Illuminationsupply has some XM-L2s.
Relative noobie but digging deeply, it has come to my attention that the CRI of any light is commonly misquoted. The typical way of measuring CRI in the first place is comparative, and there’s simply not a standard. Did you know, for example, that a single candle has a CRI of 100? So it’s a good point to consider that the emitter bin tint of choice is going to be compared to a “true” value of it’s primary output and given a CRI rating to match. The LED is usually low in the CRI comparison here because of what’s already been said…it has a narrow spectrum.
I’m a photographer, looking for the tint bin that will best suit photography purposes in the 5700Kelvin range, and the CRI quest got me confused! I’m sure there are those here that understand it far better than I, but the reading I’ve done lately points to having to consider ALL the pertinent data, not just a bin code or CRI factor.
So, anyone know the proper XM-L or XM-L2 to assist in photography? Of course I’d like colors to be as accurate as possible, but I don’t think I’ll be using a candle for macro photography! 
Thanks for any help and all corrections
I made a little visual overview of LEDs on 16mm base from fasttech. Double checked with others and their prices seem to be the best…
Personally, I really like warm white at this point, 7B/7C tints… They are like incandescent lights… I think they are just as awesome indoors as outdoors. Everyone who has seen my T3 7B vs regular T6 (1A?) prefer the warm classic light. Colors and everything just look better in my opinion. Ill might try something on the more neutral side soon…
Not a fan of cool blue. Especially if the beam have some “green-ish” or purple looking tint…
Anyone have some sort of overview for XM-L2 bin/tint combinations?
For a short time intl-outdoor had these in stock:
XM-L2:
T2, E8 (8B, 8C, 8A, 8D) (2700k)
T6 , E3 (3B, 3C, 3A, 3D) (5000K)
What else could we expect to see? Will the XM-L2 bin/tints combos basically be the exactly the same as XM-L bin/tints combinations?
Mouser, DigiKey, I-O and IlluminationSupply are the only ones who have/had them - I ordered and got T6 E3's from Mouser, and U2 1C's from IlluminationSupply. IS still has the U2's, it seems like, and Digikey has some T6's again for 1 piece qty, and I think Mouser has the U2's
thanks, what is the lowest and highest Kelvin rating the 219’s go at ?.
looking for a 219, but something which my eyes work well too with it?.
3700 - 4300 ?.
suggest?.
thanks.
XM-L T6 4C available at FastTech.
16mm base:
https://www.fasttech.com/products/1/10001903/1224000-cree-xm-l-t6-4c-4300-4500k-943-lumen-white-led-emi
They all range from around 3700-4500, most of the ones coming from IS are on the lower side of that scale though. (around 4200)
thanks so would say 4200 be better for eyes than 4500 Nichia ?.
what’s the best with the nichia ?.
thank you.
Just buy a Nichia from IS and you will be fine. Easy on the eyes.. anything below 5000K is easy for almost anyone. Cool white LEDs are around 6500K and some people like that.
I mean you are not gonna stare right into it.. :D
219 H1 range from sw27 to sw45 - 2700K to 4500K.
Ledrise sells sw27. LINK Kokopelli posted some beamshots of the sw27. LINK
Oops, didn't know they went down to sw27 in H1. Thanks.
many thanks, nice,…
are there flashlights available already in nichia 2700- 3000k warm?, and will these be at 200 lumens max?.
thanks.
what would be the best to do?.
a body and a p60 drop in?.
thanks.
Sorry, folks, but I’m going to throw a big monkey-wrench into the gearcase here…
I read and believed this “CRI” business, even though no one could detail it out well enough to make sense. I get that light reflects off colored objects and makes them “look” that way, and that different light colors reflect differently. K? (You should see my next-door neighbor’s mineral display with two “black lights” of different, user-selectable frequencies to make the rocks shine!)
