Any research on optimal color temperature for weapon lights?

[mig1nc]

Bight white daylight colored LEDs seem to be all the rage right now, but I've heard the arguments that warmer color tones allow for better PID. But has there ever been any research to say which is really better? Which penetrates photonic barriers better? Especially warmer toned street lights.

Specifically 4000K neutral white vs 2700K vs 5700K

[ColtSeavers]

Bight white daylight colored LEDs seem to be all the rage right now, but I've heard the arguments that warmer color tones allow for better PID. But has there ever been any research to say which is really better? Which penetrates photonic barriers better? Especially warmer toned street lights.

Specifically 4000K neutral white vs 2700K vs 5700K

Damn good question.

Here's what I found.

https://www.larsonelectronics.com/bl...ght-works-best

No light can actually “cut” through smoke and make objects totally visible on the other side, but there are a few types of illumination that will allow professionals to navigate more successfully.
...
Because smoke disperses light, a narrow beam with good throw and very minimal spill is necessary. Spillage causes the iris to adjust to control the light, making it harder to see objects from far away. Additionally, an LED with a lower color temperature will help reduce dispersal. Lower color temperatures have longer wave lengths, so they are reflected less by rain or fog. This means red and yellow-toned LED bulbs are ideal over blue and bright white.

It is important to note that visibility will depend on the density of the smoke. Thinner smoke will allow more penetration of light, but thick black smoke will require thermal imaging.

[mig1nc]

Damn good question.

Here's what I found.

https://www.larsonelectronics.com/bl...ght-works-best

That's pretty interesting. I hadn't really thought about it from that perspective. It's kind of like the yellow fog lights on rally race cars.

[ColtSeavers]

That's pretty interesting. I hadn't really thought about it from that perspective. It's kind of like the yellow fog lights on rally race cars.

Catch-22 is that the lower wavelength colors are also percieved to be less bright than the higher wavelength ones, even if they do cut through photonic barriers better.

[mig1nc]

There are some LEDs in the 3200K range, kind of the upper range of the warm colors.

[ColtSeavers]

There are some LEDs in the 3200K range, kind of the upper range of the warm colors.

Another problem is, unless you're building your own, you're pretty much at the mercy of whatever LED (and reflector) light manufacturers decide.

Take Surefire for example, nice warm temperature (if only relatively speaking), but they turned all their weapon lights into flood lamps....

[Titan74]

Warm light penetrates vegetation much better than neutral white or cool light.

If you are searching for something that is trying to hide in the bushes, warm light will help you to see into the bushes, whereas cool light will only lit up the first layer of leaves, which effectively blocks you from seeing the target behind the bush.

[ColtSeavers]

Warm light penetrates vegetation much better than neutral white or cool light.

If you are searching for something that is trying to hide in the bushes, warm light will help you to see into the bushes, whereas cool light will only lit up the first layer of leaves, which effectively blocks you from seeing the target behind the bush.

My experience is that candela (or tighter hotspot) is what achieves this more so than the light's Kelvin.

[Defaultmp3]

Beyond a light's temperature, the CRI will most likely also play a role in how fast you can PID something... which I've always been curious about for the WML players, from SureFire to Modlite. They'll throw lumens and candelas out, and on occasion, temperature, but yet to see CRI figures, and I don't care enough to try to dig out the actual diode used.

[mig1nc]

What would be considered a good CRI for a weapon light? I've never heard that term before.


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