Basic Newbie Question

[Cream Puff]

Why don't companies make LED lights with adjustable beams like with incandescents? And if they already do, is it possible to focus them as much as with an incan to get super long throw? And if so, then how do you explain incan's supposedly superior throwing abilities?

 

[Marduke]

The short answer is there are focusable LED lights. The long answer is if you want a good beam pattern, you need to choose what you want between flood or throw, or somewhere in between. No setup does both very well, as a given optic has one specific location where the focus is optimized.

 

[Art Vandelay]

Surefire is supposed to be coming out with an LED that is focusable. That will be interesting to see.

 

[ja10]

My understanding is that the problem with focusing an LED is that the actual die is often around 1mm x 1mm and is essentially two dimensional. There is very little thickness. When you try focus on that surface, it will very quickly be out of focus. A bulb, however, has a tall filament which allows different focal lengths to work well.

There are focusable LEDs out there, but an incandescent bulb lends itself better to that task.

 

[Art Vandelay]

Unless you find a new way to do it, a certain Corporation may want a word with you.