Here’s where I get lost: everywhere I look, I see LEDs described as very specifically MONOchromatic, e.g. “5000k”, etc. I studied the Datasheets too, so feel free to start there. The reality is more “BI-chromatic”, but that may not matter. Everywhere I can find any spectral power graphs, “100 CRI Sunlight” does NOT have the spiky chromatic peaks of an LED or xFL. My “color reference standard” (poor as it is) is a standard 100W bare incandescent bulb. It’s not “sunlight”, and the fundamental color can be found in these LEDs I own, but there’s no question the incan makes a lot MORE colors look good, than any LED (that I own) can.
Full disclosure: I did my homework and decided to try “5000k” (aka “NW”) from two sources, hoping for decent color rendition. TURNS OUT: the only way I can “get happy” with colors is to turn on TWO torches and point them at the same thing. Hence my idea of multiple, different-CBin emitters…
Look at it this way: “5000k” reflects “best” off a certain color. “6000k” reflects “best” off a certain OTHER color. Likewise the other Chromaticity bins. Sunlight, containing waves and particles of all colors, seems to include all those “bins” on its way to a 100 CRI.
Some say the “NW” LEDs enhance the green leaves on trees. I can see that, but what about the other colors, which are better enhanced by the “CW” emitter?
Yes, I get that the answer is a multi-emitter host with all different Chromaticity bins!!! (I’d even accept the multiple different-colored shadows!!)
How is any of this helpful for single-source flashlight/torch users? Is there some way we (outside of “Manufacturer Support”) can expand the chromaticity peaks of an LED?? I would LOVE to know how to make the “dull 60W yellow-brown” of 5000k or lower (3000k??? You gotta be kidding!) render ALL the objects in my yard close to sunlight color-levels (dimmer, of course!! I want the good colors!)
On that note, IS IT POSSIBLE that someone (best would be the manufacturer) has posted beamshots comparing the different C-bins? As a proud new owner of two braces of “3C” XM-Ls, I would dearly love to know (without having to fork over even more hard-earned cash) what the real-world difference is between “3C” and “3B”, e.g. I’d really rather see them without reflectors, just the bare LEDs shining on a plain White (not “off-white”) wall…
Sorry to disturb the waters. Inquiring minds want to know: How do we make colors look good with a mostly-monochromatic source? Is “close enough” really close enough? I know Cree offers an LED which lets you blend multiple RGB colors, but that’s exactly what I said above, just with 4 emitters in one package. LSI did the electronics world tons of Good, maybe integration is the answer here too? My current answer: stop wasting so much time with it! Pester the manufacturers to improve their QC (like “stop with the purple and green colored rings, please”) before they pop out the next “much brighter/more efficient/better sex-life XYZ v2.0”; and if you want good color rendition any time soon, get an incan.
That’s what I think. But you know how I can be…
Dim
I almost bought some 4C from fasttech and read a bad review. Was it yours?…
“Review XML 4C: I was looking for XM-L led with 4C tint, but with no luck, i found it only here on fasttech, so i bought immediately 5 pieces, but its some cool tint, not 4C. I have some XP-G2 leds with 4C tint, and they are much warmer and have more yellow color. This XM-L is more blueish. I am dissapointed.”
Could this be Fasttech editing their reviews? I wish I had taken note of who posted it. Now the above review has been deleted and replaced with this one!:
“This XM-L 4C tint is far better than my XP-G2 4C LEDs i have, they are too much yellow-grennish.”
Hm, I don’t see any reviews at all
The 20mm version have one review…
I remember the the not so good that Flashpilot quoted … Not there anymore… Dont know why its gone…
Ah I see. The person who posted the review has “4” reviews posted buy I can only find 3. Maybe they initially had the bad review, contacted FT who maybe sent a wrong emitter, and got a replacement and wrote a new review (deleting the old one that can’t be found)?
All speculation…
Thanks Scaru! This is most useful. Your efforts are definately appreciated!
Dan.