I'm in the market for two lights, but of course don't want to spend a lot. I need some suggestions. Here is my criteria for each type of light.

Light
-Will be used for light painting and general UE.
-Needs to produce 'naturalish' colored light when photographed. Not really blue like LED's, and not orange like most incandescents.
-Takes standard sized batteries.
-Will take my rechargeable NiMH batteries.
-Nice even light distribution. Not 'spotty' with brighter colored spots in the center of the beam.
-Less than $50 USD range.


Big Light
-This is more of a spotlight type thing.
-Somewhat light weight and compact
-Capable of producing LOTS of light.
-Primary usage in drains/tunnels and needs to shine far away.
-Lots-o-candlepower
-No LED lights, but orangish incandescent light is okay. In draining shots, I don't mind orangish light as much.
-Would only be used for photographing drain shots - not general navigation.
-I have to carry this with me in small spaces.
-A self-contained rechargeable battery that doesn't suck would be nice.
-Again less than $50 USD.



I understand that the price range may be limiting, but it's about as high as I'll go, so I'm looking for whatever can meet the most criteria in that proce range.

Thanks!

Small(er) Light: I love krypton bulbs, since they're a warm yellow, not terribly orange (this shouldn't matter anyway, since I know you tend to shoot RAW and you can change your white balance later).

I have a 2D and a 2AA Krypton Maglite, which are new, that seem to work well so far... Plus the EverReady 2D 3LED, the Rayovac 2D focusing incandescent, and the Rayovac 2AA Xenon, all of which you've seen. None of which have cost me more than $20.


Larger Light: Garrity 1W LED spotlights. They don't provide much flood, but are that cold white (not blueish, very white but very cold in color) and have great throw. Picked up 2 on Woot 2-fer Tuesdays for $20 total, but you can find them individually on amazon for about $15. Takes 4AA and has an 80+ hour constant runtime.



My suggestions. I'm sure Meta will chime in as soon as he descends from his moderator's throne to communicate with us serfs.

Posted by velcrozeppelin since I know you tend to shoot RAW and you can change your white balance later).

Actually no! I haven't gotten around to that yet even though I should!

So those HDRs you've posted recently are single shot or two-shot in JPEG? Wow, congrats on doing a good job with them!

Posted by velcrozeppelin So those HDRs you've posted recently are single shot or two-shot in JPEG? Wow, congrats on doing a good job with them!

I have done HDR's with a single shot, and then produce clones with different EV's via photoshop. I did that with this one: http://farm4.stati...675e8b7900.jpg?v=0


However, lately if I sense that I'm going to utilize HDR, I'll just take the same shot at maybe 6-9 different shutter speeds like I did here: http://farm4.stati...da63b0346c.jpg?v=0 and here: http://farm4.stati...cbcbb0b939.jpg?v=0

The two flashlight stores (online) that I frequent religiously are...

http://www.brightguy.com

http://www.dealextreme.com/


Brightguy is where I've gotten *ALL* of my flashlights from so far, except for a couple of 'Glo-Toobs' that I keep around the house for emergencies in storm, power loss, that sort of thing. DX was recently pointed out to me by Metawaffle and Crumpet. I've not bought from them yet, but the prices range from low to expensive, so it's not just a "cheap chinese store", and apparently it's a good site.

For offline stores, I've hit Walmart, and Dollar Store. I presently have a Dollar Store incandescent light in my hallway for emergencies, although I haven't touched the thing since I bought it. With such cheap stuff, you buy at-risk. But Walmart isn't that bad. If you're trying to save a buck, they have plenty of bargains. I've seen tons of flashlights in there.

Really, though, you are better off going to a dedicated flashlight store for this, but anything will do in a pinch. Check out Amazon, too. Ebay, craigslist, anywhere and everywhere. Keep in mind, some of the best battery deals are online, as well.

