Firefly/sub lumens?? Why?

[Lumencrazy]

I don't get it. My Olight S1 and my zebra lights S52 and SC600 II and III have very low firefly modes, which I find completely useless. I can't even grab a pair of socks the right color in the morning with it. I get that it doesn't disturb other people around you, but if you can't see what you're doing, what good is it? I see people hung up a lot on new lights because the firefly isn't a true sub lumen. What do you use yours for?

I am 60 years old and when I wake up in the wilderness and it is pitch black, the lowest sub lumen modes (I use the lowest mode on my Zebralight SC62) are more than enough to find anything in the tent, and head outside when nature calls. Also, preserves your night vision. The only mode I ever use at night. Maybe its time for an eye check up.

 

[Lumencrazy]

Light is a very relative thing. What seems like "pitch black" in the early morning in suburbia actually includes a fair amount of diffuse ambient light. So, yeah, sub-lumen light might seem awful dim.

But in "real" darkness, once your eyes have adapted to it, you'd be surprised how little light you actually need. I live on a well-lit street (ARGH!!!), and sub-lumen lights don't work well for me in the middle of the night; but when I'm out in the wild, under the stars, away from the streetlights, I find I need a LOT less light to see enough to get around.

For reference, 1 lux is roughly equal to the light of a full moon in a clear sky. Doesn't sound like much, I know; but one of my favorite things about camping/hiking is getting out in the night during a full moon; if you let your eyes adapt, it almost seems like daylight. It's kinda spooky, but oh so cool. And hey, that's what our ancestors dealt with for most of the last million years or so.

I agree with you completely. People who really enjoy the wilderness experience tend to stay away from the bright white high-lumen options. Maybe because we are not scared of the dark as much. The night has its beauty.

 

[CelticCross74]

my ZL's have modes so darn low you can only tell their even on by looking into the emitter. Like a low low low mode with a wide beam like my Armyteks have crazy low lumen outputs yet disperse a good sized sub moonlight beam.

 

[the.Mtn.Man]

I don't get it. My Olight S1 and my zebra lights S52 and SC600 II and III have very low firefly modes, which I find completely useless. I can't even grab a pair of socks the right color in the morning with it. I get that it doesn't disturb other people around you, but if you can't see what you're doing, what good is it? I see people hung up a lot on new lights because the firefly isn't a true sub lumen. What do you use yours for?

I find the 0.07 lumen output on my HDS Rotary perfect for navigating the house at night without blinding myself. Actually, with dark adapted eyes, 0.07 lumen is almost too bright.

As for picking out the right color socks, that's probably because your lights are low CRI cool white. My high CRI neutral white Rotary has great color rendering even at below 1 lumen.

 

[easilyled]

I agree with you completely. People who really enjoy the wilderness experience tend to stay away from the bright white high-lumen options. Maybe because we are not scared of the dark as much. The night has its beauty.

Maybe you're not as lumen crazy as your username suggests then!! :nana:

 

[reppans]

....People who really enjoy the wilderness experience tend to stay away from the bright white high-lumen options. Maybe because we are not scared of the dark as much. The night has its beauty.

Well, I love the night time outdoor experience but do admit to being a bit scared of the dark, but that is why I love using sub-/low- lumens. The better my eyes are dark adapted, the less darkness there is.

For me, using bright lights is like listening to loud music with headphones on. The clarity of the music maybe good, but you've completely lost your sense of hearing otherwise.

Side benefit... I probably charge my 1x 14500/16340s once ever 50-75 hrs of runtime, with still ~40% capacity left.

 

[wjv]

All this week I'm in a hotel room in Orange County. I use a sub-lumen setting running all night as a nightlight, so when I need to get up at 3am to run to the bathroom, I can navigate a room that I'm unfamiliar with, without any problems.

