Desireable beams for outdoor use?

I've looked at a few headlamps in the store but that doesn't tell you much. I have a few flashlights and I know what those beams are like as a way of comparison.

I have a P60 XR-E flashlight that has a tight hotspot along with a circle of flood. I bought some cheap TIR optics from DX and replaced the reflector in one of my XR-E lights just for fun.

My initial impression was that it didn't change a thing but upon closer inspection it actually had a more diffused outer edge to the spill so you didn't have that annoying outer halo movement in your periphery at night. You still had spill but the outer edge was just more diffused as it moved from spill to dark.

This would be my choice of beam for a headlamps spot beam. These optics were only about a dollar each. Obviously they would cost much less for a headlamp manufacturer. Why they always have the worst optics I don't know.

As it is most of the smaller headlamps don't use reflectors or optics that are decent. Most (or a least many) just have a distracting look to them. I'm not the only one who has put a piece of scotch (translucent) tape over the optic.

The flood beams on headlamps are usually pretty good especially when separate emitters are used (as opposed to diffusers).

For those of you who use headlamps for hiking at night in the woods what type of beam do you prefer for the spot beam. One that is a bit diffused but throws without a defined hotspot to 75 feet or so or one with a hotspot and larger spill and throws to 200 feet?

In the woods I don't think I generally need to see ahead 200 feet. Sometimes I can't anyway due to the terrain. I haven't had the chance to take my headlamp out this year under those conditions so I'd like to hear others preferences.

I think the Tikka XP 2 has a spot beam and the EOS does as well and it think it's now a bit more diffused that it used to be. The EOS doesn't have a separate flood mode and the XP 2 has a flip down diffuser.

My current headlamp has a flood mode and a spot mode but the spot was with an optic and had an ugly beam pattern so it currently has tape over it making it a diffused "throwing" beam. What am I giving up by the combination? Any of you mountain hikers really need a 200 foot throwing spot? Do you like the XP 2 as and example of spot beam pattern, EOS or something else. If something else please describe the spot beam pattern.

My best and primary headlamp right now is a Zebralight H51w. I use a piece of diffuser film on the lens which spreads the hotspot out a lot more, and also makes the transition from spot to spill much more gradual. It is very light, uses 1xAA either nimh or primary cells, and comes with a nice clip to use in a pocket when not being used in the headband.

I find that a pure spot beam, like that of a flashlight, just doesn't work well for most tasks I commonly use my headlamp for. On the other hand, if you're going to be using it for biking, caving, etc., then you'd want a throwier beam because you're not working on something right in front of you. So, it depends on what your intended use is going to be.

I have a Spark ST6-460NW on order and should get it in a couple of weeks; it's a much different light than my ZL and should be throwier and of course brighter too. I will be using it for things like hiking and biking, where I would want more throw. For around the campsite, a floody headlamp works better.

Also, I can't recommend enough that you go with a neutral emitter, they make a world of difference. They are simply more pleasant and produce better color and depth perception than a cool tint light does, especially for outdoor use.

recently, i started packing two headlamps instead of one. a Eos and a River Rock 2AAA mule mod. for hiking, i prefer having a wide evenly lit area out to 50-70 feet and the Eos does that really well. i like that a lot more than having a throwy beam with a hotspot. i think the even beam makes it a lot easier to see what the terrain actually looks like. the Eos is less effective as an inclose light and the low isn't low enough for camp, but i made do with it until i modded my RR. my RR mule puts out a pure flood and i've been using that for camp. and i don't really mind the extra 2.5 ounces i'm now carrying.

regarding BOwz3r's comment about beam tint, i agree that neutral tint improves depth perception. i was happy that my stock Eos 70 was pretty warm to begin with. my RR mule has a cool white emitter because i didn't want to spend the extra dough on a neutral emitter, but if i had to do it over again, i would go with a neutral emitter for sure. definitely would have been worth it.

I wonder if there is some common material that could be taped to the lens to make it a neutral beam...some color of cellophane for instance?

gcbryan said:

I wonder if there is some common material that could be taped to the lens to make it a neutral beam...some color of cellophane for instance?

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Rosco color filters maybe. but i guess they're not really common. i've read that you can get sample swatches for free at some camera stores. the store i usually go to didn't have them though.

Do you find that using a neutral tint makes that much difference over just reducing the output level a bit?

I don't really have any neutral leds but I have a Surefire incan that is under powered so I get it that leaves look more natural. I've also noticed however that when I use the flood mode on my headlamp and get the output low enough it's pretty pleasant as well.

It's not like the incan but then again with the incan the leaves were more natural but I couldn't pick out the details as well.

It seems to me the real unnatural situation is when you use a cold tint led and have the output (at night) way too high for what is needed.

gcbryan said:

Do you find that using a neutral tint makes that much difference over just reducing the output level a bit?

I don't really have an neutral leds but I have a Surefire incand that is under powered so I get it that leaves look more natural. I've also noticed however that when I use the flood mode on my headlamp and get the output low enough it's pretty pleasant as well.

It's not like the incand but then again with the incand the leaves were more natural but I couldn't pick out the details as well.

It seems to me the real unnatural situation is when you use a cold tint led and have the output (at night) way too high for what is needed.

Click to expand...

yeah, totally. dialing down the brightness helps me too. having a neutral tint, though, does make a difference. i've compared my stock Eos 70 which has a vanilla tint with a slightly dimmer, cooler Eos Seoul mod, and the stock Eos showed better contrast than the mod. the effect for me is similar to what i get with brown lenses on my sunglasses versus grey lenses except not quite as dramatic. but it is noticeable. maybe not so much that i'm going to swap out every LED i have for a neutral, but enough that given a choice w/o a big price difference, i'd go for the neutral.

I'm going to try a little experiment tonight! I figured out that orange should reduce the effect of blue (just visualizing the color wheel) so I went to the store trying to find wrappers that might work.

The best I could do was a bag of hard candy where one piece was wrapped in yellow cellophane and another in red...together orange!

I'll try just the yellow first and then I'll add the red. I tried it briefly in the house but the real test is to take it outside and see how much the filters reduce the overall light level and to see if the effect is better or worse than not using them.

I already have a piece of translucent scotch tape of the lens so it would be easy to take that off, cut the filter material into small pieces than the tape and then put the tape on top of everything again.

The cellophane material (especially the yellow) seems to let most of the light through.

By the way I tried out the color filter thing but it cut out too much light. Any benefits of the warming effect were far out weighed by the loss of lumens.

Personally I go for what I've heard be referred to as "punchy flood", that is, flood that arises not from a bare emitter but from an emitter behind a lens that results in a floody beam. In my opinion this offers exactly what I need: a smooth, soft flood that is great for close up tasks and seeing the ground below me, and just enough throw to see out in the distance what is relevant. When I hike I am not really too concerned with what is 200 feet away.

I *always* carry a flashlight so if I do need to see a bit further than my headlamp reaches (rare) I grab one of those, which is more often than not the Surefire L1 with excellent throw for its size.

I'm noticing that a piece of translucent tape over my spot beam (which results in the punchy beam you're talking about) works for most of my hiking needs as well. It is a directed beam and is different than the flood mode in my headlamp.

Being able to use both at the same time would be even better...low flood and low or medium directed beam. It would all be seamless and very natural.

Take a look at XYBER's thread on their Spark ST6 headlights. They have great beamshots for you to see which is best for your liking. Their lights come with diffusers lense to so if you need it you can just pop it on.

I like the pattern of my Zebralight H31w. Balanced beam that throws pretty decent with great transition into pill.
Just my opinion..