which is brighter?

which torch would light up a subject best at approx 300metres; hf 30 million cp HiD, or a 15 mcp halogen 100watt torch? i hope this is enough info!?!?

Hi supersharpshoot,

Thats an easy question: HID has about 4 times the surface brightness, that means that when you swap a halogen bulb by a HID the cp-output is 4 times higher. 4 times higher cp-output brings about 2 times the throw !!

I hope I don't have to tell you that cp-output has nothing to do with lumens-output.

If you want more info please ask..

Regards,

Ra.

Hi Ra,

Please briefly explain why "cp-output has nothing to do wtih lumens-output".....

Thanks

Sorry to intrude but I think I can explain a little. CP is a measure of light in a particular spot of the beam, but hardly useful in terms of overall brightness of a light. Lumens does not tell the whole story either, as some lumens are concentarted in the hotspot and some in sidespill. In other words--throw (hotspot) and flood (sidespill).

Ra is right, 24 watt HID bulbs like the Microfire K2000R output around 1800 lumens, whereas the Surefire M6 is rated at 500 lumens. The HID is also much more efficient in terms of brightness for current consumption. But, it cannot be pulsed and you do not have instant lighting on demand like with halogen-xenon filament bulbs.

Two lights in different categories and for different uses.

Hi TeflonBubba,

LED61 explaned a few thing already,

Let me add an example: Take a CCFL-tube: Lots of lumens, but those lumens come from a very big surface. Put that CCFL-tube in a reflector and throw (cp-output) will be very, very poor (100 metres at the most)!!!
If you want high throw, you need a narrow beam, if you want a narrow beam you need a small illuminating surface producing lots of lumens, and you need a high quality parabolic reflector.

Before HID, halogen was the best compromise between lumens, throw and costs. Indeed with a few minor disadvantages, HID has taken things like throw, efficiency and bulblife to the next level.

The extremists on throw are the searchlights with expensive short-arc lamps, with even higher surface-brightness compared to HID. But a price is paid: For example: The illustrious Maxabeam has a 75-watt short-arc lamp producing little over 1000 lumens, and throws about 2 miles !! A 75-watt HID would produce over 8000 lumens !! But with the lower surface-brightness it would throw propably even less than 1 mile !

BTW: Don't beleve the cp-claims you read on spotlightboxes: Highly exaggerated to grab your attention !!! If one manufacturer claims 10 million cp, its neighbor claims 20million cp for a light with the same or even lower brighness!!

They all think:"How many people are actually capable of measuring the cp-output??" Well,, I AM !!

And I never saw even the biggest halogen spotlight that I know of (Cyclops Platinum Thor) produce more than 410,000 cp !! And it says 15million cp on the box!! YES,, ITS THAT BAD !! But, on the other side: they are cheap and produce lots of lumens, and some people want just that..


Regards,

Ra.

I believe the answer to your questions was demonstrated by Mtnbkndad on one of the older Costco threads. The answer is the HF, it's will definitely illuminate an object at 300 meters a lot better than the 15,000,000cp Thor. I thought the 10 mil Thors were 100w, though, and that the 15 mils were 130w. I don't have any Thors, though, so I'm unsure. I've got a Costco, though, and it's Huge reflector turns it into a real throw king.