 

[Skeeterg]

I don't get it. My Olight S1 and my zebra lights S52 and SC600 II and III have very low firefly modes, which I find completely useless. I can't even grab a pair of socks the right color in the morning with it. I get that it doesn't disturb other people around you, but if you can't see what you're doing, what good is it? I see people hung up a lot on new lights because the firefly isn't a true sub lumen. What do you use yours for?

I agree,I think it's useless to.

 

[Tre_Asay]

To add some more input I would say that it depends on the use and location. Sometimes a flashlight can make an object less visible because it makes the object as bright as the background.
There really is something to be said for higher lumens while in difficult terrain and where the background light is bright (light from the monochromatic yellow streetlights bounce off of the clouds to make sure it is never dimmer than a half moon here).
I was able to navigate in the woods with .25 lumens of floody light simply because there was no background light. As a rule of thumb if I can barely tell that a .25 lumen light is on then I don't really need a flashlight at all.

 

[mcnair55]

I agree,I think it's useless to.

Wow calling the level useless for a flashlight enthusiast is quite something I never expected to hear.I think the strobe mode is poser mode or simply a toy but even I would not call it useless.Buying a light for your collection must be quite difficult as many of the branded makes on the market have the "useless mode"

 

[KeepingItLight]

Wow calling the level useless for a flashlight enthusiast is quite something I never expected to hear. I think the strobe mode is poser mode, or simply a toy, but even I would not call it useless.

This is my take, as well.

That's why I pointed out how well the Moonlight mode is hidden on the Olight S1 and ZebraLight models. The fact that Moonlight mode is there should not be a problem for the folks who never use it.

 

[eh4]

-and you're not going to blind yourself if you accidently click to the hidden firefly.

 

[DMS1970]

I have found it annoying, on a zebralight, I've accidently cycled to firefly instead of off. 2 days later I pick up the light to find it still on...

 

[eh4]

Ok, that is a drag.
Simple solution would be for ZL to make an L2 mode that was the same as L1.
Firefly users would scratch their heads but it would permanently solve your issue with L2.

 

[Gryffin]

I have found it annoying, on a zebralight, I've accidently cycled to firefly instead of off. 2 days later I pick up the light to find it still on...

Quitcherbitchin, and take a moment to celebrate the industry-leading efficiency of that Zebralight driver. This is a "Good Thing"!

 

[eh4]

Hey, It Was Still ON, not dead.
But still, there should be an option for folks that don't like extremely efficient firefly.
We'd all love a completely programmable ZL, even if it took 20 clicks to get to.

 

[Gryffin]

Hey, It Was Still ON, not dead.
But still, there should be an option for folks that don't like extremely efficient firefly.
We'd all love a completely programmable ZL, even if it took 20 clicks to get to.

My point is, with a lot of lights, running them for two days even on "firefly" mode, could've left you with a dead light.

Gotta admit, I'm not a fan of ZL's full UI, with all the sub-modes. Too complicated. I leave my H501W on the stock Low/Medium/High modes, haven't found a need to fuss with the funky stuff. Still one of the best headlamps I've owned.

 

[LimuHead]

For Android there's an app called NightFilter that let's you adjust hue, tint, and dim the screen far lower than the phone will otherwise allow...

Big thanks for this. I'd never heard of NightFilter before you mentioned it here.

I just installed it and really like it!

 

[Marfenix]

My story is the same of some other members here. I never used firefly/moonlight mode because i only had Fenix lights. When i got my first Olight S10 i was awestruck by the amount of light moonlight mode still gives. It is my preferred mode now and will not buy a light that does not have it.

 

[18650]

I think their main intended use is the crazy long runtime you can achieve using the firefly mode. Like if your stranded in the wilderness you can have at least some light without worrying about your battery dying.

Is that really a thing? Who cares if you can get 6 months of battery life in such a situation? You're going to run into far more serious issues than illumination if you're "stranded in the wilderness" for 6 months. Me? I don't venture out into the woods and I have street lighting on the road out front and behind the house (and people next door) so moonlight is 100% useless for me.