The Tint Snob Thread

[iamlucky13]

I recently discovered that some flashoholics do not see green as well as I do

in this photo of an ET Nichia on the left, is there anyone here that cannot see that it is green?

some other flashoholilcs also do not see the green in this Jetbeam on right. Is there anyone here that can not see that the Jetbeam is green?

What others see on their monitor might not be a good test of what they see in real life. Computer monitor color reproduction varies almost as much as flashlight tints do. The better computer monitors are relatively consistent, just like the better LED's often are, but not perfect unless calibrated. Budget monitor color accuracy is a game of darts.

And that's assuming the camera settings were neutral, too.

I've got dual monitors at work. There's very obvious differences if I display the same photo on both monitors, and that's after I spent a bunch of time adjusting the settings to make them match better. One is a halfway decent Dell. The other is a "Multisync" budget brand. Just one example of variation. I've seen plenty of monitors so bad I don't even need a side-by-side comparison to tell their colors are way off.

Now with that said, on both of my monitors, for the first picture, the beam on the left clearly appears to have a green hue to it. The beam on the right looks rosy to me, with perhaps a slight golden touch that suggests a tiny bit of extra green compared to a true neutral, but I don't perceive green outright.

The second image, the beam appears to have an even stronger green hue than left image in the first.

You said in the BLF link you have an iMac. It probably has a fairly accurate screen, so if both you and I are seeing green, odds are better than not that there's at least a hint of it in the light, but whether or not it would be noticeable in real life is hard to say based on the pictures.

 

[jon_slider]

Looks green to me.

thanks
and btw, are you on an Apple device? I ask because I am, just want to check if maybe the people that cant see the green are on non Apple devices.

in the photos I posted above, the green seems so obvious to me, that even the JetBeam, without another beam to compare to, is noticeably green, to me.

 

[kaichu dento]

I recently discovered that some flashoholics do not see green as well as I do

in this photo of an ET Nichia on the left, is there anyone here that cannot see that it is green?

some other flashoholilcs also do not see the green in this Jetbeam on right. Is there anyone here that can not see that the Jetbeam is green?

They both go towards the green side of things to me, but the first is at least more pragmatically acceptable.

One frustrating point of contention for me was a few years back when many regarded greenish tints as warm. With the inclusion of some yellow, definitely warmer than blue, but green is not a warm tint. Yuck.

 

[jon_slider]

One frustrating point of contention for me was a few years back when many regarded greenish tints as warm.

warm is exactly what the poster called that JetBeam
the poster responding that the ET is not green, says its "creamy", and that the photo is not "accurate" (for them)...

at first I though I was going crazy, now I realize I just have SuperPowers, LOL, when it comes to seeing tints, in a photo..

or maybe they mean they cant see the green in actual use (because their brain adapts when the flashlight is the only source of light)

for example, the 3000k XPL on the left is obviously yellow in this photo. But when I wake up in the middle of the night, and use that light on 0.25 lumens, I dont notice (in "actual use"), because my brain adapts to a single source and sets its "white balance" to the only light source:

 

[INFRNL]

John was able to see initial post but I feel that it may have come off too offensive and I was in defensive mode.

We agree that we see green in the pics posted; however i have not seen green in any of my nichia's that i have or have experienced.

 

[jon_slider]

no disrespect intended
I do believe you see what you say in your light
glad we agree you see what I see in the photo also
for me pics tell a lot, but Im learning that they dont help someone looking at a single beam much, to know the relative tint
if you posted pics for your ETs, it would help me learn more about other than green ones Ive reposted photos from

 

[INFRNL]

no disrespect intended
I do believe you see what you say in your light
glad we agree you see what I see in the photo also
for me pics tell a lot, but Im learning that they dont help someone looking at a single beam much, to know the relative tint
if you posted pics for your ETs, it would help me learn more about other than green ones Ive reposted photos from

I also responded in the other thread to your last post. I hope i did not come off too offensive and wasn't looking to argue or anything. You also explained your intent in your last post. I am very good at speaking before i think, so i'm sure i'll look back at this and think to myself; what was i thinking.

unfortunately i do not have the proper equipment or know how to post beamshots. i basically just have my cell phone and i tried once but it clearly did not show what i was seeing. i also do not have that D25C anymore. i have a couple Et's with 219c that appear to be a bit whiter than the 219b, I have an HDS with 219B, some malkoff modules with 219B. Most of them appear to have slightly different shades of tint colors.

