New HL from Petzl: Pixa series

[Yucca Patrol]

They are not incredibly bright, but look very well made and very durable. Would be a good backup light for a caving or other extreme outdoor activities where water and other elements threaten other lights.



Combo flood/throw mode is a first from a mainstream manufacturer.



http://www.petzl.com/us/page/pixa-no...es-et-robustes

[LEDAdd1ct]

There doesn't seem to be much on CPF about this headlamp yet.

My brother just asked for a headlamp recommendation, and I suggested the one or two version of this series. As per the thread title, does anyone have any direct experience with one?

[uk_caver]

There doesn't seem to be much on CPF about this headlamp yet.

There was more in this thread, but it went with the great crash.

There was a discussion on: http://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=11235.0

[Bolster]

You can see a beamshot of Pixa here

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...lamp-List-2011

I like the 2xAA power source; I may buy one; wish it were brighter. I think high is 25-30 lumen for 12 hours on 2xAA? (That's for flood, not spot. Spot is higher lumen, I think 40-50?).

Wish I knew what the tint and beam angle was like...

[LEDAdd1ct]

Thanks for the link, uk_caver. I didn't see that thread in my googling around. I just emailed it to my brother. He bought the Pixa One this morning on my recommendation.

I just hope he doesn't need the medium mode of the Pixa Two. He will most likely use it for scrounging around in his pack, setting up camp, etc., so I think the One will suffice.

[LEDAdd1ct]

Does anyone know if the Pixa One and Pixa Two have a different beam profile in low/flood?

I would like to get one, but I am concerned that it may be too narrow...

[Bolster]

Wondering exactly the same thing. Comparing flood beam, I've noticed the Pixa 1 has lower lumens than Pixa 2 or 3 on flood (25 not 30) but same runtime (12 hrs). Looking at the Pixa 1, its lens is entirely frosted. I wonder if they frosted the lens to get the wider beam and gave up some lumens in the process?

I'm tempted to get the Pixa 1, but 25 lumens isn't very bright. If you ran two Zebra H501s together (to equal the Pixa's 2xAA power) you'd have 36 lumens at midlevel for 19 hours as opposed to 25-30 lumens for 12 hours on the Pixas. And the 501s would also give you the high end (almost 200) if you wanted it, whereas the flood beams on the Pixas top out at 25-30.

The other unknown is, what's the beam spread? I don't like narrow beam "floods." I'm spoiled by 80-90 degree lights. I'd want to know what the Pixa gave before spending.

[LEDAdd1ct]

From the information on the Internet, the build quality, crush resistance, and robust ON/OFF switch really make me want to buy an iteration of this light, either the One or Two. However, you are definitely on the right track by calling the beam profile of flood into question. I would mostly use the low mode, and might even spring for the more expensive Pixa Two if the flood were slightly brighter and at a wider angle. A narrow beam would feel very confining, and I certainly do not want that.

The Pixa One uses discrete 5mm LEDs, right? I am trying to tell what the Pixa Two uses to achieve flood. Does it use a power LED? Let's see if I can find some pics...

Okay, here:

Pixa One Face

Pixa Two Face

So, yes; the Pixa One uses 5mm discrete LEDs, while the Pixa Two uses what appears to be a single power LED. How, then, is the single power LED "told" to provide a flood or a more concentrated beam?

[Bolster]

Ah, good find. I think the Pixa 2 uses a single LED for both spot and flood, simultaneously. That is, a flood, with a hot spot in it. No flood by itself, not spot by itself. Which would mean a "partially reflectored" LED that gave some flood and some spot.

[Bolster]

Went back and watched the Pixa video. When they showed the Pixa 2, they indeed implied it gave both flood and spot at the same time, "no need to change the mode." (Part of the confusion comes from the narrator saying "two models" or possibly "two modes" when I think she means "two beams.") Notice also the icons for the Pixa 2, on the video and on the Pixa Line page: They show the "spot plus flood" icon TWICE, one for working, one for walking. I think that means same spot+flood beam, which is useful for either closeup work or walking. (I beg to differ. I'd hate to use a spotted flood for close work.)

If I'm right, then the Pixa 2 is definitely not for anyone who wants a smooth, even floody beam. There's a hot spot in the middle of it.

One other question: Look at the flood beam profile I captured from the Pixa promo video, and posted halfway down the page here.

Does that look like the kind of beam you'd get from three LEDs behind a frosted lens? I don't think so...frosted lens you'd not get such a sharply defined edge. I'm suspicious that flood beamshot is from the P3 on flood mode, looking at the P3's optical arrangement.

