Midsummer midnight beamshots

In Finland, summer is the most boring time for a flashaholic, since there isn't much dark time when you really need to use a flashlight to get through your daily tasks. Of course, that doesn't prevent you from using my flashlights daily, but there are no moments when your out with your friends and a sudden need for a flashlight emerges and you get your chance to amaze/blind them with the newest photon cannon you've got. Bored by this lack of action I decided to go out during the midnight to take beamshots of some of my flashlights and headlamps.

Due to daylight saving time I timed the photoshoot just before 1 AM, since it is supposed to be the darkest moment of the night. As a disclaimer I have to say I'm sorry for the bad image quality. I have only Nikon Coolpix S2500 (and a camera in my phone, which is even worse) and no tripod. Also, I didn't want to freeze, so I took only one picture per light. I couldn't set the shutter time, but it adjusted automatically to 1/30s except for the reference picture in which it is 1/40s. So... it isn't actually a reference picture, but the difference shouldn't be enormous. The ISO speed was set to 400 in all the photos. All lights were turned on their highest mode (HI or TURBO). Note that tint comparison isn't possible due to auto white balance in my camera.

Let's start with the refecerence:


Thrunite TN12:


Olight M22:


Eagtac GX25A3:


Armytek Wizard Pro:


Olight H15S (without diffuser):


Armytek Tiara A1 Pro (with a 14500):


Olight S15 (with a 14500):


And finally, Armytek Partner A1 (the special edition with XM-L2 and a clean TIR optics):


(If you look really carefully, you can notice it isn't just the same picture posted 9 times. When you see it... )

It is going to be the Midsummer next weekend. If I don't drown (again) after trying to pee out of a boat I have to start preparing myself for the long dark nights of the winter. As we know, winter is coming and the night is dark and full of terrors.

Meanwhile, I wish you all enjoy your summer!

Wow, sorry, I can't see a thing.
I'm on a tablet though.

WarRaven said:

Wow, sorry, I can't see a thing.
I'm on a tablet though.

Click to expand...

Oh, noticed same problem with my phone. I have to set my screen brightness high and zoom all the way in or it all just seems black.

Just barely making out some differences in the grass on an iPhone 6; your next big purchase should be a camera..

Looks like maybe not the right time and place for the International Beamshot Competition.

Indeed, I must admit I may have made a mistake when choosing the time and date for the beamshots. Fortunately, it's getting dark really fast and I believe in less than 2 months I have to carry a flashlight daily for a reason.

D6859 said:

Indeed, I must admit I may have made a mistake when choosing the time and date for the beamshots. Fortunately, it's getting dark really fast and I believe in less than 2 months I have to carry a flashlight daily for a reason.

Click to expand...

Looking forward to you doing this again if possible.
You've a selection to view and see.

Have a great one.

WarRaven said:

Looking forward to you doing this again if possible.
You've a selection to view and see.

Have a great one.

Click to expand...

I almost did the beamshot comparison last winter, but it was either too cold, too foggy or too snowy to make any sense. Let's try again this fall.

I'm fascinated. At 1am the sky still has light, it's midsummer and you only took one photograph per light because you didn't want to freeze.

I can only imagine the winters you must have.

Skaaphaas said:

I'm fascinated. At 1am the sky still has light, it's midsummer and you only took one photograph per light because you didn't want to freeze.

I can only imagine the winters you must have.

Click to expand...

Not sure if I was kidding I think I didn't have enough clothes on. T-shirt during the night isnt always enough. Not that cold though. But few years back it snowed the day before midsummer. I think August is the best summer month.

Winters seem to have become warmer and more rainy and seem to differ from fall or spring by the amount of daylight. I guess it's the climate change. Last January we had real winter though (-25 C and below).