When i first started my search for new lights 2-3 months back, I relied on good quality beamshots from those of you that know what you are doing or appear to post great quality pics of them. I started buying a bunch of lights myself initially to get a real feel of the actual beam profiles of the lights i had interest in and see if I would like them for my intended use/needs.
I started paying attention to tints and comparing the lights side by side. Then in turn would go back and see posted pics of the lights i bought or similar and could start to see the differences from pics to what I see in real life with my lights. So I have learned to take beamshots with a grain of salt. I would say the biggest differences i see would be in the whitewall shots rather than outdoor shots. Another thing i think that can play a big role is that not everyone take their pics with the same settings as others.
If i was to go off of beamshots, it would have to be from the same person knowing they used the same settings and same environment for all the tests. but this would just to get an overall idea of what a light would provide and not to expect exact results

 

[kaichu dento]

warm is exactly what the poster called that JetBeam...not green, says its "creamy"...

...I dont notice (in "actual use"), because my brain adapts to a single source and sets its "white balance" to the only light source...

Creamy, yeah, I bought a few lights with actual cream-colored tints, but all too many with greenish tints.

The main problem with lots of undesirable tints for those of us interested in threads of this nature is that while our eyes adapt to the handheld light source, we also have the issue of changing surroundings and their accompanying light sources which contrast with what we're viewing in the shadows.

In a vacuum, on a moonless night in the woods for example, the light source we use becomes what our eyes are given to work with, and hence grow accustomed to. But when there are other light sources overlapping, as there often are in a city, or shop; next to the campfire, or wherever you happen to be, then the tint will definitely be easier to see as pleasant or annoying; functional or sub-optimal.

I believe virtually everyone here is picky; just not necessarily for the same thing.

 

[archimedes]

Yes, in a way very like the perception of language, the perception of tint is quite subjective and greatly affected by context ....

(and thanks @jon_slider and @INFRNL, nice save guys)

 

[jon_slider]

thanks gentlemen
I will try to be less aggravating when I get on my soapbox(es)
I agree photos are not an exact match to what my eyes see when using a light
I do find photos with more than one beam in the shot, very informative though, relative to each other

my takeaway from the beam shots Ive experimented with, is that my brain is surprisingly similar to my phone camera, in how it responds to multiple light sources and their relative tints.
INFRNL, you have my respect, and I appreciate your contributions to help me make my point(s) without attacking your right to your own perceptions

Im just a newbie with an iPhone, and when I make a new (to me), discovery, it does seem to me like I need to announce my newfound enlightenment to the world in ways that others are not as excited about. Hopefully I will mellow with age

 

[INFRNL]

I do not know much in this respect either, just off my personal experience.

We can agree today that even though photos may not truly be accurate, they can provide a general guideline of diffences when comparing.

However we should also keep in mind(example of your 3 light shot) if you pick one of those 3 lights for each test and compare to 2 different lights; the one kept for all tests may dramatically change colors depending on other lights its compared to.

 

[kaichu dento]

...we also have the issue of changing surroundings and their accompanying light sources which contrast with what we're viewing...when there are other light sources overlapping, as there often are...

...we should also keep in mind(example of your 3 light shot) if you pick one of those 3 lights for each test and compare to 2 different lights; the one kept for all tests may dramatically change colors depending on other lights its compared to.

Exactly.

 

[BugoutBoys]

The new SF Aviator has an incredible 6000k perfect white tint, it's amazing! I've never really liked warm tint lights. The rosy tint of the Elzetta kinda grew on me but I really love the perfect white tint of the Aviator

 

[INFRNL]

I like neutral tints and have yet to see a pure white​ light. I had a couple that i thought were close but the more i used them a blue hue started to become more apparent and i had to get rid of them.

