# NiteCore D10 Golden Dragon Plus Review



## UnknownVT (Aug 27, 2008)

Hot off the press from 4sevens (http://www.4sevens.com) is this NiteCore D10 Smart PD Golden Dragon Plus

Size -





obviously externally the Golden Dragon Plus versions are going to look the same as the Cree-Q5.

Heads -




the Golden Dragon Plus emitters are small compared to the Cree-Q5.

How does it perform?

Using NiMH on Max -

vs. NiteCore Defender Infinity - Golden Dragon Plus 







the cool/leaning to blue tint is still there. Notice the hotspot is more neutral with a cream/yellow colored "donut"/corona and a very slight hint of a blue halo - this seems to be the opposite to the beam characteristics of the Nichia 5mm GS (like in the Fenix E01 - creamy side-spill with blue center)

vs. NiteCore D10 (Cree-Q5)







this emphasizes the blueness in the side-spill of the GD+ compared to the already cool'ish Cree-Q5 - the slight blue halo may be easier to see in the -2 stops underexposed shot.

vs. NiteCore EX10 Golden Dragon Plus (primary CR123)







I also picked up an EX10 Golden Dragon Plus - similar in tint.

More to come......

*Index to follow up parts -*

More comparisons using NiMH - Post #*6*

Outdoors foliage comparison - Post #*27*

Macbeth color rendition shots - Post #*34* 

Stairway beamshot - Post #*54*


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## Thujone (Aug 27, 2008)

Thanks for getting shots up so quickly!


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## jzmtl (Aug 27, 2008)

Thanks, that was fast! The tint is still cooler than expected.


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## Splunk_Au (Aug 28, 2008)

do u notice the difference in beam profile as shown by this thread?
http://light-reviews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=152


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## LED-holic (Aug 28, 2008)

Very cool, the Q5 spill is a lot brighter, but the GDP+ has a nice transition from hotspot to the spill...

Both are very nice in their own ways.

Thanks for the review!


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## UnknownVT (Aug 28, 2008)

More comparisons using NiMH -

vs. Fenix L1D-Q5







both are cool tints with the L1D-Q5 being a bit purple?

vs. Fenix L1D-RB100 (L2D-RB100 head on L1D body)







both beams are smoother than the Cree Q5 - but it is pretty obvious the Rebel has a much nicer tint - this comparison emphasizes the cool leaning toward blue tint of the Golden Dragon Plus.


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## LED-holic (Aug 28, 2008)

Man you guys stay up late!!

That L1D Q5 looks like it is blueish... My L1D Q5 is yellowish, with the new reverse polarity protection design.

The GDP+ looks very intriguing...

Thanks again.


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## nathan310 (Aug 28, 2008)

Thanks for that.

I couldn't tell from the pics...

Is the d10 gd brighter than the current d10?

What do you think are the most significant differences between the gd and the current d10?


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## LED-holic (Aug 28, 2008)

From what I've read and seen so far, it's about as bright as the current Q5 D10, but the beam is smoother. The spill seems a bit brighter on the Q5 though.

Will look forward to more outdoor beamshots, longer range shots, to see the minute differences.


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## nathan310 (Aug 28, 2008)

Thanks...


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## 276 (Aug 28, 2008)

i forget what separates these versions vs the older ones


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## LowBat (Aug 28, 2008)

From the picture it looks like the reflector in the GD version has a smaller aperture to match the smaller emitter. Is this the case?


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## TONY M (Aug 28, 2008)

Thanks for excellent pics Vincent!

The beam is nicer than the crees but the Blue tint is not so appealing. Perhaps it is warmer in real life than what the camera pics up as was mentioned before with the NDI GD (I think).

I think I prefer the GD beam shape to the rebels too.


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## BabyDoc (Aug 28, 2008)

There must be emitter variation in these lights. My GDPLUS NDI* has no blue tint at all. In fact if anything there is a yellow tint. Around the creamy whitespot, there is a fairly wide light yellow band that blends seamlessly with the hotspot on the inside and the spill area on the outside. This band is most noticable on turbo with 14500 cells, but it is still there even on lower settings. If you are 8 feet or more away from the wall, it is also less noticable. 

