Hi.
As I have a new digicam with lots of cool buttons and settings (Canon Powershot S1 IS) I am now capable of doing valid comparative beamshots. With the help of McGizmo's Aleph System boasting transferable Light Engines we can now eliminate the Luxeon Lottery and variables of the driver board when comparing lights. Provided we are using our usual top-notch constant current drivers running in regulation on fresh batteries this leaves only the photon management system as a changing variable in a planned test.
So … this is the chance to do a comparison between the state-of-the-art reflectors seen on CPF for the LuxIII as well as the LuxV.
The test set-up was the following:
Power Source: Balrog BE4 with 4xBS123 and SF Z57 in Aleph-Cap
LE1: DB917 / TYOY
LE2: DB917 / LuxV of unknown but good bin
Camera: Canon Powershot S1 IS with fixed settings in corresponding shots
Lightmeter: Lutron LX-107
IMS so17xa: 17mm plastic reflector used in various custom lights and works as a drop-in replacement for 17mm optics
McR-20: 20mm reflector by McGizmo used in the Aleph2 and some mods
McR-27: 27mm reflector by McGizmo used in the Aleph1. Identical beam pattern to the PR used in lots of McLux heads and other lights, but slightly better performance. Should (/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/caution.gif speculation /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/caution.gif) be roughly similar to the IMS 27mm reflector used in the LH and some other lights albeit with a superior beam quality due to the stippled surface.
McR-38: 38mm reflector by McGizmo used exclusively in the Aleph3
The McR's are housed in their corresponding Aleph heads with soda lime glass window (double sided AR coating) while the so17xa is in a modded Exe-head, which means there might be a slight variation of the performance of the two windows. It shouldn't play too much of a role though.
Why not more reflectors? Two reasons … first, this was already a lot of work to do as is, and second, I do not have any other reflectors that can be used with an Aleph LE which is the crucial requirement for this test.
As this thread shall be about reflectors, all those who are not familiar with the Aleph-System should ask their questions in the McGizmo Forum or read the Aleph FAQ
The LuxIII
I hunted down one of the rare white walls in my apartment and used it to represent the beam pattern of the reflectors. Please note that the distance to this wall was exactly the same (as well as camera settings, of course), so you can directly compare the different reflectors. However, the 27mm and 38mm have overexposed hotspots (even my new digicam has some limits /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif) and you must rely on the lux readings to compare the hotspots, sorry.
After each white wall shot there is an indoor shot with the same requirements as above, also directly comparable. Those shots are slightly underexposed on purpose to capture the corona AND the hotspot without overexposure.
So … you can compare any of the subsequent white wall shots (including the LuxV shots) as well as the indoor shots, but you cannot compare a white wall shot directly with an indoor shot as those use different camera settings.
Unfortunately outdoor shots weren't possible as I couldn't capture the corona properly. A pure hotspot-comparison wouldn't have been adequate for this venture.
A pic says more than a thousand words, so here they are:
^
So …
so17xa: Wide spill and big soft hotspot, very good beam quality, especially when taking into consideration that this is a cheap little plastic part
McR-20: big and soft hotspot blending graciously into a relatively tight and bright corona. Perfect beam.
McR-27 / PR: Tight and bright spot and a large and relatively weak corona. Good beam quality with some artifacts at the edges of the hotspot.
McR-38: Very bright spot blending softly into a bright and tight corona. Perfect beam.
Follows…
The LuxV
Same settings as above are used, so feel free to directly compare the two sections.
The Aleph3 and Aleph2 head were used with a small spacer to slightly misalign the LED and move it out of the focal point to smooth out the beam. This results in slight losses in lux readings but in a better beam with less artifacts. This correction wasn't used with the McR-27 since the beam was acceptable without a correction.
Note that the 27mm and 38mm hotspots are overexposed, too.
Because of the nature of the LuxV with its four dice and the well known problems in photon management, the beam quality isn't as great as with the LuxIII. Generally speaking the hotspot is less defined and has more or less artifacts in it, for example a donut hole or some blotches. However, the reflectors presented here produce all very acceptable beams, just not as great as with the LuxIII.
