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Was thinking about getting one of these and thought I'd put it out to the collective masses as to any recommendations for a good not too expensive CREE LED Headlamp for photography purposes. So ideally:

- a headlamp rather than torch model so the hands are free
- would like to use for lightpainting as well
- bright (200+ lumens?)
- multiple brightness levels
- automatic thermal protection
- rechargable batteries

anything else I should be thinking about?

Rodney...

Hunt at:

LEDtorches.com.au
Dealextreme.com

You will find a good selection between the two. I personally have a low powered headlamp that I purchased for $7ish from dealextreme. I did consider getting a ZebraLight or a Fenix from LEDtorches, but then decided that a headlamp didnt need all that power, and that I preferred the AA/AAA power options, so I decided to experiment with a cheapy first.

I have a Fenix headlamp that I really like. Haven't used it for light painting yet, but I suspect it is good.

The reasons I bought this one:
Four level light from ultra bright to reading lamp.
4xAA instead of the almost universal 3xAAA. Haven't the designers of these things noticed that batteries come in packs of four or sometimes two. Also my travel charger charges pairs of batteries (2 o 4) so Neither 3 nor the next most common 1 work well for me.
Diffuser (optional) that spreads the beam very nicely.
Battery pack is at the back & it balances the lamp nicely

I have been using it frequently on my trip, and so far I am up to six weeks without the need to recharge.

Waiting for mine to arrive....
http://www.zebralight.com/H51-Headlamp-AA-200Lm_p_37.html

Headlamps are not generally suitable for lightpainting as they are not as easy to control. I did use a $20 ebay headlamp (back then they didn't have much LED products and they were expensive) but found it was a bit finicky but still possible.

I have several head torches and they are all good for working hands free. I only run led versions these days and they are great for battery longevity, especially if you use the imedion batteries.
The ones in use at present all run on three aaa's and do a fine job.
I have a couple of petzel tika's that only have on or off. They were about $20 each quite some time ago.
I have a couple of different versions from Anaconda - Tactical headlamps were on special at the time. They work really well for a cheap style and have two power options. These were sub $10 when on special, so bargain prices for quality. They even came with batteries!
One of the Tactical lamps is detachable so that you can clip it on to things or hand hold easily.
I use several as they are the torch of choice in my vehicles and the "just in case" in my backpacks. There have been many times when we have finished a walk late and they have come in very handy. Make it easier to set up camp in the dark also.
Having more than one also negates Gregs issue of uneven battery numbers.

LED (Even the ebay ones) have really long battery life. I got my lamp ?Sep 2009 and still use the same batteries on it (it's a little dim but still usable as you saw the other day)

Thanks everyone

For the headlamp I was originally thinking mainly of the walking to and from locations (scrambling across rocky shorelines or in the bush in the dark and finding good locations to setup) when shooting seascapes and sunsets and also helping with setting up and seeing what I'm doing in the dark at the location (and maybe focus assist if I'm focusing on something not too far away - foreground interest). I was also thinking of a secondary usage of lighting up large or more distant objects when light painting long exposures in the dark (e.g. painting a building, large tree, cliff face, etc).

I was originally thinking I could get something which would do both well but now after a little more research I suspect what I really might want is an adjustable headlamp with a wide flood for the first purpose (like the Zebralight H51 headset, Fenix HP10 with diffuser, Led Lenser H14, etc) and something more like a handheld torch with a powerful narrow long throw for the second (e.g. Fenix TK35, EagleTac M3C4, etc).

Remorhaz wrote:I suspect what I really might want is an adjustable headlamp with a wide flood for the first purpose (like the Zebralight H51 headset, Fenix HP10 with diffuser, Led Lenser H14, etc) and something more like a handheld torch with a powerful narrow long throw for the second (e.g. Fenix TK35, EagleTac M3C4, etc).

Correct.

If you are thinking of lightpainting cliff faces, definitely the more powerful TK varieties would be good. Check out Gerry's one which has close 500lms I think... If you are happy to wait, you can check out my H51 when it arrives. Also check out the candlelight forums as they can provide good advice. The lumens and torch variety increases substantially if you are willing to try other types of battery cells as compared to AA and AAA....

You guys are pretty on the ball....flood for lighting paths, throw for lightpainting objects. But it is not "candlelight forums" but Candle Power Forums (AKA CPF). They do get really geeky there though.

I have a few cheap torches (from DX) and a very nice Wolf Eyes Defender 260 (from Glen who is a moderator on this forum). However I do not own anything that is in the same power category as Gerry's Fenix TK40 (630 Lumens) but then again I dont really need that much power either. The cheapies (sub $15, free delivery) are:
-Romisen RC-N3 (runs as a CR123A or 2AA, 100 or so lumens, there seems to be a new multi-mode version on DX)
-Romisen RC-G2 (100 or so lumens, single AA)
-Tank007 TK-103 (not a CREE, but still 70-80 lumens from a single AAA)
Any of these are sufficient for lighting a path. My Wolf Eyes Defender 260 (260 lumens multi-mode with moderate spill pattern powered by a single 18650 or 2x CR123A) has more throw, but it still not quite the lighthouse beam that your looking for in your second torch. However, the spill pattern and sheer brightness makes the Wolf Eyes a nice dual purpose unit for spotlighting moderate distances and lighting paths (or providing illumination for a number of people on a path). HID is another option if you want extreme throw, but these are quite power hungry.....

As for headlamps....I have not sorted it out yet...hence I am still using my cheap DX CREE.

For power, you will find 18650's to be source of choice in many of the better, higher power lights as they can provide a lot of power and runtime without resorting to the multiple AA configurations like that on the TK40.

I have two of the led lenser headlamps. The H7 or H7R i can highly recommend. You can adjust the brightness as well as the focus. So you can adjust it for spot or spill which may be usefull to you while painting light. If you haven;t made up your mind let me know and I can put you in contact with one of my friends who is a torch fanatic and is a regular on CPF, designs and builds his own torches etc etc. Oh yes he also does a lot pf photography so he will know what you want it for.

Also check out these modified Romisens (one of which I had, but got stolen!)

http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-247/**NEW**-Romisen-RC-dsh-2R4-R5/Detail

http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-172/**NEW**-Romisen-RC-dsh-N3-II/Detail

As Cameron has stated, the exotic battteries will give you heaps of power!

My Fenix HP10 with free diffuser attachment came today so we can compare on our next outing if your zebralight has arrived.

Bring it on. I am extremely happy with mine. Yours looks more powerful with more throw however, it looks to be a little more cumbersome for my needs.