Hey all
I am looking for a small light, the primary purpose is to "paint light" for night time photography, but it will be used for general outdoor trail walking. I will use the flashlight to add light to something which is otherwise too hard to pick up when shooting a primarily an astro shot. It does not need to be incredibly bright as the exposures are very long, so even a small light (cellphone flashlight) can work. For this reason medium-flood pattern and variable power are two important elements.
1) How would you prefer to purchase the light?
No preference
2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest!
Under $50.
3) Format:
hand held flashlight
4) Size:
Small or Tiny.
5) Emitter/Light source:
don't know
6) Manufacturer:
want to buy a light from a large/traditional manufacturer that is ready to go out of the box.
7) What power source do you want to use?
AAA/AA Alkiline or Li Ion
8) How much genuine out the front (OTF) light do you want/need? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is not a happy experience).
200-400 lumens max, with at least one varibale power setting, ideally two IE Low-Med-Hi
9) Flood vs Throw: Flood covers an area, Throw reaches out to a distance.
Narrow Flood (but being variable would be a great option
9a) Distance: How far away will you typically need to see with this light (check all that apply)
5-20 yards/meters (check out a noise in the backyard)
10) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims, but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries (Measured on maximum continuous output).
____90-120 minutes (Runtime is moderately important, but still not critical)
11) Durability/Usage: Generally the old phrase "you get what you pay for" is very accurate for flashlights.
____Slightly Important (Walks around the neighborhood).
____Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box).
12) Switch Size, Type, and location (choose all that apply):
Any size switch will do.
13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.
2-4 levels (more is fine too, but at least a low-hi option)
14)Material/Finish/Coating
Anodized Aluminum – either type II or III (Hard Anodized) (Aluminum, specifically HA, is the most common material/finish for today's higher end flashlights).
15) Water resistance
don't care
16) Storage conditions
Emergency kit (long standby periods)
Automobile glove-box (wide temperature swings, long standby periods, critical reliability)
I am looking for a small light, the primary purpose is to "paint light" for night time photography, but it will be used for general outdoor trail walking. I will use the flashlight to add light to something which is otherwise too hard to pick up when shooting a primarily an astro shot. It does not need to be incredibly bright as the exposures are very long, so even a small light (cellphone flashlight) can work. For this reason medium-flood pattern and variable power are two important elements.
1) How would you prefer to purchase the light?
No preference
2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest!
Under $50.
3) Format:
hand held flashlight
4) Size:
Small or Tiny.
5) Emitter/Light source:
don't know
6) Manufacturer:
want to buy a light from a large/traditional manufacturer that is ready to go out of the box.
7) What power source do you want to use?
AAA/AA Alkiline or Li Ion
8) How much genuine out the front (OTF) light do you want/need? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is not a happy experience).
200-400 lumens max, with at least one varibale power setting, ideally two IE Low-Med-Hi
9) Flood vs Throw: Flood covers an area, Throw reaches out to a distance.
Narrow Flood (but being variable would be a great option
9a) Distance: How far away will you typically need to see with this light (check all that apply)
5-20 yards/meters (check out a noise in the backyard)
10) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims, but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries (Measured on maximum continuous output).
____90-120 minutes (Runtime is moderately important, but still not critical)
11) Durability/Usage: Generally the old phrase "you get what you pay for" is very accurate for flashlights.
____Slightly Important (Walks around the neighborhood).
____Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box).
12) Switch Size, Type, and location (choose all that apply):
Any size switch will do.
13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.
2-4 levels (more is fine too, but at least a low-hi option)
14)Material/Finish/Coating
Anodized Aluminum – either type II or III (Hard Anodized) (Aluminum, specifically HA, is the most common material/finish for today's higher end flashlights).
15) Water resistance
don't care
16) Storage conditions
Emergency kit (long standby periods)
Automobile glove-box (wide temperature swings, long standby periods, critical reliability)
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