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Pravus
 
location:
Chicago Area
Gender: Male
Now the two key words for tonight - "caution" and "flammable"...
 |  |  |  | Colored lights?
< on 9/16/2005 9:38 AM >
|  | | | Do any of you actually have red filters on your flashlights or carry a red light?
and does anyone know what the other colored lights are good for? I know one is for desert but I can't remember which one, I think blue..
Live to Serve, Serve to Live.. |
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Spyder
     
location:
Ottawa
Gender: Male
Holy Fuck!!! There's a tree frog in the toilet!
| | Re: Colored lights?
<Reply # 1 on 9/16/2005 12:58 PM >
| | | | Found this on a web page for military flash light filters.
Hunters use the blue filter to track wounded game at night because blood stands out more distinctly against foliage when viewed under blue light.
Spyder
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Jester
location:
Vancouver,B.C. Canada
Gender: Male
Always just out of sight...
| |  | Re: Colored lights?
<Reply # 2 on 9/16/2005 3:58 PM >
|  | | | It's been talked about here quite a bit before, but I'm too lazy to look for the thread...
Anyways, I use Red lights very often, and have used blue as well. The red keeps your nightvision intact, so if you switch back and forth from having it on to having no light, you won't have to wait 20 minutes for your eyes to adjust again...
It requires wisdom to understand wisdom: the music is nothing if the audience is deaf. |
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Army Issue
| | | Re: Colored lights?
<Reply # 3 on 9/16/2005 5:55 PM >
|  | | | The Military Issue ones come with them attached to the bottom but here's a practical way to red filter your maglite. The rock & roll lights at concerts use a plastic sheet called "Gel" Christie lites in Etobicoke and a few other similar "staging and lighting" companies sell the stuff by the foot. Its cheap (if not a free sample) and easy to cut and place behind the lense of your favorite light.
Also a popular item are the LED lights that are widely available. Petzl and Streamlight make excellent products. The "Petzl Tactikka" head band mount has a flip down RED screen so you can go from white to red. The Streamlight Clipmate comes with 3 Green LED's or 3 white LED bulbs that have also been very good for preserving nightvision. In fact Pilots use the low level green in stead of red(something about raising stress in crisis situations.) The benefit of the LED is that it will light your immediate area and not light up the entire area you are in, use the MAG if thats your intention but the LED will give you a nice stealthy glow for 100 hours at least.
*looks up at post* wow I should learn to type this takes forever with only two fingers. :lol:
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HolyJesusILoveCreed
Member has passed away. Account closed out of respect.
location:
MN
Gender: Male
"So-called Urban Explorer"
| |  | | | Re: Colored lights?
<Reply # 4 on 9/17/2005 6:51 AM >
| | | | for surely talked about to no end, I use red lights at night for buildings where there are lots of windows or its by a major road or something as it doesnt cast a noticable beam
I have a weimaraner
Now that I have found someone
I'm feeling more alone
Than I ever have before |
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Factor VIII
location:
tu5t1n
Gender: Male
The Legacy
| | | Re: Colored lights?
<Reply # 5 on 9/17/2005 7:38 AM >
| | | | I have a red filter on my maglight now, It works very well for keeping night vision. I think the blue light is also for use in fog and rain. I also have an orange lense which I think is just to make the light not as bright as unfiltered light.
use the boost to get through |
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Pravus
location:
Chicago Area
Gender: Male
Now the two key words for tonight - "caution" and "flammable"...
| | | | Re: Colored lights?
<Reply # 6 on 9/17/2005 1:31 PM >
| | | | Posted by Army Issue
The rock & roll lights at concerts use a plastic sheet called "Gel" Christie lites in Etobicoke and a few other similar "staging and lighting" companies sell the stuff by the foot.
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Hrm.. thats a really bad ass idea.. I hate the filters that come with the lil mil. L-shaped flashlights, they come out some sickly orange redish
Live to Serve, Serve to Live.. |
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TaP
location:
Montreal, QC
Gender: Male
| | Re: Colored lights?
<Reply # 7 on 9/17/2005 5:00 PM >
| | | | i am soo haxxzor i youze a r3d f1lt3r b3c4use 1t's so 1337.
havent anyone red Access All Areas?
they dont do nufifn much, red filters and such even minimize your vision, you can easily step in a hole because it does not show shadows and such (ill tell you what ninj wrote when i get home).
use your fingers to block the light, if you open them, more ligt if you close them less light! perfect for being Uber stealthy.
no point in buying expensive "gel" filters and such, just use your hand to block your light.
