Photographer looking for both a floody LED and floody incandescent!

Hello, first post here. I know nothing.

Contrary to my post title, I am not necessarily seeking personal flashlight recommendations, only general research help.
I must have either a floody luminescent flashlight or a floody LED flashlight that is not bluish, "obnoxiously white",
or purple looking. Basically, I am looking for something good for photography.

I will be returning here often since I am a photographer interested in learning about artificial light quality
as it might pertain to photography in low light conditions. (I am already aware that flash and remote flash is a proper setup.)

I did not know there was so much to flashlights until I came across this forum.

I have heard that the CREE LED's have the best CRI (Color Rendering Index nearing 100), however I never see this spec listed anywhere
by a manufacturer so it cannot be used to make any real life comparisons. Either way, LED light is almost invariably artificial looking,
(I don't have 200-300 dollars to spend on a great LED with red/ blue LED's etc.)

In regards to spectrum/quality of light, I know price is the biggest factor in making the initial judgement, but quality of light is also where I am
at a loss for research. I will post my answers to the questionnaire thing later in this thread if that helps. For now I'll just respond
with shorter answers.

Thank you for any help

Sounds like you're trying to do some "light painting" with flashlights and are primarily concerned with the tint. I don't have a lot of experience with tints except to says that it is probably highly subjective, not only by individuals, but also by what each manufacturer deems as "neutral white" or "High CRI." Furthermore, I've even seen quite a variation in tints from the same exact model!

Would it not be better to merely manually set the white balance on your camera to whatever flashlight you decide to go with?

100CRI LEDs do not exist. I suggest you look for LEDs with 80-85CRI and 4500-5000K CCT. "High CRI" LEDs are mostly a low color temperature that is difficult to blend with other light sources. Start with Neutral White, then try low-CCT and highCRI Crees. Neutral white is nice in photography. I always use white-balance to adjust when I don't have enough neutral lights along. However, the missing red photons DO make a difference that can't be brought back by pumping the red saturation up. Here is one example:


The red Raleigh clay shows better with the Neutral-White Quark.


Neutral-white blending well with high-output 55W halogen front fill.

What sort of lighting are you looking for? The ~100 lumens of my neutral-white Quark are plenty for most of my shots, but then I do a lot of structural photography. I suggest a Quark, as lightpainting technique will work with any source. If need be, a 'Flood to Throw' light will project a circle of uniform brightness, which you can narrow and make brighter.

For affordable incandescent and LED options that are real floody. Would a couple D cell maglites (one incandescent and one led) with the heads off Work?

Quark Hi cri are 85+ cri and are very incandescent in appearance for the beam, there on sale this week too
Xeno E03 XML are $30ish dollars and come in three tint colors cool white, neutral white and warmwhite

Cool white is around 6000k-6500k, neutral 4500-5500k and warm is 2700k too 4400k roughly. Most companies don't screen there LED's so they go by manufacturers specs.
That's where the term tint lottery comes into play as you can buy three of the same light, one seem a little blue while the next maybe perfect, and the next one potentially green, or they all look identical.

I hope I've helped some and not just spewed facts you already know.

good input, guys.
I had the idea that I might buy a flashlight somewhere between a "thrower" with good spill, and a strong flood light
that I can add flexibility to when needed with a diffuser. But I have new ideas after your replies.
If it would help for me to fill out the questionnaire let me know and I'll post in my next reply.

reppans: "Sounds like you're trying to do some "light painting" with flashlights and are primarily concerned with the tint."

If by 'light painting' you mean streaks of light captured by long exposures of moving flashlights then no, but if you mean lighting up subjects in the dark with
diffused light from stationary flashlights, then yes.

reppans: "Would it not be better to merely manually set the white balance on your camera to whatever flashlight you decide to go with?"

I'm concerned with tint that can potentially suck the true color out of an exposure, but as long as
a white looking LED is not anywhere near the cool side then I suppose you are right, changing the white balance in-camera might work.
But isn't there a problem with this method if I'm trying to get as much light spectrum as possible?
In other words, won't anything else added to it, i.e. changing white balance, using color filters, post processing, etc, degrade the image?
I think I need to start shooting in RAW.


CarpentryHero: "I hope I've helped some and not just spewed facts you already know."

