First off, I would like to thank Don for letting me take a look at his High CRI Mule. I received the 1AA based Mule last week and have been using it as my primary light.
My lights
As Don noted, most of the lights I have on hand are geared for longer range outdoor use so I needed to make a conscious effort to make sure anything I was seeing as not based on a difference in the amount of light on an object/scene.
Color temp of lights I already have goes from the slightly yellow end of the spectrum to cool blue.
Most of the following issues I have with the LED based lights I own come from the bluish tinted beams. The slightly yellow beams see some of the same issues but to a lesser extent.
With current lights, all browns become harder to differentiate the darker the brown gets. Stained wood grain becomes muddled, and objects at a distance (branches in a tree or a toad lying amongst rocks) will become featureless. Yes, I have picked out brown socks out of the drawer thinking that they looked black at the time.
Greens up close (grass, leaves, moss, etc.) will shift over to a more blue hue. When overall lux drops due to distance or fog/vog/sea spray, the greens will tend to smear, lose texture, and get lost into any darker surrounding colors.
Any neon, orange, purple, and certain blue colors will pop more than usual, almost as if they reflect a good deal more light than their surroundings.
The High CRI experience
The easiest way for me to describe the high CRI Nichia beam was that no color stood out, and that was simply AWESOME. I'm so used to flipping on a light, and some color will immediately jump out or get washed out. With the Nichia, nothing looked unnatural. Everything was as it should be. From a color rendition standpoint, it is the best I have seen out of ANY portable light source.
The only thing I wrote in my notes that can be deemed a minor negative is while looking at something 'weathered' such as a faded shirt or an old board that has been sitting outside. I lose a smidge of the weathered effect, and colors actually look better (i.e. less faded) than they would under the sun.
With regards to my color nemesis with LEDs, the Nichia produces the most natural looking browns I have seen. No unnatural darkening or color shifts. Wood grain looks sharp with good contrast, and most importantly, I can easily tell the difference between my socks. Even the different shades of brown ones.
I apologize for not including more quantitative data, but for me, the light simply works.
Everyone has their own priorities for portable lighting, and until last week I thought I had most of my bases covered. I knew the limitations of the lights I normally carried and I was okay with them. The high CRI option in Don's light has opened my eyes to what an LED can do and has prompted me to start revisiting my lighting priorities. With the Nichia, I can see and identify what I need to without being distracted at some level with what the beam is showing me. One of the first times that has happened to me in a LONG while, and has re-ignited my waning interest in lights.
Brian
