XM-L2 90+ High CRI vs nichia 219

[TEEJ]

Wow, totally different then.

One thing that might be at play is that your eyes "auto-correct" colors. So if you were to shine lights at a blank white surface, with no context....as in you only see the reflected color, what your eye told you was "white" will be something else entirely when the context is removed.

This is one reason a lot of people can also have a greenish beam, and think its white, and so forth...without a baseline, you DO see it as white. A lot of optical illusions take advantage of this.

 

[Chrisdm]

Yes, in my opinion color temp and beam pattern are much more practical considerations... the high cri xml2 makes a beautiful wide warm beam. The nichia makes a much more narrow, pure white beam. While around 4500k (True neutral), the nichia looks blueish next to any other high cri led. And this is such a personal preference. I personally love the warmer tints of the classic high cri leds outdoors. I've had all my lights modified with leds in the 3500k to 4000k range. We all have our preference, you'll have to experiment with a couple purchases to find your preference.

 

[markr6]

Wow, totally different then.

One thing that might be at play is that your eyes "auto-correct" colors. So if you were to shine lights at a blank white surface, with no context....as in you only see the reflected color, what your eye told you was "white" will be something else entirely when the context is removed.

This is one reason a lot of people can also have a greenish beam, and think its white, and so forth...without a baseline, you DO see it as white. A lot of optical illusions take advantage of this.

That's why I started comparing them last night. Oon an off-white countertop, the nichia looked 100% accurate (white beam on off white counter). SC62d also looked white, but a little cooler, almost grayish. The SC600w was slightly greenish-yellow but certainly not as bad as my SC52w which is just green.

BTW, it's not 90+ as this thread mentions, but the SC52w is green enough that I don't even need to compare to my other lights. I can be in my garage and shine it on the concrete and notice the floor is greenish-gray. On my Jeep, the silver paint is a greenish-yellow silver. Over to the red lawn mower, it's a murky red-orange color. It's one of the few lights that I am dissatisfied with even without a baseline for comparison. Same with my EagleTac G25C2 mkII NW, but I sold that.

 

[Newguy2012]

The Nichia 219 looks like a yellow beam, definitely NOT neutral white.

I have some without the yellow but I don't you think you'll notice it unless shine on something completely white. People say the Nichia 219 they get now are warmer (4300K) than rated.

 

[Etsu]

I have some without the yellow but I don't you think you'll notice it unless shine on something completely white. People say the Nichia 219 they get now are warmer (4300K) than rated.

The Nichia 219 I got about 4 months ago measures at 4300K, with no tint shift (green or magenta). It certainly looks white to me, though I'm happy with anything from 3500K to 5500K.

If I compare it to mid-day sunlight it looks yellow, as expected. (Sunlight is 5500K.)

I think the spec says something like 4400K, so 4300K is close enough.

 

[Fireclaw18]

The Nichia 219A's 4500K beam is a very pleasant brownish tan. Quite nice.

The 90 CRI 3000K CREE's beam is a deep orange. And it makes everything it's shined at look orange. It looks good in some situations, but personally I found the Nichia's tint much better for resolving colors.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

You're getting some expert advice here. My Nichia gives added color to browns, and is very uniform, compared to the yellow/green corona on an XML2. Also, if you are getting a dropin, know that the lowest low is not that low for fully dark adapted eyes. I like .1 lumens or dimmer. At least that is a guess. Those claims by manufacturers can be way off at the lower levels. I would go for the 5000K Nichia 219B

The Nichia 219A's 4500K beam is a very pleasant brownish tan. Quite nice.

The 90 CRI 3000K CREE's beam is a deep orange. And it makes everything it's shined at look orange. It looks good in some situations, but personally I found the Nichia's tint much better for resolving colors.

 

[reppans]

sorry for bringing up this old thread.

for photographic use, which one is better? XML high cri or Nichia 219?

I agree with others here that the CREE HCRIs are much warmer that the N219s to the eye, but I've taken photos using AWB with both and interestingly they came out looking pretty much the same. I think the N219s are the safer bet though - I've never really seen an unpleasant N219 tint (naked eye or photo).... can't say the same for CREE.

 

[markr6]

I only shoot in RAW, so for photography it doesn't really matter. I remember doing photo shoots at my last job in a warehouse with HPS lighting...it's amazing how well the photos turned out after a quick adjustment. Without RAW, I probably would have been in big trouble!

 

[Etsu]

I only shoot in RAW, so for photography it doesn't really matter. I remember doing photo shoots at my last job in a warehouse with HPS lighting...it's amazing how well the photos turned out after a quick adjustment. Without RAW, I probably would have been in big trouble!

RAW is always best, but for color shifting in post-processing, a jpeg works just as well. Where RAW really shines, is in pulling out details from shadows.

 

[magnum78]

Thanks all for the info. I'll try Nichia 219 in the future

 

[jso902]

this is probably too late for the OP, but for those looking to buy an xml2 vs nichia219; color rendition is important, but typically the xml2 is pushed to 3amps vs. 1.5amps, respectively. Suggesting your run-time will be much shorter on your xml2.
i find the xpg/xpg2 is more comparable to nichia 219 since both leds run at 1.5 amps

 

[yellow]

.
totally correct,
and XP-G/XP-G2 are visibly brighter than the 219 (at the same current!)
(at least with the lights/inserts I got so far)

as are XM-L/XM-L2 ... which gives the wider beam - which might also be of importance for most illumination "needs" - except for throw


PS: "official" max current of 219 / XP-G is already 1.5 A?
the small led were 800 mA some time ago ...
:thinking:

 

[BuDn3kkID]

I'm sold on the Nichia219, just got myself a 47 Preon2 Nichia219 ver. from Illumination Supply

 

[Fireclaw18]

Yes, Nichia is lovely.

Last night I upgraded my modded Sipik 58 with triple Nichia 219a 92 CRI on aluminum to a triple Nichia 219b 92 CRI on copper Noctigon. I'm impressed with the result. The tint looks beautiful (3 amp driver, so 1 amp per emitter).

 

[TEEJ]

.
totally correct,
and XP-G/XP-G2 are visibly brighter than the 219 (at the same current!)
(at least with the lights/inserts I got so far)

as are XM-L/XM-L2 ... which gives the wider beam - which might also be of importance for most illumination "needs" - except for throw


PS: "official" max current of 219 / XP-G is already 1.5 A?
the small led were 800 mA some time ago ...
:thinking:

With the caveat that the XPG2, XML2, etc, CAN be driven harder than the Nichia, so, a flashlight made with them will, for any given current, and, at normal drive currents, be brighter than the Nichia, and the XML2 will therefore also out throw the Nichia by a wide margin, with a wider brighter beam.

The Nichia's forte is color rendition, period. The amount of LIGHT from it, in practice, is way less than you get with say an XML2....and its a blatantly visible difference if side by side.

I use the Nichia lights for close work where the rendition is more important, and that's about it. If things are farther away, I'll see more overall with other options.

 

[BuDn3kkID]

I am in a similar position with TEEJ, though I might be considered weird to do this:
Foldio + 2 diffused flashlights sporting Nichia 219 LEDs… for correct-color tone product shots