Ken J. Good
Enlightened
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2001
- Messages
- 590
I've done a photographic comparison of the Xenonics Night Hunter 1 and a 50-watt Polarion Night Reaper in the past.
But I have been anxiously waiting to get the opportunity to do the same with their latest generation Night Hunter 3 (NH3) as it is advertised as a searchlight suitable for mounting on crew served weapons (CSW's). Therefore it will find it's way onto the battlefield with our troops depending on it for it's capabilities.
Some background first if I may.
When any distance specification or capability is touted one should ask: What does this mean in practical terms? As articulated by others on this forum, does this simply mean that there are photons moving through space from the original illumination source at 1,200 meters, or does this mean there is enough light going downrange, hitting the target of interest without reflectors attached and returning in sufficient quantities to be useful to the operator?
What is the scenario here? A soldier in a turret, behind the weapon without optics attached to his eyes. He is primarily using his own eyes.
Photography does not replicate exactly what the human eye actually sees. Keep in mind, the eye is constantly metering from light to light, condition to condition, always on-the-go so to speak. Digital photography does however serve to capture the relative amount of light each searchlight is emitting in the same conditions reflecting off the same targets given the same camera settings. After all photography is at it's essence gathering light on photosensitive surfaces so the image can be enjoyed/analyzed later.
The images posted below are all taken with a Nikon D40X, 55-200mm lens f/4-5.6 AF-S – Both searchlights had fully charged batteries and were in good working order.
The camera was set in full manual mode
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter Speed 2.0 secs
Exposure Bias 0ev
Distances determined with a Laser Range Finder.
Let's start out a relatively close range where a solider might need a powerful light to identify a vehicle or the occupants of a vehicle inside of 100 yards. In this scenario, the rapid assessment of what is going on would be critical.
One does not want to see small pieces of the puzzle and try to put them together. One needs the entire picture contained in the dynamic as quickly and efficiently as possible especially when the information you are gathering may have an immediate impact on whether you or somebody else lives or dies in the next few moments.
- There is a reason why car headlights don't have .5 degree beam angles.
- There is a reason why SWAT officers have lights on their weapons to locate and identify threats, not lasers. Lasers are aiming devices, not search tools.
- Would you pick a flashlight or laser to find a loved one in the woods at night? You might utilize a laser to signal or point in this scenario, but not to find things.
85 Yard Control Image - 55 mm
NH3 in Full Flood Mode - 85 yards
The only thing visible is a nominal amount of light right next to the light itself. A 3-watt LED flashlight is vastly superior at this full "Flood" setting.
NH3 in Medium Flood Mode - 85 yards
Note the most distinctive feature of the beam is the large shadows of the lamp assembly and the dark rings. Very little light in the target area
NH3 in Optimal Focus - 85 yards
Okay, this is where the tight focus is showing it's stuff
50-watt Polarion - 85 yards
Again, if the scenario was to quickly identify friend or foe, as well as reduce the situational awareness of any potential threat in the beam, which tool would you select?
Let's move this out to 185 Yards in an area that has some ambient lighting. A typical urban/building setting. Camera focal length still set at 55mm.
Control Image
Target is the edge of a Fence Line with fairly reflective Yellow Plastic on the Top of the Fence
NH3 at Full Flood - Target 185 yards
Nothing in the Actual area of Interest is Illuminated to a degree that it could be considered useful to a solider in harms way.
NH3 at Medium Flood - Target 185 yards
In this image, you can begin to see/understand that there is a fence line in the area of interest
NH3 at Optimal Focus - Target 185 yards
Fence line identified, but not the lack of any additional lateral coverage
50-watt Polarion - Target 185 yards
Fence line and beyond identified, lateral coverage is substantial
Let's go try to look at Treeline a bit over 400 yards away - This time simulating using a low power optic of some sort - Set the Camera focal length to 200mm
Control Image - Target 400 yards+ - It's Dark Go Figure!
Nothing to see either with the NH3 at Full Flood. Moving to Medium Flood.
NH3 at Medium Flood – Target 400+ yards
Still nothing seen
NH3 at Optimal Focus - Target 400 yards+
Again nothing seen. What I glean from this is, unless the target has a high degree of reflectivity, even at optimal focus the NH3 does not emit enough volume of light to produce a useable return signature.
50-watt Polarion - Target 400 yards+
Here is a residential home with no lights on situated at 470 yards from the lights/camera. Camera focal length at 72mm
Control Image
Nothing seen
NH3 Full Flood - Target 470 yard
Nothing seen but the plants right next to the Light Source
NH3 Medium Flood - Target 470 yards+
A few more plants seen right in front of the Light Source
NH3 Optimal Focus - Target 470 yards
50-watt Polarion
Self-Explaintory
Same Residence with the Camera Focal Length set at 200mm
NH3 Optimal Focus - Target 470 yards+
50-watt Polarion- Target 470 yards+
Tower at 370 yards
The Control Image is Completely Black
No need to post the Flood or Medium Flood Images of the NH3, nothing to see but a small speck of a reflector on the bottom of the tower & only in the Medium Flood setting.