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Jester
location:
Vancouver,B.C. Canada
Gender: Male
Always just out of sight...
| | | Re: Colored lights?
<Reply # 8 on 9/17/2005 5:13 PM >
| | | | Sorry Tap, but you're wrong. There is a reason that Red and Green light is used by special forces, pilots, and others. Someone that needs to operate with minimal light cannot be using a white light, even covered, as the light will cause your pupils to narrow. It takes around 20 minutes for your pupils to once again widen to the point that you have the optimal nightvision that you can have. Red does not cause this to happen, so you can switch back and forth between red light and no light without hurting your vision.
They definitely have their uses if you go to *tight* places where a white light is a dead giveaway. In particular, a building that still has power but no lights turned on, what is generally the only thing lit in there ? Exit signs, which are predominantly red, so the red glow from your red light will not attract attention in most cases (care is still needed of course).
It requires wisdom to understand wisdom: the music is nothing if the audience is deaf. |
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Pravus
location:
Chicago Area
Gender: Male
Now the two key words for tonight - "caution" and "flammable"...
| | | | Re: Colored lights?
<Reply # 9 on 9/17/2005 8:35 PM >
| | | | Posted by [TaP]
they dont do nufifn much, red filters and such even minimize your vision, you can easily step in a hole because it does not show shadows and such (ill tell you what ninj wrote when i get home).
use your fingers to block the light, if you open them, more ligt if you close them less light! perfect for being Uber stealthy.
no point in buying expensive "gel" filters and such, just use your hand to block your light.
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Wow.. yea.. try to think before you post.. after your done thinking for a bit re-read Jesters post
Another good point which he kind of touched on, people from a distance are ALOT less likely to notice a red light then white, regardless of where you are
Live to Serve, Serve to Live.. |
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TaP
location:
Montreal, QC
Gender: Male
| | Re: Colored lights?
<Reply # 10 on 9/17/2005 10:37 PM >
| | | | i re-read what was written in access all areas...
"...bla bla bla...obviously you need only limit your light this way when you're near windows in a building at night; in a drain,tunnel,basement or enclosed area, you should aim to see all that you can see, and for this, bright white light is youre friend.Bright white light also gives you the most realistic sense of perspective, which can keep you from falling down holes and the like, so dont play commando when you dont have to." (p.26)
and... he also mentions that using the crack of your fingers to shine light through is an alternative to expensive filters
or use a ballon or the like, cheaper than a filter! (same page)
"All the information has been provided by Access All Areas."
EDIT fixed my spelling mistaykes
EDIT 2..found this on the net
http://members.1stconnect.com/anozira/SiteTops/light/filters.htm
In the wilderness, any light stands out and will be noticed. Color has a lot to do with how easily and how far away the eye will detect the light. There is a spectrum of colors with red at one end, blue at the other, and green in the middle. Red light has the least energy and is the least noticed - there's more of it in nature. Blue light contains higher energy and, since it is uncommon in nature, it is readily noticed. In terms of how little light it takes to be detected, the eye is most sensitive to green.
Use the blue filter for signaling when you WANT to be seen. The orange and especially the red filters are a little less likely to be noticed if that is your wish. The blue filter produces light that is especially noticeable at dusk since the light from the setting sun is very red.
The red filter has another very important function. It allows you to use your flashlight without destroying your natural night vision. Once exposed to bright light, the eye takes about 20 minutes to re-adapt to the dark and become its' most sensitive. To protect your night vision, you want to use the least light possible of any color. Red light will not effect natural night vision nearly as much as the whiter light directly from the flashlight bulb. Thus, red light - and the dimmest possible for the task at hand - will best preserve natural human night vision. The filter does two things. It reduces the total amount of light and allows only red light to get to the eye.
The orange filter is a compromise, more light in exchange for a little loss of dark adaptation. Using the red and the orange together produces the same appearance to the eye but the total light is less and this is sometimes useful.
Red is also preferred for walking or signalling in fog. An incandescent lamp produces white light which is some of all colors including blue. Blue is scattered by fog more than red. Red light travels to an object and back with less scattering, while blue light is scattered and appears as a uniform, featureless glare. Red light performs better in fog than the white light from an unfiltered lamp.