(If there is any blue, it is in the spill area which isn't as bright as with the Q5 and therefore more difficult to see differences)

*I know this thread is about the D10 GDPLUS, yet I would expect the output to be similar to the NDI GDPLUS. It could be that the NDI's used a different BIN since they were made first. I have ordered a D10 GDPLUS and a EX10 GDPLUS but haven't yet gotten a shipping notice. When I receive the lights, I will have 3 samples to compare and report my findings here.


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## TONY M (Aug 28, 2008)

BabyDoc said:


> There must be emitter variation in these lights. My GDPLUS NDI has no blue tint at all. In fact if anything there is a yellow tint.


 Must be the Gold Dragon tint lottery then.



Its a pity the beamshots are so blue as the beam quality is great IMHO.


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## selfbuilt (Aug 28, 2008)

Hi Vincent, 

:thanks: for the rapid release of photos!

Just curious - have you ever examined any lights with the *Edison Opto KLC8* emitter? Their cool white LEDs never really caught on, since they tended to have a very pronounced overall blue tint with a strong yellow corona around the hotspot. Just wondering how they compare to the GDP+. 

In any case, I've got an old UF WF601A that I modded with a KLC8 when they first came out, so I will try to do comparison pics when my NiteCore GDP+ lights get here.

FYI, my samples are en route to me - but they are currently in customs at the other end of the country, so I'm not likely to get them until tues-weds next week, due to the holiday weekend coming up.  But I'll try to post some beamshots right away, before I start all the runtime testing.


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## UnknownVT (Aug 28, 2008)

selfbuilt said:


> *Edison Opto KLC8* emitter _<snip>_
> have a very pronounced overall blue tint with a strong yellow corona around the hotspot.
> In any case, I've got an old UF WF601A that I modded with a KLC8 when they first came out, so I will try to do comparison pics when my NiteCore GDP+ lights get here.
> I'll try to post some beamshots right away, before I start all the runtime testing.


 
Very cool - really looking forward to your very comprehensive review of these lights 
especially the comparison with the Edison Opto KLC8 :thumbsup:


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## UnknownVT (Aug 28, 2008)

BabyDoc said:


> There must be emitter variation in these lights. My GDPLUS NDI* has no blue tint at all. In fact if anything there is a yellow tint. Around the creamy whitespot, there is a fairly wide light yellow band that blends seamlessly with the hotspot on the inside and the spill area on the outside. This band is most noticable on turbo with 14500 cells, but it is still there even on lower settings. If you are 8 feet or more away from the wall, it is also less noticable.
> (If there is any blue, it is in the spill area which isn't as bright as with the Q5 and therefore more difficult to see differences)


 
Thank you for your input - 
I did read and took note of your comments in post #*71* of 
NiteCore Defender Infinity - Golden Dragon Plus Review

Although your emitter could well be different and I can't see it - I feel your observations may not be quite as inconsistent with the beamshots of the production GDP versions of the NDI, D10 and EX10.

I made note of the neutral white hotspot with the creamy/yellow "donut" corona (and the slight blue halo) - this is predominently what one would see shining the light on a wall from about 8 feet away - one would not really notice the side-spill - as you said yourself -
" _(If there is any blue, it is in the spill area which isn't as bright as with the Q5 and therefore more difficult to see differences)_ "

Most of the blue was exactly in the side-spill area - and don't forget I now have 4 GDP NiteCores in hand - 3 full production lights that show quite remarkable consistency in both output and tint.

The pre-production GDP NDI was just that a _pre-production_ - 
it had the horrendously blue side-spill in the photos (but not quite as bad as in real-life) - I consider that an anomoly - and since it was a pre-production - it was never intended/destined to be marketed - 
I showed it because it was of interest and because the shift to blue caught me by surprise - 
the full production units did/do _NOT_ have that problem, although the side-spill is still cool/leaning toward blue as the beamshots show, especially when compared to a better tint like the LumiLEDs Rebel 100.

I hope that helps.


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## Badbeams3 (Aug 28, 2008)

The brightness between the EX10 and the D10 are pretty much the same. 