NH3 Optimal Focus - Target 370 yards
Here is a Zoomed-in version (165mm) of the area I am attempting to illuminate.
NH3 Optimal Focus - Target 370 yards -165mm
Back to unmagnified and the Polarion:
50-watt Polarion - Target 370 yards
I directed the center of the beam at the base of the tower.
If I directed the beam, a bit higher and to the left, I could see towers 600-700 meters away.
Finally just a valley with no unnatural or reflective objects
NH3 Optimal Focus - 560 Yards down the Valley
Nothing seen in Any setting, Full Flood, Medium Flood, or Optimal Focus
50-watt Polarion - 560 Yards down the Valley (End of Beam)
Final Thoughts
It is my stated and strong opinion soldiers operating CSW's need searchlights not laser like lighting tools. Especially if the light that is contained in that narrow beam width is short on volume.
If you do the math, a Polarion 50-watt HID Searchlight with a 20-degree beam angle would illuminate a surface area of over 1,500 square meters if that area was 400 meters away and was perpendicular to the light source.
A "search tool" with a .5 degree beam angle (the tightest angle advertised on the Xeonics Sales Sheet) would illuminate 9.6 square meters of the same plane (assuming there was enough light to return to the operator).
This means a light that has a 20 degree beam angle covers 156 times the surface area of a light with a beam angle of .5 degrees….I would say that is significant when unknown threats lurk in the dark.
Target Fixation or Tunnel Vision in combat is not a good-thing.
If you can only see a very small area and the rest is black, by definition you are target fixated.
Color temperature matters.
In this case Spot to Flood light is not a true capability. I could see no benefit or advantage to any of the settings simply because the total volume of light was so low.
There only negative comment I have ever heard about the Polarion with respect to a 1-degree short-arc HID is that the "Polarion puts out too much light. It would illuminate friendly forces..."
Now there is man who doesn't understand the intended or proper deployment of lights and weapons of this magnitude. If a Polarion is going to be "faulted" for putting out too much light. So be it.....Maybe a low setting??? That being said, I doubt the practical validity of that capability short of getting more runtime out or your battery.
Point your weapon and light carefully.
Off to do some more photography.
But I have been anxiously waiting to get the opportunity to do the same with their latest generation Night Hunter 3 (NH3) as it is advertised as a searchlight suitable for mounting on crew served weapons (CSW's). Therefore it will find it's way onto the battlefield with our troops depending on it for it's capabilities.
Some background first if I may.
When any distance specification or capability is touted one should ask: What does this mean in practical terms? As articulated by others on this forum, does this simply mean that there are photons moving through space from the original illumination source at 1,200 meters, or does this mean there is enough light going downrange, hitting the target of interest without reflectors attached and returning in sufficient quantities to be useful to the operator?
What is the scenario here? A soldier in a turret, behind the weapon without optics attached to his eyes. He is primarily using his own eyes.
Photography does not replicate exactly what the human eye actually sees. Keep in mind, the eye is constantly metering from light to light, condition to condition, always on-the-go so to speak. Digital photography does however serve to capture the relative amount of light each searchlight is emitting in the same conditions reflecting off the same targets given the same camera settings. After all photography is at it's essence gathering light on photosensitive surfaces so the image can be enjoyed/analyzed later.
The images posted below are all taken with a Nikon D40X, 55-200mm lens f/4-5.6 AF-S – Both searchlights had fully charged batteries and were in good working order.
The camera was set in full manual mode
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter Speed 2.0 secs
Exposure Bias 0ev
Distances determined with a Laser Range Finder.
Let's start out a relatively close range where a solider might need a powerful light to identify a vehicle or the occupants of a vehicle inside of 100 yards. In this scenario, the rapid assessment of what is going on would be critical.
One does not want to see small pieces of the puzzle and try to put them together. One needs the entire picture contained in the dynamic as quickly and efficiently as possible especially when the information you are gathering may have an immediate impact on whether you or somebody else lives or dies in the next few moments.
- There is a reason why car headlights don't have .5 degree beam angles.
- There is a reason why SWAT officers have lights on their weapons to locate and identify threats, not lasers. Lasers are aiming devices, not search tools.
- Would you pick a flashlight or laser to find a loved one in the woods at night? You might utilize a laser to signal or point in this scenario, but not to find things.
85 Yard Control Image - 55 mm
NH3 in Full Flood Mode - 85 yards
The only thing visible is a nominal amount of light right next to the light itself. A 3-watt LED flashlight is vastly superior at this full "Flood" setting.