Right now the whitest lights i have are the elzetta avs standard and flood. I'm not sure what temp they are supposed to be but i like them. The standard avs is borderline though, the hotspot at times has the slightest hint of blue but it hasn't bothered me yet.

Blue really kills it for me for whatever reason. A 6000k light i would think would have a good amount of blue, but that's great you are getting a perfect white from it.

I don't have a lot of experience with all the different lights as many of you but i would think 5000k would be pushing it for me

 

[BugoutBoys]

I like neutral tints and have yet to see a pure white​ light. I had a couple that i thought were close but the more i used them a blue hue started to become more apparent and i had to get rid of them.

Right now the whitest lights i have are the elzetta avs standard and flood. I'm not sure what temp they are supposed to be but i like them. The standard avs is borderline though, the hotspot at times has the slightest hint of blue but it hasn't bothered me yet.

Blue really kills it for me for whatever reason. A 6000k light i would think would have a good amount of blue, but that's great you are getting a perfect white from it.

I don't have a lot of experience with all the different lights as many of you but i would think 5000k would be pushing it for me

Ah I see what you mean. I do tend to like a cooler white more than warm. Blue is my favorite color so it may be slightly on the cool side. But ever so slightly. It is gorgeous!

The AVS head has a nice rosiness. It make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside

 

[INFRNL]

Ah I see what you mean. I do tend to like a cooler white more than warm. Blue is my favorite color so it may be slightly on the cool side. But ever so slightly. It is gorgeous!

The AVS head has a nice rosiness. It make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside

I just went to the aviator thread to see what it was as i am not too familiar with SF. I saw your posts and can see you like blue as you chose the blue version

I saw some of the beamshots, at first I thought they looked good, then saw one that had a blue hue to it, so i wasn't sure what the true color is. sounds like it is on the cooler side which i should have known since you said 6000k. Sounds like a lot of people are really enjoying the light.

Our eyes must see differently. I do not recall any kind of rosiness from the avs heads. This could be because im on the warmer side and you are on the cooler side. So our eyes are used to different tints. I'll have to pay more attention and see if i can see as you do on the avs

 

[jon_slider]

I hope others will experiment taking photos of beams to share. I suggest including a "known" light or LED for reference.. 3 beams seems to work best with my phone auto white balance

3 Astrolux 10180 lights w N219b (idk CRI or CCT but seems top be about 5000k):

Tint Lottery:

above, green, purple, greener

below:
orange yellow, neutral white, blue

left to right,
Modified Olight i3s od w 3000k 90 CRI XPL, Stock Lumintop Worm w 4500k 90 CRI N219b, Stock Fenix E01 cool white 5mm led (can anyone tell me what Led brand, CCT and CRI?)

I EDC an N219b like the Worm,
so using that as my standard reference point, a Fenix is noticeably blue tinted, even in use.

Astrolux use a different tint of N219b, in my case two are greenish, and one is purple.

 

[BugoutBoys]

I just went to the aviator thread to see what it was as i am not too familiar with SF. I saw your posts and can see you like blue as you chose the blue version

I saw some of the beamshots, at first I thought they looked good, then saw one that had a blue hue to it, so i wasn't sure what the true color is. sounds like it is on the cooler side which i should have known since you said 6000k. Sounds like a lot of people are really enjoying the light.

Our eyes must see differently. I do not recall any kind of rosiness from the avs heads. This could be because im on the warmer side and you are on the cooler side. So our eyes are used to different tints. I'll have to pay more attention and see if i can see as you do on the avs

Ah, yes. Blue is quite wonderful
I would say it is ever so slightly on the cool white side. But in normal usage it obviously depends on what color your eyes are adapted to at the moment. If you're around incandescent lights and shine it, it looks straight up blue. But after being outside for a while, it looks more like perfect white.

I sold the ElZetta a while ago so I can't look at it right now sadly =( But I seem to recall it was definitely warm, but ever so slightly had a pinkish to it. Like a sunset orange!

 

[wolfgaze]

That Fenix E01 tint - my eyes!

:green:

The 3000k Olight is interesting Jon... Can you post a beamshot of that light illuminating something (by itself)?

 

[markr6]

That Fenix E01 tint - my eyes!

:green:

Definitely. Little boy blue