Red is not, however, the best choice for driving in fog. Preserving human night vision is not the major consideration. As a practical matter, an amber filter passes more light from the lamp than a red filter. Also the eye is more sensitive to yellow than red. Amber or yellow produces the maximum light, as judged by the eye, without the glare that the blue in a bare lamp would produce. The amber or yellow filter of a conventional fog light removes the offensive blue wavelengths leaving the most visible colors in the larges quantity.
http://members.1stconnect.com/anozira/SiteTops/light/filters.htm
[last edit 9/17/2005 10:48 PM by TaP - edited 2 times]
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Jester
location:
Vancouver,B.C. Canada
Gender: Male
Always just out of sight...
| | | Re: Colored lights?
<Reply # 11 on 9/17/2005 11:04 PM >
| | | |
I specified when Red is the best choice, it was specified correctly and specifically.
| They definitely have their uses if you go to *tight* places where a white light is a dead giveaway. In particular, a building that still has power but no lights turned on, what is generally the only thing lit in there ? Exit signs, which are predominantly red, so the red glow from your red light will not attract attention in most cases (care is still needed of course). |
It requires wisdom to understand wisdom: the music is nothing if the audience is deaf. |
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TaP
location:
Montreal, QC
Gender: Male
| | Re: Colored lights?
<Reply # 12 on 9/17/2005 11:17 PM >
| | | | i never said that red is stupid and pointless,
the filters dont do nothing much compared to around the house items. (ie. homemade filters) and they minimize your perception of perspective.
i said that instead of buying a filter, you can use you hand ..., the blood in your hand will create a reddish "tint" or like a ballon or whatever
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Pravus
location:
Chicago Area
Gender: Male
Now the two key words for tonight - "caution" and "flammable"...
| | | | Re: Colored lights?
<Reply # 14 on 9/18/2005 6:44 AM >
| | | | Posted by [TaP]
i never said that red is stupid and pointless,
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Well.. actually I am pretty sure you did
Live to Serve, Serve to Live.. |
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Jester
location:
Vancouver,B.C. Canada
Gender: Male
Always just out of sight...
| | | Re: Colored lights?
<Reply # 15 on 9/18/2005 8:18 AM >
| | | | Posted by [TaP]
i never said that red is stupid and pointless,
the filters dont do nothing much compared to around the house items. (ie. homemade filters) and they minimize your perception of perspective.
i said that instead of buying a filter, you can use you hand ..., the blood in your hand will create a reddish "tint" or like a ballon or whatever
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No, what you said was
Posted by [TaP]
they dont do nufifn much,
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Which would be an incorrect statement.
Those of us that know and use red lights to our advantage know what we're talking about, but in no place did I say you had to use a certain method of producing your red tint. I've used gels, I've parts of a plastic bag with a stores name in red, as well as red led lights. Very honestly, Red LED lights are the easiest and far superior due in my opinion.
It requires wisdom to understand wisdom: the music is nothing if the audience is deaf. |
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Pravus
location:
Chicago Area
Gender: Male
Now the two key words for tonight - "caution" and "flammable"...
| | | | Re: Colored lights?
<Reply # 17 on 9/18/2005 4:55 PM >
| | | | And thats about all the facts needed *grin* Nice post
Live to Serve, Serve to Live.. |
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Malabaristo
location:
Eau Claire Wisconsin
Gender: Male
| | | | Re: Colored lights?
<Reply # 18 on 9/21/2005 4:11 AM >
| | | | Actually, the fact that the eye is most sensitive to blue light is exactly why I use it. I'm sure you've noticed how in low-light situations things tend to have bluish tinge to them. The effect is also exaggerated in bad films, and is a commonly accepted practice for representing darkness in a theatrical setting while allowing the actors to remain visible. You see blue because, while other colors of light may be present, they're too dim to be visible.
So, in agreement with Jester's comment about using what blends in best with the environment, I've found that the beam of a diffuse blue light is very difficult to see from a distance. Of course, if it's a bright light or you're looking directly at the light then all bets are off.
As far as the effect on night vision goes, red is certainly better for the reasons mentioned by Servo. For me though, I can use any color of light-as long as it's dim-and not have it change my night vision much. That may just be a personal weirdness as my eyes adjust much more quickly from light to dark than from dark to light.
...And yes, I realize that if you have red and blue flashlights of equal intensity, then a person is less likely to be able to detect the light from the red one. On the other hand, if that person is capable of detecting both, then I say they'd be less likely to notice the blue one because it looks more like what they'd expect to see.
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GreyKat
location:
Minneapolis/St Paul MN
Gender: Male
I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks.
| | Re: Colored lights?
<Reply # 19 on 9/23/2005 5:39 PM >
| | | | I use blue, and red for colors. Im working on getting a gel filter setup for my spotlight to add in some others soon.
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