REVolutionary New Floodlight-REV Captor

[Capolini]

I am going to try to be succinct with simplicity!

This light has the MOST beautiful tint of any light I ever had.

I believe this light does just what it is suppose to do, just not what I expected.I believe a big part of that is because I am use to Throwers with high output and concentrated cone shaped light covering long distances.

The most important directional light to me is foreground light. Although I am sure there is some light, after ~50/60yards I can not see that much. I think the reason is because the light is so efficient and effective in distributing 170 degrees of light.

I was expecting to see FULL ILLUMINATION for 90/100 yds.,,,,However, regardless of type, thrower or flooder, illumination[output] progressively diminishes with distance.

These are my thoughts, observations and preferences.

In no way should that diminish Michaels Innovative, unique and creative accomplishment.

 

[TEEJ]

I am going to try to be succinct with simplicity!

This light has the MOST beautiful tint of any light I ever had.

I believe this light does just what it is suppose to do, just not what I expected.I believe a big part of that is because I am use to Throwers with high output and concentrated cone shaped light covering long distances.

The most important directional light to me is foreground light. Although I am sure there is some light, after ~50/60yards I can not see that much. I think the reason is because the light is so efficient and effective in distributing 170 degrees of light.

I was expecting to see FULL ILLUMINATION for 90/100 yds.,,,,However, regardless of type, thrower or flooder, illumination[output] progressively diminishes with distance.

These are my thoughts, observations and preferences.

In no way should that diminish Michaels Innovative, unique and creative accomplishment.

Yeah, it takes MASSIVE lumen output to be able to evenly cover a large surface area with enough lux, at long distances. As lux the measure of how brightly illuminated the surfaces appear, and lux = lumens/square meter, you can quickly calculate the effect that having to cover a larger area, with the same number of lumens, can have.

If a "normal" flashlight beam covers ~ 15º, a beam that reaches out to the same length, now has to cover over eleven TIMES more area if it now covers 170º.

To cover 11 times more area, with the same lux, would require 11 times more lumens.

Physics has laws, and, one of them is that pesky inverse square law, and, as observed, the Captor obeys it, and, in full compliance, the light is dimmer as distance increases.


So, if you use an ANSI 0.25 lux for range, you might get the claimed 100 meters of range, and, if you use the more practical (Real world use) 1 lux guideline, you get closer to 50 meters of range....which is consistent with the observed performance above.

For hiking at night, depending upon the area and terrain, etc, 50 meters can be more than enough, or, short. So, in tight sight line areas, where there are no sight lines over 50 meters (trees, rises/falls in terrain, turns in a trail, etc...), the Captor might be all you need to flood it. In areas with longer sight lines, such as described above, 50 meters of useful range can leave you feeling like you are traveling in a bubble of light, unable to see the rest of what's out there...and more range/throw would be desirable.


In many ways, the Captor's beam, to me at least, also seems ideal for a headlamp, as there's no need to aim it, and you'd have peripheral vision w/o needing to keep turning your head, etc.

The problem as I see it from here, is that to GET 1 lux at 100 meters would require 4 TIMES the lumens (If its at ~ 0.25 lux at 100 meters now).

That's the current 2,500 Lumens times 4 = 10,000 lumens to get the same coverage but with 1 lux at 100 meters. (Territory of a much larger MTG2 light such as in the new Supbeam 60 series for example, as far as lumen output)


As many of you know, 100 meters can ALSO be too short a range. And so forth.

So, the light's range is a PRACTICAL solution, and, as surmised by the reviewers, it is best to supplement the dedicated flooder with a dedicated thrower to be able to get the best of both worlds.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

It is a flood light. Sounds like the ideal floodlight. If you want to illuminate a football field, you don't stand at the endzone, you stand at the 50 yard line. We've heard people talk about enjoying walking in a beautiful jungle at night, and how seeing all around is very pleasurable. Well it sounds like this is the light that will most allow us to see all around, farther than mere mortal flooders.

And we are spoiled with our mega throwers. But like it has been said, we can carry a thrower with us. I have two throwers on me during night walks. They weigh ~170 grams apiece, and when both are lit, the throw is even more than with one (but no way does it look like twice the throw)

Where we live, the dust particles in the air reflect too much light from powerful headlamps right next to the eyes. So even if such a device could be made to put out that many lumens from a headlamp, I don't think it would be practical.

I would like to get one of these Captors. The tint sounds great.

 

[TEEJ]

It is a flood light. Sounds like the ideal floodlight. If you want to illuminate a football field, you don't stand at the endzone, you stand at the 50 yard line. We've heard people talk about enjoying walking in a beautiful jungle at night, and how seeing all around is very pleasurable. Well it sounds like this is the light that will most allow us to see all around, farther than mere mortal flooders.

