need a new SF

i am looking for a sf that i can use while

camping
hiking
fishing
biking
photogrophy
hunting

i already have an u2 i need somthing small no bigger than an a2, no more than two battery, light weight, bright, under $200, led or indesicant

thanks for the great input

L4

JS had a thread about the A2 which mentions it's incan temp is ~ 3,300K. If I'm not mistaken, within the parameters for good photography?

batman said:

JS had a thread about the A2 which mentions it's incan temp is ~ 3,300K. If I'm not mistaken, within the parameters for good photography?

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i dont really need it fo photography at night just hiking back after the suns gon down but i really am thinking of getting the a2 so i can walk back at night with the low output leds then blind somthing if it tries to come up and nip me in the butt

The L4 is great for outdoors, it spreads a HUGE hotspot so it'll illuminate EVERYTHING in your path. I remember recently letting my friend use the L4 on a night hike, he was blown away at how useful it was. If there isn't much ambient light (moonless night) the A2's LED's might be enough to light the way, but if the moon is out, I doubt 3 5mm's will suffice.. the A2's beam is beautiful, it's white, bright and throws much better than the L4. They're my 2 favorite Surefires. You won't regret either choice... you actually wouldn't regret picking up both!

well, you can't go wrong with an A2. Very versatile combination. Not the best for biking I'd think, though. If you mean to attach someting to the handlebars, the L4 would be a much better choice for that. I have several SF's, and my current favorites seem to rotate. Right now, my favorite is the L2, but I like my L4 w/ the McE2s also. The L4 regulates for a long time considering the output on high.

My vote is for the L4 or A2!

Why not the L2, which offers greater flexibility over the L4?

For so many tasks, my recommendation is to have 2 sfs with you. I have the L2, L4 and A2 and any one of them is suitable. But beware the L4, because 2.5 hours of light is still not enough if the sun doesn't come up for another 8 hours. But with dual output, you would be a bit better off. Although it has been said very often, it bears repeating that it is always a good idea to carry spare lights.

I find that for photography, L2 or L4 are better than the A2, because its hotspot tends to trick my digital camera into dimming the surrounding light too much.

So far, out of the three mentioned here, they each have their strengths and weaknesses. Ideally, you can try them out for yourself.

My choice if I were going on trips like those? Surefire A2 Aviator.....

benchmade_boy said:

i am looking for a sf that i can use while

camping
hiking
fishing
biking
photogrophy
hunting

i already have an u2 i need somthing small no bigger than an a2, no more than two battery, light weight, bright, under $200, led or incandescant

thanks for the great input

Click to expand...

--------------------------
well, heres what I see when you ask, ideally:
Camping: 2 brightness levels [High/low], High Runtime, Waterproof
Hiking: Lightweight, Runtime, Shockproof, Good throw, Runtime
Fishing: [Not used as a fishlamp?] Waterproof, High Runtime, Flood option
Biking: [night???] Any SF will give it plenty
Photography: No specific Tint, Flood, brightness levels
Hunting: brightness levels, lens compatiblity [red/blue], lightweight, long runtime
-------------------------
I do not own SFs nor do I have experience on using these lights in the conditions stated above. From the SF stats, My recommendations include:

The A2: [Dual brightness levels <50/3 lumens>] [waterproof] [weatherproof] [4 oz] [2 x cr123A] [<$200 w/o shipping]
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/surefire_a2.htm
[LESS THEN 50 MIN RUNTIME]

The L4: [LED, Shockproof] [less throw than my inova XO <512 vs 884>] [high intensity] [3.4 oz] [2 x 123A] [<$200 w/ shipping]
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/surefire_l4.htm
[LESS THAN 1.5 HOUR RUNTIME]

The E2L: [LED, Shockproof] [weatherproof] [3.5 oz] [2 x 123A] [<$200 w/ shipping] [LuxIII driven at 1.5W for greater efficiency]
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/surefire_kl1gen2.htm
[LESS THAN 3 HOUR RUNTIME]

Conclusion: For everything else, SF is the best choice, but for runtime...either bring lots of spares, or choose lights from a different company for runtime. Bring at least two lights to where your going, "two is one and one is none"

thanks guys for all the great answers i will be having my u2 in my backpack while hiking or doing anything else i just need a new part time edc also a think i will go with the a2 but what color of leds should i get? if i get white i can always get a beam filter wich for tring to be stealthy i really wouldnt need that much light wich i already think that my u2 is way to bright on the lowset setting so an a2 with a beam filter might be great for me.so the quistion is what color of leds should i go for?

thanks again guys

I like my Yellow/Green A2....the Y/G LEDs seem to preserve my night vision better than white ones, and don't wash the colors as much as red ones.

Just my thoughts.....plus, the nuclear green color is pretty neat too.

dragoman

wich color put out the least lite? i need the one that put out the least so i can navigate without being seen by the wildlife or snoopy people

also ive read that green can be seen more esily than iny other color so does y/g fit in that catigory does anyone have any pics of the y/g beam or itself?

my guess would be red or blue, not sure though.

Alot of animals cannot see in the red spectrum. If your trying to sneak up on wildlife, go red. Can I ask out of curiousity what nocturnal animals you are trying to sneak up on?

i will be moving pree dawn to photograph animals mainly deer i do not want to spook them or else i wont get to photograph them.

Whats wrong with the U2? Its not that big.

White is by far the most useful color. You can get colored filters to suit your needs.

NAW said:

Whats wrong with the U2? Its not that big.

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after feeling the l4 and the a2 it is humungus i still think it is amazing that they can put that much light into such a small packeg also it is uncomtherbul in your pocket with that huge bezel and i have holsters i just dont lik to use it cuase in the tamarack (our local low to the gruond tree/bushes)it gets cuaght up and i think that the natrual HAIII feels much more tougher than the black HAIII

NAW said:

Whats wrong with the U2? Its not that big.

Click to expand...

Benchmade_boy already have a U2 and is now choosing a second light