How warm is Cree Q3-5A and do you like lights with warm tints?

[tk40]

http://www.cree.com/Products/pdf/XLamp7090XR-E_B&L.pdf

On Page 13, the specs mention it being 4000k in temperature. How does this compare to say a maglite in tint? Also, an overwhelming number of LED flashlights have bright white emitters, as opposed to old fashioned incandescent ones which were popular in warm/yellow tints. Is it a popularity issue or a technology issue? (Reason I'm asking these question is, I just bought a Jet I Pro w/IBS V3 with Cree Q3-5A, and I'm not sure how bright it must be or if I should expect something drastically different from what I already have)

 

[Burgess]

Search is yer' friend. :candle:


Must be a DOZEN threads about this.


Seek, and ye' will find.


:whistle:
_

 

[GLOCK18]

It is a very warm LED, close to incandescent as for how bright it should be it depends on how hard it is driven, I have to light with this LED on has a single Led driven at three level up to 1.8 amps, also have a light with 3 of these leds driven at 2.8 extremely bright not as warm when driven this hard
.

 

[tk40]

It is a very warm LED, close to incandescent as for how bright it should be it depends on how hard it is driven, I have to light with this LED on has a single Led driven at three level up to 1.8 amps, also have a light with 3 of these leds driven at 2.8 extremely bright not as warm when driven this hard
.

So you like warm tints? If its close to maglite, I must say I prefer something slightly cooler :( :drool:

Search is yer' friend. :candle:


Must be a DOZEN threads about this.


Seek, and ye' will find.


:whistle:
_

Actually I did, but many of these threads are somewhat old, and I thought bumping old threads would be impolite (considering I was chastised for my very first post on CPF) :thumbsup: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=227176

 

[sol-leks]

I have a rc-c6 with one of these and now that I've spent some time with it I really appreciate it.

 

[BigBluefish]

I have a Quark Cr123 and two NiteCore EZs, an AA and a CR2 with warm tint emitters, perhaps Q3-5As. They are much closer to the tints of my incan Surefire E1 and E2s, and I greatly prefer these emitters to the "standard" cool white emitters (and somewhat bluish emitters) on my other LED lights. The color rendition seems more "natural" to me with the warmer tints, and they don't make illumated objects appear quite as "flat" as the bright white emitters, if that makes any sense.

So yes, I like the warm white emitters, and I plan to purchase lights from now on only with warm white emitters (though that won't be possible with every light, yet.)

 

[kramer5150]

For the first part of your question. From left to right...
1) Q5-WC at 1.4A, P60 DIY, this light has been measure at 208L in two different calibrated integration spheres
2) Unknown XRE-Q5, which is spec'd as a WC tint
3) DX:12501, Q2-5A, in a SF-M2 host, This light was recently measured at 170L in Bigchelis' sphere
3) DX:3218, Xenon P60

Left - DX:12501, Q2-5A, in a SF-M2 host
Right - DX:3218, Xenon P60

For the second part, "Do I like?".
I would be willing to pay, maybe 10% more for a warm tinted version. As far as Cree emitters go, there is no difference in CRI between the various tint BINs, and none of them come close to an incan LA. If they could ever get LED CRI to match incan, I would pay more for them as a whole. There are high CRI emitters from other brands, but they seem to be marketed as boutique tools and are priced to the stars and back... when a trip to the moon is all I need.

I'll post up some outdoor pics later tonight....

 

[tk40]

For the second part, "Do I like?".
I would be willing to pay, maybe 10% more for a warm tinted version. As far as Cree emitters go, there is no difference in CRI between the various tint BINs, and none of them come close to an incan LA. If they could ever get LED CRI to match incan, I would pay more for them as a whole. There are high CRI emitters from other brands, but they seem to be marketed as boutique tools and are priced to the stars and back... when a trip to the moon is all I need.

I'll post up some outdoor pics later tonight....

Thank you so much. This was really helpful as I was . From what I see, I like the warmer tints quite well now...I imagine when my light arrives I should be able to put up some comparisons as well. (I have 2 white cree lights to compare against).

 

[GLOCK18]

So you like warm tints? If its close to maglite, I must say I prefer something slightly cooler :( :drool:

I do prefer warm tint, my favorite LED is the Q3-5A my least favorite is the P7 just to cool and un-natural, I have a sceptre from mac with 7 Q5 led and a red center led one of the best light of my collection. Its close to the maglite but since it is much brighter it doesnt seems as warm.

 

[jblackwood]

If they could ever get LED CRI to match incan, I would pay more for them as a whole. There are high CRI emitters from other brands, but they seem to be marketed as boutique tools and are priced to the stars and back... when a trip to the moon is all I need.

I like McGizmo lights a lot but they are expensive. A high CRI Ra Clicky will run you around $150 depending on where it's shipped. It's "only" 100 lumens on burst, but it's got an even higher CRI than the Sundrop XR-U, not to mention . . . IT'S AN RA!!!! :poke::D

 

[tk40]

I like McGizmo lights a lot but they are expensive. A high CRI Ra Clicky will run you around $150 depending on where it's shipped. It's "only" 100 lumens on burst, but it's got an even higher CRI than the Sundrop XR-U, not to mention . . . IT'S AN RA!!!! :poke::D

Ahhh, I'll buy it...which one should I look for? Ra Clicky?!

EDIT: I just checked their website...the only thing I find annoying is that it doesn't use AA batteries. CR123 is usually a deal breaker for me, every electronic gadget I have (cameras, GPS etc.) all take AA so I'd like to keep that standard.....oh Ra.

 

[tk40]

I just found a thread that sort of "shows" off CRI examples: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=239966

 

[jblackwood]

Just one warning about McGizmo's lights (they all run off of CR123's too, but you CAN get a 2xAA barrel for it or just order the Sundrop with a 2xAA barrel!), once you get one, you'll want more. It's a sickness and even I jumped into it by buying two lights my first (and only, for now) time. I'm itching to get a Sundrop and a Haiku!!!

If you're ok getting the more expensive Sundrop and still want the AA option, that's your best route (it's really worth the money and you'll NEVER regret it!), just order it with the 2xAA barrel, the ordering info is on the thread.

EDIT: Just noticed the link you had didn't show that there's a AA option for the Sundrop. Here's the sales link. I think it's about $40 more, but that's not bad at all considering you're talking titanium. Your other lights will wonder where you went, you'll use this one that much!

 

[recDNA]

I do not like warm tints but occasionally they are useful.

 

[bodhran]

After reading about many folks here loving their warm tinted lights I broke down and bought one myself. At first I wasn't too sure if I liked it or not, but after giving it a chance, I found that it does have it's place. If you've never tried one, give it a shot.:)

 

[Owen]

As far as Cree emitters go, there is no difference in CRI between the various tint BINs

Which, along with the fact that there are huge variations between incans with the same value, should make it plain to more people that CRI is a misnomer, and completely meaningless in any practical sense.


I like 5A. It's not going to render colors perfectly, and nothing else does either, but it's pleasing to the eye, and unless you get one that leans too far toward red, it's a pleasant tint to use, since it separates most natural colors pretty well, and presents what I think of as a "lively image" compared to most incans, or LEDs. I like 5B, too, and there are bins that I imagine will be better, but haven't actually seen offered yet.
You've got to remember that tint is by definition a variation, so there's not going to be a "perfect" bin.