HID or LED which do you prefer more for cave diving and why ??
I just got back from and hour and half dive with Edd where we had a -15, a -35 and the new video light.
A few opinions of mine, remember opinions are like an orifice, we all have one.
From just pure output of light perspective the -35 still doesn't have the amount of light output of a LM-50. I did not take my LM-50 with me today, so it's an impression, not something I actually put one against the other. The LM 50 I think will shine a light further and beam focus is variable so you can spread out the beam like Bobby's light, in tight focus it's well more tightly focused than Bobby's light. But I'm pretty sure when you spread out the beam of the LM 50, you lose a lot of efficiency, in other words I think you lose a lot of light when you defocus the beam, I think the reflector has a "sweet spot" and get out of the sweet spot and it's inefficient, so while you can have a broad beam, I think you lose a lot of light doing so, so in broad beam Bobby's light may in fact deliver more light.
From a user friendliness perspective, Bobby's light simply blows the LM 50 out of the water so to speak. The LM battery is huge, the light head itself is quite large and long and tries to occupy the same space where I wear my computer. The LD 35 has three light levels and can be dismounted from the Goodman handle via the clip, it comes with two bolt snaps, one on the light and one on the handle. The light itself is tiny compared to the LM. It has what looks like about the same beam width the 26 does, but seems to have a little whiter light, or maybe just more light in the same or similar beam. I did not have a 26 with me so this is just what it seemed like. I think the 35 does do a better job of penetrating particulate, but I don't know why, maybe simply more light, or is there a little color difference?
The video light is, well a video light. In other words from a using it like a diving light, it's similar to walking in the woods holding a lantern in front of your face. But for doing what's its made for it is seemingly as good as if not maybe a little better than my LM 50 with a video reflector. My impression is Bobby's video light has more light output than a LM 50, but that's just my impression. As a video light it's outstanding. It has all the good features I like so much in the other lights, small form factor clip mounted, etc. It has a very unusual LED, I've never seen one like it before. I think maybe some kind of surface mount LED? Just very unusual looking, while I don't think it could be focused, if it could it would make one heck of a dive light.
I'd love to mount one of the video lights on the front of my scooter and hand hold the 35, that would be ideal, I think.
From an actual sidemount as in tight places, I think the -15 is maybe the ideal sidemount light. That surprised me, being the least expensive, I didn't expect that, but it's got a tighter beam and seemed to penetrate particulate very well, maybe better than the more expensive lights, and is I think more actual light output than we might think. So maybe I want a -35 for big cave and a -15 with the small battery for real sidemount stuff?
I used to say that HID's were still King, their days may be numbered, but they are still King.
Well, I now think that HID has gone the way of Halogen, it has been un-seated as King.
