Stagehand needs flashlight
- Thread starter phil000
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Icebreak
Flashlight Enthusiast
Welcome to CandlePowerForums, Phil.
I may come back with a suggestion or two but I wanted to get you this hyperlink that is to a quick discussion about flashlight use in a stage production.
A couple of good flashlights are recommended. Also blue and UV light are discussed.
Blue light Q for Sub_Umbra or stage lighting experienced members
Hope that's a good start for you.
- Jeff
I may come back with a suggestion or two but I wanted to get you this hyperlink that is to a quick discussion about flashlight use in a stage production.
A couple of good flashlights are recommended. Also blue and UV light are discussed.
Blue light Q for Sub_Umbra or stage lighting experienced members
Hope that's a good start for you.
- Jeff
iamerror
Enlightened
I am not sure if the Inova X5 would be too bright, but it might fit your requirements. It does take 123A batteries, though. The beam is floody, but it is not extremely wide. It seems tough enough to handle drops and other things thrown its way. It is slightly over 4 inches and comes in black or silver. You can find these at Target if you have one close to you.
greenlight
Flashlight Enthusiast
Check out the old style inova X1; you should hurry up and buy it. It's the ultimate stealth light.
iamerror
Enlightened
Yeah, the older style X1 is worthing checking out if that it is enough light for you. It is like a dim portable spotlight. It is good for spotting things but not great for navigating. As long as that is enough light for you, it would be great for not being seen onstage.
Aaron1100us
Enlightened
I'd go for the X5. Very tough and water proof. Floody beam that isn't real bright yet bright enough. It does require 123 batteris but those can be found for $1 online. My X1 (old generation) is very very dim and spot with no spill beam. I here the newer ones have a better beam with some side spill.
TORCH_BOY
Flashlight Enthusiast
Welcome, The Fenix L2S is great, two levels of brightness, nice LED and the light itself
if quite well made
if quite well made
BentHeadTX
Flashlight Enthusiast
TORCH_BOY said:
Agreed
Having two level is critical for backstage and the low level of the Fenix L2S (or L2T) will give that to you. If you want to difuse the beam for an even spread, put a piece of scotch tape over the lens for a nice even flood beam.
If you have a light that is able to light 'everything around' you, wouldn't that be too bright?
I recently was helping w/ some backstage work, and a Photon Freedom in Red was great - at full bright it was bright enough to illuminate a good span of area, at least a 5' away from me, and for close-up work or reading a script, it was perfect b/c of the practically continuous brightness level adjustment. Imo the Freedom's UI is really great. Also, this red light gave the most un-artifacty beam of all the red LED's I've ever seen period.
It's also only $10 at batteryjunction. If you get one w/ the covert nose it's $1.50 more, but it makes it very, um, covert - very directional, b/c of the hood. I highly recommend!!
I recently was helping w/ some backstage work, and a Photon Freedom in Red was great - at full bright it was bright enough to illuminate a good span of area, at least a 5' away from me, and for close-up work or reading a script, it was perfect b/c of the practically continuous brightness level adjustment. Imo the Freedom's UI is really great. Also, this red light gave the most un-artifacty beam of all the red LED's I've ever seen period.
It's also only $10 at batteryjunction. If you get one w/ the covert nose it's $1.50 more, but it makes it very, um, covert - very directional, b/c of the hood. I highly recommend!!
iamerror
Enlightened
The Inova X1s do have a purpleish/bluish tint to them.
If you're master electrician too, you might want to look into the Brinkmann headlamp, also available for <$10, at WalMart. It has dual output, either the 2 white Nichia LEDs, or 1 red LED. It's pretty comfy too. I would figure if you're cabling and moving stuff around, having a headlamp would be pretty valuable.
mcmc said:
I actually do have a headlamp, it's not too impressive but it gets the job done...however I look like a contender for the special olympics when i'm wearing it...It's got 1 blue led, 2 red, one incadenscent in the center...useful...but stupid looking...
AlexSchira
Enlightened
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2005
- Messages
- 435
I second the red Freedom from batteryjunction, just got mine a couple days ago and I've very happy with it. The covert hood is a balance of cutting back outer visibility by limiting its output into a tighter spot that may be harder to move around with. I've always preferred the bare LED version which I can cup in my hand to both cut back sidespill and control how much light I'm giving off so I can have full flood if I need to suddenly be somewhere else or fix something head-on.
Also, the accessories that come with the Freedom might really help you out. Take the keyring off, put it on the necklace clip, you now have a fancy little surfer necklace slash flashlight that you can remove at any time. It's all black, so it would blend with your shirt very professionally. The magnetic clip is amazingly handy, being able to stick it to a nearby metal surface to work on something is worth getting the Freedom. You could even clip it to clothing or a hat for a tiny but functioning headlamp, I've actually clipped it to my bangs before in a pinch.
Runtime would be awesome to say the least, I've heard '120 Hours' thrown around, that's without the variable brightness function. A pack of five 2032s is 2.50 on batteryjunction, since it only runs on one it's the ultimate bargain.