Pixa Three Face.

So now the question is, which has a nicer flood beam, the Pixa 1 or the Pixa 3?

[LEDAdd1ct]

Bolster, we make a good team! A few things come to mind:

1) I have never seen an LED make a perfect circle like that without an optic. Never. I seriously doubt that circle from their promo video and from your screen grab is from the Pixa One. Just does not mesh with reality. I've seen optics, and yes, I'm heavily biased against them: I've never met one I liked.

2) I agree with your assessment that the Pixa Two is a mixed spot/flood. I don't see any other LEDs in the Pixa Two faceshot, and if there aren't any to switch between, then the switch most likely only boosts the current, making it brighter. This will change the amount of lumens coming out, not the beam pattern.

If I have time tomorrow, I will call Petzl and ask them. Otherwise, is there anyone here who owns one of these and can comment from direct experience with the lamp? Of course, that would be ideal.

[vtunderground]

I have never seen an LED make a perfect circle like that without an optic.

A conical reflector (Carclo 10170 for example) will give you a perfect even circle of light. I DO think that Petzl is using an optic, though, not a reflector. The only optic I've seen that'll produce a beam like the PIXA 3 is the optic from a Surefire Saint, IF if you it behind a round hole instead of the rectangular hole of the Saint.

So now the question is, which has a nicer flood beam, the Pixa 1 or the Pixa 3?

I'm gonna go ahead and guess that the PIXA 1 has a wider flood beam, but with the usual 5mm blueish tint

[Bolster]

Some creative detective work here...will be interesting to see if we've guessed accurately. So here's my guess, just for fun: Agree with VTUnder that the P1 will have a blueish tint, and that the beam's wider than the P3. Have no idea if the beam is "sufficiently" wide (70-90 degrees). Also guessing the P1's beam may not be as even, edge-to-edge, as we see in the (I'm guessing) P3 beamshot.

Honestly, all this investigation is making me want to wait for some good recommendations to come in before picking up a Pixa 1. There are enough niggling doubts now that I need to be persuaded the P1 is worthy. The P3 is still looking attractive to me though. Concerned about beam tint and angle of the flood beam.

[LEDAdd1ct]

Fear not, fellow CPF'ers! I just called Petzl, and I left a message for the headlamp product manager/resident guru. The gentleman who transferred me said that the headlamp manager would love to talk specs with me. I told him I was calling on behalf of a bunch of flashlight/headlamp nuts, and that we would love as much information as possible. I got his voicemail, and I left my email (with phonetics) twice. Hopefully he'll get back to me and I can post detailed answers here!

If the information from the Petzl manager confirms that the Petzl One has a wide flood, I will most likely buy it. I love 5mm headlamps (for close activities), and would rather use a flashlight for distance/spotting trail markers on trees for away.

[LEDAdd1ct]

Since I never received a phone call back, I called Petzl again and asked for the email of someone "in the know." Perhaps this evening he will get back to us, or even post the answers here if we are lucky!

Gotta run.

:-)

LEDAdd1ct

[Bolster]

Thanks for staying on them!

I've got the same issue happening with foxfury lights...been after them for beamshots for a month...they keep saying they'll be here soon...

[Szemhazai]

I have Petzl Pixa 2 in my hands and going to make some outdoor photos tonight...

In my opinion it's to heavy for any activity faster than walking...

[Bolster]

Nifty. Would you mind measuring 1. diameter of beam and 2. distance of wall (or whatever) to the source? So I can calculate beam angle? Thanks!

[LEDAdd1ct]

I just left a voicemail for the Headlamp Manager/Division Specialist for headlamps at Petzl with my first name and phone number, telling him that I was calling for detailed information on the LEDs inside the Pixa series of headlamps. If anybody would know, I have a feeling it would be him...

[turboBB]

Woo hoo!, Pixa 3 should be here next week.

Hello,

We have good news! We're able to get this part of your order to you faster than we originally promised:

"Petzl E78CHB PIXA 3 Headlamp"
Previous estimated arrival date: April 13 2011 - April 15 2011
New estimated arrival date: April 05 2011

[LEDAdd1ct]

Looking forward to pics of the LEDs for emitter identification!

[Szemhazai]

It is Cree XP-E - bin unknown, judging from the color difference between to pixa's - no tint sorting.

[turboBB]

OK, it actually arrived today! Initial immediate impression was "Woah, this thing is huge and heavy!". There is an XP-E in the flood side but due to the tight lens, I can't make out emitter on the spot side (but most likely XP-E as well).

