Polarion PH-50 Main Thread

Patriot · Apr 26, 2008

Upon Cue003's suggestion, I agreed that it would be nice to have a place for the PH-50 Group Buy members, and anyone else who wants, to post their reviews, pictures, beamshots, info, comparisons, etc.

Additionally, anything Polarion is welcome here! Pictures are worth a 1000 words so be liberal with them if possible.

I'm currently sitting here tapping my fingers while waiting for the FedEx truck to arrive. In the meantime I'll post a couple of PH-40 pics......

PH50 Gif image compilation moved from post #275

PH40 vs. PH50 504 yards to the tower

PH40 vs. PH50 504 yards (zoomed)

PH40 vs. PH50 178 yards to tree

331 yards to the steeple, over 600 yards to mountian on either side of steeple.

331 yards to the steeple (wide)

PH50 vs. Xe50 137 yards (courtesy of Cowley)

PH50 vs. Xe50 350 yards (courtesy of Cowley)

368 yards wide

368 yards telephoto, 668 yards to mountain behind steeple

414 yards to tree

Litbobber · Apr 26, 2008

Very nice pics!

Patriot · Apr 26, 2008

The PH-50 is here!!

Ok, I'll just start with some pictures:

My favorite vehicle to have in front of my house:

What's this....a present from Ken and David?

Don't cut your finger off during the excitement Patriot!

Nice case and in perfect condtion

Immediately upon opening with Polarion manual and sling on top

Uncovered

Contents with manual

Hmm, small scratch.

PH-50 in foreground with it's PH-40 brother behind

PH-50 on left with PH-40 right

Yes, I've turned it on. Impressive and noticeably brighter than the PH-40. I betting on the fact that the difference will be even more striking when I get them outside tonight.

More to come........promiss!

adamlau · Apr 26, 2008

Quick & Dirty Polarion PH50 Shots

Quick & Dirty Polarion PH50 Shots

Introducing the Polarion Helios PH50

Against exterior wall (12 PM noon daylight) @ 12'

Hotspot from 20' looking down (4:30 PM afternoon daylight)

Indoor beam profile from 15' (4:30 PM afternoon daylight)

Test shot @ 120 yards, 1/4 second white balanced to Tungsten

Test shot @ 120 yards, 1/4 second white balanced to Day Light...

Brightness Levels Increased 25%

Test shot @ 120 yards, 1/4 second white balanced to Tungsten + 25%

Test shot @ 120 yards, 1/4 second white balanced to Day Light + 25%

Preparing for a beamshot session against SureFire HOLAs

Gate to be opened during the session

Distances verified via surveyed and recorded benchmark takeoffs

Patriot · Apr 26, 2008

Nice Adam...very nice beamshots too! I hope to get some tonight.

Here are a few differences between the batteries and tailcaps.

PH50 battery (back)

PH40 battery (back)

PH50 battery (front)

PH40 battery (front)

PH50 left PH40 right, Tailcaps (outside)

PH50 left PH40 right, Tailcaps (inside)

PH50 tailcap inside, backlit looking through smoked LED window

PH40 tailcap inside, backlit looking through smoked LED window

adamlau · Apr 26, 2008

The PH50 PS-B8-P battery is rated at 14.4V, 4400 mAh (4S2P 18650). The accompanying FranMar AC/DC charger is rated at 19VDC @ 1.57A and charges the PS-B8-P at 0.35C (1.57A / 4.4A = 0.35). We can likely double the charging current to 3.14A and charge at 0.71C through a hobby charger and charging jack to effectively reduce charge times in half (battery protection circuit allowing)

.

Additional Observations...

1. Incorporating the grooved body of the PF50 into the PH50 would provide for superior grip and handling of the light.
2. The rotary switch can be easily rotated on and off by the thumb if handled with an overhand grip on either the body, or the handle.
3. Recommended to place the charger on an inert, heat dissapating surface such as a concrete curb, or granite countertop while charging*.
4. The HA of the PH50 is not quite as matte as the HA finish found on the aluminum components of the Benelli M4.
5. The tailcap could do without the inscriptions, which serve little purpose other than advertising.

* Recorded 110ºF while charging on 3.5-inch concrete slab in 78ºF outside temperatures.

Patriot · Apr 26, 2008

adamlau said:
adamlau said:

The PH50 PS-B8-P battery is rated at 14.4V, 4400 mAh (4S2P 18650). The accompanying FranMar AC/DC charger is rated at 19VDC @ 1.57A and charges the PS-B8-P at 0.35C (1.57A / 4.4A = 0.35). We can likely double the charging current to 3.14A and charge at 0.71C through a hobby charger and charging jack to effectively reduce charge times in half (battery protection circuit allowing) .

Click to expand...