Some good all-around lights are made by Inova. Some of Inova's products exceed your $50 guide, but just take a look. Same can be said of Fenix. Lights in the $50-$60 range are not necessarily cheap, but likewise not necessarily expensive. My Fenixes are in that category. They easily compete with Surefire's LED lines, and win consistently. I used to be 100% incandescent, but after coming across good LED lights, I won't seriously buy another incandescent, except maybe a dive light. Check around, and you'll find plenty of deals.

Yah I know my price ranges is limiting quality choices. Let me rescind that. How about the criteria for price has to be as cheap as possible to meet the other criteria?

I think the only reason it is taking Methwaffle so long to respond is because he is taking your questions very seriously and is currently immersed in research.

Posted by argonian I think the only reason it is taking Methwaffle so long to respond is because he is taking your questions very seriously and is currently immersed in research.

Awesome. That's what I was hoping!
I'm expecting a detail prospectus on the whole flashlight market.

And BTW, did you just say "Methwaffle"? Has he picked up a dangerous habit?

Actually, I didn't call him that and I never will because he doesn't like to be called that.

While we're on the topic of Meta's name, I can't help but laugh almost every time I see it, because one of my friends in college called me a Twat Waffle all the time.

Well, sorry I hadn't read all your criteria. Inova is going to be out, I think, because most of their lights tend toward the bluish side. Fenix is just cool white, no real blue to the beam. I initually suggested Inova because they produce a nice even spot without any artifacts or rings usually. All the Fenix lights I've handled produce pretty much the same beam pattern..very bright central spot, and a good wide spill surrounding that, no rings at all. They make very consistent parts as far as that goes, because one of my light's reflectors is smooth, the other is textured. For those different types of reflector to produce so similar a beam pattern, Fenix must be doing something right. As far as output power, I love my P3D Q5, although clicking through modes is a pain. The TK10/TK11 might be what you're looking for..

TK10 in black
http://www.dealext...tails.dx/sku.13481

TK10 in 'olive' (I think it's been called olive although it's more gray)
http://www.dealext...tails.dx/sku.13007

You can also shop around there for other Fenix lights. If you notice, many of them produce quite bright beams, despite being rather small in size. The advantage here is you have a quality product tailored to various size hands and preferences. I think one of these would do great for your 'light' category. The only difference between TK10 and TK11, is the TK11 takes one large rechargeable battery. DX doesn't carry it (I don't believe), but you can google. They're easy enough to find. TK10 will take rechargeables I think, just not the single battery like the TK11 does. All Fenix's lights are great, but a lot of them have 5 or more modes of brightness and programmed flashing, which I find a bit tedious to switch through to find some settings. That's why I say TK10/TK11, as there's only 2 modes, and you twist the head to switch, so no fancy tail-cap games.

I have also heard good things about EagleTac's lights, but I haven't used one personally. Some people over at Candlepowerforums love them.

http://www.eagletac-store.com/

EagleTac is similar in price to Fenix ($50-$60 or so), and produce nice consistent white beams of good brightness.

For your 'big light', I really can't think of anything more powerful than the "Light Cannon" by Underwater Kinetic (UK), but that is about a $200 light. I think some of Pelican's 8-Cell dive lights might do the trick, they're incandescent, certainly waterproof for draining, and I believe Brightguy has them for a fair price (under $100 I think). I tend to avoid big lights for UE because they weigh a ton. I'm a 6D Maglite veteran, so I am constantly in praise of my LEDs since they weigh almost nothing and shine very brightly, easily outperforming a Maglite. You might be tempted to consider some of those new Maglite LED lights, but I've heard from many people that their heat syncs suck, and that seriously cripples their performance.

If you must have incandescent, don't pay for Surefire. They do not last long, and quickly drop in brightness after the first few powerings-on. Their LEDs are very popular, but overpriced for what you get. You're easily paying about double or more for a Surefire for the same LED light others are getting for $50-$60 from Fenix or EagleTac. Even some of the Chinese Surefire 'knockoffs' perform about the same, or can be upgraded to, and cost between $20-$30. Check out Ultrafire on the DX website. Also Romisen. They're pretty good.

