M3TAL_L0RD
(M3TAL_L0RD)
November 10, 2011, 5:52pm
76
JohnnyMac:
I'm hoping that the picture doesn't do this justice. This light is considered to be one of the best XM-L throwers around and I can barely see the hay bale at 235m. I don't own a dedicated thrower but hearing numbers like 400-500m distance then seeing this at 235m I must admit I'm a little disappointed.
Seeing a reflective sign at 350m means nothing since if it wasn't reflective you'd never see it. Make a building or tree visible at that distance and it will mean something. One day I will get a thrower and this light (FandyFire version) and the Crelant are the ones being considered. Now I'm not sure.
Taking good pictures with IXUS without manual settings is too hard :D
Yes, that 235m picture doesn't do justice... Last night I was on a walk and could light up barn at that distance.
(note: picture is from 2009, now there is no forest... there was quite storm over year ago)
All the first pics are under exposed.... like this.
Newer pic from same spot...
place is this
"Seeing a reflective sign at 350m means nothing since if it wasn't reflective you'd never see it."
Last electric poles are about 350m away.
M3TAL_L0RD
(M3TAL_L0RD)
November 10, 2011, 5:58pm
77
gorann:
It's tint (my is from DD) is very good, for me - refreshing - because it is warm yellow, almost like incadescent light. Its a refreshment to me because i have lots of lights with white, bluish even purpleish itint, etc.
Mine has purplish tint :(
Hikelite
(Hikelite)
November 10, 2011, 6:05pm
78
M3TAL_L0RD, would you say that the beam of the STL has a donut hole? Looking at some of your beamshots for me it sure looks that way.
loosen the body from head slightly to go to 5 modes and tighten for 3 modes
M3TAL_L0RD
(M3TAL_L0RD)
November 10, 2011, 6:14pm
80
Didn't notice in use, but now tested and it has hole in beam... when shining wall closer than 50 cm, further than that I can't see hole. On high hole is much harder to see and makes me see spot all the time :D
Hikelite
(Hikelite)
November 10, 2011, 6:31pm
81
This is what I mean, comparable with the T40CS, it's not harsh.
Your mouse over here https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/2903?page=1#comment-86807 shows the blackhole
UniqueFire UF-2100 - High (1/8 CTO tint mod)
Mouse over: Sky Ray STL-V2 - High
jsalmika
(jsalmika)
November 10, 2011, 10:02pm
82
M3TAL_L0RD:
Didn't notice in use, but now tested and it has hole in beam... when shining wall closer than 50 cm, further than that I can't see hole. On high hole is much harder to see and makes me see spot all the time :D
High
Medium
Low
This light is from DinoDirect.
M3TAL_L0RD
(M3TAL_L0RD)
November 10, 2011, 10:23pm
83
Proves nothing... camera just doesn't pick slightly darker spot so easily.
50 cm away (can't see darker spot by eye, yet)
15 cm away (can see spot easily, camera starts to pick spot about 20 cm)
about 5 cm away
phantom23
(phantom23)
November 10, 2011, 10:43pm
84
Mine is different: head tightened - 5 modes, loosened - 3 modes.
jsalmika
(jsalmika)
November 10, 2011, 10:49pm
85
^^ Indeed... But perhaps not the cause of the potential donut hole mentioned above (which at least I cannot see).
Looks like the led itself. Good thing anyway this is a thrower so it will be used just a bit further away from the target
jsalmika
(jsalmika)
November 13, 2011, 9:39pm
86
Actually I like the possibility of scrolling quickly through the modes by clicking the button slightly and then selecting a suitable mode pressing it completely.
phantom23
(phantom23)
November 13, 2011, 10:40pm
87
Thing is, when the light is on you need to click to turn it off, select right mode by light pressing and click again to turn it on. Pretty annoying.
M3TAL_L0RD
(M3TAL_L0RD)
November 13, 2011, 11:36pm
88
This is thrower, you don't need modes :)
phantom23
(phantom23)
November 14, 2011, 12:24am
89
Well, I do, low mode here is quite useful and I don't need to switch to other flashlight. Besides - forward clicky+mode is useless because you can't really use it because of unintended mode changing.
2100
(2100)
November 15, 2011, 12:32am
90
Just did some lux drop test.
Jetbeam RRT-2 XM-L, about 450 lumens OTF, LED prob at 1.4A.
1st minute = 1083
2 mins = 1077
3 mins = 1073 (0.92% drop)
4th minute = 1070 (1.2% drop)
5th minute = 1067
6th minute = 1065
7th minute = 1063
8th minute = 1061 (2% drop)
Fandyfire STL-V6 :
1022 ,1018, 1014, 1010 (1st/2nd/3rd/4th min) 1.17% drop after 4th minute
Sunwayman
T40CS : 1051, 1044, 1038, 1033 1.7% drop after 4th minute.
M3TAL_L0RD
(M3TAL_L0RD)
November 20, 2011, 10:26pm
91
M3TAL_L0RD:
Yes, that 235m picture doesn't do justice... Last night I was on a walk and could light up barn at that distance.
(note: picture is from 2009, now there is no forest... there was quite storm over year ago)
This time I took pictures.
F/2.7, 1/8 sec., ISO1250
With 5x Zoom
F/5.9, 1/4 sec., ISO4000
Close-up picture of target. Distance 20 meters, UniqueFire UF-2100 on high.
F/2.7, 1/8 sec., ISO3200
Got one today for my friend.
Of course had to test it before delivering it :)
Tested it against UF-980L and I got to say, it had tough company to start with...
On a shorter distance, say 100 meters, it is easy to notice that STL-V2 has tighter spot and more lux.
Then if you compare an absolute throw in meters, there´s really not THAT astonishingly big difference.
STL-V2 throws further but after 980L it does not make my jaw drop that much. Could the difference be something like 50-60 meters? Hard to say, I don´t have a lux meter to leave up there to test.
It is now 0°C and RH is at 93%, I felt like the beam itself in the air was blinding me.
At this kind if weather, I would say I saw it doing maybe 200m+, can´t say very accurately. Measured only by cars speedometer.
Oxy_Moron
(Oxy Moron)
December 2, 2011, 9:18am
93
You know what's funny? I've had mine for a while now and I use it all the time, yet I never realized it had two groups of modes. :D
I have always liked that feature on my Fenix lights. Anyway, thank you very much for an outstanding review.
jsalmika
(jsalmika)
December 4, 2011, 10:11pm
94
Has anybody been able to compare STL-V2 performance with Crelant 7G5 yet?