So you could get the charge time down close to two hours then right?

I wonder why polarion uses that charger. I guess it just a little easier yet on the batteries.

kenster · Apr 26, 2008

adamlau said:
The PH50 PS-B8-P battery is rated at 14.4V, 4400 mAh (4S2P 18650). The accompanying FranMar AC/DC charger is rated at 19VDC @ 1.57A and charges the PS-B8-P at 0.35C (1.57A / 4.4A = 0.35). We can likely double the charging current to 3.14A and charge at 0.71C through a hobby charger and charging jack to effectively reduce charge times in half (battery protection circuit allowing) .

Additional Observations...

3. Recommended to place the charger on an inert, heat dissapating surface such as a concrete curb, or granite countertop while charging.

oo: Thanks for the posts with all the wonderful pictures! :twothumbs BUT YOU GUYS OWE ME A NEW KEYBOARD. :drool:

:laughing: Yup, I`m JEALOUS!!!!

I didn`t even pay attention to how long the battery takes to charge. :duh2: Since it appears it takes over 4 hours it would really nice if that time could be cut in half. Isn`t the protection circuit built into the battery pack? Would it blow or just cutout and reset? Hmmm :thinking: ..... Please try it on your battery pack and let me know. :grin2:

Oh, and how hot does the charger get?

Patriot36,

I have 10 x 42 Swarovski and I walked out the store with an empty wallet :ohgeez:

but they are FANTASTIC! :thumbsup:

cue003 · Apr 26, 2008

Wow, Patriot36 thanks for the shout out. LOL.

Excellent work so far. Absolutely awesome. I think the difference in the tailcaps is probably due to the PH40 was supposed to have a charging cradle that you could rest the entire light into and charge from that perspective so you can always top off like in a vehicle or whatever. I don't believe it ever came to fruition. Looks like they did away with that option in the PH50....

Excellent shots on everything. Questions....

1) Does the PH50 say PH50 on it?
2) It the time to total brightness the same or slower than the PH40?
3) is "Instant On" brighter immediately on the PH50 vs. PH40?
4) is there any additional weight to the PH50 over the PH40?
5) Have you tried the PH40 battery and tailcap or even PH40 battery and PH50 tailcap combo?
6) Is the balance in the hand the same for both lights?

Also Patriot, when you do the comparo shots of 40 to 50, could you put them in one of those animated GIFs or whatever so we can easily see the difference without the up/down scolling of our screen.

I know... I know... I am a demanding SOB... LOL.

Thanks guys.

I am really jealous so far but no worries. I know mine is coming.....

Curtis

adamlau · Apr 26, 2008

cue003 said:
1) Does the PH50 say PH50 on it?

Yes it does.

Patriot · Apr 27, 2008

cue003 said:
Wow, Patriot36 thanks for the shout out. LOL.

Excellent work so far. Absolutely awesome. I think the difference in the tailcaps is probably due to the PH40 was supposed to have a charging cradle that you could rest the entire light into and charge from that perspective so you can always top off like in a vehicle or whatever. I don't believe it ever came to fruition. Looks like they did away with that option in the PH50....

Excellent shots on everything. Questions....

1) Does the PH50 say PH50 on it?
2) It the time to total brightness the same or slower than the PH40?
3) is "Instant On" brighter immediately on the PH50 vs. PH40?
4) is there any additional weight to the PH50 over the PH40?
5) Have you tried the PH40 battery and tailcap or even PH40 battery and PH50 tailcap combo?
6) Is the balance in the hand the same for both lights?

Also Patriot, when you do the comparo shots of 40 to 50, could you put them in one of those animated GIFs or whatever so we can easily see the difference without the up/down scolling of our screen.

I know... I know... I am a demanding SOB... LOL.

Thanks guys.

I am really jealous so far but no worries. I know mine is coming.....

Curtis

You're welcome and once again, it was a great idea.

1) Adam took care of this, but here ya go, since I already had them:

left side

right side

2) The time is right about the same. 6-8 seconds to full brightness, and another 6-8 for the full color to come in. Total of about 14-16. Note that it's probably outputting 3000-4000 lumens within 3-4 seconds though.

3) If it is brighter quicker, it's not by much. They're both spitting serious gobs of light within seconds.

4) I just weighed them for you but believe it or not I could feel that the PH50 was slightly heavier.

PH50

PH40

5) Yes, they're interchangeable and each light works with the other's battery and tailcap.

6) Yes, the balance point is the same for each light. The difference in weight is so small that any difference in balance is non-detectable.

I'm not sure if I'll be getting beamshots tonight. If I do they're be very basic. Once I get some good pics, I'll be happy to gif those pictures for you Curtis.

vee73 · Apr 27, 2008

:goodjob:Thanks guys for the all pics and comments!
Please send pics 40W vs. 50W.

