Tesla89
Newly Enlightened
I would like to know what is the most popular color of cree bins. I am trying to find beamshots so that I may find the color I like
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- Thread starter Tesla89
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Popular by sales is certainly cool white. But you probably mean popular among "tint snobs". I think that's a very personal preference that only you can decide. I don't think beam shots will be useful, because it all depends on the camera's white balance, and of course a picture of light is very different than actually experiencing that light with your own eyes. Though, they may be of use to determine if there is any tint shift within a beam.
Most tint snobs here seem to hold the Nicha 219A neutral white LED as the standard in quality. I also agree it's a great light that really gives great color to objects it lights up. So I guess you might want to find the closest Cree to the Nichia 219. Or just get a Nichia 219!
kj2
Flashaholic
Eagletac d25
ven
Flashaholic
ven
Flashaholic
Right please acknowledge this is far from perfect ,its set on auto in poor conditions so in no way take 100% for granted please!!
On left is nichia 219,its a nice tint,not too warm and not cool white,good tint for colour rendition
On right(convoy range and others) have different tint option,like 3c 4c etc etc this is 4c on the right,its a great warm tint imho and love it.
The actual convoy is brighter than the m20 with nichia 219 so does wash out the flood as you can see..........hence not to take 100%
Now this is nichia 219 on left and a cool white from the roche f8 on right
Just repeat again its not or close to perfect as for example the blue is not shown like that to my eyes,the auto balance on camera does effect to an extent what you see.
Peeps have different taste/likes/opinions but over all the nichia 219 and iirc the 219b have great feedback for colour rendition as cool whites can wash out colours.
This is the m2 4c tint and f8 cool white(having the lights next to each other does effect tint and auto balance on camera)
I would advise looking into the convoy range of lights as well to experiment(very nice lights,well made and well priced).Its an affordable way to experiment with different tints,and being honest its my convoy m2 in 4c tint that has got me into warmer tints.
The m20 nichia 219 is on left(modded by vinh) convoy m2 is 2nd in and the f8 is next to it in grey and x3vn at end just in case you wander what that light is
Hope of some use although limited
On left is nichia 219,its a nice tint,not too warm and not cool white,good tint for colour rendition
On right(convoy range and others) have different tint option,like 3c 4c etc etc this is 4c on the right,its a great warm tint imho and love it.
The actual convoy is brighter than the m20 with nichia 219 so does wash out the flood as you can see..........hence not to take 100%
Now this is nichia 219 on left and a cool white from the roche f8 on right
Just repeat again its not or close to perfect as for example the blue is not shown like that to my eyes,the auto balance on camera does effect to an extent what you see.
Peeps have different taste/likes/opinions but over all the nichia 219 and iirc the 219b have great feedback for colour rendition as cool whites can wash out colours.
This is the m2 4c tint and f8 cool white(having the lights next to each other does effect tint and auto balance on camera)
I would advise looking into the convoy range of lights as well to experiment(very nice lights,well made and well priced).Its an affordable way to experiment with different tints,and being honest its my convoy m2 in 4c tint that has got me into warmer tints.
The m20 nichia 219 is on left(modded by vinh) convoy m2 is 2nd in and the f8 is next to it in grey and x3vn at end just in case you wander what that light is
Hope of some use although limited
cyclesport
Enlightened
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I agree with the others recommendation of the D25C. The Ti version of this light incorporates materials and emitter choices that used to be the exclusive domain of customs and big $$ just a few years ago, in a very small 1 X CR123 package and reasonable cost.
Just be aware that the driver will not be fully regulated with 16340 Li-ions (medium becomes an additional high). CR123 primaries are really the best choice with this light if you're a stickler for regulation.
kj2
Flashaholic
D25C also available with NichiaIs the D25 Ti the only model with the Nichia 219? It's the only one I can find (links welcome
Ken
http://eagletac.com/html/d25crc/specs.htmlOr D25LC2, but that one uses a 18650.
kj2
Flashaholic
My Eagletac dealer, NKON, in The Netherlands, has it in stock.
cyclesport
Enlightened
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Illuminationgear has them (ti) in stock...
cyclesport
Enlightened
- Joined
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- Messages
- 676
Gotcha. Since your interest seems to be primarily with a small Nichia 219 light, are you familiar with the L3 Illumination L10 (AA) and L08 (AAA)? These have a rabid following here on CPF...
They're AA and AAA (NEW) powered w/Nichia's 4500K, 92 CRI B10 bin, are simple twisty switch lights with great beam quality (I actually like it better than the 219 D25Cs...(bigger hotspot and smoother transition to spill and slightly warmer) very good mode spacing, aluminum anno'd, and a real bargain at anywhere from approx $23 to $28 depending on config.
They run great on AA allky's, Eneloops, or even Li-ions...might tide you over till you can get the ET?
[h=2][/h]
RetroTechie
Flashlight Enthusiast
I'd just go for a "neutral white" (NW) light, which means color temperature roughly in 4000-4500K range. If you find you prefer cool white, it won't be too "warm". If you find you prefer even warmer light, it won't be too "cool" at least.
The other thing in lights is CRI which (at least to the naked eye) isn't as important as color temperature. Note that -in general- LEDs with a lower color temperature tend to have better CRI than cool white LEDs.
Both color temperature and CRI still don't say everything about a LED's output spectrum, which is where LEDs like the Nichia 219 come in.