Also, the accessories that come with the Freedom might really help you out. Take the keyring off, put it on the necklace clip, you now have a fancy little surfer necklace slash flashlight that you can remove at any time. It's all black, so it would blend with your shirt very professionally. The magnetic clip is amazingly handy, being able to stick it to a nearby metal surface to work on something is worth getting the Freedom. You could even clip it to clothing or a hat for a tiny but functioning headlamp, I've actually clipped it to my bangs before in a pinch.
Runtime would be awesome to say the least, I've heard '120 Hours' thrown around, that's without the variable brightness function. A pack of five 2032s is 2.50 on batteryjunction, since it only runs on one it's the ultimate bargain.
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65535
Flashlight Enthusiast
hey you should consider getting a diffuser for the X1 that way its not too bright since you said it was pretty bright food for thought.
yaesumofo
Flashlight Enthusiast
Come back when you have more cash and buy a McLuxIII PD before Don sells them all.
Neck worn lanyard carry is perfect for stage work. 2 levels and small. Extremely heavy duty bright and white with a great beam pattern. It will not fail you at the critical moment like the X1 may.
Don't get me wrong I love the X1 really cool light I have a few of them in different colors. Great mini spotlight.
The problem is the bezel's can come undone fairly easily. causing the lens to be lost.
Unfortunately the older X1 just isn't that stout. They Made a new version which in my opinion is crap. But the new design will never have the same problems the older X1 has.
Personally working on stages and movie sets is a similar endeavour, I work on movie sets. A spot light, like the X1, would never work for me. With no flood it is no good. I have been using a PD on a set for 18 months now and the light has never failed. It is also the envy of many a grip an electrician on many a set. The low level allows you to work without distracting anybody while the high level allows me to move and work quickly in very dark areas of the set because I see a whole lot more than the guy with a Mag aa.
For what it is worth it may serve you well to gently remove the bezel and apply a bit of loctite or some similar product to secure the bezel. Otherwise using that light in a production environment is a risky thing to do.
I understand the price issue. Look at it like this you are buying a tool which will likely last you for your entire career vs a light which may last a season or two if you are lucky and pay special attention to the light so as to not drop it or damage it in some way. This is a non issue with a light like the PD. It just is not part of the picture. The PD is a tool like snap on tools are tools. Designed to last a lifetime while being easy to care for.
We are talking about an important work tool here. Buy the best USA made semi custom stuff you can.
Yaesumofo
Neck worn lanyard carry is perfect for stage work. 2 levels and small. Extremely heavy duty bright and white with a great beam pattern. It will not fail you at the critical moment like the X1 may.
Don't get me wrong I love the X1 really cool light I have a few of them in different colors. Great mini spotlight.
The problem is the bezel's can come undone fairly easily. causing the lens to be lost.
Unfortunately the older X1 just isn't that stout. They Made a new version which in my opinion is crap. But the new design will never have the same problems the older X1 has.
Personally working on stages and movie sets is a similar endeavour, I work on movie sets. A spot light, like the X1, would never work for me. With no flood it is no good. I have been using a PD on a set for 18 months now and the light has never failed. It is also the envy of many a grip an electrician on many a set. The low level allows you to work without distracting anybody while the high level allows me to move and work quickly in very dark areas of the set because I see a whole lot more than the guy with a Mag aa.
For what it is worth it may serve you well to gently remove the bezel and apply a bit of loctite or some similar product to secure the bezel. Otherwise using that light in a production environment is a risky thing to do.
I understand the price issue. Look at it like this you are buying a tool which will likely last you for your entire career vs a light which may last a season or two if you are lucky and pay special attention to the light so as to not drop it or damage it in some way. This is a non issue with a light like the PD. It just is not part of the picture. The PD is a tool like snap on tools are tools. Designed to last a lifetime while being easy to care for.
We are talking about an important work tool here. Buy the best USA made semi custom stuff you can.
Yaesumofo
phil000 said:Hi all,
I'm new here (from bladeforums) and am looking for a LED flashlight for under 35$. Here's who I am: My name is Phil and I'm a sophomore in Lighting Design at Kent State. My last flashlight was one of those Chinese LED 3-in-1 laser, blacklight and White L.E.D. lights, my only complaint with that was, the circuitry and on switch were crappy made and I often had to fix things there and the whole fixture and general Fit and Finish were pretty crappy, however it's beam reach was perfect for what I needed. The real kicker of problems was, everyone who saw it wanted one, and got one and now everyone has one, and mine was recently lent out and lost somewhere along the line/stolen.Physical criteria: It must be able to be used for backstage use, if it's too bright it will be seen onstage and/or is distracting to people working around me. Weight is not a criteria. I want this thing to be TOUGH. I would also like to have this thing running on some conventional simple batteries (AA preferably). Preferably over 4.5 inches long and thickness doesn't matter. I like my flashlight to light everything around me as well, as reach doesn't matter to me as much as being able to see everything around me.
<you deserve a medal if you read all that>
What I was thinking that I liked: Inova X1 or X5 (can someone please explain all the color differences to me?) but I'm unsure what is the 'new' flood style or the spotlight style...
To revamp: Spread over throw. Weight and thickness are a non-issue, longer than 4" preferably, Run time over brightness, AA and AAAs are preferred but not a deal breaker if it has to run on 123s, many of the things we have to wear while running a show is black, preferably this flashlight will be as well...
Thank you all for your help...
Phil
