Halcyon Lights

[jim2386]

Jim, if you have access to a different 18w or a Brightstar-ballast 21w (any Halcyon, Sartek, Salvo or Light Monkey), it'd be very helpful to include that in the comparison. I'm absolutely certain that the HID in your pictures was seriously compromised.

Gom,

We have a bunch of 18W halcyon's lying around. I'll do my best to see if I can grab a different one on the way out to the site. I find your guess about the old bulb could very well be right. When I get results I'll let you know

Great comparison...

Secondly, do you know why the HID got brighter in the second picture? I do. (Same reason your camera artificially favors the LED.)

Yes.

Since the camera was set by the user in auto mode, the camera shuts the shutter once it deems to have received enough light. Since the LED was set at a lower power, the HID will over expose first and will appear brighter.

With the other picture, the LED was on high and, at the time (defective bulb or reflective screen perhaps having an effect on the camera) the LED made the camera think it had enough light and when the shutter shut, the LED was starting to overexpose.

A more logical way to take the picture would be to use manual mode with a set aperture and shutter speed set for the brighter light so that neither could overexpose. Like I said, I wasn't taking the pictures at the time. I'll do my best to get some video/pictures maybe this weekend. It'll will be a tough comparison though because it'll be daytime for the time we will be there. I might be able to find an overhang or a darker area to try it.

It was probably a rhetorical question though


As for diving in a movie theater...try wearing an canister light to your next movie....it's quite an experience and for some reason shining on the screen really pisses off the local yokels .

-Jim

 

[jim2386]

Ok guys a little update...

OK, first, no pictures or video right now. But I will post observations made my me and my instructor. If you don't believe me, that's fine. I'm just trying to be helpful.

We went quarry diving up at Pennyroyal last weekend. Took the 18W HID (new bulb) and the LED halcyon for a 95' night dive. Visibility was about 30'...maybe a little more.

From testing the light brightnesses were nearly identical. You might be able to give a sliiiight edge to the HID, but you would really have to be nitpicky. Diving with a group of three divers, I couldn't see the divers but I could see their light. I could tell which diver had the HID because the light seems to be more yellow than the LED which I would best describe as blue/white.

Beam focus also was close. Again, maybe a slight edge to the HID but again I'd have to sit there with a tape measure to check it....it really was close.

So again, you don't have to believe me, but if you're in the market for a light, do yourself a favor and at least TRY the new Halcyon light. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

I'm still going to try to get some video at the end of the month when I go back to the quarry for GUE fundies....not sure if I'll get to do a night dive but I'll try my best.

Hope this was helpful. I'll be glad to answer questions if you have any

-Jim