Last prize is 400 Euros. New digital focus.
this is the question.???
i’m waiting for the first Review……from wherever :+1:
With one of those electronic glass frostings originally known as “smart glass” but instead of changing the frosting it changes the index of refraction.
Not that impressive.
Hmmm seems interesting. I’m looking forward for a proper review or even a teardown.
Very interesting video, thanks for linking that one.
I have to say, after all the years with flashlights, this one seems to be a real innovation. If this technology can be in a more compact form factor, with fewer lumens maybe… and at a more competitive price point. would be the perfect EDC.
I doubt this is smart glass. I suspect that this is a regular TIR and the pill moves inside the light. But I might be wrong, the clicks are loud and clear and I don’t hear any movement. Either way, the price is high.
I would love to borrow one for testing.
ADDED: I see that Martin shows a side cutout drawing. It’s been there for long, I must have forgotten that. Doesn’t look like a moving pill but some thick glass in front of TIR. So yeah, maybe smart glass of a kind.
In the video, one of the images shows a frosted glass. Pretty sure the front glass changes in nature with electric input. It may be a simple solution, but it works and they are the first to do it. Kudos to them.
Well spotted! If the glass right in front of the emitter is frosted than it diffuses the light inside the reflector, making a nice wide beam. When the glass is clear it well… is a normal thrower.
I can rest at last. :partying_face:
subscribed. my feeble mind is interested. havent read this whole thread will later though!
For those wondering how this light works, there was speculation earlier in this thread when the light was announced last year.
Best guess is a liquid crystal lens, possibly the 35mm one from Lensvector (credit to Leestrong for initially posting this. See post #70 of this thread).
That lens sells for around $30 by itself, so shouldn’t add too much to the cost of the light. Manker’s $400 price tag seems a bit steep at first, until you consider:
- This is a unique first-of-its-kind light. As such, a hefty premium markup is appropriate and expected.
- This light probably has a relatively small production run, meaning cost-per-unit to design and build is probably quite high.
- The liquid crystal lens is electronically controlled and requires additional wiring to the driver.
- A custom driver and firmware are needed.
- Additional engineering might have been needed to get the beam pattern to look good at all zoom positions.
Basically, it’s like LEP lights: a very expensive specialty light. But if the tech catches on and other manufacturers start making lights like this perhaps the price will drop.
Well reasoned and said!
Like LEP, now that one light is out with this tech there will likely be other brands soon competing to have cheaper, smaller, etc. versions of their own which will only be good for end users (especially as the technology itself matures).
With high luminosity LEDs like the “white flats”, LEPs, and now this tech I think lights with the capabilities and advantages of zoomies with none of the downsides are really a possibility very soon.
Why not a liquid filled lens that changes shape and curvature by any of a variety of means? We could probably design one like that. Don’t they have some sort of eyeglasses that do something similar?
Interesting, but does it looks throw when in flood mode, or loose flood when in throw mode ?
This one likely uses a liquid crystal lens that is an off-the-shelf component that costs around $30.
That’s a lot cheaper that trying to develop technology for a liquid lens. Plus this one should be more reliable since it is all electronic and there are no moving parts to wear out.
As a zoomie, we would want it to be more floody in flood mode and more throwy in spot mode.
Unlike cheap aspheric lights, this light should not lose any lumens when cycling between modes.
I suspect what the liquid crystal lens does is act as an aspheric lens in one setting and as a clear lens in the other setting, plus in between.
My guess is the “throw” mode is when the lens is clear. All the throw would be provided by the TIR lens under the liquid crystal. In “flood” mode, the lens shifts to aspheric and distorts the throwy beam outward producing a nice flood mode.
Liquid crystal, for example, used as electrically controllable diffuser plate.
This thing in front of the TIR lens, behind the cover glass.
There are a variety of “smart” crystals, firm or liquid, usable in such an application.
Not new technology at all.
There is written how the Lensvector works:
There are some liquid lenses, but they have a terribly low clear aperture, no good for flashlights. This is probably different.