Comparison of the LuxIII and LuxV
Although both LEDs were driven with the same drive current, the bin of the LuxV is not known and a direct comparison of the power of the LEDs is subject to the Luxeon Lottery /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif . However, a rough comparison shall be allowed. The beam patterns can be compared though.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/caution.gif Please keep in mind that a LuxV at 917 mA is overdriven whereas the LuxIII is not, and the LuxV will produce a significant amount of heat that might be too much for the smaller heads in this shootout. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/caution.gif We are just doing a more or less scientific comparison, and in no way we are discussing reasonable lights.
The LuxV produces a weaker but much bigger hotspot than the LuxIII with all reflectors and boasts a significantly brighter corona as can be witnessed in those shots above. It clearly puts out more light than a LuxIII at the same drive current, but that was to be expected, although with all that hype about the LuxIII recently, this fact has seem to be overlooked a bit. As I really like the LuxV, I'd like to set the record straight and put the LuxIII back where it belongs … second best /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif.
I was a bit perplexed that the size of the coronas was the same for the LuxIII and the LuxV, but they are only differing in brightness, not in actual spread.
So … as a rule of thumb … with the LuxV you get less throw, a bigger hotspot and a brighter flood with a somewhat compromised beam when compared to a LuxIII.
Remember … heat, energy consumption and runtimes as well as price are not discussed here /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif .
Additional Conclusions
You want throw … go with the LuxIII and a 27 or 38mm reflector
You want flood / medium flood … use the LuxV if your light is able to take on the beast and put it in a 27mm reflector or for pure flood in a 20mm or 17mm … OR … use the LuxIII in a so17xa or McR-20.
You want the perfect beam … use the McR-20 or McR-38. There aren't any better beams out there.
With the McR-20 and McR-38 you get a very bright / dense corona that is still usable in low-mode (in case you have a multi-brightness light), whereas the McR-27 / PR and to a lesser extent the so17xa loose here big time. This is a very important point !!!!!
My personal winners and losers
+++ McR-20 with LuxIII
A perfect medium flood beam with a formidable corona that is still usable in low-mode in a very small head with an energy-efficient set-up. IMHO this one is a real winner and the best in its class. It dethroned the so17xa in my world.
+++McR-27 with LuxV
A very good medium-flood that offers the best compromise of all worlds as the multi-purpose application IMHO. Beam quality is decent and the head is still small and easily pocketable. Has some reasonable throw, too.
++McR-38 with LuxV and LuxIII
With the LuxIII you basically have a light-saber, a throw monster, that has the same great corona as the McR-20 as an additional bonus. The best throwing LED system in this class. When using the LuxV you can achieve a throw just like a LuxIII in a 27mm reflector, which is very impressive given the sheer amount of light the LuxV throws out there. BUT … the head is big and feels bulky in a pocket. If this isn't a problem for you those two are clear three-+-combos, too.
++so17xa with a LuxIII
A very good allrounder in a small package, and often an easy retrofit for light with less-than-ideal optics. Recommended. Given the price you can't go wrong /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif.
+MrR-27 with LuxIII
For me, the hotspot is too bright and small when compared with the corona … so you alternate between blinding yourself or not seeing enough. And in low-mode the corona is just gone. BUT … /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/caution.gif this is subjective /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/caution.gif …. and for the size of the system it offers amazing throw and a large corona and most of us like it very much. In fact, it should be the most favourite combo of CPF, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
-so17xa and McR-20 with the LuxV
Pure flood lights that have nothing more to offer than the LuxV in a McR-27 and seriously lack in throw. If pure flood is what you want, you're fine here, you'll get it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif . In addition to that, the heat problem might be dangerous.
Keep in mind though that we are talking about very advanced photon management systems and that you'll get a very nice light in either configuration!
And now … for all those of us who would like to see how our favourites perform in this exact same set-up … here we go:
Various Other Contenders
Thanx for looking !
bernhard
EDIT:
Just looked at the pics from another screen and they were quite a bit darker, obliterating the underexposed coronas of the LuxIII shots completely.
So ... in those LuxIII shots there are coronas to be seen! If you do not see them your monitor settings are too dark (or mine too bright /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif ), and you cannot use this evaluation properly, sorry for the inconvienience.
