Assuming I don’t damage the phosphor layer, what color temp XML-2’s should I start with to achieve a slightly warm side of neutral?
I would like to end up around 4000k-4500k and avoid a green tint.
A and D sub bins are less green than B and C. That is right that dedoming makes it warmer, but I don’t know just how much. Maybe one number or less.
Hey Fritz, I found a thread that confirms your suggestion.
sma’s De-Dome Color Shift Thread
What surprised me is the magnitude of the color shift. Emitter #4 prior to de-dome was a XM-L2 color bin 1A (6745K) After de-dome the color shifted 2K and ended up as a 5A (4037K).
Don’t know how much it will help, but here are a Convoy C8 and a Maxtoch M24 with the U4 1C dedomed in both at 100 yards.
Until you put them beside a pure white it is not really noticeable of the more yellowish tint in the dedomed U4, but beside the pure white of the XP-L HI it is very noticeable as shown in the 3rd picture.
One thing I have found out with my M24’s is that I can see much further with the dedomed U4 at lower amps than the HI emitter with higher amps, especially if there is any kind of mist in the air.
C8
.
M24
M24’s XP-L HI—left//Dedomed U4 1C right
That’s an interesting observation. I really dislike the bluer tints. Anything above 6k returns way to much glare to my eye. As for the Cree high intensity LEDs, they haven’t quite lived up to the hype. They are nice but not this nice.
“Cree’s New High-Intensity Class of LEDs More than Doubles Performance”
I remember reading posts that said the high intensity LEDs would do away with de-doming.
By the way, the Maxtoch M24 is on my must buy list. Thanks for the beam shots. I’m still trying to figure how to post pictures with my phone.
+1 on the A and D tints for de-doming. You can probably even find some U and R tints out there in XM-L/XM-L2. I just did an XP-L 2C and it turned out a little too yellow/green for my liking. The method of de-doming may have an effect of the outcome as well. Some have reported a larger green tint-shift when using the chemical method (gas/acetone/etc.), compared to the heat method.
Not sure if there is enough of a sample size to say that is a certainty, but something to be aware of. FWIW, the best tint I’ve gotten to date is with a cool white 1A XM-L (not XM-L2), using acetone.
YMMV!
This picture really exemplifies what I like about warm colors. The beam on the left looks flat and washed out. To my eye it has an irritating brilliance reflecting back much like the “cool” headlights that are all the rage lately. I can’t make out any ground details just lots of glare. To many folks the beam shot on the left is much brighter but To my eye it is not as pleasant as a slightly warm color especially for night hunting. When I look at the beam shot on the right I see good depth of field, the grass is a pleasing green and I can even see the color on the trees in the background. A big fat Coon or Bobcat would stand out like a sore thumb! Nice!