Why is the 123 batt EX not killing the lowly AA D10?

Is the total lumen output the same as believed between the GDP and the Q5? 

In the outside world does the GDP wide hot spot perform better?

Mine should be here soon...guess like any light I`m waiting on I scan desperatly for info :candle:


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## Raytech (Aug 28, 2008)

What would have been cool for the Golden Dragon versions of the Nitecore lights would be to have a gold band or gold lettering. Pure Bling!:laughing:
Example below (original photo from 4sevens)


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## Badbeams3 (Aug 28, 2008)

Raytech said:


> What would have been cool for the Golden Dragon versions of the Nitecore lights would be to have a gold band or gold lettering. Pure Bling!:laughing:


 
Good thought! Are these limited run/highly prized smooth wide spot beam kick butt lights marked in anyway? I want the poor Q5 guy`s to know not to mess with me :laughing:


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## BabyDoc (Aug 28, 2008)

UnknownVT said:


> Thank you for your input -
> I did read and took note of your comments in post #*71* of
> NiteCore Defender Infinity - Golden Dragon Plus Review
> 
> ...


 
According to your description in your review, the corona around the hot spot is "cream colored". I see the corona as light yellow, and the hot spot as more cream colored with a very definite change in color from the hot spot to the corona. They don't seem to be shades of the same color at all. ( We could be seeing the same thing and just using different terms here. I don't know.) In any case, I think beamshots do a dis-service to this light. In real life, the GDPLUS"s beam and its tint looks far better than the beamshots. Athough I think this is a major improvement in the Nitecore beam, I prefer the smoothness and more uniform tint of the LF5XT beam with its R2 emitter.

As hard as I try to see it, I don't see a blue halo around the yellow corona with my light. Perhaps the blue halo you are seeing is just the beginning of the cooloer white spill area, which to me, seems cooler because it contrasts so much in color with the yellow corona. Maybe that's why you see a little blue there?


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## UnknownVT (Aug 28, 2008)

BabyDoc said:


> As hard as I try to see it, I don't see a blue halo around the yellow corona with my light. Perhaps the blue halo you are seeing is just the beginning of the cooloer white spill area, which to me, seems cooler because it contrasts so much in color with the yellow corona. Maybe that's why you see a little blue there?


 
It is much harder to see with the NDI - 
I first noticed it on the D10 (different reflector - therefore different characteristics) - and then looking harder saw it on the NDI too.

Hold the light on Max about 1 ft away from a plain white surface where one should be able to see the whole of beam including all of the side-spill - now look carefully at the transition/boundary from that creamy/yellow "donut"/corona out to the side-spill see the violet/purplish very faint halo?
(use the -2 stops underexposed shot of the D10 vs. NDI as a guide to where it is)

Like I said it is much easier to see on the D10, and hardly even there on the NDI - so in all practicality it is "not there" 
- but it really still is, if you deliberately look for it..... 

_EDIT to ADD_ -
another consideration when looking at beamshots is the monitor - most people are probably now using LCD monitors - which tends to make things look cooler and much more blue when compare to real-life.

_Why?_ think about the backlight used on LCD monitors they are mostly CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescents).

This is what the DIYwiki on Fluorescent lighting says:

" _*CCFL cold cathode fluorescents* are very thin tubes that backlight LCD monitor & TV displays. CCFLs are also used in scanners._ "

Under - *Can I re-use my scanner/monitor CCFL?*
" _CCFLs for these apps typically use a very high colour temperature tube, which gives a very cold looking light_ "

So LCD monitors tend to make things look much bluer, than they actually are.......


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## BabyDoc (Aug 28, 2008)

UnknownVT said:


> It is much harder to see with the NDI -
> I first noticed it on the D10 (different reflector - therefore different characteristics) - and then looking harder saw it on the NDI too.
> 
> Hold the light on Max about 1 ft away from a plain white surface where one should be able to see the whole of beam including all of the side-spill - now look carefully at the transition/boundary from that creamy/yellow "donut"/corona out to the side-spill see the violet/purplish very faint halo?
> ...


 
I had thought the NDI and D10/EX10 shared a common reflector. I guess I was wrong, only owning a NDI. I will check my NDI again when I get home for the blue halo, although it is purely academic. 


