Pls help me choose a LED torch...

[rebelx]

Hi everyone!

I am a newbie and couldn't understand most of the posts here let alone their titles!

I am keen to get a LED torch + headlamp for two different purposes. I wondered whether the experts here can be of any assistance in choosing a quality product that will serve me well without breaking the wallet (or cause relationship breakups)

1. LED torch
I would be only using this intermittently for lightpainting while doing photography.
I need maximum lumens without necessarily needing long battery life (if possible would be bonus as well) I will be using maximum of one hour per use only once a week or so. At least 400 lumens or so.
I would like to be able to focus.
Also need to run with AA batteries (preferably 4 or less) as I already have a charger for this.
Water resistance would be a great bonus.
It would be nice to have a belt clip or someway of DIY to hang it my belt etc

2. LED headlamp
I need to wear this on my head while trekking through various dark locations; Sometimes over fairly rough terrain. I only need for it to last a couple of hours at a time.
Brightness is not a major issue
Focus would be great but not a major issue.
AA batteries if possible.
Water resistance would be great.

If both these purposes can be combined into one light, that would be great and I would be prepared to pay a little extra. For both, durability is important as I don't want to constantly buy these things....

My budget would be a maximum of $40 per torch or $80 for both. Please tell me whether this is unrealistic.

I live in Australia if that matters at all...

PS: I bought a headlamp from EBAY (76 leds) last year but dropped and broke it. The original alkaline batteries lasted me one year! It was a little front heavy and kept flipping down while I was using it but otherwise was ok for the job.

PPS: I wasn't sure about all those CREE Q5 advertised for $6.99 on Ebay. I assumed that they are fake and low quality.


Thanks very much for your input!

 

[jhc37013]

Well first the hand held AA at 400lms for $40, humm I am going to defer this to another member I can't think of anything in that price range. 400lm is a lot of light are you sure you need it to be that bright?

For your headlamp I would suggest you bump your budget up a bit and get a Zebralight H51. It's very bright, on max 200lms for 1hr and has multiple modes for extended runtime and it uses only one AA. Spend a few extra dollars and get yourself a really good headlamp.

http://www.zebralight.com/H51-Headlamp-AA-200Lm_p_37.html

 

[AnAppleSnail]

lightpainting photography.
I would like to be able to focus.
Water resistance would be a great bonus.
It would be nice to have a belt clip or someway of DIY to hang it my belt etc

2. LED headlamp
I need to wear this on my head while trekking through various dark locations; Sometimes over fairly rough terrain. I only need for it to last a couple of hours at a time.
Brightness is not a major issue
Focus would be great but not a major issue.
AA batteries if possible.
Water resistance would be great.

Australia

I'm thinking storm drains? For the 400-lumen-level I'd support "get an 18650 and charger." It's about $20, but unlocks some really nice lights for your purposes. As for variable focus, you don't really need it - a diffuser (wax paper) does a decent job of that.

All of my underground photography these days has benefited from the Stanley HID0109, but before that I pretty much had to drop the f/stop and expose for 30 seconds. I've enjoyed the Quark AA^2 with its 200-lumen output.

The AA battery doesn't provide much power in cheap lights, while to get impressive power with an 18650 requires only the emitter and a switch. The only 400+ lumen AA lights I've seen are well over $40, and too large to double up as a headlamp. You'll be looking at 3 or more single-highpower LEDs or a multi-die LED, or maybe a hard-driven XP-G...

I think that cameras see lumens almost linearly - that is, a 400-lumen-light allows half the exposure time of a 200-lumen light.

 

[ryaxnb]

A lot of times people think they need more lumens then they do. and they often price way way under the realistic price for torch.
You may be guilty of one or the other or both.
Here are some lumen numbers for standard lights:
2AA mag on fresh batteries: 13 lumens
1AAA Solitaire on fresh Batteries: 3 lumens
2AA mag midway through life: 6 lumens
1AAA keychain LED: 6 lumens
3AA 6 led flashlight: 10-25 lumens.
Fauxton: 2-5 lumens.
2d Eveready: 15-20 lumens
3d Mag: 50 lumens.
1 million candlepower light: 500-600 lumens
Half dead battery 3d mag, 25 lumens.
6D mag w/ xenon: 160 lumens, after half-dead batteries, 50 lumens.
As you can see, 400 may be a bit much.
id recommend the Romisen RC-N3 R4 2xaa from shining beam, or the Fenix LD20. Even the RC-N3 R4 will give you around 3x the light ouput of a 3D mag with fresh batteries, and when the RC-n3 r4 batteries are half dead, light output will be around the same or a tiny bit less then the Mag 6D with fresh batteries.
If you really do need a lot of lumens, though (3x as much as a 6D mag), then the TK40 is what you want, but it is expensivee and takes 8 batteries.

 

[rebelx]

Thank you jhc37013, AnAppleSnail, ryaxnb for your quick responses. Your answers have enabled me to research and understand things a little further.

I think 200lm may be more than enough for my needs for the torch. Once my current headlamp completely breaks down, I will get the H51 which looks like a sturdy little character.

For my torch, I have settled on a beginner light, Romisen but can't decide between these two. How are they different? Remember I am mostly interested in maximum brightness.

Romisen RC-N3 CREE R4
Romisen RC-N3 CREE Q5 LED

The LD20 is 3 times more expensive and I can't justify the amount of use for that price.

Once again, thanks for your help!

 

[rebelx]

Also I did have a vague look at this light

UltraFire WF-606A Cree Q5-WC 230-Lumen LED

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.14909

Which is slightly cheaper and may provide similar specs....

 

[B0wz3r]

Romisen RC-N3 CREE R4
Romisen RC-N3 CREE Q5 LED

The difference is the generation and the output of the emitter. The R4 is an XPG and probably a neutral white since it's an R4 flux bin instead of an R5. Do they specify the tint bin?

The Q5 is an older emitter, XRE or XPE, don't remember which one off the top of my head. The Q5 will have a narrower, throwier beam while the R4 will be broader, floodier, and brighter overall.

 

[rebelx]

The difference is the generation and the output of the emitter. The R4 is an XPG and probably a neutral white since it's an R4 flux bin instead of an R5. Do they specify the tint bin?

Yes,
This Customized RC-N3 uses a Premium CREE XP-G R4 emitter, about 70% more output than the regular model*
*Uses premium 2B tint Cree XP-G R4*


With your help, I have ordered the above light. I am sure it will exceed all my needs. Thanks again!

Now I can at least talk about tint bins and pretend that I understand the conversation! lovecpf