Outdoor Shootout (100',300') - Sniper, Olight T10/20, C2, NitCore, DBS, Tiablo, more.

[RichS]

I took a trip to Brown County, Indiana last week and thought it would be a good place to do some beamshot comparisons between the various pocketable/holster lights I have. Some are incandescent, and some are LED, so I thought it would also be a good chance to see how each performed in this particular outdoor setting with snow on the ground.

The first shots are at 100 ft, and the second range is 300 ft. I also took some other shots with my bigger lights (HID, M6, Mag85, etc.) at 450 and 600 feet which I'll be posting later.

My camera is a Fujifilm F30 with the following settings, which get the beamshots very close to what I saw with my eyes:
- ISO 200
- 2 second exposure
- F2.8
- White balance set to daylight

Here is the line-up (all have new primaries or fully charged li-ions):

- Stock Mag 2D (not pictured)
- DBS 3SD Q5 SMO (18650)
- Tiablo A8SE Q5 SMO (18650)
- SL TL-3 Carly 1499 (2x17500)
- Surefire C2 w/ LF HO-9 (2xRCR123)
- Wolf-Eyes Sniper Q2 (for some reason my WE Q2 pill is brighter than my WE Q5, so I used the Q2 for the beamshots instead) (18650)
- Olight T20 Q5 (2xCR123)
- Fenix P3D RB 100 (2xCR123)
- NiteCore DI (1x14500)
- Olight T10 Q5 (1xCR123)

I ordered the beamshots in order of perceived performance from lowest to hightest instead of the order of this list.

Here is a shot of the target (roof) in daylight and a control shot showing level of darkness when I took the beamshots.

100 Ft Shots

Daylight

Control shot

Stock Mag 2D

NiteCore DI

Olight T10

Olight T20

WE Sniper Q2

Fenix P3D RB100

Surefire C2 HO-9

Tiablo A8 Q5

DBS 3SD SMO

Streamlight TL-3

Surefire M6 (Just for fun..):devil:

300 FT Beamshots

Daylight Shot of target (roof)

Control Shot

NiteCore DI

Olight T10

Sniper Q2

Fenix P3D RB 100

Surefire C2 HO-9

Streamlight TL-3 Carly 1499

DBS 3SD

Tiablo A8 Q5

Boxer 24W (just for fun):devil:

My conclusions - I found that I lean in preference to my incandescent lights in the shorter distances for how they illuminate a larger area with high contrast. But at longer distances like 300 ft, even the higher power incandescents like the Carly 1499 Streamlight and C2 w/ HO-9 dissipate quickly compared to the LED throwers. I'm sure a lot of that is due to SMO vs. MOP reflectors. At and beyond 300 ft I prefer my LED throwers or really BIG incans like my M6, Mag85, Boxer, etc.

I was also suprised to see the Tiablo and DBS so close in output at 300 ft. I actually gave the edge to the Tiablo for matching the intensity at that distance while providing a much larger spill.

Hope you found these interesting, I know I had a blast getting to put some of these lights to the test on my trip to Brown Co.

- Rich

 

[Relojero]

GREAT Job! Thanks so much! :twothumbs

 

[I came to the light...]

Thanks a ton for the comparisons!

In the labels for the beamshots, don't you mean Sniper Q5?

I'm kind of disappointed in the DBS... but then again, I'm pretty close to being able to build a custom DBS pill, which should throw ~1.2-1.5x as well :devil: And it makes me look forward to my Olight T10 2008 ed. even more

 

[cqbdude]

great beamshots..

Thanks you for posting them....

 

[spoonrobot]

Thanks for taking the time to put these together! I love seeing well-documented shots like this.

 

[Wattnot]

VERY nice work. I can see by the footprints that you put a lot of effort into this!! NICE run of top contender lights too. I'm reading about all of these.

The award for the most impressive output considering it's size should go to the P3D. It held it's own, even at 300 feet!

That A8 was a kick too! That was on an 18650, right?

Again, nice work! Thanks!

