Can a Cave Light be too Bright? HID
Posted: Feb 9, 2007 3:45 pm
To put HID into perspective, it puts out the same amount of light as 20 regular cave lights running all at once. These things are the brightest cave lights in the country and we run them full blast for 9 hours at a time on a high energy lithium battery pack. It lights up a cave like day. You know how huge passages and rooms look after photographers take pictures, fully lit up where you can see everything in the photo? Well, having one of these things on your head lights up the cave like that for hours at a time.
You have to really see one or use one to understand how revolutionary these things are. Here are some pictures that a friend took of my first trip using the HID cave light.
Lights up passage like this, Me in yellow with HID overexposing walls.
http://sports.webshots.com/photo/298083 ... 4580aDrgkb
Easily see the top of a 100 foot dome. HID exposure, no flash
http://sports.webshots.com/photo/212012 ... 4580aOsdbb
Looking back down a 100 foot pit. HID exposure, no flash
http://sports.webshots.com/photo/236320 ... 4580oVznzx
With the HID light nothing around you is dark anymore. There is so much light that reflection off the walls and ceilings lights up shadow areas. It is like you took the roof off and let in day. Recently on the first trip with my new HID cave light, I got complaints from some of the cavers I was caving with. It makes everyone else’s light around you look like their batteries are about to go out. They ended up naturally using the ambient light from my HID light to cave by. When I suddenly turned my light off or turned my head away they were instantly thrown into darkness. They were no longer accustomed to using the 25-40 lumen twink light they had.
Is there any such thing as having too much light in caving?
You have to really see one or use one to understand how revolutionary these things are. Here are some pictures that a friend took of my first trip using the HID cave light.
Lights up passage like this, Me in yellow with HID overexposing walls.
http://sports.webshots.com/photo/298083 ... 4580aDrgkb
Easily see the top of a 100 foot dome. HID exposure, no flash
http://sports.webshots.com/photo/212012 ... 4580aOsdbb
Looking back down a 100 foot pit. HID exposure, no flash
http://sports.webshots.com/photo/236320 ... 4580oVznzx
With the HID light nothing around you is dark anymore. There is so much light that reflection off the walls and ceilings lights up shadow areas. It is like you took the roof off and let in day. Recently on the first trip with my new HID cave light, I got complaints from some of the cavers I was caving with. It makes everyone else’s light around you look like their batteries are about to go out. They ended up naturally using the ambient light from my HID light to cave by. When I suddenly turned my light off or turned my head away they were instantly thrown into darkness. They were no longer accustomed to using the 25-40 lumen twink light they had.
Is there any such thing as having too much light in caving?