Vincent, I suppose you can compare your actual beamshot photographs to what they look like on your LCD monitor, can't you? Do you a see a major difference in how blue the tint is? In other words, do your actual photos compare better to what you see than the monitor scan of the photos?

Given the limitations of beamshots and how we see them on our monitors, could you give your subjective impressions of the new D10 versus the old regarding the beam. 

If you were buying a new D10 today, would you order the GDPLUS version or would you still go for the old D10? If you like the GDPLUS more, is the improvement so great that someone with the Q5 D10 might want to consider "upgrading", or is the improvement so little, you would never really appreciate the difference unless you were to do side-by side comparisons.


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## UnknownVT (Aug 28, 2008)

BabyDoc said:


> I suppose you can compare your actual beamshot photographs to what they look like on your LCD monitor, can't you? Do you a see a major difference in how blue the tint is? In other words, do your actual photos compare better to what you see than the monitor scan of the photos?


 
I have an old fashioned CRT monitor which is still cooler than real-life - but no where near as blue as a LCD monitor.

A side-by-side comparison between the light reflecting off a sheet of typical white paper and next to the CRT monitor - the beamshots look more blue than real-life (which is always what I maintained) - the real-life color/tint is more pink/purple in the side-spill and the creamy/yellow corona and the blue halo on the D10 is more obvious.

However if I now shine the Rebel 100 on that paper I can then see the GDP (D10 or NDI) are a lot bluer than the the RB100 - that's the whole point of doing side-by-side beamshots they emphasize the difference.



BabyDoc said:


> If you were buying a new D10 today, would you order the GDPLUS version or would you still go for the old D10? If you like the GDPLUS more, is the improvement so great that someone with the Q5 D10 might want to consider "upgrading", or is the improvement so little, you would never really appreciate the difference unless you were to do side-by side comparisons.


 
I think I'd be happy with either one. 
I would not "upgrade" from either to get the other - 
but if you gave me a choice of just one I think I'd still prefer the Cree Q5 version - which I still think is far from perfect - 
I would have liked a RB100 version......

FWIW - Just a very _subjective_ comment about the "blueness" - it is kind of like the way I see HID headlights on cars - in isolation I can see the light is much whiter. But when most of the headlights on the road are halogen "white" (which is really yellow) then the HID headlights when seen peripherally seem blue - until I look more directly.

This was the case with a GDP D10 last night when I went to pick up these lights - 4sevens was shining the GDP D10 from quite a way away... and I caught a sideways glance/flash of the light - and there was quite a bit of blue - until I realized it was a D10 (closer up) - but that blue impression didn't go away - especially when he used the light to illuminate my way back to the car - again it was not the main beam lit area - but almost a side-glance peripheral flash look that made the light seem blue.

This doesn't affect the practicality/functionality of the light - but my current preference would be RB100, Q5 then GDP 
- but as always YMMV, and personal tastes do differ.


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## thefish (Aug 28, 2008)

I just got my D10 GD+ and so far I really like it, running a Kodak Pre-charged NiMH this thing just blows away my Ultrafire WF-602A and is almost as bright as my VB-16 (Q5) single 18650 on high. One thing that bugs me though is the loud (easily noticeable) high pitch wine it makes. It only is noticeable on highest (click hold) even slightly below this level it is almost impossible to hear. Is anyone else getting this?


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## UnknownVT (Aug 28, 2008)

Outdoors foliage shots -

Daylight Control shot -




















These shots really only expose for the hotspot - which is what we tend to use outdoors - the Golden Dragon Plus do have the advantage of larger hotspots - but as for seeing colors - I think these all do as well as each other - since the side-spills are not involved - any blue tint is not revealed here.


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## Mostlarge (Aug 28, 2008)

Mine is being over driven by AW 14500's. It shuts off after 3-5 seconds on high. works fine on reg AA but is noticeably dimmer.

The fit and finish on the D 10 is very good. 

Great work on the review and the others you've done. Top Notch!


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## UnknownVT (Aug 29, 2008)

Thanks for the compliment.



