I currently use a 1000 lumen Fenix flashlight for photographing owls at night.
The 1000 lumen model is easy to carry in pocket. But,t he issue is, it get heated up when operated at 1000 lumens mode for long time.
So, just want to check are there any other models in a similar form factor with same or more lumens that produce less heat.
I am sharing one of my owl pictures taken using this flash light.
That is an awesome picture! I have bought a house out in woods recently and have owls all around, and I am always trying to photo one. Just saw one for first time. In months, couldn’t get a good photo.
Anyway, I would look at something like the Astrolux mf01 mini with sst20 4000k. It has both very good throw, and high lumens (5000) meaning it could easily hold around 1000 lumens for you. It isn’t extremely inexpensive but right now bang good has it on sale for under $50. I thought I’d hate the mf01 mini and t has become one of my more used lights because of it versatility,
I mean you may want something with a better regulated driver depending on long you need to hold that 1000 lumens for. If you do, I don’t know enough to recommend something but someone else here definitely does.
For around 30 ft photography, the only light I can think of is the Wuben TO50R. One of the hidden gem in flashlight world. Has everything for photography. High CRI, perfect flood, can sustain high for a very long time (1000 lumen for about 1h30min, no stepdown), magnet in tailcap, large battery capacity, power bank fonction, etc.
If you put the beam right on him (in his eyes), the owl will fly away has been my experience with spotting owls. i’ve never gotten that close—that is a great photo.
Which fenix flashlight are you using now, and would you want similar beam size or one that’s more or less focused?
The short answer to your question is no, a similar sized light with similar lumens will produce a similar amount of heat. There will be some differences due to LED and driver efficiencies, but they will be relatively small.
But you can go up slightly in size to get more mass and surface area and that will help the flashlight get less hot.
No flashlight advice but for those that are interested, I know that at least Barred Owls are easy to call in. Friends do it here playing Youtube videos on they’re cell phones. The most we’ve had close was seven. They’re loud, kind of freaky. We live in the woods, bordering National Forrest but I’ve seen owls about everywhere including cities.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audobon Society have recordings of most birds, even a free app.
Oh, and don’t forget that the lens makes a bunch of difference. The more it opens up, the less light you need to maintain the same shutter speed.
Got 8kbux to throw around, you can always get a Noct (f/0.95).
For nighttime, when my f/2.8 70-200 doesn’t even cut it, I got a few primaries down in the f/1.4 and even f/1.2 range. Good for snapping pix of Christmas lights. Raccoons, too.
I’m amazed when I see people trying to snap decent pix on their cellphones… :person_facepalming: