Why don't most lights focus?

[LedTed]

... when you've got a really bright non focus light your eye almost gets taken by everything but what you want to be checking.

That's similar as to how I use my non-focusing light for inspection. I vary the brightness, then use the hot spot to help me concentrate on only the area I'm inspecting, and to help me spatially track where I've looked and how much I still have to cover; like a grid in my mind.

 

[Zorzi]

I received this week a Ultrafire XM-L T6 zoomable light, and I have to say, so far it has impressed me. It has an orange crown bezel and has to be screwed to change focus (too many turns, in my opinion). Also, the build quality doesn't look that high. But the light seems to do what is expected from a zoom light: it has a really tight beam for throw, and a very uniform beam in flood, with almost imperceptible artifacts. I didn't test it for battery runtime yet, but I noticed it becomes hot in high mode (it has 5 modes), so I guess it is not advised to use this mode for long times. It would be nice though if it was a three modes light only, without the strobe and sos modes.

Cheers

 

[mcnair55]

After 3 years this thread has sprung into action.Why not nip out and buy a Led Lenser,they are market leaders in many parts of the world and make a fine adjustable focus light that will be splash proof at least.I have been out in severe bad weather both on my cycle and walking and they have never caused me an issue.I even believe rightly or wrongly as i do not own one yet that the T7.2 even has the facility to lock the focus in position.

 

[Zorzi]

Why not nip out and buy a Led Lenser,they are market leaders in many parts of the world and make a fine adjustable focus light that will be splash proof at least.

Hi Mcnair, unfortunately any imported goods are really expensive in my country, and good LED lights are no exception.. For my use, the highest price I can pay is around US$30, which is already very expensive for the average people. I bought some Led Lensers in Ebay auctions, they were not deivered yet, so I can't say if they are genuine or not.

My father uses frequently another 18650 zoomable light that has horrible ring artifacts in flood mode. He told me that for his kind of use, he is very happy with the versatility of having a variable focus, and I agree with him that it is indeed very useful. Runtime is not critical, as rarely he will use the light for more than 1.5 hour a night.

 

[mcnair55]

Hi Mcnair, unfortunately any imported goods are really expensive in my country, and good LED lights are no exception.. For my use, the highest price I can pay is around US$30, which is already very expensive for the average people. I bought some Led Lensers in Ebay auctions, they were not deivered yet, so I can't say if they are genuine or not.

My father uses frequently another 18650 zoomable light that has horrible ring artifacts in flood mode. He told me that for his kind of use, he is very happy with the versatility of having a variable focus, and I agree with him that it is indeed very useful. Runtime is not critical, as rarely he will use the light for more than 1.5 hour a night.

I think many of us often forget that in many parts of the world hobby light prices are horrendously high compared to the average monthly wage.I would worry buying off ebay and in fact i rarely do these days.I suggest you look out for a good second user light from the for sale pages of the cpf, i have had many bargains and most lights have been treated like babies and are no different from new.

One of the members here has even sent me a light out of his collection for evaluation before i bought one myself.

 

[TEEJ]

It comes down to expectations for most people.

Around here, I could get (And have several times) a coast or lenser for ~ $30 - 100, paying the most at stores specializing in work gear, and the least at homedepot/lowes type big box stores.

Back when a "good light" stayed on w/o banging on it to relight it, and sent out some sort of yellow beam with a hole in the middle, these lensers were hot sheet.

It was not until I could get lights that did not get dim as the cells drained, that could get wet w/o damage, and which had even BETTER beam characteristics, that I stopped getting that sort of light. I DO like zoom to flood (but not focus to defocus), type lights, for limited applications, but, mostly, the zoom is inferior to a dedicated zoom, and the flood is inferior to a dedicated flood.

When I GIVE an old lenser zoom to flood to someone used to "Bang it to get it on again" lights, its like a miracle of lighting to them.

Then again, to them, 5 yellow lumens with a hole in the middle (The 5 lumen yellow donut, or 5LYD) was what "a flashlight" was expected to send out into the darkness. Expectations were therefore low to start with.


Leatherman/Lenser might have 1,000 employees, worldwide, making flashlights SOME of which zoom, but, there are STILL more people employed making CANDLES in the US alone than that....so if the number of employees making the lights = the best choice in lighting, then get candles instead of Lensers that zoom?



