Headtorch

[Merlin5]

Hi guys. I'm planning on visiting Richmond Park. It's been on my photography to-do list for months. I'm going to park in Roehampton Gate where there appears to be lots of residential roadside parking and no metering, so that's handy.

Assuming I've gone to bed really early the night before, I plan to get up about 3.30am, leave about 4.15am and get to Richmond Park about 5am which is about 30 to 45 minutes before sunrise. As it'll probably still be dark, I guess I need a decent head torch and just wondering if anyone can recommend one. Would this be any good or do I need more lumens?

Luceco Rechargeable PIR Inspection Head Torch

The lightweight, durable Luceco inspection head torch has a multitude of features that make it suitable for a variety of uses. With 5 lighting settings, including standard, flash, and red light, a PIR motion sensor for hands free operation, and an adjustable angle of up to 60°, it is both safe...

www.toolstation.com

 

[Wandering star]

That would be ample but I would consider looking for one that is waterproof in case of rain.

 

[sjh2008]

Cheap head torchs are they any good ?

Hello all, This is not just photography related , The main aim is for me to be able to take my dogs out on winter evenings on farm land and forestry. I used to do this quite often a long time ago using an old Oldhams miners lamp which I also used at the time for caving. I'm looking for...

www.talkphotography.co.uk

This is an old thread but it has some good suggestions for various models of head torches,
I personally found 150 lumens quite low, i went for a Thrunite TH10 which has been superseded by the TH30, which has high lumens output but can be stopped down to lower values to preserve battery life.

They are also listed on Amazon if you need a quick delivery

TH30

THRUNITE’s high quality LED flashlights are not just bright - they’re tough as nails and designed to be practical for a wide variety of users. Learn more about their variety of product lines and find the perfect gear for your needs right here at the THRUNITE Store.

thrunite.com

 

[Merlin5]

That would be ample but I would consider looking for one that is waterproof in case of rain.

Thanks Gary, I've been looking for waterproof since you mentioned that and have found a couple, one of which I'll go for.

Cheap head torchs are they any good ?

Hello all, This is not just photography related , The main aim is for me to be able to take my dogs out on winter evenings on farm land and forestry. I used to do this quite often a long time ago using an old Oldhams miners lamp which I also used at the time for caving. I'm looking for...

www.talkphotography.co.uk

This is an old thread but it has some good suggestions for various models of head torches,
I personally found 150 lumens quite low, i went for a Thrunite TH10 which has been superseded by the TH30, which has high lumens output but can be stopped down to lower values to preserve battery life.

They are also listed on Amazon if you need a quick delivery

TH30

THRUNITE’s high quality LED flashlights are not just bright - they’re tough as nails and designed to be practical for a wide variety of users. Learn more about their variety of product lines and find the perfect gear for your needs right here at the THRUNITE Store.

thrunite.com

Thanks Simon. I won't go for the Thrunite TRH30 as although it's immensely powerful at 3350 lumens, it's £69.

I just read that thread you linked (thank you for that) and Petzl got mentioned a few times. I've found two Petzl headtorches at good prices, not fully waterproof but both weatherproof at IPX4, one of which I'll buy. They both take 3 x AAA batteries.

This one is £26.90 and 300 lumens

Petzl E093FA00 Tikka Headlamp, Black, Single : Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors

Shop Petzl E093FA00 Tikka Headlamp, Black, Single. Free delivery and returns on all eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk

and this one is £18 and 150 lumens.

Petzl Tikkina Headlamp - Black, : Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors

Shop Petzl Tikkina Headlamp - Black,. Free delivery and returns on all eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk

Shall I just go for the 300 lumens, or will I get much better battery life and bright enough light with 150 lumens, enough to sufficiently light a wide area around me while walking through Richmond Park?

 

[Tdes]

I use nitecore flashlights, more expensive but very reliable. For a head torch I have the Nitecore HC30 with an 18650 battery and a spare battery in tow to swap out. If I am using it I am usually out for a long session, 5 hours is not unheard of which means I can run constantly at 400 lumens if I need.

One thing the torch you mentioned does not say is the runtime on a full charge (at full power). If you run out of juice you cannot replace the battery and carry on.

Tony

 

[Merlin5]

I use nitecore flashlights, more expensive but very reliable. For a head torch I have the Nitecore HC30 with an 18650 battery and a spare battery in tow to swap out. If I am using it I am usually out for a long session, 5 hours is not unheard of which means I can run constantly at 400 lumens if I need.

One thing the torch you mentioned does not say is the runtime on a full charge (at full power). If you run out of juice you cannot replace the battery and carry on.