 

[matrixshaman]

Great work Rich! One of the best outdoor setups I've seen for beam comparisons - having the snow adds to the ease of seeing the beam patterns too. I really like that the tiniest (Olight T10) light of the bunch held it's own and even could hit the building at 300 feet! I like that color and path your Boxer cuts too - very nice! That is some interesting points about the LED throwers. My older Lux III Gladius is a real thrower even at 80 Lumens. I think I'm going to have to check into some of the newer throw monster LED units like Tiablo and such. I do have one LED module in a SF 6P that really gets some distance but I'll bet the bigger reflectors like Tiablo and some similar lights have would really push the photons out there farther

 

[BMF]

Nice shots!

About the HO-9, is it from Lumens Factory? What kind of batteries did you use? I got one from Lumens Factory rated at 320 lumens but running 2 x 3.6v RCR123A and look pretty bright compared to my Tiablo A9. But in your shots it doesn't look that good. Any chance you can run HO-9 with 3 primary CR123A? I don't have any light taking 3 of them, only 2 using my Surefire 6P. I also have EO-9 rated 380 lumens but it's not that much brighter when using 2 x RCR123A. I think I need to buy a 9P.

 

[StefanFS]

Very nice,
I get similar results with the various led throwers like the Tiablos/DBS/Spear etc. It's difficult to see that much of a difference in throw, the real difference is the spill area and spill intensity. The Tiablo A8 is still a very nice light, I have a FluPIC and a better switch in mine.
Stefan

 

[jdong]

Very nice. I was too very impressed that the OLight T10 was able to compete with the others in your arsenal.

I also liked the tint in the P3D Rebel. I think it helps increase visibility a bit, even though it might not look as "cool, that's an LED" blue-white.

 

[selfbuilt]

:kewlpics:

Thanks for the beamshots! Nice to see all the comparisons, including the incans.

I agree with Stefan - at long distances, there's little to differentiate the various LED throwers. It's only at the short and intermediate distances that spill differences are noticeable.

 

[LED_Thrift]

Great review and pictures, thanks so much for the effort and good explanation.
That case you have to carry those lights is very nice, and the cabin setting looks like a beautiful place to spend time.

 

[Strauss]

Very nice pictures! I love beamshot threads! :twothumbs

 

[meuge]

I gotta tell you, I am very impressed with the Fenix P3D-R100 at 200'... it appears as if the great warm tint of this LED really adds to the ability to distinguish detail in the darkness, so even though its spot isn't the brightest, it seemed to have the most usable beam of all the LEDs at that distance.

 

[T4R06]

oh man, im thinking buying A8 now....
outstanding shots by the way

 

[Patriot]

Great comparison shots! They reminded me of StefanFS's shots. I was disappointed with the DBS in these shots. The Tiablo looked great though.

 

[RichS]

I appreciate all the kind words. It took a little bit of prep work to get the distances marked, etc. as you can see from all the back and forth footprints in the snow as Wattnot pointed out, (made easier thanks to help from Tim, my brother-in-law), but I was really happy I got some useful and interesting comparisons out of it.

Thanks a ton for the comparisons!

In the labels for the beamshots, don't you mean Sniper Q5?

I'm kind of disappointed in the DBS... but then again, I'm pretty close to being able to build a custom DBS pill, which should throw ~1.2-1.5x as well :devil: And it makes me look forward to my Olight T10 2008 ed. even more

Nope - I was using the Q2 in the Sniper. I have the Q5 module, but it is noticeably less bright than my Q2, so I used the Q2 instead. I'm not sure if I have a bad Q5, or a better than spec Q2. It has a brighter hotspot with just as bright of side-spill. :shrug:

Being honest, I have always thought that the DBS was noticeably stronger, but until I did a true distance test like this I didn't have a good reference for comparison. I was surprised, but it's clear to me now that the DBS does not beat the Tiablo in real life use. I still love my DBS though..:twothumbs

VERY nice work. I can see by the footprints that you put a lot of effort into this!! NICE run of top contender lights too. I'm reading about all of these.

The award for the most impressive output considering it's size should go to the P3D. It held it's own, even at 300 feet!

That A8 was a kick too! That was on an 18650, right?

Again, nice work! Thanks!

Thanks Wattnot. The Fenix was my first real light I purchased after stumbling onto this forum and learned about their lights. I was impressed with it then, and even with all the crazy nice lights out there it still impresses me, especially for the value for what you get in a Fenix. One of the things I like the best about the Fenix I have is the Rebel which just gives a nice warm beam for clarity/contrast. I really can tell the difference when using it. The A8 is running on an 18650, and is also impressive in my opinion. I went ahead and updated my original post with batteries used, thanks.