:candle:

 

[Zorzi]

I suggest you look out for a good second user light from the for sale pages of the cpf, i have had many bargains and most lights have been treated like babies and are no different from new.

Thank you for the suggestion, for sure I will start checking the sale pages of cpf forum!

 

[Zorzi]

It comes down to expectations for most people.

I totally agree, TEEJ. My father was used to plastic incandescent lights before, then I gave him a 2xAA (probably CREE XR-E) from DX that he has been using for some time. That is also the brightest 2xAA light I knew, so that Ultrafire 18650 XM-L is the brightest thing we experienced so far. I know my expectations will increase, so I will end up having to increase my budget for lights

 

[InspectHerGadget]

After 3 years this thread has sprung into action.Why not nip out and buy a Led Lenser,they are market leaders in many parts of the world and make a fine adjustable focus light that will be splash proof at least.I have been out in severe bad weather both on my cycle and walking and they have never caused me an issue.I even believe rightly or wrongly as i do not own one yet that the T7.2 even has the facility to lock the focus in position.

I think that the focussing lens is incredibly practical. I have the P14R.2 headlamp and it is just great. 95% of the time I'm out walking it is on full flood and no dark spots or anything. It is true you get some artefacts in the form of dim but noticeable rings at intermediate settings. The ability to zoom in quickly when you need it or put it onto 850Lumen boost is very handy. It has plenty of battery life and a throw of 300m.

I have the P5R.2 which is another tool. It hangs like a bat upside down from the magnetic charging cradle when not in use. I carry this during the day for inspecting computer equipment. I also carry it at the moment at night as a backup as I take long walks in our local wilderness park. Again full flood on the P5R.2 is perfect, zooms to 230m but is really just a small pocket torch so it doesn't need to run for hours.

I give my vote for the Led Lenser products but it doesn't suit everyone and they are expensive. Mind you anyone who can charge a premium and get people to pay for it, deserves respect in the market place. Apple for instance face constant criticism of their products which continue to sell like hot cakes. Led Lensers are a highly successful company and sell bucket loads of their products and users are generally happy with what they get.

It is true though that you can get focussing artefacts and it is true also that they are harder to make waterproof due to the movable head. They are pretty well rain and shower proof so for most users this is sufficient IPX4 rating.

 

[mcnair55]

I think that the focussing lens is incredibly practical. I have the P14R.2 headlamp and it is just great. 95% of the time I'm out walking it is on full flood and no dark spots or anything. It is true you get some artefacts in the form of dim but noticeable rings at intermediate settings. The ability to zoom in quickly when you need it or put it onto 850Lumen boost is very handy. It has plenty of battery life and a throw of 300m.

I have the P5R.2 which is another tool. It hangs like a bat upside down from the magnetic charging cradle when not in use. I carry this during the day for inspecting computer equipment. I also carry it at the moment at night as a backup as I take long walks in our local wilderness park. Again full flood on the P5R.2 is perfect, zooms to 230m but is really just a small pocket torch so it doesn't need to run for hours.

I give my vote for the Led Lenser products but it doesn't suit everyone and they are expensive. Mind you anyone who can charge a premium and get people to pay for it, deserves respect in the market place. Apple for instance face constant criticism of their products which continue to sell like hot cakes. Led Lensers are a highly successful company and sell bucket loads of their products and users are generally happy with what they get.

It is true though that you can get focussing artefacts and it is true also that they are harder to make waterproof due to the movable head. They are pretty well rain and shower proof so for most users this is sufficient IPX4 rating.

Led Lenser leave the others behind in terms of marketing,a well presented product and sold near on every where here in the UK.

 

[Richwouldnt]

Not sure how good but I have one on the way, due Tuesday. Duracell now makes/distributes a 3C cell 500 lumens focusable flashlight that is available for prices starting as low as $10 each. 3 modes w/o memory or any voltage regulation but it still sounds interesting as it is machined aluminum construction per the descriptions I have seen. At the price I could not resist ordering it as an interesting beater light which I may get a set of LSD NiMH batteries for.

Personally my favorite UI is the magnetic ring which allows continuously variable light output from nil to maximum with a simple twist of the ring. Combine that with a good compromise reflector design and you can get the exact intensity that you need for most situations in my experience.