I've seen lights with NW or even WW LED options from Eagletac and Xeno. And there are sometimes collector editions like Olight's Titanium lights, which often come with neutral white LEDs. Another option is to get a random light of your choice, and have someone perform an "emitter swap" on it (of course this comes at a cost).
Last option is to buy a light that comes in a wide choice of emitters - Convoy S2 comes to mind. Or put flashlight body (a "host") + electronics + LED together yourself. If you go that route, FastTech is a good place to start.
The other thing in lights is CRI which (at least to the naked eye) isn't as important as color temperature. Note that -in general- LEDs with a lower color temperature tend to have better CRI than cool white LEDs.
Both color temperature and CRI still don't say everything about a LED's output spectrum, which is where LEDs like the Nichia 219 come in.
I've seen lights with NW or even WW LED options from Eagletac and Xeno. And there are sometimes collector editions like Olight's Titanium lights, which often come with neutral white LEDs. Another option is to get a random light of your choice, and have someone perform an "emitter swap" on it (of course this comes at a cost).
Last option is to buy a light that comes in a wide choice of emitters - Convoy S2 comes to mind. Or put flashlight body (a "host") + electronics + LED together yourself. If you go that route, FastTech is a good place to start.
Thanks, i ran into those looking for the D25C. Looks like a nice light and has a pocket clip, which I really kinda require. I currently have a Beta QR on my keys and I like it but I wondered if the L3 would be too close to it (hence looking at a CR123 light) and that kind of twisty interface is about my least favorite (both my Beta QR and Maratac AAA Cu work that way) It is a good deal, that's for sure and a good size, I'll give it some thought.
i have a few Fenix in each cool and neutral (though there is some variation between actual emitters) and an SWM M11R in cool (for carry and UI it's my favorite light to date) and the Beta QR w/ Nichia 219. They are all great for various things. Nothing finds an Aleve on blue carpet like a cool white
They really glow! Generally, though, I DO seem to like neutral best overall. The Nichia in the Beta QR is VERY different and at first I wasn't sure I cared for it. But I've come around and for a lot of things I'm liking it really well these days.Anyway, for this class of light (single CR123) I now have two cool and one neutral so a warmer high CRI seemed like a good next get. There really don't seem to be many offerings in high CRI CR123 lights. As a bonus, it'd be my first a Eagle TAC so I can see first hand what they are about. From reading the UI looks way more complicated than I'm used to.
i associate the two. I guess I'm not quite clear on the distinction.
Another factor? So this is like the total spectrum of light emitted? But doesn't that tie into the CRI rating? Now I'm kinda getting lost. I guess I need to do some reading
WW?
Im not quite to the build it/have it built point (yet?) I may get there if I ever decide it HAS to be a Nichia 219 and it HAS to be a SWM M11R, but I'm no where near that at this point.
Thanks for all the great ideas!
Ken
RetroTechie
Flashlight Enthusiast
Yes, "spectrum" is the keyword here. If you take a light with CRI = 100 (a so called "black body radiator"), or more commonly: a glowing bulb / halogen lamp / unfiltered sunlight, and for each wavelength measure the relative output, plot that vs. wavelength, you get a bell-shaped curve (a so called Gaussian distribution).Another factor? So this is like the total spectrum of light emitted? But doesn't that tie into the CRI rating? Now I'm kinda getting lost. I guess I need to do some reading
Color Temperature indicates at which wavelength the peak of that curve is, around which wavelength most light gets radiated. Higher CT means shorter average wavelength (more blueish, "cooler" light), lower CT means longer average wavelength (more yellow/reddish, "warmer" light).
That smooth bell curve is very distinctive for light sources that derive from heat, and for color perception it's what humans are used to. But if you do the same for artificial light sources like LEDs, fluorescent lamps (or worse
), you'll find that smooth curve turns into a wild set of peaks and valleys, sometimes just a few thin/high peaks with little in between. Which means that some colors are over-represented, or entirely missing from that light's output.CRI is a measurement that attempts to give a 'rating' (0-100) for how much a spectrum 'looks' like a nice bell curve like you'd get from sunlight or a glow bulb. Which is good to have. But it doesn't say which colors are over-represented or missing, or whether spectrum is wider or smaller than eg. sunlight. CRI ~70 is 'acceptable', ~80 is common for white power LEDs, 90+ is pretty good quality light.
Just check some LED datasheets. Most cool white LEDs will have a peak in the blue, for neutral or warm white LEDs that peak will be much lower. For a low-CRI LED, the overall spectrum might look pretty irregular (or with a few high peaks). For a high-CRI LED, the overall spectrum will look more like a smooth bell curve (and for many fluorescent lights, it will look like poop :laughing: ).
IIRC work is underway to produce better yardsticks than just CT + CRI, but you'll see it's not easy to condense a spectral distribution in just a few numbers...
Warm White.
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Actually the spectrum of a black body radiator at a given temperature is a Planck curve, not a Gaussian. It has a longer tail on the low frequency side and a steeper cliff on the high frequency side.
And as for CRI, even the 94 CRI Cree has some limitations in flesh tones and reds compared to an incandescent in the fixture.
Not as bad as lower CRI, but certainly not good enough for makeup.
And as for CRI, even the 94 CRI Cree has some limitations in flesh tones and reds compared to an incandescent in the fixture.
Not as bad as lower CRI, but certainly not good enough for makeup.
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RetroTechie
Flashlight Enthusiast
Ah okay... Even an ex-physics student can learn something new every day on CPF! :bow:
