Inova X1 Spot Blue

Somewhat of a challenge (for me),
but was it worth -while or -less?

Got one of the closeout old style Inova X1 spot lights with blue LED from Fry's - which cratz2 very kindly sold me.

I've already written a short piece about its Form-Factor, Size, Ergonomics.

The only other blue LED I had was a "Frauxton" clone Photon coin cell light - yet I wanted to be able to describe its brightness and focussed spot by comparison with known lights.......

Size comparsion -


Heads/diameter comparison -


Compared to clone Photon "frauxton" Blue -


This shows one of the problems - the hotspot on both were so much brighter than the side-spill that they are grossly over exposed to show basically white. So unless it was made clear these were blue LEDs one may well mistake these for white LEDs with blue tints........

vs. River Rock 1.5w 2AA Spot - Standard 9" comparison beamshot -2 Stops Underexposed -

Because both the lights are spots and obviously limited to their spot beams - they have very little coverage - so the beamshot ends up showing two grossly over-exposed spots with the blue color lost - so it looks like two white LEDs even when taken with deliberate -2 stops underexposure.

OK I can solve that problem by moving the lights further away so that the spots have more coverage on the target paper -

vs. River Rock 1.5w 2AA at ~1.2metres/~4ft

OK this is more like the way I see the spots from more than about 3-4feet away.

An interesting point - at 9" away the Inova spot looks considerably smaller than the River Rock - but once moved more than about 3-4feet away the spots were then very similar in size.

But how do I equate the brightness? Afterall one is Blue and the other "white".....

Well, we can get rid of the color and just leave the brightness/luminance right?

Sounds like all one has to do is set the digicam to Black & White and take the beamshot, or post process and change the color photo to grayscale.....

B&W shot -2 Stops Underexposed

The blue spot looks considerably dimmer than the River Rock spot - and this is not what it seems (admittedly subjective), or from the color beamshot above

There's a major problem here - Black & White photography and greyscale conversion are panchromatic - in other words - shades of gray are used to represent color - so even if a blue is exactly the same brightness as a white - to be able to represent the blue it is shown as a shade of gray - therefore not a good representation of its true luminance or brightness.

Digital photography taught me that the color photographic image is made up of chroma/color (RGB) information and luminance/brightness information.

So how do I strip the chroma/color (RGB) information to leave only the luminance/brightness information?

Looking through my photo editor there was saturation adjustment - so if I were to UNsaturate the color would it leave me with just the luminance information?

Beamshots DEsaturated of color -

That, kind of looks more like it.......
compare the -2 stops underexposed UNsaturated shot with the B&W shot above......

vs. Fenix L1 v2.5


vs. Fenix L1 v2.5 DEsaturated of color -


I'm not sure if this proves anything worthwhile - but it was interesting (for me).

Even though the new version of the Inova X1 has now changed to a regular reflector to give a more generally useful beam - I personally think that the X1 is now just one of the "also-rans" - ie: nothing particularly special - if it wasn't for the fact that the spot version of the X1 was so unpopular - because of the expectation of something "better" - the reflector change would probably not attracted so much favorable attention - afterall all Inova have done is to correct a "mistake" - which (to be unkind) they shouldn't have made.

Conversely - the spot X1 should not have been quite as unpopular -
as its spot was very intense for a single 5mm LED, if my blue LED sample is any indication - so it was capable to throwing quite an intense spot from a 5mm LED that rivals a 1watt Luxeon reflectored light, or even a 1.5watt Jupiter lensed spot light......

Of course having done all this - I can't really think of any practical applications for a spot blue beam -
yes, blood trailing or forensics - neither of which I do.

So may be I'll freeze-pop it and mod it to a white LED.....
it's a matter of just getting over my inertia now.......

Interesting 'inertia' there UnknownVT. I found it interesting.

Thank you,

Mike

It does makes stuff glow, which is cool.

I love your comparison threads, UnknownVT. They're very helpful and informative. Keep up the good work!

(Dangit, you made me want an RR 2AA now because of the peculiar beam.)

