Roy
Farewell our Curmudgeon Administrator
Why is everyone hung up on the Lumen rating of a flashlight? It seems to me that the only time Lumens comes into play is when you're intrested in the spherical output of a light...and that is hard to get....even a minimag in candle mode is not spherical, its bulb sits on a flat surface. The measuring of Lumens requires very special measuring equipment that cost in the 5 figure range.
Generaly speaking, the light from a handheld flashlight (not a lantern) is projected as a cone of light and is thus measured in Candlepower(Fc), LUX or Candellas(cd). These measurments are made in the brightest part of the beam using calibrated lightmeters that generally cost in the $60-$300 range.
Which tells you more about a flashlight, the fact that it puts out 1,000cd or 100Lumens? IMHO knowing the cd and shape of the beam of light tells you more about a flashlight than knowing the total amount of light(Lumens) generated by that flashlight.
IMHO, a graphical system like that used by "Quickbeam" in his Flashlight Reviews website, when combined with beam measurments (Fc, LUX, Cd), tell you more about a flashlight than any other measurment.
Generaly speaking, the light from a handheld flashlight (not a lantern) is projected as a cone of light and is thus measured in Candlepower(Fc), LUX or Candellas(cd). These measurments are made in the brightest part of the beam using calibrated lightmeters that generally cost in the $60-$300 range.
Which tells you more about a flashlight, the fact that it puts out 1,000cd or 100Lumens? IMHO knowing the cd and shape of the beam of light tells you more about a flashlight than knowing the total amount of light(Lumens) generated by that flashlight.
IMHO, a graphical system like that used by "Quickbeam" in his Flashlight Reviews website, when combined with beam measurments (Fc, LUX, Cd), tell you more about a flashlight than any other measurment.