I think it's time for your own custom title. What would you like it to be? A word or two or three. Maybe four short ones. It will show up under your name on the desktop version of the website. Maybe something light related to indicate that you're the light guy
Hmmm...How about "The Flashlight Fanatic"? .
They lovingly refer to me as "Flashlight Pornmeister D", on another forum . One guy said I brought flashlight porn to the forums, so the name kind of stuck :P
All I know is, EDC items are easy to photograph. They don't move. People, on the other hand, are a lot more complicated.
Last Edit: Oct 29, 2015 18:33:22 GMT -8 by david57strat
Post by david57strat on Oct 29, 2015 16:20:52 GMT -8
I just picked up an mint condition L2T on CPF, with a Customlites XP-L Hi Neutral White (5000K), 3 amp driver; 3-mode drop-in, with smooth reflector). It should be here in the next couple of days.
Post by david57strat on Oct 25, 2015 20:11:07 GMT -8
I've had my new Zebralight SC62w for just shy of a month, now, and have been extremely impressed with most everything about it. The interface is so intuitive (and flexible - an added bonus), I can finally understand why so many people have raved about their lights :-)
Cheesy iPhone picture - superb light. Here it is, at work. I use it very heavily there, and most everywhere else. It really is a solid little piece of engineering. My only true complaint about it is the miserably loose pocket clip. I hate it. I usually carry it in the holster that came with my Nitecore EA11, on my belt, right next to my iPhone 5S; but today, I tried pocket-carrying it in my front left pocket, at work, right next to my EagleTac P20C2 Mk II (I still like pocket carrying that one because of its momentary function, and great spot beam, for its size.
The clip is extremely disappointing. The P20's clip is so solid, you practically have to tear it out of your pocket, to get it to budge. It's very grippy, and that's the kind of clip I'm used to, if I ever pocket carry a light. It ain't goin' anywhere, on its own. The SC62w's clip, on the other hand, while pretty and slick, is just too loose to trust. It just slides in and out of a pocket, way too easily, for my taste. I generally hate pocket clips, and this is why. I've lost too many lights because I bumped into something and the light went flying, or just got lost, without my knowledge of where it even went (all the worse), and it was too late to recover the light.
I'd really like to pocket carry this light at work (since I'm not allowed to wear it on my belt), but it needs a much more solid clip.
Aside from that, it's amazing...and it's so small. I can't believe how small it is, for how much output it produces. I still can't get over it. The PID is genius. Timed step-downs can really suck, and this (The PID) s the kind of heat management regulation all lights should have, in my humble opinion. It only lowers the output, when it's actually necessary, based on usage and environment, rather than a per-determined time. It just makes sense. I wish all my lights had this kind of thermal management.
Here is a really cool YouTube video, of a guy, taking the light for a lengthy ride on his bicycle, at night:
Last Edit: Oct 26, 2015 10:08:05 GMT -8 by david57strat
What I meant to say, was - please tell us more about your experiences with this light.
How long have you had it? How's the beam pattern/range? What do you like about it (What, specifically, brought you to choose this light)? Any weaknesses? How are the run times for you, in real world use (they often differ from what's posted on the website)? Any general observations about this light, that you'd like to share with the rest of us?
All of this information may help a prospective buyer.
Post by david57strat on Sept 29, 2015 16:44:58 GMT -8
The SC62W just arrived a little while ago.
It's so tiny!
I love it! (Doing snoopy dance)
It is the most impressive sub-compact 18650 light I own, to date. The tint is so close to my Nichia 219, and is absolutely beautiful. Now, I just need for it to get dark, so I can take it for a real test drive.
I hate the clip, for direct pocket carry. It doesn't compare with the one on my EagleTac P20C2 Mk II (the one I usually pocket carry - clipped inside my left pocket), which is extremely solid. No chance, in the world that light is coming loose from the pocket, once it's firmly clipped in. You have to very deliberately pull the light, to get the clip to come loose enough to remove it from a pocket. All clips should be this firm.
I would be too afraid I'd knock the light and have it come flying out of my pocket, with this Zebralight clip. I like that it's screw-mounted; but it's wayyyy too slippery/smooth, for confident pocket carry (directly clipped). On the up-side, I tried placing it in the holster that came with my tiny Nitecore EA11, and it fits perfectly in that. Maybe I'll just belt carry it in one of those holsters. Perfect! It shouldn't be hard to get a hold of another of those holsters (or, I probably have a holster, not in use, in my box of accessories .
Did I mention this thing is tiny? LMAO!
I'm used to carrying this P20 all over the place, in my front left pocket, even to work (That's usually the only one I have on-person, at work, while the rest are in my pack), and that P20 is is very comfortable to carry in my pocket, even though it sticks out of it, by about an inch (because the clip is, pretty much, overbuilt, that doesn't matter) . Imagine how comfy this microscopic SC62W would be, if I felt confident about using the clip for front pocket carry.
Zebralight SC62W, pictured in-between an EagleTac P20C2 Mk II (XM-L2 U2, running at 622 ANSI lumens max), and a Solarforce L2P with (2-mode Sportac Triple Nichia 219, 674 ANSI lumens max).
The interface on the Zebralight is pure genius - and fully programmable. Very nice!
