My budding case of tint snobbery just went into remission!

[ven]

I think semiman made a great point, the cooler tints of today certainly seem better to my eyes than of past years. Maybe better choices, maybe manufacturers have got a little more picky in general........maybe just advancements . Some real nice creamy to pure white tints out there imo.

 

[TEEJ]

The bottom line, IF you use lights to see in the dark, is that you'll see more with more light, and, further, if the light lights things up further away.

LUX on what you're trying to see is what matter's most typically.

The EXCEPTIONS CAN BE where you are NOT night adapted, and/o where you are not trying to see details far away...as far as color rendition.


IE:

When night adapted, you are not seeing in color, and the color rendition is a moot point.

When trying to see distant details, you use your fovea, which has mostly cones, and, horrifically bad low light vision...so you need a LOT more lux to see the same details.


For the same form factor light, and power/runtime, you will simply get more lux on target with a lower CRI light than a higher CRI light, as to MAKE it higher CRI, sacrifices were made in total output.

If night adapted, the CRI is not useful, so why see less to have a tool you don't need?

If you are sorting colored wires in a harness in a crawlspace, you need it bright enough to NOT night adapt...and, higher CRI CAN make that less of a headache...so, that's for example when you'd need THAT tool.


If you don't NEED to see further, and don't need to be night adapted, sure, a stroll through a nice trail with fall colors close enough to see and appreciate is lovely with higher CRI, and so forth.


It depends on what tool is right for the job.

 

[Nicrod]

Holy cow! This is a popular subject. 43 responses in 1 day of a new thread!

I have a new found love for cool white tint. I found it with the Haiku XML. I picked up the light on the sole basis of it having a BeadBlasted finish. After having it in my pocket since it's arrival. I've been forced to give it a chance, and
what do ya know, it's actually starting to grow on me. I still prefer warm to neutral tints any day of the week.

But lately I'm finding myself not as opposed to using the CW tinted lights, as I once was.
Strange how things turnout :thinking:

 

[recDNA]

When I buy throwers like the Predator I go with cool white for maximum lux. When I buy a floody light I will use primarily indoors or at very short distances outside I go with Hi CRI to see colors accurately. I'm not a nature lover so I don't care if the roses or bluebells reflect the perfect shade but I do like to see the colors in my home as they should look. When outdoors I just want to SEE. The brighter the better. I do not want to depend on dark adapted vision because frankly I can't even see my keys in the dark. Maybe my poor night vision drew me to flashlights as a kid?

 

[GearHunter]

Holy cow! This is a popular subject. 43 responses in 1 day of a new thread!

I have a new found love for cool white tint. I found it with the Haiku XML. I picked up the light on the sole basis of it having a BeadBlasted finish. After having it in my pocket since it's arrival. I've been forced to give it a chance, and
what do ya know, it's actually starting to grow on me. I still prefer warm to neutral tints any day of the week.

But lately I'm finding myself not as opposed to using the CW tinted lights, as I once was.
Strange how things turnout :thinking:

Hi Nick, like you I was/am amazed at how popular this discussion has been. To be honest also how overwhelmingly positive the replies have been as well. I have expected cries of " heresy" and " burn the witch".
It is funny how things turn out. I had never had anything but cw before my first HDS and the colors just blew me away and I guess I got all caught up in the difference that made. I guess you could say I also " drank a bit of the kool-aide" as I starting hanging out here and talking to some of you awesome folks, some of which are self described tint snobs and even at my age kinda wanted to fit in with the cool kids! But the more I've learned the more I guess I've opened up to the whole light world not just the little corner I live in.
I thank you all for the non judgmental way you fine people show us noobs the way but let us take the trip ourselves.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Well Said. It is good to see a civil discussion. I too have been content now with the (admittedly better these days) coolish tints on lights that cost about $20 stock but sell for $100 or more to go custom built with a nice tint. But I disagree that a cool tint is going to be significantly brighter than a 'white is actually white' emitter, and the question of fully night-adapted eyes somehow would not benefit from a 5000K light. Inevitably a task will need to be brighter to see something and color vision will activate in optic-typical individuals.

Hi Nick, like you I was/am amazed at how popular this discussion has been. To be honest also how overwhelmingly positive the replies have been as well. I have expected cries of " heresy" and " burn the witch".
It is funny how things turn out. I had never had anything but cw before my first HDS and the colors just blew me away and I guess I got all caught up in the difference that made. I guess you could say I also " drank a bit of the kool-aide" as I starting hanging out here and talking to some of you awesome folks, some of which are self described tint snobs and even at my age kinda wanted to fit in with the cool kids! But the more I've learned the more I guess I've opened up to the whole light world not just the little corner I live in.
I thank you all for the non judgmental way you fine people show us noobs the way but let us take the trip ourselves.