As I have a new digicam with lots of cool buttons and settings (Canon Powershot S1 IS) I am now capable of doing valid comparative beamshots. With the help of McGizmo's Aleph System boasting transferable Light Engines we can now eliminate the Luxeon Lottery and variables of the driver board when comparing lights. Provided we are using our usual top-notch constant current drivers running in regulation on fresh batteries this leaves only the photon management system as a changing variable in a planned test.
So … this is the chance to do a comparison between the state-of-the-art reflectors seen on CPF for the LuxIII as well as the LuxV.
The test set-up was the following:
Power Source: Balrog BE4 with 4xBS123 and SF Z57 in Aleph-Cap
LE1: DB917 / TYOY
LE2: DB917 / LuxV of unknown but good bin
Camera: Canon Powershot S1 IS with fixed settings in corresponding shots
Lightmeter: Lutron LX-107
IMS so17xa: 17mm plastic reflector used in various custom lights and works as a drop-in replacement for 17mm optics
McR-20: 20mm reflector by McGizmo used in the Aleph2 and some mods
McR-27: 27mm reflector by McGizmo used in the Aleph1. Identical beam pattern to the PR used in lots of McLux heads and other lights, but slightly better performance. Should (/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/caution.gif speculation /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/caution.gif) be roughly similar to the IMS 27mm reflector used in the LH and some other lights albeit with a superior beam quality due to the stippled surface.
McR-38: 38mm reflector by McGizmo used exclusively in the Aleph3
The McR's are housed in their corresponding Aleph heads with soda lime glass window (double sided AR coating) while the so17xa is in a modded Exe-head, which means there might be a slight variation of the performance of the two windows. It shouldn't play too much of a role though.
Why not more reflectors? Two reasons … first, this was already a lot of work to do as is, and second, I do not have any other reflectors that can be used with an Aleph LE which is the crucial requirement for this test.
As this thread shall be about reflectors, all those who are not familiar with the Aleph-System should ask their questions in the McGizmo Forum or read the Aleph FAQ
The LuxIII
I hunted down one of the rare white walls in my apartment and used it to represent the beam pattern of the reflectors. Please note that the distance to this wall was exactly the same (as well as camera settings, of course), so you can directly compare the different reflectors. However, the 27mm and 38mm have overexposed hotspots (even my new digicam has some limits /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif) and you must rely on the lux readings to compare the hotspots, sorry.
After each white wall shot there is an indoor shot with the same requirements as above, also directly comparable. Those shots are slightly underexposed on purpose to capture the corona AND the hotspot without overexposure.
So … you can compare any of the subsequent white wall shots (including the LuxV shots) as well as the indoor shots, but you cannot compare a white wall shot directly with an indoor shot as those use different camera settings.
Unfortunately outdoor shots weren't possible as I couldn't capture the corona properly. A pure hotspot-comparison wouldn't have been adequate for this venture.
A pic says more than a thousand words, so here they are:
So …
so17xa: Wide spill and big soft hotspot, very good beam quality, especially when taking into consideration that this is a cheap little plastic part
McR-20: big and soft hotspot blending graciously into a relatively tight and bright corona. Perfect beam.
McR-27 / PR: Tight and bright spot and a large and relatively weak corona. Good beam quality with some artifacts at the edges of the hotspot.
McR-38: Very bright spot blending softly into a bright and tight corona. Perfect beam.
Follows…
The LuxV
Same settings as above are used, so feel free to directly compare the two sections.
The Aleph3 and Aleph2 head were used with a small spacer to slightly misalign the LED and move it out of the focal point to smooth out the beam. This results in slight losses in lux readings but in a better beam with less artifacts. This correction wasn't used with the McR-27 since the beam was acceptable without a correction.
Note that the 27mm and 38mm hotspots are overexposed, too.
Because of the nature of the LuxV with its four dice and the well known problems in photon management, the beam quality isn't as great as with the LuxIII. Generally speaking the hotspot is less defined and has more or less artifacts in it, for example a donut hole or some blotches. However, the reflectors presented here produce all very acceptable beams, just not as great as with the LuxIII.