Nah, what you said makes perfect sense, actually. I am aware that removing the heads is a good way to get some flood, but I have no experience doing it.
I will look at the lights you mentioned and keep in mind that if I buy a light the heads need to come off.


AnAppleSnail: "What sort of lighting are you looking for? The ~100 lumens of my neutral-white Quark are plenty for most of my shots, but then I do a lot of structural photography. I suggest a Quark, as lightpainting technique will work with any source."

Structural photography also :thumbsup: The type of lighting I need is neutral flood light that doesn't cast too many harsh shadows, (diffused) and something that does not "ruin" the color in the original exposure. This was the reason for my wanting to bring both a fluorescent and a neutral LED, as well as multiple light sources.

What you mention sounds like where I need to be taking this since my questions are more about LED quality than flashlights themselves.
The way I look at it, if a flashlight is expensive and still doesn't have the quality of light I need, I might as well buy a cheaper flashlight and invest in the right attatchments. I googled Quark led's and it looks like Quarks are flashlights made by 4Sevens?

Alright, so I just made kind of a breakthrough in my research, in regards to the exact type of LED I need: It MUST have a temp of 4,200K, and preferably not any lower than 4000K
I'm going to go ahead and fill out the questionnaire: any advice will be greatly appreciated and receive a reply.

Also the following thread seems to illustrate my interests, since it has useful information about what the poster is calling 'color rendition' as it pertains to cooler and warmer tint LED's:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?238153-Neutral-White-%28Warm-Tinted%29-Quark-AA2-Neutral-White-Comparison-Review



1) How would you prefer to purchase the light?

____I would like to purchase the light from a brick and mortar store. I am located in ______________.
_x_ I will be mail-ordering or buying online, so this doesn't matter.


2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest!

____Less than $25.
____Less than $50.
_x__Less than $100.
____Less than $150.
____Less than $300.
____I have no limit.
____I'm flexible, tell me what you gotJ.
____Other, please specify ________


3) Format:

_x__I want a flashlight.
____I want a headlamp.
____I want a lantern.
____I want a dive light.
____I want a portable spotlight.


4) Flashlight-specific format/size:

____Keychain size.
_x__Every day carry small (2-4 inches).
_x__Every day carry medium (4-7 inches).
_x__Holster carry.
____Big enough to need its own travel caseJ.
____I don't care.
____I don't know.
____N/A


5) Emitter/Light source:

_x__LED (known for efficiency, longevity, and compactness)
_x__Incandescent (known for superior color rendition)
____HID (known for max output, but often at the expense of size)
____I don't know.


6) Manufacturer:

_x__I want to buy a light from a traditional mass producing manufacturer that is ready to go out of the box.
_x__I would consider getting a light that is pieced together (for example a "host" or flashlight body from one manufacturer, and a "drop-in" emitter from another source). Under the right circumstances, this path can provide more options to the consumer to meet specific needs, and can often be easily upgradeable as technology improves.


7) What battery type do you want to use?

_x__I intend to use alkaline batteries (AAA, AA, C, D) (disclaimer, while it does not preclude all choices, these are not recommended for many of today's most powerful lights)
____I intend to use rechargeable nickel chemistry (NiCad, NiMH, NiZn)
____I intend to use lithium primary batteries (CR123, CR2, Energizer Advanced/Ultimate Lithium AA/AAA)
_x__I intend to use rechargeable lithium (li-ion) chemistry. Feel free to specify a size if you know which size you want (14500, RCR123/16340, 17500, 17670, 18650, etc.)
____I want a light with an integrated rechargeable battery. (Note: these choices may be very limited unless you are looking at spotlights)


8) How much genuine out the front (OTF) light do you want/need? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is impossible).

_x__I want to navigate a dark room or read a map (0-10 lumens).
_x__I want to walk around an unlit rural area (50-150 lumens).
_x__I want to illuminate my entire backyard or a campsite (150-300 lumens).
____I want to illuminate an entire field, the neighbor's front yard several houses down, impress my friends and neighbors, etc. (300-700 lumens).
____I want ridiculous amounts of lumens (800+ lumens).


9) Throw vs. Flood: At what distance will you be most likely to use this light? Select all that apply.

_x__Less than 1 yard/meter (reading, other close work)
_x__Less than 5 yards/meters (looking for something inside a dark shed/garage/basement)
_x__5-20 yards/meters (check out a noise in the backyard)
_x__30-50 yards/meters (I have a big backyard)
_x__50-150 yards/meters (I live in a very rural area/farm with wide open spaces)
_x__150+ yards (I want maximum throw possible)


10) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims, but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries (Measured on maximum output).