Mostlarge said:


> Mine is being over driven by AW 14500's. It shuts off after 3-5 seconds on high.


 
That sounds wrong - the light should not do that - my samples of the D10 both this Golden Dragon Plus and the original Cree-Q5 both have run several tens of minutes on Max on Li-Ion 14500 without any unexpected shut off.

There is also another possibility - this has happened with an AW Li-Ion RCR123 - in any light on high the battery's safety circuit would cut off - causing an unexpected shut off. If you have another Li-Ion 14500 try that and see if the same thing happens - if it doesn't then it's just the battery - but if it does then it's most likely the light.

I suggest getting the light exchanged if it's the light - if you got the light from 4sevens.com - they have customer service that is second to none.


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## subq (Aug 29, 2008)

just fired up my GDP D10 and it is definitely on the cool side (blue)

overall, I really like it though


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## kts (Aug 29, 2008)

People keep saying it has a better beam, it doesnt look that way to me...

Compared to the Q5, the cree has a MUCH better beam, I cant even see the infamous "cree-rings", but I can see a blue donut surrounding the hotspot of the GD.:thumbsdow

And the blue tint :shakehead

Especially this pic looks like a VERY ringy beam on the EX10...maybe its just the pic?


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## jzmtl (Aug 29, 2008)

UnknownVT said:


> Outdoors foliage shots -
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I honestly don't see any difference between GDP and rebel, which supposely have 10 less points in CRI.


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## HKJ (Aug 29, 2008)

jzmtl said:


> I honestly don't see any difference between GDP and rebel, which supposely have 10 less points in CRI.



The picture only has white and green, we can not see how they compare for other colors.


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## UnknownVT (Aug 29, 2008)

Ad-Hoc Color Rendition Test - 
using Macbeth Color Rendition chart -

Daylight Control shot -


























The lighting from all the flashlights are uneven so the outer color patches are not well lit even though it was mainly the hotspot that illuminated the chart - so strictly speaking one should really look at the center patches - although the white borders also tell a story.

These are _NOT_ meant to be quantitative - so any measurements are probably misleading simply because of the uneven lighting.

One should really just look at the pictures and decide which looks the "best" compared to the daylight control shot (in daylight/sunlight at about 12:30pm today). I know which I'd choose - but YMMV.


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## Mostlarge (Aug 29, 2008)

UnknownVT said:


> Thanks for the compliment.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I received 2 new AW's along with the light from 4sevens.
Both of the new batteries are shutting off the light. All batteries tested at 4.12v. 
I have yet to hear back from 4sevens and his voice mailbox is full and not accepting messages.


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## 4sevens (Aug 30, 2008)

mostlarge - Friday we experienced a network outage which also took out our 
phone system. I apologise for that. They will be fixing it this weekend.
Monday we're closed due to labor day here in the US. If you emailed us at
[email protected], we will be sure to get back to you and get this figured out


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## Oink (Aug 30, 2008)

UnknownVT said:


> Ad-Hoc Color Rendition Test -
> using Macbeth Color Rendition chart...



Thanks Vincent, good thorough work! ...but for the purists outthere, there are now photography equipment and monitor calibration issues! 

Personally I believe our eyes/brain make a great deal of colour shift compensation/adjustment anyway. With bare eyes I doubt anyone can tell the CRI of a light. It used to give me a major headache trying, but I am more relaxed. 

Cheers,


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## Mostlarge (Aug 30, 2008)

Thanks 4Seven...No Worries....Call me on Tuesday..........
4:11 AM...talk about burning the midnight oil..


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## applevision (Aug 31, 2008)

UnknownVT said:


> Ad-Hoc Color Rendition Test -
> I know which I'd choose - but YMMV.



Vincent! Which one WOULD you choose? It's important because you also had the benefit of seeing them in real life, without photography/monitor issues and with some element of the fourth dimension allowing you to shine it over all the colors... 

Pretty please!


p.s. 1,000 thanks again for amazing reviews and photos and wonderful insight into these (and so many other) lights!


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## UnknownVT (Sep 1, 2008)

applevision said:


> Which one WOULD you choose?
> Pretty please!


