Night trekking with HDS clickies. Mainly High CRI. **PHOTO Intensive**

[cm_mtb]

Great comparison! I enjoyed your photography as well.

But now I want a High CRI Clicky even more.

 

[JWRitchie76]

Great pictures and write up! Splattered Durian fruit on James' funky nasty toe nails is probably the grossest thing I've seen in a while. :sick2:

 

[Illum]

Durian is an acquired taste, I've never tried to eat one but had bought a few in the past to try out homemade catapults

high CRI looks almost identical to Neutral white by camer, but real life they are somewhere between neutral white and 5A warm white

 

[ChrisG]

Thanks for sharing the photos pjandyho, they're pretty awesome. :thumbsup:

I can't wait to get a high CRI Ra , although as Belstaff pointed out, I'm tempted to wait until a 170 lumen version is available.

 

[PoliceScannerMan]

High CRI is nice, but I'm diggin that 140GT!!!

Great pics, awesome thread, thanks for sharing!!

 

[MosesM]

Gosh even the owl likes the high CRI. Thanks for the awesome pictures, it showed me the new possibilities of nighttime photography.

 

[JMP]

Those are some very nice pictures. Thank you for sharing. Through your photo's I now understand.

 

[madmook]

Cool pics! There's a word that I never expected to see on a flashlight forum, though. LOL!

 

[nodoubt]

somebody needs to invest in some toenail clippers......

 

[pjandyho]

Thanks to all of you for viewing. I am happy you enjoyed the photos.

I was once stuck in my decision making process between the high CRI and the 140GT and not knowing which one to purchase. Having searched CPF and spending weeks reading through many postings in the HDS (Ra) clicky and twisty thread yielded no results. I could not seem to find any photos of real world application, and all the shots I have seen are mainly white wall beam shots. I ended up purchasing the 140GT and even though I loved it so much, deep in the back of my mind I knew I had wanted the high CRI. So about a month later I placed my order for the high CRI together with James so we could share the shipping costs.

The 170 tactical is another story altogether. A month after my high CRI purchase I was tempted to try out the 170T after some discussion with forum member Kaichu Dento about the merits of flood beam SSC P4 versus the more throwy GDP emitter. Like Kaichu Dento, we both love the floodier beam profiles of the SSC P4 emitters since it covers almost all of our application needs. However, I do also like the more throwy beam projected by the 170T. Not bad for a single cell light with that sort of power.

Looking back to the times when I was in the decision making process in need of more photo resources and not finding much, and since I am a photographer myself, I decided to compile some photos for this thread to help others who happens to be in the same dilemma as I was back then.

I do agree that my photos may be biased towards the high CRI but that is due to the fact that I find the high CRI to produce color palettes more appealing to my camera and my eyes. I have many other lights and some much more powerful than the high CRI but my ultimate favorite is still the high CRI. I am sure that looking at the photos alone speaks volume why I love the high CRI so much.

So to those who are on the fence about the high CRI and to those who could not decide between high CRI and cool white, I hope this thread would help you make a more informed decision.

Warmest regards,

Andy

 

[pjandyho]

As much as I see the utility of the High CRI as a photographer (I do dabble a bit on my own, and not as much at night, though I'm sure I'd dedicate myself to night shooting were I to own the High CRI), seeing the three lights hit the 30m palm grove sold me on the 170T. On the lower settings, moonlight and above, the 170T doesn't need to have such a glaring hotspot, and can be useful in a wide range of situations, but is still able to reach out and touch something where the High CRI cannot.

I can't afford both. I wish I could, and I'm selling off gear every day, but I'm running a pretty bare-bones operation here, and if I can only have one HDS light, I feel that my money is best spent on the utility I would get from the 170T. I love the colour rendition, I love the soft tones and distinguishable browns of the High CRI, but on those opportunities where I would ABSOLUTELY NEED the brightest thing on two wheels, I can't say no to the extra lumens of the 170T. It would still be useful as an EDC light on lower settings, while giving you the ability to light up someone's world should you ever need to.