Great work Rich! One of the best outdoor setups I've seen for beam comparisons - having the snow adds to the ease of seeing the beam patterns too. I really like that the tiniest (Olight T10) light of the bunch held it's own and even could hit the building at 300 feet! I like that color and path your Boxer cuts too - very nice! That is some interesting points about the LED throwers. My older Lux III Gladius is a real thrower even at 80 Lumens. I think I'm going to have to check into some of the newer throw monster LED units like Tiablo and such. I do have one LED module in a SF 6P that really gets some distance but I'll bet the bigger reflectors like Tiablo and some similar lights have would really push the photons out there farther

I appreciate that matrixshaman. I also thought the snow would add to this comparison, and it seemed to work out pretty well in the shots. I too have yet to see a one cell light beat the punch of the little Olight T10. It's a crazy little light. I only wish I had the 2008 version that looks much less slick and nicer to hold. Well, it looks like mine's up for sale!:naughty:

Nice shots!

About the HO-9, is it from Lumens Factory? What kind of batteries did you use? I got one from Lumens Factory rated at 320 lumens but running 2 x 3.6v RCR123A and look pretty bright compared to my Tiablo A9. But in your shots it doesn't look that good. Any chance you can run HO-9 with 3 primary CR123A? I don't have any light taking 3 of them, only 2 using my Surefire 6P. I also have EO-9 rated 380 lumens but it's not that much brighter when using 2 x RCR123A. I think I need to buy a 9P.

Yep - my HO-9 is the same 320 lumens module from Lumens Factory that you have, and I am running on it 2x AW 3.7v RCR123 cells. It seems ok to me at shorter distances, but dissipates very quickly. I actually thought it would be a lot brighter than it is. I really think this module needs a 3 cell configuration. I wish I had a C3 that I could use it in, I really think that the 2xRCR123 setup is just not pushing it enough. If someone has a C3 or Raider they want to sell....:candle:

Very nice,
I get similar results with the various led throwers like the Tiablos/DBS/Spear etc. It's difficult to see that much of a difference in throw, the real difference is the spill area and spill intensity. The Tiablo A8 is still a very nice light, I have a FluPIC and a better switch in mine.
Stefan

:kewlpics:

Thanks for the beamshots! Nice to see all the comparisons, including the incans.

I agree with Stefan - at long distances, there's little to differentiate the various LED throwers. It's only at the short and intermediate distances that spill differences are noticeable.

Thanks Stefan and Selfbuilt. BTW, I have really enjoyed and obtained great info from all the reviews each of you have done. Always very interesting and professionally done.

After what I have seen and read, and now experienced myself I agree with you. There is always a lot of splitting hairs and playing King of the Mountain with the LED throwers, but it seems that with the same emitter and config, it all comes down to the reflector. The top dogs all have a very effective reflector design IMO, and the subtle differences aren't enough to make a noticeable difference. That being said, since they all throw about the same, I am kind of partial to the added bonus of larger side-spill on the Tiablo vs. the DBS. But, I am partial to the build/feel of the DBS. So, like the saying goes...buy both!

Great review and pictures, thanks so much for the effort and good explanation.
That case you have to carry those lights is very nice, and the cabin setting looks like a beautiful place to spend time.

Thanks LED_Thrift. It's funny, we did stay in a very nice cabin although this isn't it. Believe it or not this is a picnic shelter made to look like a cabin. The actual cabins we stayed in were huge, and it was a great getaway. The stay is always to short though...:sigh:

 

[RichS]

Dupe post (server issues)

 

[WadeF]

Great shots! Thanks for sharing. You might want to try adjusting the pill in the DBS to see if you can focus it better, or maybe you have an under achieving pill. Also if you have any Q5 CL1H pills around, try putting one of those in the DBS reflector, but you'll have to put some insulation between the pill and the rear of the DBS reflector. I usually just pop the insulator off the back of a CL1H reflector and stick it on the rear of the DBS reflector.

 

[bessiebenny]

Love the photos. Great up. Thank you.

I would love to do this with all my lights in my roundup also.
But as you know already, it's no easy task and takes time.
So I really appreciate such great "real-life" comparison photos!

I'll also have a chance to play with Dereelight DVS V2 Q5 1S this week!
So I might have to go out to a park or something and take some shots. =)