aspheric setup: neutral or cold white?

[Nos]

Hi guys, im one of the guys who fall from high flux cold white emitters to neutral/warm with less output on edc and throwers.

Now the big question, has someone ever tried a Q3/3A VS a R2/WD or WH in a aspheric setup? Which do you like better and why?

 

[Sgt. LED]

I like the warmer tints for everything EXCEPT aspherical mods.

The whole point of an aspheric is to get 100% MAX throw so why handicap yourself for a better tint that the lens usually ruins anyway.

Yep a Q3 5A shooting thru an asphere lens makes it look cooler than it really is most of the time in my experience.

 

[tx101]

so why handicap yourself for a better tint that the lens usually ruins anyway.

+1

kinda defeats the purpose of an aspheric light if you use it to white wall hunt

 

[Daekar]

That's interesting, I would have thought that the warmer color would be at the most important in a throw-light, since you need to maximize the benefit of every single photon that reaches your eyes. Does a lens typically distort the color that much? I've never experimented with lenses + warm-whites... I'll have to try it a little tonight.

I like warm-white emitters not for white-walling, (I actually prefer cool-whites for that) but for actually distinguishing between objects in a chaotic outdoor setting. I never thought about it, but I'm surprised that some of the CPF members that specialize in throwy lights haven't modded a few heavily-driven XR-Es with Q3-5As. At least for those whose eyes react to light similarly to mine, it would make them more useful in real life.

 

[Sgt. LED]

Can't drive the neutral bins as hard.

One day we will be able to but not yet.

 

[Daekar]

Can't drive the neutral bins as hard.

One day we will be able to but not yet.

Oooh, yes, I forgot that! Good point, better off not frying emitters. :huh:

 

[2xTrinity]

That's interesting, I would have thought that the warmer color would be at the most important in a throw-light, since you need to maximize the benefit of every single photon that reaches your eyes. Does a lens typically distort the color that much? I've never experimented with lenses + warm-whites... I'll have to try it a little tonight.

I like warm-white emitters not for white-walling, (I actually prefer cool-whites for that) but for actually distinguishing between objects in a chaotic outdoor setting. I never thought about it, but I'm surprised that some of the CPF members that specialize in throwy lights haven't modded a few heavily-driven XR-Es with Q3-5As. At least for those whose eyes react to light similarly to mine, it would make them more useful in real life.

There is chromatic aberration, or a blue "fringe" surrounding the edge of the beam, but other than that, the lens doesn't really "distort" the color at all.

The difference is that for most white LEDs, light that is emitted directly "out the front" tends to pass through a narrower layer of phosphor, thus is slightly cooler. Light that is emitted toward the edges will pass through a thicker layer of phosphor, and willl thus be warmer. For a device utilizing a warm white LED, which tends to have a thicker layer of phosphor anyway, this difference in tint between the direct beam, and the lateral beam will be more pronounced. So yes, light that is captured using aspheric will tend to be "cooler". That's not really "distortion" do to the lens, just the nature of the LED devices.

Actually right now, one of my most used lights is a 5a MC-E in a Aspheric mag. I actually greatly prefer the neutral over the cool in the throwing lights for the reason that you mention -- it is using a light outdoors, whiere most objects tend to reflect little in the blue, and more in the green and red, where the benefit of having the neutral tint is more greatly apprecited. This has nothign to do with "white wall hunting", in fact, quite the contrary. The cool white aspherics tend to look nicer on a white wall, the neutral white aspherics tend to look the best for actual use.

 

[Nos]

hmmmm interesting.
so if i want to use my light outdoors i should better use a neutral or warmwhite emitter at a lower current?! :thinking:

btw, i had a K bin 7A MC-E aspheric....that was pretty nice at 1A per die, but the 1,4A R2 WH did throw better.....if i remember correcty