Welcome Back the Darkness BBQ San Jose/Bay Area 9/25

[FroggyTaco]

So did I miss where Max Power posted all the thrower beamshots? Or is it still in process?

 

[bigchelis]

So did I miss where Max Power posted all the thrower beamshots? Or is it still in process?

Not yet!!!

Im thinking the pictures may have not came out the way we thought. I think the autofocus was comming on.

bigC

 

[Max_Power]

Yeah the focus was bad, I need to figure out why. Still usable for brightness and tint comparison though.

I'm going to try to upload tonight (late) after an all-hands meeting at work this evening...

 

[Max_Power]

Beamshots!

These look best on a dark background, which is available on Flickr by starting slideshow mode (click on a photo there to start.)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31055544@N05/sets/72157625006919635/with/5067478694/

Sorry about the blur, I don't have a solid explanation for it. Maybe I was causing some shaking by not using the external shutter release or self-timer. Might have been the VR system adding blur too. I'll try shutting it off next time.

Equipment: Nikon D300, 70-200mm F/2.8 zoom at 200mm and F/2.8, 1/2 second. Had to crank the tripod up to 7 feet to minimize the foreground palm fronds.

I tried to put the best throwers toward the end of the list, but it is up to you to decide which beam is brighter or better.

Distance to target is approximately 111 meters, thanks to Google and online lat/long distance calculation.


Control (unlit) shot - tree is black compared to the faint sky glow.

2d blaster PCC made - the stuff at the bottom corners is 15 feet away.

DBS XPG R5

Malkoff XP-G 5D Mag - not much spill on this one, and nice color

Peter TLS bezel w/ XP-G R5 1.5A - smooth

2D XRE deep rebel reflector 2Amps from 3 NiMH. EZ900 bin

Varapower aspherical 3D Gordons

Catapult V2 SST50

Solarforce Masterpiece

Derelight aspherical

WA 1274 w/KD V3 Reflector. FiveMega host

ROP 3854L

Varapower 3D domefree 4500k

3D PCC Made SST-90

SR-90

24 Watt HID

Ryobi Home Depot light. 35 Watt HID

Stanley HID - very green! Might not have been fully warmed up.

Jupiter and 4 Galilean moons
Notice the colors of the moons!
200 mm telephoto, tripod, Nikon D300 with VR off,
using self-timer to avoid shaking. Heavily cropped.

--Max_Power

 

[PCC]

Thanks for the pictures!

 

[FroggyTaco]

So awesome man..that is just great.

That Stanley HID was warmed up for a full 45 seconds before the picture was taken.

Also if it matters to you my Varapower 2K 3d is a SST-90 even though it ought to be fairly obvious it's not a SST-50.

 

[LowBat]

:kewlpics:

Might make someone think Weedle and SheDevil live on Gilligan's Island. It's almost as if the professor is testing out his latest rescue invention by projecting a series of SOS's using sea shells with coconut filaments atop bamboo tiki torches.

 

[kramer5150]

Great pics!! Not easy to photo that.

Yes the stanley is a very blue-teal color. Why they chose a color temperature THAT cold is beyond me, they could gain some Lumens too with a warmer tint.

 

[socal8080]

sweet photo's!!! Looks like that tree got beat up right good.

 

[csshih]

sooner or later, we'll see the tree turn yellow :devil:

I jest of course!

 

[Max_Power]

I have been going through my collection and realized that I'd like to sell some stuff that I am no longer using (got more lights than I know what to do with!) I don't want to link my bank account to paypal (too many horror stories about that online) so I think I'll just carry the items with me to the next gathering.

Spares that are sitting in a drawer:

Malkoff M60F
Malkoff M60 (hand-labelled by Gene with a scribe)
Surefire 6P LED emitter module

And I am thinking about selling off an M61 (cool white) so I can buy an M61W to replace it. I hear that the newer M61W modules are actually warm instead of just neutral. It would be wonderful if they have some tinge of red like the M60W series.

So when is the next gathering gonna be? I see there are some good ideas for night hikes here: http://www.frogmom.com/2010/07/night-hikes-whats-so-cool-about-being.html

--Max Power

 

[elumen8]

I have been going through my collection and realized that I'd like to sell some stuff that I am no longer using (got more lights than I know what to do with!)

--Max Power

Too bad you didn't have a spare M31 you wanted to get rid of...I'd run right over and pick it up. I might consider your M61 depending on the price. I managed to buy/trade a few pieces at this last BBQ.

-Jamie

 

[Max_Power]

I've been very tempted to get an M31 and use it in a MD3 with a pair of eneloops. But I am too likely to accidentally toast it with CR123 or Li-ion cells by accident. The best way to prevent poofing it is to get a dedicated 2xAA host.

But then you lose the hi/low capability of the MD3 with hi/low ring.... sigh...

 

[Max_Power]

Next BBQ is Oct 1, 2011