USCG approval?
Not all , if any are USCG approved . Approval = x lumens at y feet or yards . LEDS tend to be not as bright and more directional . I have replaced all interior lights with LEDS , but hanging back on the running lights . I have a photometric light meter , left over from a previous life, that can take spot readings from sources and surfaces far away . I may do a test in the future . Also get a red bulb and a green bulb , they will not be filtered by the lenses and will appear brighter .
Interesting. The reason I ask about brilliance (in addtion to my experiences with LEDs in the business world) is that this year I replaced my Saturn bulkhead compass with the ITT/Danforth/Rule bulkhead compass. (They are the same compasses but the company(s) have been through a few mergers - hence the different names). The new and old compasses are largely identical, except that the incandescent bulb on the old unit has been replaced by an LED. What a piece of junk. You can hardly read the card on the new one, whereas the old one you could read from several feet away.
I have heard for many years the expression "but the new stuff doesn't have the problem the old stuff you are familiar with" and "the technology has really improved" and more often than not wound up disappointed. I have concluded that most of the the users of those expressions has no first hand experience with the old stuff. That is why I still prefer film cameras.
Last edited by Theis; 07-06-2005 at 05:15 AM.
New is not always better, but sometimes it is .
I have a Nikon I purchased in 1969 ( and several newer ones including a Nikonos that is my boat camera) and I have a Nikon D-70 digital SLR I purchased in Feb of 2004 , I have shot one role of film since the D-70 arrived . Nikon got it right and I have felt no need to shoot film anymore , getting better prints from the digital .
Thanks for the info. I understand the D-70 will accept Nikkor lenses, but I assume you have to go to manual when using them.Originally Posted by Mike Goodwin
Depends on the lens , some older ( like most of mine ) yes ,you must go manual. All but a few of the older lenses will work with it too!
If I understand these posts correctly: 2 mile, maybe even three mile led lights are here already.
Orca Green Marine can set you up with a tricolor with various options for between $240 to $370 for a tricolor/anchor with a photo sensor to turn it on and off and strobe. And if I recall, it's no taller than a can of 8oz pineapple slices. [a little taller]
Stecktronics have more reasonably priced light inserts for existing AquaSignal fixtures.
svhotwire carries led replacements for incandescent 15mm bayonet bulbs. And the Sea Sense line of dome lights, strips and recessed lights.
Haven't compared any prices. Here's a young business attempting to do it all for you.
Led's are available for almost everything on deck and below. The people I ran into at the boatshow are
www.svhotwire.com
They were so new they didn't have a brochure.
If you already have a plain ole anchor light on the mast top, an outfit called GreenRay (Deep Creek) makes an led 'bulb' they call a light-engine you can retro for a mere $495. For cryinoutloud!
Somewhere I saw an even flatter (pineapple can sized) tricolor light out of sweden or denmark. led's is the only way to go. If anyone establishes a relationship with svhotwire let us know, ok?
Last edited by ebb; 07-06-2005 at 06:12 PM.
LEDs are expensive, there's no doubt about that. But there is the trade off of being energy efficient, and, we all know how expensive energy is. As new, improved products hit the market I'll seriously think about 'outside' lights. Yes, there are a couple of approved masthead lights out there, but, until the public demands the products and pays for the R&D the market won't grow to include the product we want.
Anyway, that's enough of my blab for one night. Found these guys somewhere./www.superbrightleds.com/
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