NH3 in Medium Flood Mode - 85 yards
Note the most distinctive feature of the beam is the large shadows of the lamp assembly and the dark rings. Very little light in the target area
NH3 in Optimal Focus - 85 yards
Okay, this is where the tight focus is showing it's stuff
50-watt Polarion - 85 yards
Again, if the scenario was to quickly identify friend or foe, as well as reduce the situational awareness of any potential threat in the beam, which tool would you select?
Let's move this out to 185 Yards in an area that has some ambient lighting. A typical urban/building setting. Camera focal length still set at 55mm.
Control Image
Target is the edge of a Fence Line with fairly reflective Yellow Plastic on the Top of the Fence
NH3 at Full Flood - Target 185 yards
Nothing in the Actual area of Interest is Illuminated to a degree that it could be considered useful to a solider in harms way.
NH3 at Medium Flood - Target 185 yards
In this image, you can begin to see/understand that there is a fence line in the area of interest
NH3 at Optimal Focus - Target 185 yards
Fence line identified, but not the lack of any additional lateral coverage
50-watt Polarion - Target 185 yards
Fence line and beyond identified, lateral coverage is substantial
Let's go try to look at Treeline a bit over 400 yards away - This time simulating using a low power optic of some sort - Set the Camera focal length to 200mm
Control Image - Target 400 yards+ - It's Dark Go Figure!
Nothing to see either with the NH3 at Full Flood. Moving to Medium Flood.
NH3 at Medium Flood – Target 400+ yards
Still nothing seen
NH3 at Optimal Focus - Target 400 yards+
Again nothing seen. What I glean from this is, unless the target has a high degree of reflectivity, even at optimal focus the NH3 does not emit enough volume of light to produce a useable return signature.
50-watt Polarion - Target 400 yards+
Here is a residential home with no lights on situated at 470 yards from the lights/camera. Camera focal length at 72mm
Control Image
Nothing seen
NH3 Full Flood - Target 470 yard
Nothing seen but the plants right next to the Light Source
NH3 Medium Flood - Target 470 yards+
A few more plants seen right in front of the Light Source
NH3 Optimal Focus - Target 470 yards
50-watt Polarion
Self-Explaintory
Same Residence with the Camera Focal Length set at 200mm
NH3 Optimal Focus - Target 470 yards+
50-watt Polarion- Target 470 yards+
Tower at 370 yards
The Control Image is Completely Black
No need to post the Flood or Medium Flood Images of the NH3, nothing to see but a small speck of a reflector on the bottom of the tower & only in the Medium Flood setting.
NH3 Optimal Focus - Target 370 yards
Here is a Zoomed-in version (165mm) of the area I am attempting to illuminate.
NH3 Optimal Focus - Target 370 yards -165mm
Back to unmagnified and the Polarion:
50-watt Polarion - Target 370 yards
I directed the center of the beam at the base of the tower.
If I directed the beam, a bit higher and to the left, I could see towers 600-700 meters away.
Finally just a valley with no unnatural or reflective objects
NH3 Optimal Focus - 560 Yards down the Valley
Nothing seen in Any setting, Full Flood, Medium Flood, or Optimal Focus
50-watt Polarion - 560 Yards down the Valley (End of Beam)
Final Thoughts
It is my stated and strong opinion soldiers operating CSW's need searchlights not laser like lighting tools. Especially if the light that is contained in that narrow beam width is short on volume.
If you do the math, a Polarion 50-watt HID Searchlight with a 20-degree beam angle would illuminate a surface area of over 1,500 square meters if that area was 400 meters away and was perpendicular to the light source.
A "search tool" with a .5 degree beam angle (the tightest angle advertised on the Xeonics Sales Sheet) would illuminate 9.6 square meters of the same plane (assuming there was enough light to return to the operator).
This means a light that has a 20 degree beam angle covers 156 times the surface area of a light with a beam angle of .5 degrees….I would say that is significant when unknown threats lurk in the dark.
Target Fixation or Tunnel Vision in combat is not a good-thing.
If you can only see a very small area and the rest is black, by definition you are target fixated.
Color temperature matters.
In this case Spot to Flood light is not a true capability. I could see no benefit or advantage to any of the settings simply because the total volume of light was so low.
There only negative comment I have ever heard about the Polarion with respect to a 1-degree short-arc HID is that the "Polarion puts out too much light. It would illuminate friendly forces..."
Now there is man who doesn't understand the intended or proper deployment of lights and weapons of this magnitude. If a Polarion is going to be "faulted" for putting out too much light. So be it.....Maybe a low setting??? That being said, I doubt the practical validity of that capability short of getting more runtime out or your battery.
Point your weapon and light carefully.
Off to do some more photography.
Last edited:
As expected, the Polarion kills the competition. Looking forward to see more photos.:thumbsup:
