the MR30 looks really good but I am really disappointed with the numbers associated. sure it has a bright blast for a few seconds (I care nothing about), but then it turns into a 200lm light. nice run time!
the MR70 is starting to get a little pricey.
the SC31 actually looks good. no, it doesn’t have that initial blast, but it has decent power and some run time. wish it was a bigger light.
For camping I tend to prefer lights with sharp beam cutoff like out-out-focus aspheric. That’s because it makes it much easier to avoid shining at others’ tents.
If it were me, I”d say avoid alkaline cells and avoid li-ion cells, for any flashlight that wouldn’t get daily attention.
I use Energizer lithium primary AA cells for any light I really need to be able to rely on working after being ignored for a while.
I tend to have multiple 1~~, 2~~, or 3AA flashlights tucked away, but you might like one of the 4AA “soup can” lights within your budget.
No nearby tents or anything, but that’s why I’ve taken to using my Cometa at night. Nice even blanket of light, no glaring hotspot to ruin night-vision yet a nice wide field to light up the immediate area. Takes a 26650 for lots of runtime (moonlight’s plenty for me at night), is relatively compact, has lots of oomf when you crank it up… only thing it’s lacking is onboard charging.
And if out camping, yeah, you can zoom it to the Bat Signal and see what’s on the other side of Crystal Lake.
Just use what you already have. Add a diffuser if you can find one that fits. Or bounce it off the ceiling.
It’s not complicated, and ISTM there has been a lot over over-analysis and miss-conceived over-complicated design directions followed and talked about. E.g. Tint shifting ? Who cares ?
Some, who do, just get on with it and use what is at hand and available (with selection). Others like to just talk about things and over-complicate it.
Lighting up a tent, or a camp-site, or a disaster zone household, whatever, may be an existential worry for some, but not something that concerns me. And if it does happen, I’d first be reaching for my D, C, and AA cell torches, and looting the garages and shops for supplies.