or reflecting a brighter-than-needed beam is good for indoor navigation or maintenance projects. A dim flood is often the best for close repair jobs, so indirect light may be more useful when only a bright light is available.

 

[europium]

Of course much time has passed now, and many new multi-level lights are available.

When I am away from home and need short-distance illumination, I take out my keyring with the CR2-Ion on it. The low setting is perfect for up-close viewing, including reading something in the passenger seat of a car without disturbing the driver. If I have dropped something on the ground or need to see in the trunk of the car, then I just twist the head of the CR2-Ion all the way on so as to get enough light to find it.

CPF review of the CR2-Ion can be found here:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/122386

I also carry a [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Fenix P2D-CE[/FONT]. This is another multi-level light, but with usable throw for illumination of more distant objects. I can leave the head of the P2D all the way on so it will come on in turbo (max output) mode, or I can leave it unscrewed by 1/2 turn so it will come on in low mode first. Very, very useful.

When I go for lengthy walks, I will also carry a Romison RC-T5, which has four (!) Cree XRE P4 LEDs in it. This is held waist-high, to avoid the particulate problem described by member woodfluter above. The spill is plenty to see where my feet will be going, and the spot is bright enough to illuminate at a distance any animals (including potentially problematic human animals). Even under street lights where the spill is not needed for me to walk, it is still useful to help drivers to see me at night (this is especially important for me since every item in my wardrobe is black!).

Indoors I use the Photon Freedom "To the max" (with white LED and covert nose) which is (almost) always around my neck, or the Fenix E01 which is usually in my right front pocket. Both of these lights are dim enough for indoor use (without "backwash" from a too-bright emitter), yet are bright enough to find what I am looking for. Furthermore, I have strategically placed in my living space three Fenix L1P v2 lights with the 10-ohm mod (giving me a whiter, dim light if needed) as well as several L2Ps (with L1P bodies and bottle cap diffusers ) for whiter, brighter flood illumination. I also have a half-dozen Inova X1 v2 lights attached to magnets that are stuck to various metal surfaces around the house, just in case.

When I get up in the middle of the night, I usually don't need a flashlight at all (provided the electricity hasn't gone out), since I have LED nightlights scattered around in sockets that are below the knee.

Consequently, I can't recall the last time I needed to put my fingers over the front of a light, and I almost never have to point a light away from the spot I need to see.

NOTE: I do not use red LEDs at all. I am seldom concerned about being seen by others, and I do not like the illumination they provide. This could be due to my aging eyes being unable to utilize the color red properly, but I am unsure.

 

[Secur1]

Hmmmm so there is a pattern to this....
Seems like this thread gets revived every 2 years So get your post in now cause it will be 2010 next time we see it Like hailey's comet but with a 2 year cycle.

Anyway i do have and mostly use a very low setting on my Draco and again only when needed. When comming home at night i go up 3 flights of stairs with no lights and use my Nite tritium vial which sits on the same split ring as my keys to find the keyhole.
Living in the city and with a new job that doesn't require long distance or powerfull illumination, i rarely move my Boxer from my display case...
The D-mini with the D-65 extender sits on my night stand as a light for things that go bump in the night/back yard has no light....
I keep a glo toob lithium in the car for emergencies and i always have the Fenix P2D with me for that "just in case" situation.
For home repairs and computer tinkering i have found the zebralight to be an excellent choise.
The rest of my small collection is used by other members of my family, mainly my mother has shown a big interest in my modded 3C Mag and the rexlight
As for emergency/electricity going out situations, i recently got 2 Sylvania lanterns which i think will serve me just right.