 
Thanks for the kind words - 
as stated previously RB100 is currently my favorite beam/tint -
so it would be a D10 with a Rebel 100 in it .....


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## divine (Sep 2, 2008)

I did a side-by-side of my EX10's this weekend, the GDP is a much cooler color overall, but red shows up a LOT better under the GDP.

I thought being colder was going to make red show up less, but it did the opposite.


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## UnknownVT (Sep 2, 2008)

divine said:


> I did a side-by-side of my EX10's this weekend, the GDP is a much cooler color overall, but red shows up a LOT better under the GDP.
> I thought being colder was going to make red show up less, but it did the opposite.


 
This is what it shows in my ad-hoc photos of a Macbeth color rendering chart in Post #*34* (link) above. 

The red panel using the GDP does look better than the Cree Q5s 
- but they did not look any better than those of the Rebel 100.


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## dts71 (Sep 3, 2008)

What about the user defined light level - is it still lost when going to max/min?


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## kaichu dento (Sep 3, 2008)

In a word, yes.

The user selected level will come back as long as you don't make any changes, like going to high or low.

At least a few of us wish you could set and save the user selected level but it looks like it won't be happening any time soon.


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## Peter Atwood (Sep 3, 2008)

I have a couple of the earlier ones and a golden dragon version. I find the GD has a much better beam. It is smoother and does not have rings as the other two did. I just ordered two more of the GDs and an AW battery to try out.


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## divine (Sep 4, 2008)

UnknownVT said:


> This is what it shows in my ad-hoc photos of a Macbeth color rendering chart in Post #*34* (link) above.
> 
> The red panel using the GDP does look better than the Cree Q5s
> - but they did not look any better than those of the Rebel 100.


I agree. It's too bad they won't be making them... Who knows how bad the Rebel 100 reliability problems that Fenix had that made them stop using Rebel 100's really are.

I wonder how much better the GDP beams would be if the reflector was actually designed for them.


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## divine (Sep 4, 2008)

Peter Atwood said:


> I have a couple of the earlier ones and a golden dragon version. I find the GD has a much better beam. It is smoother and does not have rings as the other two did. I just ordered two more of the GDs and an AW battery to try out.


I don't know if a moderate "ringy" beam is a legitimate reason to favor one light over another.. It's more of a showoff point.

Will it really cause you to not see as well when you need to?

In my case, my Q5 has a very smooth beam compared to my GDP, but I carry the GDP. oo:


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## markfinn (Sep 4, 2008)

Just received my D10 GD+, after having an EX10 Q5 for about a month.
My first impression in short form: I am disappointed. What an ugly and uneven tint!

Long version: I'm owning about 25 LED lights, most of them purchased during the last 1 1/2 years thanks to the excellent service of 4sevens and the nice forum here. I've never really been disappointed with the tint of the Luxeons, Rebels, Crees etc. that I have - each of them has a characteristic beam pattern and tint, but I like all of them. In particular the Rebels...
Since the EX10 is such a remarkable light in terms of quality, silent operation and 'dynamic range' (very low up to very bright) and has a very decent beam pattern and tint, I decided to order the D10 GD+ immediately.
Smoother beam and higher CRI - that couldn't get any better...

Now I'm sitting here with a light that was disappointing from the first seconds after inserting a battery (fully charged Eneloop):

- it produces a really loud high noise (just like a mosquito) when on high or close to high, that I can even hear six feet away. This alone is a no-go, I can't stand this noise when holding the lamp close to my head.

- the switch doesn't always switch like I want (I thought only my EX10 was like that), but I could live with that

- the beam is bluish-white in the center, then smoothly turns yellowish (or is that the 'golden' from Golden Dragon???) and then again light blue.
I really really don't like that. Depending on the angle you shine the lamp at something you can see the tint changing. Even some of the 5mm Nichia LED lights I have are much better here...

- it's not really bright with an Eneloop. OK, I have seen that in the reviews here, but I didn't expect it being so obvious. It's not even like an L1D on high.

On the plus side is the build quality, looks and feels so much better than the Fenix lamps (threads, knurling, anodizing). The reflector and lens are perfectly clear, no fingerprints etc.
But besides that, my Fenix L1D Q5 is blowing the D10 GD+ away in all disciplines.

