How do you compair the 2. How many lumens = 1 candle power.

That has caused some serious debate. What are you wanting to get? Here is a little info that may or may not help you....


"There is no easy or direct comparison between Lumen and Candlepower ratings. Lumens are a measure of the total amount of light emitted in all directions, and while not entirely appropriate when applied to directional light sources like flashlights, it still can be used to measure all the light poured out the end of your torch, regardless of what direction it`s going in.
Candlepower or Candela is a peak spot measure- the intensity of the very brightest point of light within the focussed beam, usually the very center. It does relate with Lumens, to the half angle of the beam- in other words, the angle from the centre at which the brightness is exactly half of the peak value at the centre. For an identical intensity light source (ie, lumen value is the same) the narrower the beam the higher the Candlepower rating. But the dispersion of the beam plays a big role. It depends largely on the width of the hotspot, what portion of the light goes into the main beam, and what portion spills off to the side.Unless you know the precise dispersion of the individual beams, with an accurate 2 dimentional plot of intensity (or a simple 1-dimention graph if the dispertion is perfectly circular and not lopsided or oval), and then apply advanced mathematics that would make most highschool students heads spin, you cannot convert between the two. Can`t be done, sorry.

Regrettably there is not a simple home-friendly way to measure lumen outputs. A simple photographic Lux meter can be used to give you candela (candlepower) readings but Lumens require advanced methods. You need lots of space, lots of money and lots of Barium Sulphate paint in order to do it. Hence why most manufacturers just use candlepower. Additionally (and maybe more influencially), candlepower figures are often high and look great on fancy packaging and web sites- that thing about narrow beams again. Many Pelican lights and all Maglites for example, are rated quite highly as far as cp goes, but the overall light output is low compared to some, just the fact that they can focus pretty narrowly. A narrow beam is not always a useful beam so candlepower ratings cannot be soley relied upon. Similarly Lumen ratings cannot be soley relied upon either. A high-lumen beam could be so wide and dispersed that it does not throw more than a few feet, or a low lumen beam could be so narrow that it shines a very long way.

It`s all down to what you`re looking for in a light and until flashlight manufacturers get their act together and embrace a universal, standardised and informative rating method they will all use, the only real way to tell if one torch is better for you than another is to try it out yourself. Hence the official CPF motto "Get them both [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] ". We reviewers try our best but however detailed we try to be in our writeups, you still cannot beat seeing the thing for yourself."

[quote="POKER1"]That has caused some serious debate. What are you wanting to get? Here is a little info that may or may not help you....


I'm looking at rechargeable spotlights. I'd like to have a l.e.d. spotlight. It would run longer than a regular q-beam. I'm looking for something in the 500,000 cp range with a red lense.

I havent seen anything in LED that can touch the concentrated spot power of an single incandesent. LEDs are bright, just not the same kind of light.

[quote="Tcounty

I'm looking at rechargeable spotlights. I'd like to have a l.e.d. spotlight. It would run longer than a regular q-beam. I'm looking for something in the 500,000 cp range with a red lense.[/quote]


Tcounty,

Like Poker said.... However in simpler terms....

A hi-output 35 watt LED with 3200 lumens is pretty comparable to 500,000 candlepower spotlights --- BUT --- the dang ammo can sized power supply makes it impracticle for hand-held use....

Most modern planes use these 35 watt LEDS on their wingtips and wing-edge lights --- they last 60,000 + hours --- but you and I can't aford them for our duckboats....

http://www.aveoengineering.com/Aviation ... /index.php

poker,
i got about half way though before my brain started hurting.

Excel Boats has a pretty good lookin front mount LED light kit...

http://www.excelboats.net/

If Im not mistaken Lumens is the color of the light and Candlepower is how bright

I believe 4300 Lumen is the closest thing to natural sunlight