My PH40 battery is exactly same as PH50.
http://www.kuvaboxi.fi/mediaobjects/orig/pub/2008/04/27/8143010478538355253orig.jpg
http://www.kuvaboxi.fi/mediaobjects/orig/pub/2008/01/27/8143010478535597975orig.jpg

LuxLuthor · Apr 27, 2008

Wonderful posts, photos, and details. Patriot....love seeing the blow by blow starting with the FedEx truck. I could almost see you jumping up and down with excitement !!!

One thing is obvious from everything I have ever seen with the Polarion lineup--they exude quality craftsmanship ! :twothumbs

BVH · Apr 27, 2008

I'll be anxious to see this thread mature! Polarions certainly exude quality & craftsmanship as Lux says.

Got my EZnite today and it, too exudes a very high level of Q & C similar to that of the Helios I owned.

Patriot · Apr 27, 2008

Thanks for the compliments Lux.... Yeah, I was pretty excited for it to arrive. In reality I opened the door as the Fedex gal was walking up. She said, "somebody is eager"....lol. I only set it back down for the photo op. And yes, I did think about taking a picture as the package was walking to my door but when I saw it was a female I didn't want to be rude or make her feel uneasy.

BVH, Congrats on receiving your EZnite! I know you've been excited about that. I'd love to hear your full report.

Vee73 I'll have some basic beamshots for you to see in about 45 minutes.

BlueBeam22 · Apr 27, 2008

Congratulations on getting your PH50 Patriot36!

Hope you enjoy it!:thumbsup:

Patriot · Apr 27, 2008

BlueBeam22 said:
Congratulations on getting your PH50 Patriot36!
Hope you enjoy it!:thumbsup:

Thank you BB22,

I sure am enjoying it. I got to see it perform a little bit tonight. Pics & beamshots coming in about 10 minutes.

Paul

Patriot · Apr 27, 2008

This is just a very basic, grab a few lights and head to the park run, so bare with me as the beamshots are under exposed and somewhat grainy. If nothing else it's a good relative comparison because they're all taken at F5.6 2" and ISO400. The focal range is approximately 65-75mm of a 35mm film equivalent, so...slightly zoomed.

The aim of the lights isn't perfect either, but close. Even though it doesn't appear this way with some of the weaker lights, they were all aimed approximately at the trunk of the tree. There was a lot of ambient light in the park too which is why I went with a 2 second shutter instead of 4 seconds which would have been closer to what the eye sees. I just picked a few lights that were in cases already and easy to grab-n-go. All batteries are new or fully charged.

The Lights:

M6 MN21
FM-11 smooth 2C
Mag-85 MOP 3C (driven very hard, insta-flashes easily if not careful)
PH-40
PH-50

Tools:

Two tripods
Leica LRF 1200 laser range finder
Zebralight H30
Canon S2 IS

Beamshots, Range to the base of the tree is 178 yards.

M6 MN21

FM-11 Smooth 2C

Mag-85 MOP 3C (driven hard) The stepped shadow down the hill caused by the protruding bezel on this light....see first picture.

PH-40

PH-50

After seeing the PH50 compared to the PH40, I have little doubt that it's producing 2000+ lumens more. I dont believe the output rating of the PH50 is overstated at all.

I'll post some longer range shots tomorrow. Hope that you've enjoyed these. :naughty:

Paul

vee73 · Apr 27, 2008

Thanks Patriot36! Thanks a lot! :clap:

Patriot · Apr 27, 2008

kenster said:
oo: Thanks for the posts with all the wonderful pictures! :twothumbs BUT YOU GUYS OWE ME A NEW KEYBOARD. :laughing: Yup, I`m JEALOUS!!!!

I didn`t even pay attention to how long the battery takes to charge. :duh2: Since it appears it takes over 4 hours it would really nice if that time could be cut in half. Isn`t the protection circuit built into the battery pack? Would it blow or just cutout and reset? Hmmm :thinking: ..... Please try it on your battery pack and let me know. Oh, and how hot does the charger get?

Patriot36,

I have 10 x 42 Swarovski and I walked out the store with an empty wallet but they are FANTASTIC! :thumbsup:

You're welcome Ken. It was fun to post everything. My charger is getting to 98 degrees after 10 minutes or so.

Glad to hear that you're a Swarovski guy Ken.

Did you get the EL's or the SLC's? As you stated, they're outstanding. They have a great mix of all the best attributes of premium optics. I enjoy the Zeiss and Leica too, but usually grab the "Ski's" the most often. I also have 15x56SLC's and 7x42SLC's. Lights, bins, shooting, and mountain biking.....I can't get enough

Polarion PH-50 Main Thread

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