Last Edit: Sept 29, 2015 22:27:21 GMT -8 by david57strat
Post by david57strat on Sept 22, 2015 10:12:48 GMT -8
Is anyone else having a problem with their iPad Mini or iPhone 5S remembering their username and password, after having installed IOS 9? Mine used to remember both, so I could just click on the bookmark, and was logged straight in. No more. This majorly sucks.
No problems with the desktop website, on my laptop.
I'm afraid my collection is not as vast as yours :) What would you recommend for a very powerful single CR123 light? Primarily looking for something with flood, tint and LED type don't bother me much.
Also, what do you think of Lenslight?
I don't have any experience with Lenslight flashlights, but I've heard good things about them.
I'm probably the wrong person to ask, for this particular recommendation. I tend to prefer larger lights (dual CR/RCR123/18650 lights), because of the better performance associated with a larger light.
I were going to try an American company, I'd probably go with Malkoff, just because I own some of their drop-ins, and they are fantastic. Bullet-proof stuff, and not outrageously priced. Many of their hosts (the bodies) support the 18650 battery (my favorite battery platform, hands-down). Also, 18650 batteries are capable of high power bursts that a lot of lights can provide, without voltage sag. They're made to take it, and they can be recharged hundreds of times. I no longer buy flashlights that won't accommodate some sort of lithium ion battery, although many will accommodate the use of 2 CR123 disposables, if need be.
Gene Malkoff stands by his work. and everything he does is first rate.
The only truly good things (in my humble opinion) that the CR123 battery offers (over the lithium ion/rechargeable battery, for instance), is that:
it can be stored for very long periods (years at a time), without losing a charge, and without leaking. Alkaline batteries will leak, given enough time, and they don't have the high current capacity that better batteries can provide.
it can operate more easily, at extreme temperatures (like the freezing cold). If you're going to be storing, or using your flashlight in an extreme environment, like that, then I would definitely recommend CR123 (disposable) batteries; but only then.
As soon as you said "very powerful", I wanted to steer you away from a single CR123 battery light. High power always comes at a cost, and it's usually in run times, in the sub-compact lights. The lack of decent heat sinking (because of the tiny bodies) usually causes these lights to run very hot, in just a short time. Bear in mind, heat (and inside moisture) are a two flashlight's worst enemies. Either can cause the light's electronics to die, prematurely.
It's hard to recommend something definitive, unless I know what kind of use the light's going to see. If you're just going to be using it momentarily, or for a few minutes at a time, daily, then you have a vast range of choices, and heat considerations aren't really going to play into the decision. If you're going to blast things with it, for extended periods, at the high power settings, I wouldn't recommend something this small, at all, because you'll be bound to overheat the light, and you may find yourself very disappointed, when the light automatically steps down to a lower mode, to protect itself from overheating. This commonly occurs with smaller regulated lights, and they're generally designed to jump to a lower mode, after a set time (It's called timed step-down). Some more expensive lights have what's called thermal step-down, and the same thing occurs, but only as needed, depending on how the light is used/how hot the light actually is. It doesn't happen at a fixed time. Many lights will step down after only a few minutes or use, by design. It's a safety feature designed into the user interface of the light. That's the trade-off of having a super compact, high-powered light - if it's a regulated light. A non-regulated light (direct drive - like your old Maglite), just drops in output, the moment the voltage drops, even a little bit. Most newer lights have electronics built into them, to maintain (regulate) some sort of constant output, within whatever their specs happen to be.
There are plenty of lights I can recommend that are similarly sized to the dual CR123 Lenslights; but I need to know more, before I can recommend any of them. The more you can tell me about the light's intended use, the better recommendation I can give you.
Softboxes look nice for the 30ish dollars they sell for. Anyone know if I could accomplish something with them with my modest point and shoot, or do I really need a DSLR to get the good results?
I have yet to own a DSLR; but I think I, or anyone, could greatly benefit from owning a softbox, because of the even lighting (all around and on top) that would be hitting the subject (instead of just the harsh lighting provided by a built-in flash, which leave a lot of unwanted, stark shadows).
Of course, it'd be nice to also have a digital SLR . But, in the meantime...
Most of it, for me, has been just experimenting a lot with the camera's manual settings. You can accomplish a lot, by deciding, for yourself, how things are to be shot, rather than letting the camera decide for you. I liken this to driving a stick, rather than an automatic. You have more control of the vehicle, that way. You feel more like you're driving the car, rather than the car, driving you.
Using a tripod (for low light situations), and having a wide range of lights (Yes - I mean tail-standable high-powered flashlights, with different tints) , also help to frame and light the subject better, since I don't really have a dedicated external flash unit, to speak of. I never got around to buying one. Probably don't really need one, either; but you have to have a lot of patience with yourself, and your camera, to discover what seems to work, and what doesn't. It's all about what look you're going for, then taking the necessary steps to achieve that look. It's a lot of trial and error, for me, anyway.
So yes - even your modest point 'n shoot may have some kind of manual control (what model do you have?), and getting a handle on whatever you can do, manually, would help greatly. Even if not, the extra lighting provided by the softbox, combined with the use of a tripod, would smoothen things out (lighting-wise), all the way around.
Last Edit: Aug 24, 2015 20:29:00 GMT -8 by david57strat