Bolster, you're gonna be disappointed, the flood has a subtle hot spot in it. I'll grab some shots later for you.

Cheers,
Tim

[turboBB]

Pixa 3 Beamshots @f2.7

Flood (1/13" | 1/80") - below set is shifted from center to highlight the hotspot:



Duo (1/13" | 1/80")

Note that the spot beam is not centered and the spot is running at perhaps half power.

Spot (1/13" | 1/80")





I plan on conducting a review of this HL in the coming weeks and will post when ready.

Cheers,
Tim

[Bolster]

Woohoo! Thanks for the beamshots. I'd have no problem with such a minor brightness in the center, looks good to me. Pretty neutral colored beam is it? It feels pretty chunky, you say? I think the beam combo mode is well thought out, with beam high and flood low, sort of like how a bifocal glasses lens works. Looking forward to your review! Thanks for taking point on this light!

Oh...one more thing: could you measure beam width & distance from wall? Then I can work out beam angle calculations. Thanks!

[turboBB]

22" width beam measured 2ft from the wall. Using protractor = roughly 56 degrees. Yes the beam is neutral but definitely on the cool side and not warm by any means. Although it's only been a few hours, I'm really digging this HL!

[Bolster]

Trigs to just a scootch under 50 degrees. Either measurement puts it close to the Minimus for beam angle. Thanks for the measurement!

[LEDAdd1ct]

Thanks for the beamshots!

[Yucca Patrol]

Today I received my Petzl Pixa 3 from Karst Sports.

I purchased it to be a very rugged backup for caving and it definitely appears that it will serve this purpose very well.

It is a chunky piece of rubberized plastic, a little bigger than I expected, and feels very solid. It really looks like a lot of thought was put into making this a durable piece of gear and they got a lot of things right. The battery compartment is sealed with an o-ring that has 3 ridges, effectively making it perform like 3 o-rings. This, along with the ATEX/HAZLOC rating suggest that this lamp will handle the sort of wet and wild treatment cavers will put it through. The knob to select the different modes is nice and chunky and very easy to manipulate with gloves.

The lamp can be rotated 180' so that the lens is facing backwards, protecting it from an impact that might happen in a caving pack. Even better is the fact that the light cannot be accidentally turned while on in this position. This is a huge plus in my book. It also appears that the battery case cannot be accidentally opened when the light pointing straight ahead during use.

It does have one minor flaw in my opinion. The documentation makes a pretty big deal about how well they designed it to have a wide flood beam on the low and medium settings. However, I estimate that the flood beam is somewhere around 60 degrees (sorry but I left my compass and protractor in my 6th grade math class so I'm not going to measure it exactly). I compared it with a Fenix HP10 and an Energizer Hard Case and both of the other lamps had a wider beam. Ideally, I'd prefer something at least 90 degrees and perhaps a bit more than that for flood.

Lastly, it could be brighter than 50 lumens on high, especially if someone wanted to use it as their primary caving headlamp, but as a backup it is more than perfectly serviceable and still very comparable to lamps we all thought were pretty darn bright a few years ago. And by not going full blast, it will have very long run-time, which is very desirable for a backup caving lamp.

Perhaps Petzl will take all the good stuff from this lamp and make a "Pixa 4" with a separate 4xAA battery pack and 150 lumens on high? Now that would be a stellar piece of gear!!!

In short, this is a great headlamp, mainly for it's use of 2xAA format and very durable waterproof construction. I can see it being very popular with cavers as well as construction/industrial professionals. If you are looking for the brightest thing out there and do not require extreme rugged construction, you might be disappointed. But if you are looking for something that is going to survive incredibly harsh conditions like wet and muddy caves and runs for a very long time on just 2 AA batteries, it's a winner.

Edit: One comment on the excellent beam shots above. You'll see that the spot is not centered at the middle setting. This is not a flaw. It is intentional and functional. You adjust the headlamp so that the spot is pointing straight ahead. This then allows the flood light to be angled toward the ground, allowing the floodlight to illuminate your immediate vicinity while walking while still shining the spotlight straight ahead. I consider this to be one of the most innovative and functional aspects of this lamp. This makes is so that you only need to move your eyes and not your head to see both near and far, and this is especially beneficial for your neck if wearing it on a helmet for extended periods of time.

[vtunderground]

Perhaps Petzl will take all the good stuff from this lamp and make a "Pixa 4" with a separate 4xAA battery pack and 150 lumens on high? Now that would be a stellar piece of gear!!!

Give it a 90+ degree flood beam, too, and I'll pay whatever they want for it.


Thanks for the review.