However, there is one thing I found: in the center spot area, the color rendition is better than with most other lights I have (except the Rebel). Red looks much more natural than with a Q5 light. But that doesn't compensate the other issues for me.

I think I'll stay away from GD LEDs for a while and probably return the light to 4sevens or ask for a replacement.
Can someone confirm if there are GD+ lights that are not bluish at all, or is this by design?

Thanks,
markfinn


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## BabyDoc (Sep 4, 2008)

markfinn said:


> I think I'll stay away from GD LEDs for a while and probably return the light to 4sevens or ask for a replacement.
> Can someone confirm if there are GD+ lights that are not bluish at all, or is this by design?
> 
> Thanks,
> markfinn


 
There seems to be a lot of tint variation with these GD+ lights. I purchased all three GD+ lights, an NDI, EX10, and a D10 GD.

I got lucky with the EX10. It has a rather warm tint; creamy white almost yellow tint. It isn't bluish. Yes, it has the yellow corona around the hotspot, but it isn't so noticable as with the more neutral white hotspots on the D-10 and NDI. I noticed that the D-10 gets somewhat blue only when using 14500 cells, and that blue is more noticable in the spill than anywhere else. On a positive note, my D-10 with a 14500 cell seems a bit brighter than my EX10, but it could be the colder tint that gives that impression.

I don't think the tint is a function of the NiteCore model. On Light-Reviews.com the reviewer there comentated that his EX-10 GD+ was colder than the D10 GD + sample he had, which was warm.


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## markfinn (Sep 4, 2008)

Just realized - when I look from the side at the reflector of my D10 GD+ when tailstanding and powered on, the light reminds me very much of the ice cold blue that you can see on some BMW models that have Xenon lights. Somehow fascinating, GD+ seems to cover a different spectrum than other LEDs, I have never seen such a blue, almost UV light from a 'white' emitter.


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## gadgetnerd (Sep 5, 2008)

Since runtimes and efficiency are roughly equivalent, it all comes down to whether you prefer the brightness artifacts of the Q5, or the colour artifacts of the GDP. I *much* prefer the beam of the GDP, particularly for close in stuff like reading. The slight yellow corona is much less distracting than the dark rings.


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## Art Vandelay (Sep 5, 2008)

UnknownVT said:


> Ad-Hoc Color Rendition Test -
> using Macbeth Color Rendition chart -
> 
> Daylight Control shot -
> ...


Well done, UnKnownVT, well done


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## Rob187 (Sep 5, 2008)

Some interesting variations in opinion here.

I received by D10 GD+ yesterday and I am quite impressed with the beam and tint which are both better than my other version.

I have found that it requires a firmer press or hold on the button than my other one which results in a few control issues as it requires quite deliberate and firm pressure.

However, IMHO the GD+ version is much improved.


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## UnknownVT (Sep 9, 2008)

Standardized Stairway beamshot - Max using 3.7V rechargeable Li-Ion 14500

D10 Golden Dragon + vs. D10 (Cree Q5)


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## Lite_me (Sep 10, 2008)

Interesting. In other threads, some are reporting getting warmer samples of the EX10\D10 Golden Dragon. Your samples are much too blue for my liking. :sigh: I'm happy with my Q5's anyways so I'll be taking a pass for now.


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## UnknownVT (Sep 10, 2008)

Lite_me said:


> Interesting. In other threads, some are reporting getting warmer samples of the EX10\D10 Golden Dragon. Your samples are much too blue for my liking.


 
Yes, I commented on that in Post #*10* of selfbuilt's excellent review of the Golden Dragon + versions of the D10 and EX10 - both selfbuilt's samples were nicer/warmer tinted than the 3 production GD+ samples (D10, EX10 and NDI) and one pre-production sample of the NDI, I tested.

Perhaps NiteCore have moved to a warmer tinted bin?


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## kaichu dento (Sep 10, 2008)

Lite_me said:


> Interesting. In other threads, some are reporting getting warmer samples of the EX10\D10 Golden Dragon. Your samples are much too blue for my liking. :sigh: I'm happy with my Q5's anyways so I'll be taking a pass for now.


