Outdoor beam shots and an EX10 mod

[Axion]

After much deliberation I finally bit the bullet and ordered a Nitecore Extreme from 4sevens. Three days later I'm come home from work to find a familiar package and I went outside to take some pictures. Just not before some tinkering! See I also ordered a smooth L2D reflector which I ground down until it had the same outer diameter as the EX10 reflector, so now I have a smooth reflector EX10

So with that out of the way lets get to the beam shots. First up are some indoor shots, all lights were at maximum brightness. Next are outdoor shots, the wall is about 80 feet from the camera. These were done on "night mode" so the pictures make the lights seem brighter then they really are, but the setting (exposure time and aperture) are consistent from shot to shot. Once again, all lights are at maximum brightness.

L2D:

Extreme:

EX10:

EX10 Smooth Reflector:

Now to the outdoor shots.
L2D:

Extreme:

EX10:

EX10 Smooth Reflector:

TK11:

Comments:

In general I am very impressed by the Extreme. It is much smaller then I expected and throws noticeable beter then anything I have besides the TK11 while still maintaining a bright spill. As an added bonus that I wasn't expecting, the cree rings are much less noticeable then they are with my EX10 making the beam quite smooth. The tint is slightly violet compared with my very cool L2D, rather warm TK11, and my EX10 which can seem slightly greenish at times. This slightly violet tint seems to do well with reds and some time I'll try to get a picture that illustrates this.

In real life the L2D doesn't look that bright. These pictures don't seem to show the full difference in throw between the Extreme and the L2D. One thing the L2D does have is a nice, ring free beam. If only it had a better tint.

Once again pics don't seem to show it off as much, but the smooth reflector really seems to help the EX10 throw better without much if any increase in the cree ring which was already rather noticeable on my EX10. In day to day use however the beam is fine.

 

[Axion]

A hundred views and no interest? Are the pictures not working or something?

 

[coyote223]

Pics work. It's hard to tell from the pics, does the Smooth Reflector add anything? Help with the throw?

I think an Extreme is going to be my next light. :twothumbs

 

[Axion]

Pics work. It's hard to tell from the pics, does the Smooth Reflector add anything? Help with the throw?

I think an Extreme is going to be my next light. :twothumbs

Good to know the pics work, I was having some issue with photobucket.

If you can get it so you can see both the pics at the same time I think you'll notice that the spot is a bit brighter with the smooth reflector. That's the way it looks on my monitor, and in person it's quite noticeable.

As for the extreme, yes get one. It is MUCH more pocket-able then i thought it would be and as I said the beam quality is the real surprise. I was expecting a ringy beam like the EX10 and what I got is way smoother. I hardly notice the rings in the beam of the Extreme at all in real usage whereas I'm almost always aware of them (not to say its a big deal with that light either) with the EX10.

 

[TONY M]

Thnks for beamshots Axion.

I see that the throw is a little better but I would not risk doing a mod like this personally as the risk of damaging it is too high relative to the gain in performance but you pulled it off!

 

[phantom23]

So smooth beam from L2D - incredible!!!

 

[BigBluefish]

Nice pics. I think these comparative outdoor beamshots are very useful. I don't find myself needing to use my lights to illuminate white walls!

 

[PaulKersey]

Nice photos! Glad you are liking the EX10. I just picked up a D10 myself to pair with my 6P. I am liking the piston action and small size.

 

[Axion]

Thnks for beamshots Axion.

I see that the throw is a little better but I would not risk doing a mod like this personally as the risk of damaging it is too high relative to the gain in performance but you pulled it off!

The only think I risked damaging is the smooth L2D reflector I bought for $10. Unless you mean that the mere act of opening up an EX10 poses risks. In that case you're right because I did drop my lens putting a small chip in it but I did that a long time ago, well before I though up this idea. Now I'm more careful when I open it up.

And yes the textured L2D Q5 beam is very smooth. I just wish I could have the smoothness of the textured L2D beam with the throw of the smooth reflector.

 

[Rossymeister]

Great Photos!

Does The Smooth Reflector Really Increase The Throw?

 

[Axion]

Yes I'd say the smooth reflector does increase the throw, check out my post about about that.