Fantastic!

What a brilliant post!

Being a BIG fan of the spot type beam, I think the blue X1 is one of the most striking torches around.

I will lament the passing of its blue led when you mod it.


...Runaround NOW!....

Before you freeze pop it, let me know how much you need for it as I like the X1 spot and dont have a blue one yet, but would like one.


Lee

Nyctophiliac wrote: "Being a BIG fan of the spot type beam, I think the blue X1 is one of the most striking torches around.
I will lament the passing of its blue led when you mod it."

I thank you so very much for your enthusiastic response.

I only meant to mod it to a White LED, retaining the Spot -
(ie: only to change the LED to white )

This is the conundrum for me -
1) as already stated the newer reflectored version of the X1 is much more generally useful - therefore superior over the spot.

2) the X1 Spot is somewhat unique by having a very intense spot for a light driven by only a single AA alkaline, and that spot gives very even coverage which is a characteristic of lens focussing/collimation.

So out of the two I freely admit the newer reflectored version is better -
BUT I like the spot version more.......:huh:
(because as a spot the X1 is somewhat unique,
as a regular reflectored light the X1 is, well, "regular"....)

oh-oh.... here come the men in the white coats ....
......again

I've long been a fan of the spot beam X1, but I rarely suggested it on CPF or to non-CPFers because if it's admittedly limited use beam shape. I do wish it were a bit brighter though. I've modded them with Nichia CS LEDs and will probably do one with a 50k JELED when I get one as I guess at lower current levels, the 50k seems to be about the brightest 5mm LED around.

With the stock white spot beam X1, shining it around a completely dark room is, like Doug/Quickbeam said, like looking at a well-lit room through a pinhole in a piece of cardboard. It just isn't really bright enough to really get your bearings without doing a sweeping movement. The River Rock/Aurora lights are bright enough that in a typical living room, though there is no real spill beam to speak of, just the light that gets reflected off the more reflective surfaces is almost enough to navigate by.

On the other hand, I've never understood why the River Rock/Aurora lights are so ineffecient. I mean, the X1 gives a certain amount of light for many hours (5 at the very minimum... maybe 7 or 8 hours of good brightness) while the 2C River Rock is maybe three or four times as bright but only gets about 4 or 5 hours brightness from 2 C cells.

Maybe it's the plastic they use in the optic... Shame they can't cheaply use something a bit more clear.

I sold my 2xAA and 2xC River Rocks but would pick up one of the 1x123 Aurora lights... And I think someone mentioned that Target has/will have a 1xAA 1.5W which I might check out.

I have always liked the Inova X1 spot, and I think it is brighter than some detractors give it credit for. I have no scientific equipment to prove this claim but everythign within the spot of light is very well lit up, every bit as good as other comparable sized lights I have had.

It seems every bit as bright, in that circle of light, as the RR AAA hotspot, and my modded MJLED Minimag and other similar sized led lights. However, if you are not really looking it's lack of side spill gives the impression of dimness. I beleive this is an optical illusion due to the lack of side spill which always gets equated into the visual perception of brightness.

I have always found that things lit up in it are very well lit and defined, for the limits of its beam.

Nyctophiliac wrote: "Being a BIG fan of the spot type beam, I think the blue X1 is one of the most striking torches around.
I will lament the passing of its blue led when you mod it."

Lament no more.......

Lee1959 wrote: "Before you freeze pop it, let me know how much you need for it as I like the X1 spot and dont have a blue one yet, but would like one."

I just did a "win-win" straight trade with Lee1959 for a White Spot -
so Lee now has that X1 Blue Spot unmodd'ed - unaltered .......

I have now also posted my comparsion impression of the Spot White X1 (linked) -

Inova X1 Spot - White

And I do LOVE it , thanks VT. And anyone listening, he is a true gentleman to deal with, lightning shipping, very nice secure packaging, and the best communication. A true pleasure. now gotta go read your review VT...

Yay!!!

Everybody happy and nothing to lament!!!

Who's for Pizza?