Tony

To be honest, I think I'll only need to use it for under an hour, from getting out of my car at say about 5am to sunrise at 5.45am. Those Petzl torches take 3 x AAA. I'll take a pack of a dozen AAA batteries, that should last me I would imagine. Wandering Star says 150 lumens is enough, so maybe I'll just go for the £18 Petzl Tikkina.

 

[Wandering star]

Hey out of interest when are you thinking of doing Richmond?

 

[Merlin5]

Hey out of interest when are you thinking of doing Richmond?

Mostly Deer. If I get a good sunrise, there's also some cool looking trees there. And birds hopefully. I might be better off in autumn or winter as I'd like to get some morning mist too, although maybe that's possible in August too. But with the way the weather is at the moment, I can't see myself getting a good sunrise.

 

[TimHughes]

I got a petzl headlamp about 4 years ago and it’s been fine, very handy for Astro nights. If you will use it more often it may be better to get something a bit better and rechargeable?

 

[Merlin5]

I got a petzl headlamp about 4 years ago and it’s been fine, very handy for Astro nights. If you will use it more often it may be better to get something a bit better and rechargeable?

Don't think I'll use it that often to be honest. What lumens is yours and does it illuminate a good distance and a reasonable width around you?

 

[Wandering star]

Mostly Deer
well I hope you've good legs

 

[sjh2008]

Personally I would pick 300 over 150. You can always goto a lower output, but if you pick the 150 then if it's too dim you are out of options.

I know you mentioned Richmond but I am sure it will get used after that trip. Especially as autumn is on its way. And the head torches last for years, I use mine walking the dog or getting back to the car after a late landscape shoot etc they are small enough to chuck in the backpack

 

[Wandering star]

Oi fella
trust me at the time you're going..... you will not need at orch

 

[TimHughes]

Don't think I'll use it that often to be honest. What lumens is yours and does it illuminate a good distance and a reasonable width around you?

It Petzl Reactik +, 300 lumens. Hardly ever need that. I'm normally as low power as possible / red and don't use it all if there is enough light to see. When I first learned night hiking a long long time ago we did not use torches at all. Wandering star has a point, at that time in that location maybe none is needed.

 

[Merlin5]

Personally I would pick 300 over 150. You can always goto a lower output, but if you pick the 150 then if it's too dim you are out of options.

I know you mentioned Richmond but I am sure it will get used after that trip. Especially as autumn is on its way. And the head torches last for years, I use mine walking the dog or getting back to the car after a late landscape shoot etc they are small enough to chuck in the backpack

I must say, I've used my phone's torch (Samsung S7 Edge) in local woods at night and it gave me a decent amount of light to see my way comfortably and that I believe is only about 50 or 60 lumens. But yes, I might as well go for the 300, it's only a few quid more and not twice the cost.

Oi fella
trust me at the time you're going..... you will not need at orch

Hmm, I'm sure it's still dark around 5am isn't it? Or it will be in the next few weeks.

 

[Merlin5]

It Petzl Reactik +, 300 lumens. Hardly ever need that. I'm normally as low power as possible / red and don't use it all if there is enough light to see. When I first learned night hiking a long long time ago we did not use torches at all. Wandering star has a point, at that time in that location maybe none is needed.

Ah thanks. The Reactik doesn't seem available. One place had it for £19 but sold out. The Petzl Tikka is the same as yours but uses AAA and yours has a Lithium rechargeable. Now you guys are putting me off buying one! Maybe I should just go to Richmond Park to see how I get on and if it's too dark I can always use my phone to get by.

 

[Merlin5]

Mostly Deer
well I hope you've good legs

By the way, how far will I need to walk to get in photographic distance of Deer with my 70-350mm aps-c lens? I don't mind walking at all, I enjoy it. I do mostly street photography and cover a few miles each time. I watched a youtube video and the guy said after parking outside the gates you need to walk about 10 to 15 minutes into the park. Does that seem about right from where I'll be parked which is outside the Roehampton gates?

 

[Bobsyeruncle]

I must say, I've used my phone's torch (Samsung S7 Edge) in local woods at night and it gave me a decent amount of light to see my way comfortably and that I believe is only about 50 or 60 lumens. But yes, I might as well go for the 300, it's only a few quid more and not twice the cost.




Hmm, I'm sure it's still dark around 5am isn't it? Or it will be in the next few weeks.

You won't need a torch. It won't be that dark

 

[Merlin5]

You won't need a torch. It won't be that dark

Ok, I won't worry about the torch for now then. At least I found out which one to buy if I decide to get one at a later stage.