Grrr.. Post..too..big.

Posted by trent I'm in the market for two lights, but of course don't want to spend a lot. I need some suggestions. Here is my criteria for each type of light. Light -Will be used for light painting and general UE. -Needs to produce 'naturalish' colored light when photographed. Not really blue like LED's, and not orange like most incandescents. -Takes standard sized batteries. -Will take my rechargeable NiMH batteries. -Nice even light distribution. Not 'spotty' with brighter colored spots in the center of the beam. -Less than $50 USD range. Big Light -This is more of a spotlight type thing. -Somewhat light weight and compact -Capable of producing LOTS of light. -Primary usage in drains/tunnels and needs to shine far away. -Lots-o-candlepower -No LED lights, but orangish incandescent light is okay. In draining shots, I don't mind orangish light as much. -Would only be used for photographing drain shots - not general navigation. -I have to carry this with me in small spaces. -A self-contained rechargeable battery that doesn't suck would be nice. -Again less than $50 USD. Thanks!

Everyone else has really said it all, so I'm going to ramble on unrelated topics:


On Reflection
An interesting thing to note is that [with LEDs] the larger the reflector is, the further the beam will throw. Almost all the LED lights we talk about around here use exactly the same LED unit (the Cree Q5) - Fenix TK10/11, the JetBeams, etc, and they all put out about the same of light. Case in point, I have two lights which are very similar, and really only differ in the size of the reflector at the front:



The results don't look that different in these shots, but look at the spot on the trees. In practice, it makes a big difference when lighting things up at a distance.




Anyway, the point I was going to make in all this is that lights with smaller reflectors generally have a comparatively less-spotty output. That said, putting something over the end to diffuse the light can make it smooth anyway - this is the smaller-reflectored light, with a diffuser:



It loses all its distance, of course, but it's much more even (yeah, I know, you can't really tell that well). Note that this is just a glorified plastic disc on the end, and not one of the dildo things I go on about.


Stuff about Colour

Most of my lights seem to be about the same tint, which is a coolish-white. Possibly a similar tint to domestic fluoro lights? At any rate, The only LEDs I have that are obviously tinted are the plain old low-power ones, the sort you get in keyring lights.


One last thought

If you want the brightest possible results from an AA-powered light, you could get this brand-new and somewhat-fugly offering from Fenix, which more-or-less has four individual LEDs crammed together for four times the output.



It takes eight AA batteries, and it's only $160!

Thanks for all the info all! I appreciate it.

Posted by metawaffle One last thought If you want the brightest possible results from an AA-powered light, you could get this brand-new and somewhat-fugly offering from Fenix, which more-or-less has four individual LEDs crammed together for four times the output. https://www.fenix-...om/images/TK40.jpg It takes eight AA batteries, and it's only $160!

yes, but how many lumens!

With a head like that, it's not about the lumens. It's about how wide of a beam spread you get, and it looks pretty wide. Yes, lumens are nice, but would you rather have a 100 lumen spotlight that only shines about a 2 foot diameter pattern at 50 feet, or a 70 lumen spotlight that puts that output in a 5 foot diameter flood?

Well, Fenix are claiming 630 lumens. JetBeam have a similar light (same quad emitter) for which they claim 700 lumens, and theirs is listed at a mere $145!




Maybe I'll ask Raticus to buy me one of each when the Nigerian people send him all that money.

Posted by SeeThirty Inova is going to be out, I think, because most of their lights tend toward the bluish side.

The current Inova T-series uses the new K2 TFFC LED, which is reputed to have a consistently warm tint. I have an Inova T1, and the tint is great - warmer than any of my Surefires. I'm not sure if the Inova X-series uses the same LED, though.

This might be a stupid question but can't the light colour easily be adjusted for, if not by white balance on the camera then in post production?

(Even if Trent is too lazy to do it? )

Some shades are easier to correct than others. But, yes, to some extent you can alter most colors afterwards.