Preferred Color Temperature?

Tre_Asay · Jan 8, 2016

Thats about it, what is your preferred CCT in a flashlight? If you had to choose a light based only on color temp, all other factors out what would it be?
I must admit that I am turning to the warm side, after using a maglite solitaire for the first time in years I actually like the tint.
On the other hand, 5000 - 6000 kelvin looks much more like daylight to me.
I think that I will need more experience but I am leaning to 4000 - 5000 kelvin range.

What do you think?

PST, I just ordered a H502c neutral white, I hope it is pretty close to actual color temp. :party:

EDIT: I was going to make it a poll but oops,

Less Than 3000K
3000-3500
3500-4000
4000-4500
4500-5000
5000-5500
5500-6000
more than 6000K

twistedraven · Jan 8, 2016

5200k. The true neutral.

bykfixer · Jan 9, 2016

Flashlights are fun.
It doesn't take long to realize which tint is pleasing at given times.
And there is no one tint that will please every eye at every brightness.

Many people dismiss the solitaire incan as a dismal failure in todays LED world. But for certain scenarios it's output and color cast are ideal for enough people that they still sell. Yet the crowd noise causes an inexperienced light user to quickly pass it by...

For me, in low light scenarios the warmer the better. Low light calls for mellow yellow imo.

In bright light needs I prefer a bright white. It just seems to bring out the small details like sunshine does.

For general purpose I like a neutral tint. Best of both in terms of mellow on the eyes, yet highlights details.

Looks like you are easing into the Archimedes curve there Tre...more posts/less lumens. lol.

seery · Jan 9, 2016

5500k

I don't like dirty tints.

maukka · Jan 9, 2016

It depends on the brightness of the flashlight. Just like bykfixer wrote, if the light is dim, then warm seems more natural. When there's a lof of light, even a high temp light doesn't seem too blue (overcast sky for example). This is exactly what the Kruithof curve describes.

Also, the color temperature on its own cannot describe the tint, which makes buying flashlights based on that one metric really difficult. For me there's no single favorite color temp, because the eye gets used to almost any temperature very fast (unless there is several differing light sources). As long as there's no clear color cast, almost anything between 3000-7000 K is fine. Still, when I'm buying a light, I prefer 4500-5500 K just because they are usually end up being the most neutral in practice. Still, there are lots crappy 4000 K and great 6500 K light sources around.

Tac Gunner · Jan 9, 2016

4000k to 5000k depending on application and light output

ven · Jan 9, 2016

Around 5000k to 5500k..........even 5700k , tbh to play safe i say 5000k for most lights now. I have some 4000k(maybe less) i like too..........

For around house or general edc, i prefer the warmer side or neutral if i had to pick. For throw then i want cooler side of 5000k.........

So for me i am saying it depends on the actual light and the use .......... I do like to have a variety though as i do flashlights, just breaks things up instead of having the same K in them all.......

No rights or wrongs, and everyone will see slightly different too. I remember my m20 nichia 219b off vinh, seemed warm at the time and keeping an open mind grew to like it...........to one of my fav's. Now it does not look warm(would have said 4000k back then being used to 6500k+ type cold lights.......eye tricks!), it looks cooler now to back then at 4500-5000k to my eyes ,certainly cooler compared to some now anyway! .

I like to see pretty much what i would see generally, realistic rendition and even then certain K are better suited depending on the application/environment.

wolfgaze · Jan 9, 2016

Question - has anyone on CPF ever done an informational/sticky type thread for newcomers to LED flashlight technology - with photos outlining and comparing the various beam colors/tints and perhaps even the beam styles (flood/thrower, hotspot/spill)?

bykfixer · Jan 9, 2016

ven said:
Around 5000k to 5500k..........even 5700k , tbh to play safe i say 5000k for most lights now. I have some 4000k(maybe less) i like too..........

For around house or general edc, i prefer the warmer side or neutral if i had to pick. For throw then i want cooler side of 5000k.........

So for me i am saying it depends on the actual light and the use .......... I do like to have a variety though as i do flashlights, just breaks things up instead of having the same K in them all.......

No rights or wrongs, and everyone will see slightly different too. I remember my m20 nichia 219b off vinh, seemed warm at the time and keeping an open mind grew to like it...........to one of my fav's. Now it does not look warm(would have said 4000k back then being used to 6500k+ type cold lights.......eye tricks!), it looks cooler now to back then at 4500-5000k to my eyes ,certainly cooler compared to some now anyway! .

I like to see pretty much what i would see generally, realistic rendition and even then certain K are better suited depending on the application/environment.

Looking at the post on a smartphone with the body of the post filling the screen...ie can't see who it is...
2nd paragraph in I thought 'Ven'...reduced the writing and slid over to see who...sure enough..it was you.

Not saying you're predictable mind you...just that your style was there....if you ever write a book save me a copy.

ven · Jan 9, 2016

:laughing:

JohnnyBravo · Jan 9, 2016

4500-5000 for me.

Grijon · Jan 9, 2016

I like neutral to warm, so 5000k and down for me.

To me colder tints seem more 'institutional', so I don't mind cold if I'm intentionally blasting maximum power - but it's been a very long time since I blasted anything, lol. I think cold tint on a dim light looks horrible.