 

[Deleted member 68495]

Fenix, expensive but reliable and good.

 

[Pound Coin]

Fenix, expensive but reliable and good.

Agreed.

 

[Yelkrub]

If you do buy the petal tikka, remove the batteries between uses.
Last one I bought (and still have) drains the batteries when not being used. Speaking to a shop person they said it’s a common issue.

 

[Deleted member 68495]

If you do buy the petal tikka, remove the batteries between uses.
Last one I bought (and still have) drains the batteries when not being used. Speaking to a shop person they said it’s a common issue.

That doesn't seem very convenient.

 

[JonathanRyan]

You won't need a torch. It won't be that dark

Exactly.

Sunrise and sunset times in Twickenham Green

Calculations of sunrise and sunset in Twickenham Green – England – United Kingdom for January 2026. Generic astronomy calculator to calculate times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset for many cities, with daylight saving time and time zones taken in account.

www.timeanddate.com

It's light enough not to walk into things half an hour before dawn and in an open urban space like Richmond Park it never seems to get really dark unless you're deep in the undergrowth. Also, since it's dawn, if it gets too dark and you can't see to move anywhere just wait

In other news, LED Lenser make excellent lights and much cheaper than Petzls. H3.2 for 20ish quid would be perfect.

 

[Ed Sutton]

If you do buy the petal tikka, remove the batteries between uses.
Last one I bought (and still have) drains the batteries when not being used. Speaking to a shop person they said it’s a common issue.

I've used Petzl Tikkas for years and never had the batteries drain when not in use.

 

[droj]

Does nobody eat carrots these days?

 

[lugworm]

As a rock angler, most of my fishing is at night, in foul weather conditions, where a good head torch can be literally a life saver. The make I've used for years is Fenix. A lot of other anglers use the same make, it has proved to be completely reliable, and, depending on which model you get, more than bright enough.
My current lamp is the Fenix HP25R V2 1600 Lumens. The brightness is, of course, adjustable.
If you think that 1600 lumens is too bright, I've always said " I'd rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it."

 

[Lemaildetom]

Petzl tikka is plenty good enough for £20, I'm a postman and use that all the time when doing my rounds in the dark. It also has a red setting to not disturbed the night vision but honestly, I've not been using has much as I thought.

The newer petzl actik core which is a bit more expensive at £35 looks a good choice too with rechargeable battery.

I don't like any headtorch whic is bigger than that, like the one with three straps and batteries pack at the back, it becomes cumbersome to wear them.

But honestly if you are using it very rarely go to Tesco and they have some energizer for £12, I got one last time I misplaced my Petzl and it did the job!

 

[landwomble]

I've had one of these for a few years and it's been great. You can take off the center headstrap if you want. Has decent main 180 lumen beam as well as reduced levels for extended battery life, and has a low power "red" light to avoid nerfing your night vision. Takes AAA batteries. https://alpkit.com/products/gamma-3

 

[CharleyL]

I have several of these, and they are super bright at 5,000 Lumens and nice white light. I have bought these for gifts several times and everyone has said how much they like them. There is one constantly on charge in my car and one on my field kit. The rechargeable batteries, charging cables, and chargers all come in the package. All charging is done through USB so it's very adaptable. Too much light when you are the only source of it is way better than not enough. These are almost like daylight. The headbands are adjustable and comfortable. The battery box is on the back, and when any front light is lit, there is a red LED on the battery box that lights, I guess this is for those that ride bicycles at night. The USA price for these is about $22 each. Amazon has several versions of this light. The other versions offer additional small flood lights, but the same center spot light. I hope you can find the same light on your Amazon site.

Charley

amazon.com/gp/product/B01AL3IUMK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[4wd]

I won't add a link but I bought two from ebay have been really good and only about £5 each.
It's surprising how useful they are doing stuff in (e.g.) a dark cupboard or corner of the house in addition to the more obvious walking outside with hands kept free.
One of the best buys in years wouldn't be without them.

 

[JonathanRyan]

See this is the power of the internet

2005: I need a torch - oh here's one, that will do.
2021: I need a torch. "Well, what you really need is....."

And after 10 days we have all kinds of recommendations of lumen counts and waterproof levels and red light filters and extra straps to reduce the discomfort after hours of use

Sometimes I think life was easier before we had a choice. I'll bet any torch will work great.

 

[4wd]

I'll bet any torch will work great.

Spoilsport.
Don't agree though for a start LED and rechargeability has transformed them and being handsfree with it on your head a is a major step forward especially for walkers and photographers.
Only made realistic with the compact LED options with small long lasting batteries available cheaply now