Thank you for the beautiful shots, though. It just seems that they sold me in the other direction than most that have posted or will post.

Keep up the great work! An excellent review of the best lights on the market, from what I've read.

Brad

Agreed. If you are to only own one then the 170T might make more sense in allowing a very low 0.08 lumen to a high 171 lumen. Very versatile light on it's own. Much as I find the high CRI lovely I still feel that it should be used paired with the 170T or any other more powerful lights. There are times when I find the wider beam profile and lower lumen output of the high CRI a little lacking, but if you don't really need a light to shine out there and touch someone, the high CRI does serve you very well.

 

[Dioni]

Very nice work. As we all like to say sometime: beamshot worth a thousand words. :thumbsup:

 

[pjandyho]

That is a fantastic write up and some great pictures :thumbsup:

It is interesting to see the difference with the 140GT. The high CRI does a very nice job.

BTW - if you like your CRI HDS, you would love a McGizmo Sundrop :twothumbs

Yes, I know about the Sundrop and had wanted to purchase one initially but the low lumen ratings of the Sundrop and the fact that it really is a full flood flashlight had me looking at the HDS high CRI instead. I had intended for this light to be used on my frequent overnight stay in this remote island and the HDS clicky still offers a little bit more throw than the Sundrop from what I have seen in the video footage.

 

[pjandyho]

Ahhh. Durians. You either love them or hate them. And I hate them. The flavor and texture is awesome but I can never get over the smell.

Good thing you guys didn't get hit in the head by one of those things. That's how people literally get killed standing under those trees.

I think these two photos shows the difference really well why a warm light doesn't mean high cri. The high cri pic seems to have more depth and color range than the warm pic, even though the color temp and shade of the pics are almost identical.




And these two pics show that color range really really well. Notice how the green of the leaves are almost identical shades but the reds and browns are shown in their natural color rather than being washed out with blue. That's what high cri does for you right there.

That's what I meant. In my years of being alive, I have not met anyone who possesses a mixed feeling about durians. Either love it, or hate it. And I love it! :nana:

We had tried to be very careful. We avoid standing below the tree and only walk in when we hear a durian drop. When it is very windy we don't move in. But still... accidents do happen.

 

[applevision]

What a spectacular thread!

Thank you and ever thanks...

And just made me order a High CRI...

 

[SuperTrouper]

Fantastic thread and pics Andy!

Thanks so much for lugging the Nikon D3 out on your trek with you and taking these pics!

 

[pjandyho]

What a spectacular thread!

Thank you and ever thanks...

And just made me order a High CRI...

Trust me, you won't regret it.

Fantastic thread and pics Andy!

Thanks so much for lugging the Nikon D3 out on your trek with you and taking these pics!

My biggest pleasure to be of help to this community. :wave:

 

[nanotech17]

wow,i didn't know that there are some durian trees in S'pore,i thought you guys were in Johor side.Nice shots.

 

[wacbzz]

What a spectacular thread!

Thank you and ever thanks...

And just made me order a High CRI...

Like you, I ordered a high CRI clicky after seeing this thread (and selling a couple of lights in the Marketplace). The pictures are really what pushed me over the edge after wondering about UC glass vs Sapphire and primaries vs rechargables.

I wonder how many others finally pulled the trigger because of this thread? Henry should be pleased!

 

[pjandyho]

Like you, I ordered a high CRI clicky after seeing this thread (and selling a couple of lights in the Marketplace). The pictures are really what pushed me over the edge after wondering about UC glass vs Sapphire and primaries vs rechargables.

I wonder how many others finally pulled the trigger because of this thread? Henry should be pleased!

Unfortunately, I don't earn commission from Henry. :ironic:

I am just a happy camper here. Maybe I should be called the HDS Evangelist?