Swedpat · Jan 9, 2016

4000-4500K is my choice.

bykfixer · Jan 9, 2016

Grijon said:
I like neutral to warm, so 5000k and down for me.

To me colder tints seem more 'institutional', so I don't mind cold if I'm intentionally blasting maximum power - but it's been a very long time since I blasted anything, lol. I think cold tint on a dim light looks horrible.

Exactly. I love the light my microstream puts out for lighting cavities or shadows in the daytime, but at night I like the tint of an incan for same scenario.

Peering into an engine bay in daylight differs greatly than doing it at night. And the microstream beam plucks my nerves... so I go for the less than great beam of my HP1 due to the lack of harsh tone and being able to slide the head back and diffuse all that extra light...that is if an incan mini mag isn't nearby.

Timothybil · Jan 9, 2016

If going by temp alone, 5000K and a little lower. But I have been making my choices on CRI these days, and there color temp doesn't seem to play as much a part. Two lights, both 90+ CRI, one is 3500K-4500K, the other is 5000K. Each by itself looks great, it is only when shown side by side that one can see the difference. At that point, the 5000K wins. It is almost exactly the same as a Northern exposure window, the ideal of almost all artists.

jon_slider · Jan 9, 2016

As others have said, my choice of color temp depends on the ambient light. Our eyes are constantly taking inventory of ambient light, and adjust the brains white balance.

When you turn on a flashlight, if it seems blueish, the ambient white balance is warmer. When you turn on a flashlight and it seems very orange, the ambient white balance is cooler.

Three white balance scenarios:

1. Looking under a car during the day, I choose 120+ Lumens of 6000k light, even though it is only 70 CRI

2. Looking at food and people indoors at night, I choose 20-40 lumens 4500k and 90CRI

3. Waking up in pitch dark night, I choose 0.25 up to 1 lumen at 3000k and 90CRI

so when choosing a color temperature, it depends what setting the light will be used in, which is why I have developed a group of options to choose from.

As a compromise, my most carried single light has a 4500K 90CRI Nichia 219 a or b. AFAIK there is No 90CRI N219C, which is a 5000k LED. Im not aware of ANY 5000k 90CRI LED, nor any 6000k 90CRI either. If there was, I would buy them. I have to give up CRI when I need brightness.

At the moment, the light I recommend most highly is the N219 Copper Tool AAA (I have zero experience with other battery formats, total newbie, immersed in one battery technology)

To the OP, you will find that as you move to other batteries, for example 18650, most of the lights are designed with an emphasis on brightness, hence 6000k+ and less than 75CRI

So, before deciding what color temperature you want, and in the end you may want more than one, decide what battery format you want, then decide if you need High CRI for the application you are buying the light for.

someone working on cars during the day, will choose a totally different light, than someone camping in the dark, or walking to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Hunting Zombies calls for a different light, where CRI is less of a priority, than the light used to ceiling bounce for a romantic encounter, where CRI matters a lot.

Thetasigma · Jan 9, 2016

As many above have pointed out it is dependent on application. For myself 4000K-5500K is perfectly acceptable.
Generally speaking, the uses for higher temperatures would be daylight/high ambient lighting situations where the extra brightness and higher temp help illuminate the location such as an engine bay during daylight, or if one wants maximum flood/throw at night time. Lower temperatures suit themselves really well to lower lumen situations or prowling around at night where you might not need the brightness, but appreciate the additional color and depth of field. The Nichia LED's are so far my favorite for general purposes as I find that most of the time I don't need the higher outputs and can appreciate the warmer tint and higher color rendition.

I would second jon's recommendation of the 219B Copper Tool, very nice little light that can be clipped to shirt pocket with reasonable output, and the lovely Nichia 219B LED.

jon_slider · Jan 9, 2016

Thetasigma said:
the 219B Copper Tool, very nice little light… and the lovely Nichia 219B LED.

my sentiments exactly
Im totally biased
I used Phillips Hue

at a nice Warm setting in the evening to take this next picture.. copper on deerskin:

Yup, totally biased, more N219 Goodness

note the new Lumintop "Wrom" head

now replaces the Beta, which had PWM

yup, totally copper biased.. LOL

RobertMM · Jan 9, 2016

Managed to source some 5300K XPG2s for a mod.

I like them better than the Nichia219 4500 I have on other lights.

Timothybil · Jan 9, 2016

jon_slider said:
As a compromise, my most carried single light has a 4500K 90CRI Nichia 219 a or b. AFAIK there is No 90CRI N219C, which is a 5000k LED. Im not aware of ANY 5000k 90CRI LED, nor any 6000k 90CRI either. If there was, I would buy them. I have to give up CRI when I need brightness.

Per the Nichia Datasheer for the NVSW219BT-V1:

Luminous Intensity	Typ. (cd)	77	76	67	58
Luminous Flux	Typ. (lm)	305	302	265	225
Ra	Min.		70	80	90

[The Nichia 219C in 90 CRI is still "Under Development".]

This is the emitter BLF is using in their group buy of the BLF version of the Singfire 348. I picked up a couple from the first group, and as of now, they are the new loves of my life for around the house use. I also have a Lumens Factory D26 90+ CRI from an XP-G2 S2 emitter in my Seraph 6, it runs at 3500K or a little under.

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