6P or E2e

[silvalis]

Hi. I'm new to this world of compact lights and am about to purchase my first serious light.

I'd like opinions on the SF 6P (+ kl3) vs the E2e (+ mn02).
I'm looking for something that will give me a good bright beam (I do some amateur photography and need a decent light) and also a fairly long runtime.
How long will the xenon bulbs retain their full brightness before they start to go dim from battery rundown? The marketing material say 1 hr (p60)/75 mins (mn03)/2.5hrs(mn02) of useful light.
How bright (relatively) is the useful light compared to full brightness? How long can I expect the xenon bulbs lifetime to be before it blows?

Obviously the KL3 LED head would be better for run time, but I'm not too keen on the blue tinge the white LEDs give (ditto with KL1).

(This might be the wrong section for this bit)
Are there any replacement LED heads (custom ones eve) with a reasonable price tag that don't have the blue tinge (pure white) and have a similar runtime to the KL3/1?

I'm leaning towards the E2e at the moment, due to the size, lower power xenon bulb and custom parts I've seen available. However, cost is a factor and where I am (Australia), the E2e is severely overpriced.

Any advice?

 

[daloosh]

Hey silvalis, welcome to CPF and why dontcha stay awhile!

I like the E2e more for the compact size and flexible interchangeable parts. The 6P is a tried and true lite, but certainly bulkier, not sleek.

However, both have limited runtime, just comes with being bright and incandescent. So yes, you'll get much better battery life with an LED. If you shoot digital, you could correct for the tint in camera, or in computer. If you shoot RAW files, changing the white balance is quite easy.

LEDs last relatively forever, xenon is much more finicky. You drop it once, and that may be it for that $15US lamp. On the other hand, I have Surefires I have dropped that I've never changed the lamp in. It's a crap shoot.

If you want longer runtime with the MN02, you could consider the E2o, the outdoorsman. It has the MN02 lamp and a longer pocket clip, which some prefer. Can't go wrong with either!

You might want to talk to lightemup here at CPF, he's down under and loves Surefires. That M6 of his is BRIGHT!

welcome again,
daloosh

 

[KevinL]

6P or E2e.. the two quintessential Surefires, but they are also from two very different families.

The essence of the Surefire is the modular system, and which one you buy determines which system you buy into and what options are available for the lights.

For a longer discussion, see item #61 in the MicroFAQ.

In a nutshell, get the E series if you want the smallest size possible or the C-series if you want as many options as possible.

 

[FNG]

I would get the E2e for the size alone. What type of photography will you be doing?

 

[silvalis]

This is mostly for event lighting - poor venue means I can't effectively bounce a diffused flash easily. A flashlight is a fair bit cheaper than a slave flash :P
As for LEDs, the more diffuse light is nicer, but if the light is tinged a certain colour, it tends to wreak havoc on the subject's skin colour - if i adjust for the subject, the background goes out of whack and so forth. That being said, I don't really mind, as long as the led doesn't overpower the colour's saturation.

I think i've mostly made up my mind for the E2e and maybe, eventually, a KL1.

 

[pjandyho]

silvalis, that is a good choice. I am a photographer too and I carry my KL1 either on an E1e or E2e body. Both are lovely but I have never really used them for photo shoot because although they are bright enough, they are never bright enough to light your subjects so as to shoot in a faster shutter speed. Since you said you are using it for event shoot I figure you would not be carrying a tripod as speed is more important. In hand held photography this might pose a problem.

 

[FNG]

What kind of camera do you own? Im sure you can buy a generic slave flash for as much as an E2e. For my Canon G2, instead of getting the Canon EX flash for $175 (i think thats how much they go for), I got a Sunpak 383 Super for $40 off ebay. Works nice but doesnt have all the auto settings that I would get with the Canon flash.

Well, get the E2e-HA anyway if you decide to get a flash for the camera.

 

[BBL]

I dont think any flashlight comes close to a flash regarding brightness.
But i may be wrong. If someone has already tried it, please report.

 

[Lexus]

silvalis, how about a L4 or a Kl4 if you go the E2e route? This 5w LED light gives you a bright wall of light with a diffuse hotspot. As there is no bulb to break and luxeons are whiter than incans and not so blue as nichias, maybe this light suits your needs.

EDIT: Oh, and welcome to CPF /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink2.gif

 

[357]

E2E, due to size:brightness ratio (using 60 lumen lamp), and stronger finish option -- HA 3.

 

[silvalis]

Thanks for the welcome! I think i'm starting to want a light for fun now, rather than any actual reason!

The venue is rather big with lots of people, so using a corded slave flash is a bit troublesome. If i did get a 2nd slave flash (already have one on camera, the slave is off camera) I'd be paying a fair bit more than I'd want to. The flashlight would be to give a directional lighting and lessen the burden of the on camera flash being the main light source -stops people from getting that rabbit-in-headlights look.

The KL4/L4 is a bit more than I want to spend at the moment, but yes, maybe.

The other option I have available is a Pila GL2. I've only managed to find 1 review on that so far, but it seems ok. A fair bit cheaper than an e2e, about on par with the 6P. Brighter than a 6p/e2e with 4 LEDs in the tailcap. Unfortunately the led end doesn't seem too terrific. Has anyone sucessfully modded these yet?

 

[pjandyho]

silvalis,

why not try the Sunpak wireless slave flash? They are definitely a lot cheaper than buying a flashlight.

 

[flashfan]

I like the E2e because of size, but keep in mind that the 6P also has a brighter, 120-lumen high output lamp (20-minute run time). And for a more diffuse beam, don't forget to get the beam shaper.