LED and Incan BEAMSHOTS !!

Kiessling

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Shootout time again.

This one is similar to an older thread I did a while ago:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/96686

(The two shootouts aren't directly comparable as they do not have a controlled environment and the setting is slightly different. You can use the lights that appear in both to judge the lights that don't)


The difference is that the lights are now brighter and there are considerably more incans present. Just like the last time, the set-up is a dirty one:



OS2bScene.jpg




I am choosing dirty and unfavourable scenes to simulate real life as closely as possible and in order to challenge the lights to the max.


The lights are held at about 1.20m above ground by my Living Light Holding Apparatus (wife) again and shot at the target from the left side of the camera in order to be able to see some of the tighter corona cut-offs on the ground before the camera.

The target itself is the orange thingie hidden behind some branches in the background. Right below it in the line of sight is a dirty concrete wall that was the target for the last shootout and is in fact about 5 meters nearer than the orange target itself. This time the lights are stronger and the weaklings had to stay at home, so the target is more difficult … and allows thus for a better judgement of the size of the hotspot and the depth of field in conjunction with the concrete wall.

All the trees and things in the area allow you to judge the width and power of the corona.

Just like the last time there is some light pollution present, some more evident from the pics, some less.


Camera settings are fixed with white-balance set to daylight. Lights were on fresh batteries or using freshly charged Li-Ion power sources. All pics have been made brighter by 6 steps in my software to make them easier to view. This does not change the relative data and a comparison is still valid.


I'll shut up now and let the pics speak for themselves. Any questions about specific lights are welcome of course.





SF A2 on 2xCR123

OS2A2.jpg






Aleph1 TW0K SDC1000 by ARCmania on 2xCR123

OS2Aleph1TW0K1000.jpg






Aleph3 NG750 TY0J on Li-Ion

OS2Aleph3TY0J750.jpg






ARCmania TowerModule WX1S at 700mA

OS2ARCmaniaTMWX1S700.jpg


(Please note that this is a conservative version of Mike's TM)





SF E2D on 2xCR123

OS2E2D.jpg






HD45 UX1S Wiz2x2 917mA; Joker-LED; 2xCR123

OS2HD45-3JUX1S.jpg






HD45 WX1S NBBx2 at 700mA; 2xCR123

OS2HD45-5WX1S.jpg






SF KL3 gen2 on C2 Centurion; 2xCR123

OS2KL3gen2.jpg






SF L4 on 2xCR123

OS2L4.jpg






SF L5 on Li-Ion

OS2L5.jpg






SF L6-P on 3xCR123

OS2L6P.jpg






LedLenser Tactical Light; Luxeon LED on 3xC-Cell

OS2LedLenserTacticalLight.jpg






McLux-PR X3T BB750 on 2xCR123

OS2McLux-PRX3T.jpg






SF P60 in M2 on 2xCR123

OS2P60inM2.jpg






SF N1 in KT2 on C2 Centurion 2xCR123

OS2N1inKT2.jpg






SF N2 in KT2 on C3 Centurion 3xCR123

OS2N2inKT2.jpg






SF MN16 in KT2 on C3 Centurion 3xCR123

OS2MN16inKT2.jpg






SF P90 in M2 on C3 Centurion 3xCR123

OS2P90inM2.jpg






SF P91 in M2 on C3 Centurion 3xCR123

OS2P91inM2.jpg






PILA 3,7V Lamp on Li-Ion

OS2PILA37.jpg






SF U2 highest level on 2xCR123

OS2U2perfect.jpg


(Please note that this U2 is my new "perfect" U2 and kicks butt much better than the one in the old shootout :devil: )





SF M6 LOLA on 6xCR123

OS2M6LOLA.jpg






SF M6 HOLA on 6xCR123

OS2M6HOLA.jpg






IMHO the difference in beam characteristics of the various lights is rather obvious and quite pronounced. Lots of choices for sure.


There are two other observations I just have to make, even if they are painful for me as a LED-guy:

1) incans are just simply brighter, and the M6 HOLA is the King :D

2) LED color rendition still sucks, even for the "pure white" ones


BUT … we can also see that LEDs obviously can throw quite well, especially when their smaller overall luminous flux is considered.


AND … I dare to say … incan is more or less dead in the 2xCR123 application. Performance-wise I mean. Personal preference and color aside.


Thanx for looking! :wave:


Bernie



[font=&quot]P.S.: one last thing … my U2 really rocks! :D :D

P.P.S: I am sorry that those pics are a bit less optimal in quality than those of the last shootout :shrug: ... if I knew why I could do better in the future.