And we are spoiled with our mega throwers. But like it has been said, we can carry a thrower with us. I have two throwers on me during night walks. They weigh ~170 grams apiece, and when both are lit, the throw is even more than with one (but no way does it look like twice the throw)

Where we live, the dust particles in the air reflect too much light from powerful headlamps right next to the eyes. So even if such a device could be made to put out that many lumens from a headlamp, I don't think it would be practical.

I would like to get one of these Captors. The tint sounds great.

With two throwers, you can get twice the cd, but that gives ~ closer to 50% more distance to the same lux than to doubling it.

What two throwers are better for is getting double the lux on the same target.



And, absolutely, the Captor's perfect role is a short range flooder with beautiful color rendition and even lighting.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

With two throwers, you can get twice the cd, but that gives ~ closer to 50% more distance to the same lux than to doubling it.

What two throwers are better for is getting double the lux on the same target.



And, absolutely, the Captor's perfect role is a short range flooder with beautiful color rendition and even lighting.

I should have specified that when shining both throwers on one target, the added throw does not even appear to be a 50% improvement. At least not a 50% increase in effective distance. But I digress.

Calling the Captor's perfect role a short range flooder is short changing this creation of Saabluster's.

 

[hikingman]

Hello all,

Roberto, I'm glad to see you agree totally about the tint of this light. It is amazing isn't it? As for the "throw" of this light, I go back to my post #72 and I measured with my iPad measure tool the 2 distances I was referring to.

Standing on a trail and looking straight across some water to 2 long old buildings (spanning a width of 150 feet with 50 feet between them) that were 410 feet away, I said I could not see them at all until switching on the Captor and then they are dimly lit, but enough so that I could have seen human activity there. I had the advantage of being above the water by about 10 feet so ALL the capabilities of the Captor were available.

At the other location, looking across a field 250 feet wide, my eyes and the light were even with the tops of grasses, so some of the light wasn't getting over to the other side. Even then, large trees beyond the field were reasonably lit. Again I would have been able to see someone walking the trail on the other side of field just in front of trees.

To me, that is very good coverage even if not as bright as a concentrated beam would do. I alluded to the odd sensation of this "wall of light" going so far and then "stopping" I guess you have the same effect with a narrow circular beam and the tunnel vision you get and, at some distance out that view, there is nothing more to see. When the same effect is now with a "wall of light", it seems weirder! Just beyond those buildings in the view over the water, there is nothing more to see anywhere, but it is amazing that both are viewable in the same field of view.

Dave

EDIT: Looking at Michael's post #1 picture and my observations made in #72 and here - they seem to match very closely regarding the "seeing" of the Captor. One poster has already requested beam shots. One needs to realize this light has no real beam. It just lights up uniformly a nearby area.

 

[saabluster]

This light could potentially be very useful to me, as I use flashlights for lighting my professional architectural photography images, and hotspots are of course a problem. However I would need to know specifically what the color temp is measured at. My photos are always a blend of natural light, existing light, and the light I add, so color temp is key. Thank you.

I think it would probably be great for some photography uses. To the eye the Captor appears almost perfectly without tint but whenever using multiple light sources which incorporate LEDs I'd suggest a slight tint correction may be necessary. See this thread for a good material to provide this correction. Using my Cree ML-B Blackbody demo the Captor almost perfectly matches the 5000K level.

Saabluster are you driving the light any harder ?

No.

Standing on a trail and looking straight across some water to 2 long old buildings (spanning a width of 150 feet with 50 feet between them) that were 410 feet away, I said I could not see them at all until switching on the Captor and then they are dimly lit, but enough so that I could have seen human activity there. I had the advantage of being above the water by about 10 feet so ALL the capabilities of the Captor were available.

At the other location, looking across a field 250 feet wide, my eyes and the light were even with the tops of grasses, so some of the light wasn't getting over to the other side. Even then, large trees beyond the field were reasonably lit. Again I would have been able to see someone walking the trail on the other side of field just in front of trees.

To me, that is very good coverage even if not as bright as a concentrated beam would do. I alluded to the odd sensation of this "wall of light" going so far and then "stopping" I guess you have the same effect with a narrow circular beam and the tunnel vision you get and, at some distance out that view, there is nothing more to see. When the same effect is now with a "wall of light", it seems weirder! Just beyond those buildings in the view over the water, there is nothing more to see anywhere, but it is amazing that both are viewable in the same field of view.

