Kevin.M Loc: Forked River, NJ

I’m going to be going out at night and have read that red or green light is better for your eyes than a white light.
Does anyone have experience with using a red or green light when doing night photography and is it worth investing in colored light for this?

~Kevin

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

My personal preference has been red.
--Bob

melismus Loc: Chesapeake Bay Country

red.

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

In dark parks, they usually request red lights.

Jerry G Loc: Waterford, Michigan and Florida

Red does not affect your night vision.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

It takes about 30 minutes or more for your eyes and brain to get "night vision". Once there, you can maintain it using only red light. But, if you slip up and look at white light, the night vision goes away. In an environment like on an Aircraft Carrier at sea where they can control all the lights, it works very well. Anywhere near a city, night vision doesn't work at all.

Ruthlessrider

All military vehicles, including the aircraft I flew, have red instrumentation for night operations.

tradio Loc: Oxford, Ohio

I use a Black Diamond headlight with Red, Green, Blue as well as white options. I use the red for night time work. Green is good for tracking animals as it shows blood very well.

nimbushopper Loc: Tampa, FL

I bought an LED flashlight at Batteries Plus , brand name NEBO, that takes 4AAA batteries and has a white spot mode, A white flood mode, and a red flood mode. All modes are rheostat controlled and the head can be rotated 90 degrees. It also has a magnet in the base so it can stick to something ferrous like the hood of a car. It was $25 and seems to fit all flashlight needs.

larryepage Loc: Where there's still a little sanity.

Red light preserves your night vision. Green light will kill it immediately by depleting the "visual purple" in your retina. That's the chemical that produces night vision. It requires 20-30 minutes to replenish.

I find that red light also results in much better contrast in green vegetation and soil, making it much easier to see to walk safely.

photoman43

My headlamp has red as well as white light. For night time I use the red light.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

I have a light like that. First time I tried the red for night vision preservation I cycled through the white by accident. I was in the desert trying to shoot an eclipse. My effort was a large failure because I couldn't see the camera controls well enough. If there is a next time, I will have a red only light.

https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-93588-Astro-Vision-Flashlight/dp/B0000665V5/ref=asc_df_B0000665V5/?tag=&linkCode=df0&hvadid=385378401265&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2321952722021713117&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033507&hvtargid=pla-437196298518&ref=&adgrpid=78981968352&th=1

Stardust Loc: Central Illinois

I just came from a trip to Iceland pursuing the Northern Lights - failure while I could have just visited far Northern states last week. <grin> But all who had flashlights were red.

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

QUESTION BEST LIGHT FOR NIGHT VISION SCIENCE DETAILS:

"The ability to see in poor light depends on the presence of a substance in the eye called rhodopsin, or visual purple. It is destroyed by bright light but rapidly regenerates in the dark. "
[wnyurology? Urology journal! OH! when Peeing in the dark Red light is best for better aim. ]
https://www.wnyurology.com/content.aspx?chunkiid=21784

"Rhodopsin in the human rods is insensitive to <not destroyed by> the longer red wavelengths, so traditionally many people use red light to help preserve night vision. Red light only slowly depletes the rhodopsin stores in the rods, and instead is viewed by the red sensitive cone cells. "

CAVEATS:
"... red breaks down rhodopsin more slowly and, if preserving night vision is the main objective,... This is somewhat of a matter of opinion. Both <RED AND GREEN> are much better than white light. It is generally considered that red breaks down rhodopsin more slowly and, if preserving night vision is the main objective, red is better.

However, "green light penetrates a little better, and shows more detail.It may be preferred for distance vision, and for close up clarity, such as reading instruments or maps. Green is more commonly used in military situations, where it is claimed to be less detectable by night vision equipment. ...most of the night vision adaptation occurs within the first five minutes in the dark. Adaptation results in maximum sensitivity to light. In
dark conditions only the rod cells have enough sensitivity to respond and to trigger vision."
https://www.eskosafety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/RED-OR-GREEN-FOR-NIGHT-VISION-LIGHTING.pdf

EYE SENSITIVITY TO LIGHT

MrPhotog

Rather than buy an entire flashlight, I’d look for some colored plastic and cut a disk to cover ( or replace) the flashlight lens. Clear Plastic file folder covers come in all colors, and are inexpensive.