Edit for clarification of color rendition:
[/font] ... the fixed white balance of "daylight" in this shootout actually makes things a bit worse than they are in reality ... some sort of overemphasize ... the LEDs aren't that bad and cold (you can actually see a red car in real life), and incans aren't that warm either. The difference between the two is exaggerated with my camera.
 
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dragoman

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looks great, thanks for taking the time to do that. At least for me, this type of shootout is much better at telling me the "real world" difference between an M6 and a 6P......

The A2 holds up okay for what it is, can't wait to get mine.....guess a G2 ain't too far away either...

dragoman
 

Mini-Moder

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Wow, I think I may need to start saving for an M6.... Great job Kiessling, thanks much for doing this for everyone.
 

Stumpy

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Excellent job and great pics for comparing the various lights.The M6 looks like the sun has risen.
 

jtice

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Great post ! Your shots are always good, thanks.

I think I want an A3, and a 5W TH Module.... damn you :p

~John
 

cosine

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Those are great pics! Now, for us newbies, could you line up all of the flashlights you used in the beamshot pics and take a picture of them so that we could see the relative size of each light? Please? Pretty please?
 

supes

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Excellent pics! I really liked the way you had a diagram of the environment you chose. Yeah, I need a SF M6 like everyone else but what I'm very suprised by is your SF U2. How did you get one like that? That sucker is BRIGHT and beat the SF L6. Do all SF U2's have that good balance of flood and throw? If so, I think I need a U2 myself. Know where I can get one just like yours? :D Thanks for doing the beamshots.
 

InfidelCastro

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Makes me wish there was an M6 type light out there that took 3 "D" size lithium batteries instead of 6 low capacity (for the application) CR123A's. All six CR123A's have to be perfect or the light will choke. Even if they're perfect the HOLA will only go for 20 minutes. Anybody ever run an M6 for more than 10 minutes? From what I understand it seems like they always go into thermal shutdown.
 

jmy808

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Good post Kiessling,
these shots will help me greatly in my purchase evals.
Thank you,
Jay
 

270winchester

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looks good...thanks Bernie!!!

The way I look at is that the LEDs are looking like somewhat comparable to the power of the incans with similar amount of power consumed... I'll always have my incans but the warmer tinted LEDs are looking better by the day.
 

InfidelCastro

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GhostReaction said:
This thread made the incan still look good and worth buying. HOLA:rock:


Current 'high powered' LED's like Lux5's are a joke IMO compared to incans or HID's for serious use. LED's are getting better all the time though. But I think they have a looooong way to go yet.
 

Delvance

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Great shots Kiessling! Wow, there sure are some nice LED throwers out there, but i think the incan shots show why i have moved into incans/hotwires for the moment. Thanks for sharing!
 

Robban

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InfidelCastro said:
Makes me wish there was an M6 type light out there that took 3 "D" size lithium batteries instead of 6 low capacity (for the application) CR123A's. All six CR123A's have to be perfect or the light will choke. Even if they're perfect the HOLA will only go for 20 minutes. Anybody ever run an M6 for more than 10 minutes? From what I understand it seems like they always go into thermal shutdown.
Sounds like you're ready to get into Mag mods ;)
 

JanCPF

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Excellent work Bernie - thanks for taking it on, and please give our regards to your Living Light Holding Apparatus as well :grin2:. That A3 rocks in the throw department, and as it happens I got one of them myself running at 1000 mA :devil:

Jan
 

Kiessling

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Thanx guys :eek:

cosine ... sorry, I can't ... because I do not own all thos elights seperately, I had to switch heads, lamps and battery packs to be able to shoot this one. :D
Which lights are you interested in? If you could narrow it down to only a few lights maybe I can come up with a comparison shot ... it will be my pleasure! :)

supes ... I got that killer-U2 with cold hard cash via a WTB-thread a few weeks ago. The beam shape is typical for a U2, but it is a very very bright and white one with virtually no donut.
Grubbster is selling one that sounds very nice with a money-back guarantee (!!) here:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/114978

270winchester ... I think the LEDs in the 2x123 applications have better performance characteristics than the incans, but the color rendition is less optimal. But we'll get there soon I hope ... and incan will be a thing of the past :D :devil:
However ... if you want some real punch ... well ... forget LED. For now.

a99raptors ... yepp, the A2 is one hell of a light, I agree. I was very reluctant about this one for a long time, but it is a champ in form, function and beauty. And a regulated incan is great!

bernie
 
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