Any Photon microlight owners?

Seems to me that the red/green debate is interesting, but probably more important to astronomers than to me. The data posted above shows that the red has 10x the battery light of green. Seems like a good reason to go with a red Photon II.
 
Originally posted by R.W.Clark
Yes, the article does state that at the same level of intesity green will damage your night vision more than red. However, the point is that you use a much lower light level with green than with red. This is due to the fact that the human eye is more sensitive to green.

With the Photon III you can adjust brightness. Therefore you will get better results from green then with red because you can lower the light level.
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Maybe I'm misunderstanding the link, but it seems to be speaking of subjective brightness rather than absolute. For example:
Green or blue-green has a greater capacity to adversely effect night vision because the eye is about 100 times more sensitive to these colors
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I would be very surprised if green were superior for retaining night vision given that astronomy lights are always red.
 
Originally posted by Allen E. Treat
R.W.Clark -

Then I wonder why the U.S. military
switched to green after all those exhaustive studies they did in the 80's.

AET ( former 11Bravo US ARMY )
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I believe that at least part of the reason is that green illumination doesn't show up well on night vision equipment, whereas red stands out like a beacon.
 
Great little lights, I use mine all the time. As far as the color debate I opted for plain old white, since I do not plan on going on recon or night manuvers I do not need the tactical advantage of a red or green. I do however have to look at fuse boxes in the dark often so I need to see the diffrent colors of the fuses as well as the diffrent colors of wires I may need to work on.
 
i dont understand, i thought with these lights you cannot replace the batteries, is this so? tell me yes or no pleeasers
 
Originally posted by tribalbeeyatch
For example:I would be very surprised if green were superior for retaining night vision given that astronomy lights are always red.
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:confused: Did you happen to check out the other link on the original article? It plainly states that green is better for astronomy. Be sure to go back and check it out. Here is a quote from the first line of that article written by an astronomer.
Green light is best for seeing under the low light levels needed for reading star charts while observing. Seven out of eight deep sky observers will be able to see fainter objects when using a dim green light to read star charts!
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The brightness issue is not a percieved brightness. In order to use a red light to see a chart with in the dark, you have to have a brighter source, which is detrimental to night vision. Your eyes are 100 times more sensitive to green, which means you can keep the brightness down below the threshold that would ruin night vision, and still read a chart in the dark. If you are seeing red astronomy lights, it is because they are still thinking "old school" and haven't been informed of the benefits of using green.

This being said, having a green LED photon will only be of any use in preserving night vision if you get the Photon III in which you can set it to a dim level. Even then, if you are inside and want to keep your night vision, it might be best to shine it off the ceiling, as it is still on the bright side. Also, you need to make sure the view of the actual diode isn't in your field of view because the point source is too bright. If you don't have the Photon III, then the light will be too bright to use for night vision, unless you filter it out.

SCOOP As far as your suggestion regarding the red/green, yes, the red does have a much better battery life, but there is a tradeoff with the brightness of the red. From a signalling standpoint, the red is easy to see if it is shined in your face, but to use as general illumination to light a trail or a dark room, the green or white will serve you much better.

ARMLESSBANDIT Yes you can change the batteries in all the Photon Lights, although the batteries in the Photon II are harder because you need a very small phillips screwdriver. You cannot change the batteries in the ASP light. Instead, you have to send it back to ASP for replacement. I wouldn't recommend these lights specifically for that reason, and the fact that the switch is only momentary, which means you have to continually press the button for light. I also don't recommend the Photon I for that same very reason about the switch.

Mike
 
I have a few questions.

Surefire sells a filter ofr their flashlights that is an infrared filter, but isn't infrared invisable light, so isn't that kind of an oxymoron? What does it look like with that filter on.

And does anyone here have one of those Inova X5 LED flashlights that has the 5 LED's in it, how are they, do they provide plenty of light and how durable are they.
 
Originally posted by Bali-Flipper
Surefire sells a filter ofr their flashlights that is an infrared filter, but isn't infrared invisable light, so isn't that kind of an oxymoron? What does it look like with that filter on.
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I haven't actually seen the infrared filter in use, but it shouldn't be visible to the naked eye when used. It is specifically used for night vision goggles in a tactical situation where you don't want the enemy to see you. Same for the infrared Photon.

Mike
 
"From a signalling standpoint, the red is easy to see if it is shined in your face, but to use as general illumination to light a trail or a dark room, the green or white will serve you much better."

True, but only for one tenth of the time.
 
Originally posted by Medic1210
:confused: Did you happen to check out the other link on the original article? It plainly states that green is better for astronomy. Be sure to go back and check it out. Here is a quote from the first line of that article written by an astronomer.
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Sorry for the confusion, Mike. I HAVE read and understood the astronomy link. I'm an amateur astronomer myself and am well familiar with Mr. Kniffen's assertions about the supposed superiority of the green LEDs that he sells. I've seen this issue debated on astronomy boards before, and I can't say that I've ever been particularly convinced by the pro-green case. And I wouldn't exactly call Mr. Kniffen an unbiased source because of his vested financial interest in the topic. Actually, his article made me more skeptical than ever given the way that he seems to spin well-established neurobiological facts to suit his agenda. Suffice it to say that the superiority of green light is not as clear cut as he would have you believe. It's not a simple matter of red lights being "old school" and green being the wave of the future. In fact, other than the product that Mr. Kniffen sells, I can't think of a light that's sold for starcharts that isn't red. Here's an article that gives a better idea of the controversy over this issue:
http://jersey-mall.com/tpo/pages/redrevis.htm
And a quote from it:
Skiff also claims that "there is ample laboratory evidence to show that red light allows you to become dark adapted after exposure (even at very low levels) about 4 times faster than with green or white light."

Jeff Medkeff, the Acting Assistant Coordinator for the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers, Solar Section, joined in the discussion in support of Skiff?s claims, citing the specific JOSA papers (listed at the end of this article). "Brian is totally and completely correct" Medkeff asserts strongly, "to say that you get the dark adaption back quickest using red light at the intensity necessary for reading, then any other color."
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Have a Blue/Green (whatever that bright color one is) on my key chain and one on my wife's. I also carry one of the new Photon III red light on my duty belt with my handcuff key. Not for lighting up the cuffs while double-locking, but for use at night when doing the HGN (eye-test) part of field-sobriety. The low-setting is just right for the possibly intoxicated person to follow without being too bright.

Really handy lights.

Brad
 
I guess something has convinced the military to switch to green instead of red. I have just used written material to backup what I have personally felt for a while. I noticed the benefit of green a while back while using my portable radio charger. The small LED light that indicates it is charging is red. If you weren't looking directly at the light, you wouldn't know it was even on. However when the radio is fully charged, this small light turns green. This very small light will actually cast shadows in the room. To look at each light directly, they both appear to be equally bright. This is also true with alarm clock radios. I cannot stand to have a radio with a green display, as it lights up the entire room once your eyes have night adjusted. A clock with the red display doesn't light up anything (or at least my eyes don't pick it up). This is why I personally prefer green over red. YMMV

Mike
 
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