____Up to 30 minutes (I want the brightest [and potentially smallest] light for brief periods)
____30-60 minutes (I have plenty of batteries just ready to be changed)
_x__90-120 minutes (Runtime is moderately important, but still not critical)
____3 hours + (I critically need this light to run on max for extended periods in between battery changes/charges).


11) Durability/Usage: Generally the old phrase "you get what you pay for" is very accurate for flashlights.

____Not Important (A "night-stand" light).
____Slightly Important (Walks around the neighborhood).
____Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box).
____Critical (Police, Fire, Search & Rescue, Caving, Survival).
____I don't care.
_x__I don't know.


12) Switch Type and location (choose all that apply):

____I want a forward clicky (Helpful for momentary activation and signaling).
____I want a reverse clicky (For use with multi-mode/level lights).
____I want a momentary switch (Predominantly for use with signaling and short bursts of momentary light only).
____I want a twisty switch (Tighten the head/tailcap to activate, and the light will stay on until the head/tailcap is loosened).
____I want a body mounted switch (near the head, like on a Maglite).
____I want a tail mounted switch (found on the majority of today's high end lights).
_x__I don't care.
____I don't know.
____Other, please specify____________________.


13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.

____A simple on-off with only one output level is fine for me.
_x__I want 2 light levels. (Brighter/short runtime and Dimmer/long runtime.)
_x__I want multiple light levels. (Some lights have 5-16 light levels.)
____I want a programmable light.
____I want a selector ring.
_x__I want a strobe mode. (Blinks to show location.)
____I want SOS mode.
____I want a beacon mode.
____I don't care.
_x__I don't know.


14)Material/Finish/Coating

_x__Plastic/composite body (this may limit your choices significantly).
_x__Anodized Aluminum – either type II or III (Hard Anodized) (Aluminum, specifically HA, is the most common material/finish for today's flashlights).
_x__Stainless steel (durable, but much heavier than aluminum)
_x__Titanium (durable and nearly as lightweight as aluminum, but can be moderately to significantly more expensive).
____I don't care.
____I don't know.
____Other, please specify____________.


15) Special Needs/extras: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Select any below.

_x__Red filter (for preserving night vision).
____Other filter colors (Amber, Green, Blue, _________).
_x__Dedicated R/G/B secondary LEDs.
_x__"Hybrid" light (bright incandescent combined with long running LEDs)
_x__Pocket/belt clip
_x__Holster
_x__Wrist/Neck Lanyard
____Crenulated bezel
____Non-sparking Intrinsically Safe (IS) for use in explosive environments

If you don't need multiple colored at once, perhaps a Solarforce L2 with multiple dropins would do for you. That way you could get both an led and incandescent P60 dropin, Surefire has a F04 diffuser that should fit over the head. There are lots of options with this style of light, the downside would be switching from one dropin to the next would take 30 or more seconds.

VinhNyugen and Nailbender make P60 dropins and there's a Plethera online. The CPF custom modified bst is where you find those two modders. CPF marketplace dealers corner has some great dropins there too.

If you go to the CPF Marietplace
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?265364-4Sevens-Daylight-Savings-Sale!
You'll see that 4sevens has a sale with mostly high cri and neutral lights in your price range. They state the high cri are 85+.

Thank you all.
I will be using the info you gave me. But is a dropin just another name for a 2ndary bulb you swap with the original?? Like I said, I know nothing.

Yeah a P60 is the bulb, driver and reflector all in one, a module

A conventional flashlight becomes a beautiful flooder if you use a diffuser or reflector. Anything from a translucent water bottle cap to a white card makes a good diffuser of light. I frequently use my NW Quark with diffusers and reflectors to give smooth, even light. Ping-pong balls work well, too.

AnAppleSnail-

Well, I'm thinking of using a neutral LED as sort of a "support" light, probably just a zebralight headlamp and then investing in a high power incan that can "hopefully* flood well with a diffuser. I don't want to limit the colors in my photos and I know that incans are for the most part truer to color definition and a little less harsh in the contrast department. By the way, I did see your urbex photos on Flickr which are good. I added you as a contact there. 'mycophagia'