Dave

EDIT: Looking at Michael's post #1 picture and my observations made in #72 and here - they seem to match very closely regarding the "seeing" of the Captor. One poster has already requested beam shots. One needs to realize this light has no real beam. It just lights up uniformly a nearby area.

Very good feedback. Well articulated.

 

[cliwilnew]

I realize this comment may get tomatoes thrown at me (or maybe bacon? ) but I've never been a throw fan. As such, as much as I wanted to buy one of Michael's lights, I just couldn't figure out how I would really use it so I never bought one.

I am a big flood fan, so this new light makes me very happy! I just bought another set of lights, so ideally I'd like to wait a month to buy this one, but I definitely want one!

Michael: are you intending for this to be a regular in-stock light, or is this going to be a limited run?

Michael, I'm also interested in this question. I'm very interested in this light but it would be much better for my personal finances if I could make the purchase later this fall. Do you plan for the REV Captor to have frequent and long-term availability?

 

[saabluster]

Michael, I'm also interested in this question. I'm very interested in this light but it would be much better for my personal finances if I could make the purchase later this fall. Do you plan for the REV Captor to have frequent and long-term availability?

I'd like to say yes but I can't promise it. I do plan for this to be available for as long as I can.

 

[cliwilnew]

I'd like to say yes but I can't promise it. I do plan for this to be available for as long as I can.

Thanks for the quick reply Michael. I'll probably wait for sept/oct and make the purchase then.

 

[sbbsga]

I can't wait to receive mine. It is as exciting as waiting for my DEFT-X. [emoji16]

 

[dlmorgan999]

I'd like to say yes but I can't promise it. I do plan for this to be available for as long as I can.

Yes - thanks for the answer. I should be able to buy mine in July or August!

 

[sbbsga]

Shipping notice received. Thank you, Michael.

 

[jonwkng]

Hi Michael,
Just received my REV-Captor. It definitely does for flooders what the Deft-X did for throwers.
High CRI - ✔
Low Glare - ✔
Soft Shadows -✔
Minimal wait :thumbsup:
You've got a home run, Michael! Way out of the ballpark...

 

[TIkka7mm08]

Hi Michael,
Just received my REV-Captor. It definitely does for flooders what the Deft-X did for throwers.
High CRI - ✔
Low Glare - ✔
Soft Shadows -✔
Minimal wait :thumbsup:
You've got a home run, Michael! Way out of the ballpark...

Agree with the above. Mine made it to New Zealand and required an extra $116 to release from customs

I have the Deft X and 2 Deft EDCs. This is the flood torch I asked Michael for some years ago. A word about Michael - he backs his product up and his customer service is first rate (incidentally something America leads the world in IMHO).

 

[Mr. Tone]

Agree with the above. Mine made it to New Zealand and required an extra $116 to release from customs

I have the Deft X and 2 Deft EDCs. This is the flood torch I asked Michael for some years ago. A word about Michael - he backs his product up and his customer service is first rate (incidentally something America leads the world in IMHO).

Wow, $116 to get out of customs? Man, that is a stiff penalty and very unfortunate for you. On the bright side, pun intended, you have the flood light you have been hoping for

 

[TIkka7mm08]

Yes makes for a more costly end product adding the less favourable (but pretty good right now) exchange rate. I don't know all the technical stuff about torches but I have had different torches over many years and nothing matches what Michael produces (in quality, performance and price!). You get what you pay for and I learnt that first with rifle scopes - that last 10% of performance costs a premium and for me its proved worthwhile.

Hey, I only joined this forum to thank Michael for the Deft-X I bought. I had to return it to him and repaired and sent it back at his cost, it takes time but his word is his guarantee.

 

[yoyoman]

I'm going to the States in August to visit family and friends. Placed my order today. The savings in postage, Swiss Post processing fees and taxes will pay for 6 18650's and an Xtar VP2 (with an extra European plug).

 

[saabluster]

Hi Michael,
Just received my REV-Captor. It definitely does for flooders what the Deft-X did for throwers.
High CRI - ✔
Low Glare - ✔
Soft Shadows -✔
Minimal wait :thumbsup:
You've got a home run, Michael! Way out of the ballpark...

So glad to hear you say that. Your second line was precisely what I was aiming for. I am really eager to get this light into the hands of LEOs as I think this light is perfect for them. Going to be visiting the police station to give them a demo and see what they think. Thanks again for all who have supported.

 

[Abula]

Just wondering to owners, what 18650 you guys are using, seems out of stock on website? im about to buy REV-Captor, but i need batteries and would like to get ones that will fit, charge and work fine on it. Eagletec 18650 3400ma? Onlight? or any other you guys recommend for the REV-Captor?