 

[ven]

I think its how discussions are put across too, a lot can be lost in translation so to speak. There is no pushing X tint, just reasons why its grown or a preferred one,be it warm,neutral or cool. No one can really argue if someone says they prefer ***** tint over ***** as its all subjective.

Still its good to have variety and thanks to CPF i do have a few flavours,liked at different levels for different uses.

Still one of my fav leds today are the mtg2 5000k for a mix of flood/throw in a cooler side of neutral.
Now with MKR's and xhp70's, i am in my element The other night with the CW tn36vn with MKR's still had great colour rendition in the flood for my eyes,not sure on the K but guess 6000 ish. A bonus too with CW flood type, no concentrated hot spot to wash out any colours...........

MKR x3 flood, the path looks like the path actually does ,the greens are acceptable without being exaggerated(phone colour thats picked up imo is fairly accurate to what i see)


TOOLvn 5000k xpg2


Cool xhp70's x4, can see colours in the distance and not fresh paint colours too,would not say faded but sun weathered.


Again xhp70's


mtg2 of the tn35vn


And imo too cool white of the olight sr51,grass has that "ghostly" colour..........or lack of!


Final pic of the ec32vn with an xpg2 5000k de-dome


So i guess 5-6k is my kind o tint

 

[herman30]

How about this for tint; I have a green filter for my fenix TK22 and in my oppinion that is a perfect colour of light when walking through the woods. The green light let me better see contours of the ground and a better sence of depth and distans than white light. Also the eye is most sensitive to green light.

 

[more_vampires]

How about this for tint; I have a green filter for my fenix TK22 and in my oppinion that is a perfect colour of light when walking through the woods. The green light let me better see contours of the ground and a better sence of depth and distans than white light. Also the eye is most sensitive to green light.

Oh yes, green light guy here. Eagletac Color for less than 50 yds in the woods, set for green. AT Predator Green for rifle light. I love my greenies!

Also, on the topic of tint tint tint, we aren't limited to just one light or even just one tint in one light.

Examples:
Imalent with variable color temp.
Sunwayman C22c, cooler on the main and warmer on the floody side emitter.

That said, I've got a few tint oddities. Vinh handed me a Fenix LD50vn Fiat Lux with 4000k emitters that were then dedomed. Yes, a rare beast: an extremely warm thrower. Compared to my other lights, it's almost BROWN! Well, except my 4000k vinh triple mule that was dedomed. Somehow, that one ended up even warmer than the LD50vn FL.

When I hear the word "cool" to describe tint, I can't help but remember those ugly blue/purple garbage emitters. It's something lodged in my brain.

If somone could invent an emitter so warm it was actually brown, then I'd be all over it. I can't seem to get an emitter warm enough. Dedome a 4000k, bare minimum.

 

[twistedraven]

W.r.t. artificial illumination, your eye does perceive 4000K as the closest to "white" which likely is one of the reasons why it is so liked.

Definitely not true for me. With no preconceived color bias (in other words, getting acquainted to a purely black room with no light, then turning x light on), I find 4000k to look yellowish/tan. 5000k to 5500k looks pure white to me.

This wikipedia image has been the truest to what I've seen when it comes to color temperature. (Granted, this is natural light, and leds have a chunk of their cyans missing.)

 

[KeepingItLight]

It's a Nomenclature that originated from Philips Lumileds when they first released LEDs in about the 4000K color temp range targeted at automotive.

Household lights are designated, again marketing, as warm, daylight and "bright". Neutral was not a lighting term. Philips Lumileds appears to have the first usage of this for their LEDs and it stuck with flashlight people who bought LEDs but did not know where the term came from.

Thanks for this. It's nice to know the history. I come from the world of photography, where 5000-5600K is termed neutral. I was only surmising—incorrectly, it turns out—that 4000K was called neutral to distinguish it from the 2750K of tungsten bulbs. I still think of 4000K as warm.

Definitely not true for me. With no preconceived color bias (in other words, getting acquainted to a purely black room with no light, then turning x light on), I find 4000k to look yellowish/tan. 5000k to 5500k looks pure white to me.

Me, too! Thanks for the pic from Wikipedia. 5000K is just about right for me.

