Flashlight for landscape lightpainting, need some opinions please!

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I'm getting into landscape lightpainting and need to pick up a better light for longer distances. I'm looking for a thrower I guess, that is either daylight balanced or a bit on the warm side. Dave Black uses a wal-mart special which I could use but I'd like to pick up something with a bit higher quality to it. The specific light he uses is the Brinkman Q Beam (*link removed by Greta)
I may not need anything better, but is there possibly something more compact? I take a ton of gear with me as it is, so finding a compact option would be great.

Halogen may be my best bet color wise. Can you deny or confirm that for me? Color balance is most important as I don't care to spend hours in post.
 
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jaycyu

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SolarForce M3 head ———> $50
SolarForce L2T ———> $16
Nichia 219 HiCri built by Nailbender or Vinhnguyen ———> $40
18650 li-on x2 ———> $30
Charger ———> $20
Diffusion film ———> $2

$158

The LED module can also be Cree XM-L2 5000K (or 4000K). Cree's non-cri is brighter.
Other P60 LED modules (like red and blue) can be interchanged.
L2T is Surefire C2 size, but with a larger bezel with a larger reflector within for throw.
The larger the reflector, the smaller and brighter the hotspot becomes. You have to dart the beam around more.
This setup is smaller and much more expensive, but less expensive and less well built than American-made and customs.
The diffusion transforms a corona beam-profile into a close-range flow light.
 
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Awesome info guys, I'll look around and see what I can't figure out by what y'all shared. Looking at the photo that FlashLion posted, I may be looking for more of a tighter beam than a thrower would give. Are these higher end lights able to be controlled with a twist action like most Maglites? I think both types would be a good thing to have, but I know a spotlight type lamp works as I need.
 

FlashLion

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Hello
If you mean controlling the beam focusing by twisting the head,no.Almost all new flashlights have fixed reflector and LED and can't be refocused.
I tried once to paint with a tighter beam than the TN35's beam,but I had no so good result. A smaller hotspot also requires more moving to paint well. Of course the distance is also important factor.
For a light with adjustable beam ,check out the Ledlenser lights.
Check out also the Custom Flashlight section of the forum.There are modded flashlights with tighter beam and even flashlights with optics for maximum focused beam.

Here is my TN35 review for more details about this light.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...x18650-REVIEW-Lots-of-Beamshots&p=4391509#top
 
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Time_Lapsed

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Hello
If you mean controlling the beam focusing by twisting the head,no.Almost all new flashlights have fixed reflector and LED and can't be refocused.
I tried once to paint with a tighter beam than the TN35's beam,but I had no so good result. A smaller hotspot also requires more moving to paint well. Of course the distance is also important factor.
For a light with adjustable beam ,check out the Ledlenser lights.
Check out also the Custom Flashlight section of the forum.There are modded flashlights with tighter beam and even flashlights with optics for maximum focused beam.

Here is my TN35 review for more details about this light.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...x18650-REVIEW-Lots-of-Beamshots&p=4391509#top

Ya, I'm not certain exactly what kind of beam I need to be honest. I've seen people use spotlights, which I bought, and I've seen people use maglights. It seems like a middle of the road beam would be best. I'd rather have to move a bit more to control my light than have too much and not be able to control it. I'm still looking into what I need haha.
 

awais

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Looking at the photo that FlashLion posted, I may be looking for more of a tighter beam than a thrower would give. Are these higher end lights able to be controlled with a twist action like most Maglites? I think both types would be a good thing to have, but I know a spotlight type lamp works as I need.





_______________________
iqbal
 

VishiSingh

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Looking at the photo that FlashLion posted, I may be looking for more of a tighter beam than a thrower would give. Are these higher end lights able to be controlled with a twist action like most Maglites? I think both types would be a good thing to have, but I know a spotlight type lamp works as I need.





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iqbal

I am an aspiring light-painting photographer and have been doing a lot of research to find the best flashlights for doing some work in the field. Led Lenser and Coast are 2 companies (I think Coast was set up by somebody who left Led Lenser? Not sure though...) that manufacture interesting flashlights with focusing beams. Unlike the old Maglites, they seem to use a push/pull action for the focusing, which some people tend to prefer. I haven't used one myself so can't comment on that yet.

It seems the Coast HP7R is definitely a contender for a versatile light painting tool for night landscapes, since it has their long focusing optic with variable focus (flood to spot) and a fairly neutral bright beam (though they don't specify the LED or tint on their website, unlike some other manufacturers). I plan to order one soon and take it for a spin at night with my Nikon D800.

Stay tuned!:cool:
 
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