Comparison of the LuxIII and LuxV
Although both LEDs were driven with the same drive current, the bin of the LuxV is not known and a direct comparison of the power of the LEDs is subject to the Luxeon Lottery /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif . However, a rough comparison shall be allowed. The beam patterns can be compared though.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/caution.gif Please keep in mind that a LuxV at 917 mA is overdriven whereas the LuxIII is not, and the LuxV will produce a significant amount of heat that might be too much for the smaller heads in this shootout. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/caution.gif We are just doing a more or less scientific comparison, and in no way we are discussing reasonable lights.
The LuxV produces a weaker but much bigger hotspot than the LuxIII with all reflectors and boasts a significantly brighter corona as can be witnessed in those shots above. It clearly puts out more light than a LuxIII at the same drive current, but that was to be expected, although with all that hype about the LuxIII recently, this fact has seem to be overlooked a bit. As I really like the LuxV, I'd like to set the record straight and put the LuxIII back where it belongs … second best /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif.
I was a bit perplexed that the size of the coronas was the same for the LuxIII and the LuxV, but they are only differing in brightness, not in actual spread.
So … as a rule of thumb … with the LuxV you get less throw, a bigger hotspot and a brighter flood with a somewhat compromised beam when compared to a LuxIII.
Remember … heat, energy consumption and runtimes as well as price are not discussed here /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif .
Additional Conclusions
You want throw … go with the LuxIII and a 27 or 38mm reflector
You want flood / medium flood … use the LuxV if your light is able to take on the beast and put it in a 27mm reflector or for pure flood in a 20mm or 17mm … OR … use the LuxIII in a so17xa or McR-20.
You want the perfect beam … use the McR-20 or McR-38. There aren't any better beams out there.
With the McR-20 and McR-38 you get a very bright / dense corona that is still usable in low-mode (in case you have a multi-brightness light), whereas the McR-27 / PR and to a lesser extent the so17xa loose here big time. This is a very important point !!!!!
My personal winners and losers
+++ McR-20 with LuxIII
A perfect medium flood beam with a formidable corona that is still usable in low-mode in a very small head with an energy-efficient set-up. IMHO this one is a real winner and the best in its class. It dethroned the so17xa in my world.
+++McR-27 with LuxV
A very good medium-flood that offers the best compromise of all worlds as the multi-purpose application IMHO. Beam quality is decent and the head is still small and easily pocketable. Has some reasonable throw, too.
++McR-38 with LuxV and LuxIII
With the LuxIII you basically have a light-saber, a throw monster, that has the same great corona as the McR-20 as an additional bonus. The best throwing LED system in this class. When using the LuxV you can achieve a throw just like a LuxIII in a 27mm reflector, which is very impressive given the sheer amount of light the LuxV throws out there. BUT … the head is big and feels bulky in a pocket. If this isn't a problem for you those two are clear three-+-combos, too.
++so17xa with a LuxIII
A very good allrounder in a small package, and often an easy retrofit for light with less-than-ideal optics. Recommended. Given the price you can't go wrong /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif.
+MrR-27 with LuxIII
For me, the hotspot is too bright and small when compared with the corona … so you alternate between blinding yourself or not seeing enough. And in low-mode the corona is just gone. BUT … /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/caution.gif this is subjective /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/caution.gif …. and for the size of the system it offers amazing throw and a large corona and most of us like it very much. In fact, it should be the most favourite combo of CPF, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
-so17xa and McR-20 with the LuxV
Pure flood lights that have nothing more to offer than the LuxV in a McR-27 and seriously lack in throw. If pure flood is what you want, you're fine here, you'll get it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif . In addition to that, the heat problem might be dangerous.
Keep in mind though that we are talking about very advanced photon management systems and that you'll get a very nice light in either configuration!
And now … for all those of us who would like to see how our favourites perform in this exact same set-up … here we go:
Various Other Contenders
Thanx for looking !
bernhard
EDIT:
Just looked at the pics from another screen and they were quite a bit darker, obliterating the underexposed coronas of the LuxIII shots completely.
So ... in those LuxIII shots there are coronas to be seen! If you do not see them your monitor settings are too dark (or mine too bright /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif ), and you cannot use this evaluation properly, sorry for the inconvienience.