Edit: Although I like 5000K, I have not tried to test in the manner you describe.

 

[SemiMan]

Definitely not true for me. With no preconceived color bias (in other words, getting acquainted to a purely black room with no light, then turning x light on), I find 4000k to look yellowish/tan. 5000k to 5500k looks pure white to me.

This wikipedia image has been the truest to what I've seen when it comes to color temperature. (Granted, this is natural light, and leds have a chunk of their cyans missing.)

Turning a light on and then making a decision would not be the way to go. You need to adapt for as while .... Most normal situation.

Perhaps you have pointed out a key point of tint preference ... Dark adaption time?


Posted by really crappy Tapatalk app that is questionable wrt respect of personal data.

 

[SemiMan]

Oh yes, green light guy here. Eagletac Color for less than 50 yds in the woods, set for green. AT Predator Green for rifle light. I love my greenies!

Also, on the topic of tint tint tint, we aren't limited to just one light or even just one tint in one light.

Examples:
Imalent with variable color temp.
Sunwayman C22c, cooler on the main and warmer on the floody side emitter.

That said, I've got a few tint oddities. Vinh handed me a Fenix LD50vn Fiat Lux with 4000k emitters that were then dedomed. Yes, a rare beast: an extremely warm thrower. Compared to my other lights, it's almost BROWN! Well, except my 4000k vinh triple mule that was dedomed. Somehow, that one ended up even warmer than the LD50vn FL.

When I hear the word "cool" to describe tint, I can't help but remember those ugly blue/purple garbage emitters. It's something lodged in my brain.

If somone could invent an emitter so warm it was actually brown, then I'd be all over it. I can't seem to get an emitter warm enough. Dedome a 4000k, bare minimum.

2200k luxeons are in high power flashlight friendly packages.

Posted by really crappy Tapatalk app that is questionable wrt respect of personal data.

 

[GearHunter]

I think its how discussions are put across too, a lot can be lost in translation so to speak. There is no pushing X tint, just reasons why its grown or a preferred one,be it warm,neutral or cool. No one can really argue if someone says they prefer ***** tint over ***** as its all subjective.

Still its good to have variety and thanks to CPF i do have a few flavours,liked at different levels for different uses.

Still one of my fav leds today are the mtg2 5000k for a mix of flood/throw in a cooler side of neutral.
Now with MKR's and xhp70's, i am in my element The other night with the CW tn36vn with MKR's still had great colour rendition in the flood for my eyes,not sure on the K but guess 6000 ish. A bonus too with CW flood type, no concentrated hot spot to wash out any colours...........



So i guess 5-6k is my kind o tint

Thank you for the great pic! Judging by them it appears that we share a taste in tints. The HDS 250 is marketed as 6200k but I've no idea of its tint bin, I think that's where I'll start refining line up. I'll be leaving my 4400k hi cri alone for now as its beam and tint I find perfect in the house and for taking my dogs into the yard at night as its anything but harsh. I'm guessing I'll end up with a 5000-6000 xp-l for my EDC light and a 250 xp-g2 as my backup/bag light.
Once that's done I think I'll be exploring some of the amazing lights I read about around these parts because I'm pretty sure ( and so is my family) that I'm hooked.

 

[KeepingItLight]

It is fascinating to read some of the cool-white fans in this thread describe 5000K as being "cool" or "on the cool side of neutral."

Whatever you call it, it's what we both like.

 

[recDNA]

Hey Ven. I love the beam of that SR51. You hate it. Sell it cheap. Better yet just send it to me for free! LOL

 

[recDNA]

It is fascinating to read some of the cool-white fans in this thread describe 5000K as being "cool" or "on the cool side of neutral."

Whatever you call it, it's what we both like.

Again we agree. Scary.

 

[petrochemicals]

This thread goes to show that there is some distance to go.

On a camp site one man lost his wedding ring in normal gold colour. Warm leds are fine, but trying to look for a gold wedding ring in the grass, with a warm light seems not to work, where as brass and gold are very apparent to white leds. As someone said there is a sizeable chunk of light missing from leds!

 

[Tixx]

Stock Olight S1 (more blue than beam shows in pic, but look at table reflections)
5000k
4000k
2900k high CRI

 

[GearHunter]

Stock Olight S1 (more blue than beam shows in pic, but look at table reflections)
5000k
4000k
2900k high CRI

if I use your pics as a guide then that 5000k is as warm as I want to go but the S1 is the other extreme and maybe outside my zone.