Sundrop vs. Surefire E1B Backup

[BabyDoc]

Great job with this video. No words are adequate to describe what correct color rendition means. Yet if a picture is worth a thousand words, your video is worth a lot more.

However, as an owner of a Sundrop, I don't think the differences in color rendition you show are as a dramatic as you would see in real life. I think most cameras try to balance the color and even out, to some extent, the differences in the color of the light sources. What you did show, however was the value of a pure flood light in close up situations. Since most manufacturers can easily market brightness (translated,lumens), rather than color rendition (CRI numbers don't really translate into any meaningful terms), most of our flashlights emphasize the spot and throw, and not fill or color rendition. While as you showed, there is a place for such brightness and throw, there is also a place for pure fill lights with good color rendition. Hopefully, manufacturers other than McGizmo, will have the courage to make a more affordable SunDrop-like high color rendering light, so that more people can get the full color experience. Until then, unless one can afford a SunDrop, this good video will just have to do.

 

[R.ticle One]

I didn't even have sound on for that but I saw immediately the difference between the two - words fail me! If I can ever afford a Sundrop, I will - that demonstrated the flood and color perfectly. Nice job, thanks for posting.

 

[da.gee]

Great looking lights. I want both. It's Christmas if anyone wants to surprise me with one or the other.

 

[octaf]

I was wavering between the LunaSol 20 and a Sundrop 3S, but from seeing the amazing color rendition and smooth, even flood of the Sundrop in your video, the decision is solidified. My next EDC will be the Sundrop 3S.

Thank you!

Well, you should consider having both LS20 and Sundrop ! :nana:
They are two totally different lights, and you'll love having both of them !

 

[abarraga86]

Great job with this video. No words are adequate to describe what correct color rendition means. Yet if a picture is worth a thousand words, your video is worth a lot more.

However, as an owner of a Sundrop, I don't think the differences in color rendition you show are as a dramatic as you would see in real life. I think most cameras try to balance the color and even out, to some extent, the differences in the color of the light sources. What you did show, however was the value of a pure flood light in close up situations. Since most manufacturers can easily market brightness (translated,lumens), rather than color rendition (CRI numbers don't really translate into any meaningful terms), most of our flashlights emphasize the spot and throw, and not fill or color rendition. While as you showed, there is a place for such brightness and throw, there is also a place for pure fill lights with good color rendition. Hopefully, manufacturers other than McGizmo, will have the courage to make a more affordable SunDrop-like high color rendering light, so that more people can get the full color experience. Until then, unless one can afford a SunDrop, this good video will just have to do.

Thank you for noting this, and taking the time to make this thread that much more unbiased and interesting. I don't have a decent camera at hand as of right now so I just used a point and shoot (Canon SD870 IS) and adjusted White Balance to manual and Daylight to try to avoid as much as possible the automatic color adjustments. However, it is true that the camera might automatically adjust certain colors and definitely color brightness. Due to the lack of a better camera with more manual settings, this one was a bit unfair in treating the beamshots in a transparent manner, the Backup also seemed to lack spill when in low mode and that is not the case in real life. I did however get surprised at the difference in contrasts when using the SunDrop as opposed to the backup in real life. Before I shot the video, some friends where mocking me on my new purchase (that being the 3S SunDrop) and so I took them outside and the red flowers with green foliage seemed to do the job in wowing them. Some people are not that sensible to color rendition as others so I had to use something that would cause a dramatic difference.
As for the marketing of lumens or luxes as opposed to CRI, I totally hear you as well, it kind of reminds me in some way to that race that camera manufacturers have been having on introducing cameras with the highest Megapixels possible when high Megapixels is not the best variable to insure good eye-pleasing results. I guess when talking about marketing, discrete quantitative units which people can easily notice will drag much more attention than a more cualitative approach to selling the product. Horsepower sells. There is a niche however, for a nice color rendering light, probably in medicine, visual arts, science just to name a few. So I agree, many of us would benefit from a more affordable and obtainable HI CRI flashlight. I guess in some way lumens are the units for the masses and CRI's for the "connoisseur".

 

[abarraga86]

This video review is fantastic. Great job.

The Sundrop is the perfect light for something I do every morning: pick a suit and tie out of the closet using a flashlight while my wife sleeps nearby. It looks like it has tons of other uses as well.

I may need to get one of these now!

Happy holidays to you as well.

+1 great light for that case because it has the low as well which is extremely useful, not the low low some of you might want but I wouldn't think that would wake me up unless someone purposely shined it to my eyes. I went yesterday to my ranch where I used the SureFire red filter which worked like a charm. Using the low and the red filter is the perfect combo for star map reading when watching the stars. It is a very elegant precision tool to use with your fine optics, it makes me feel like a pro :laughing: ....

 

[mega_lumens]

Thanks for the demo; he most useful demo I've seen on lights in some time.
It covers the value in high/low, CRI, flood/throw. I can only wish that high end flashlight manufacturers will begin to shift beyond pumping out lumens in their R&Ds and start to focus on variable single lights with flood/throw, high/low options all in 1 light.

Wouldn't it be amazing if one day we see a light that merges both worlds of what these two lights offer, and I'm sure we are heading there.

 

[Dr James Fox]

I wish I hadn't seen that video...because now I want a Sundrop really really bad. I don't have a light like that in my collection and I am feeling compelled to add it. Must...resist...to expensive...

 

[cruisemissile]

great video. makes me want a sundrop.

 

[1996alnl]

I wish I hadn't seen that video...because now I want a Sundrop really really bad. I don't have a light like that in my collection and I am feeling compelled to add it. Must...resist...to expensive...

Um...how expensive?

 

[Yoda4561]

Being custom machined one by one from solid titanium round stock, with sapphire crystal windows, they're expensive I think over 400 USD.

 

[1996alnl]

Being custom machined one by one from solid titanium round stock, with sapphire crystal windows, they're expensive I think over 400 USD.

As much as it's a great little light...too rich for my blood.

Maybe if another was made of stainless steel or aircraft aluminum then i think it would sell like hotcakes.,
i know i'd buy one for sure.

And seeing that beutiful beam i think i'd get a couple more and gift them out.

 

[TKC]

That is an awesome video!! THANK YOU!!

 

[da.gee]

Ditto. I'd sure like to see an AL version with not quite the price tag.

 

[shomie911]

Ditto. I'd sure like to see an AL version with not quite the price tag.

I would buy a three-speed, black anodized aluminum Sundrop for $200 in a heartbeat, I might even buy two.

I think McGizmo could make a lot of money if he released a light like that, even if he had to outsource the body machining to reduce costs.

 

[applevision]

Great video!

I too lust for a Sundrop... but: I would like something with the gorgeous warm color like the Sundrop but, also like the upcoming Surefire that will allow me to go from flood to spot on the fly!

 

[crocodilo]

Those pics made me drool over the Sundrop, however... I still find that for those who EDC a single light, a throwy SF is a more versatile option. Throw can iluminate close distance (although it sucks), but flood can never light up the distance. Even considering that most common needs are close range, I still feel the need for some throw.

(This is also to keep my heart from sky-rocketing when I read the sundrop's price... no doubt it's worth it, but when you can't afford it...)