My sentiments exactly; no 'Blue Dragon' for me.

If they get the Golden Dragon to show color befitting it's name I'll be interested in one, but for now I'm happier with my D10 as is.


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## UnknownVT (Sep 10, 2008)

kaichu dento said:


> My sentiments exactly; no 'Blue Dragon' for me.
> If they get the Golden Dragon to show color befitting it's name I'll be interested in one, but for now I'm happier with my D10 as is.


 
Allow me to refer you to selfbuilt's NiteCore Golden Dragon Plus D10 & EX10 Revews: BEAMSHOTS, RUNTIMES, etc. - where his samples of the Golden Dragon + D10 and EX10 are better/warmer tinted than any of my samples. 

Since his review is some 12 days after this one - he may have later production units - 
perhaps NiteCore might have moved to warmer tinted bins?


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## jzmtl (Sep 10, 2008)

Until nc confirms that we don't know if they changed tint bin, or is it just luck, besides the runtime of GDP seems to be significantly shorter than cree version.


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## glyphin (Dec 29, 2008)

UnknownVT said:


> Allow me to refer you to selfbuilt's NiteCore Golden Dragon Plus D10 & EX10 Revews: BEAMSHOTS, RUNTIMES, etc. - where his samples of the Golden Dragon + D10 and EX10 are better/warmer tinted than any of my samples.
> 
> Since his review is some 12 days after this one - he may have later production units -
> perhaps NiteCore might have moved to warmer tinted bins?



My D10 GDP from FenixStore (ordered 12/22/08) has a blue/purple-ish tint. Not enough to be a dealbreaker, but noticeable. Otherwise I really like the light.


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## bee-man (Dec 29, 2008)

I too initially felt my GDP had a purplish tint, but my entire impression changed after using it outdoors. It had (sold it) slightly better CRI than my HDS GT, Novatac, or Fenix P2D. Just my two cents


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## kaichu dento (Dec 30, 2008)

I've been carrying my GDP since October, and no matter how many lights I get, there's just no way I can leave home without my trusty D10!


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## cruisemissile (Dec 31, 2008)

I like the piston drive and am looking for a (or should I say "another") AA light.
hows the fit, fnish, and importantly, run time?


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## UnknownVT (Dec 31, 2008)

cruisemissile said:


> I like the piston drive and am looking for a (or should I say "another") AA light.
> hows the fit, fnish, and importantly, run time?


 
Fit, finish and feel of the NiteCore D10 is excellent - 
that's why it's so popular here on CPF with many discerning flashaholics.

As for runtimes - please see this excellent review by selfbuilt -

NiteCore Golden Dragon Plus D10 & EX10 Reviews: BEAMSHOTS, RUNTIMES, etc


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## choaticwhisper (Jan 4, 2009)

My D10 has a cooler tint overall, But I have just added "WriteRight" Screen Protector, scratched up abit.
Not only did it smooth out the hot spot but seemed to give it a warmer tint also.


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## mr_maurice (Jan 29, 2009)

About the D10 GDP, i cant't find it on 4sevens, is it discontinued ?
I was about to order one, so I'm a little frustrated


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## UnknownVT (Jan 29, 2009)

mr_maurice said:


> About the D10 GDP, i cant't find it on 4sevens, is it discontinued ?
> I was about to order one, so I'm a little frustrated


 
NiteCore's own page on the D10 now only shows Cree Q5 
(it's the first red arrow point near the top of the page) 
- so I cannot say for sure - 
probably the easiest thing to do is to contact 4sevens.com and ask?


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## [email protected] (Jan 29, 2009)

mr_maurice said:


> About the D10 GDP, i cant't find it on 4sevens, is it discontinued ?
> I was about to order one, so I'm a little frustrated



Actually, it is discontinued  Nitecore recently decided to cancel production for their GDP models (not the actual lights, just the led variants!). I think they couldn't consistently get the diodes in the quantities they wanted. If I hear more, I'll let you know.

So, we've still a few of the other GDP models, and of course the Q5s. If anything changes, we'll announce it.


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