Red or green flashlight for night photography (Page 2): On the light I described, if you push and hold the button then it goes directly to the red without cycling through the white...

nimbushopper Loc: Tampa, FL

bsprague wrote:

I have a light like that. First time I tried the ... (show quote)

On the light I described, if you push and hold the button then it goes directly to the red without cycling through the white modes.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Kevin.M wrote:

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

I have been using my LED flash lights, work very well and they seem to be balanced for daylight.

NormanTheGr8 Loc: Racine, Wisconsin

Keep in mind if you are shooting with others the Red light can mess up the color cast of someone else's photo or your own so turn it off in between, Practice your movements. turning the red light on and off, camera adjustments, tripod adjustments etc. Without looking at what you're doing. I did this in my basement with the lights off the second time I was going to shoot at night and it went much better than the first.

Jimmy T Loc: Virginia

Kevin.M wrote:

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

What I was taught around 1968-ish and much later:
1. Always use Red lights to maintain night vision.
2. If you are exposed temporarily to white light, quickly look away and close your right (or, shooting/aiming) eye until the white light is eliminated. This helps to preserve your night vision.
3. When temporarily leaving a ship's Red light-lit area use wraparound sunglasses to slow the loss of night vision and to quickly recover night vision upon re-entering the Red light-lit area.
Best Wishes,
JimmyT Sends

mrtaxi Loc: Old Westbury NY, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Red is the way to go, because you maintain night vision better than any other color. Green is a 2nd best choice. Green does not maintain as good night vision but makes it easier to see certain close up work.

Orphoto Loc: Oregon

If you are around astro photographers or observers they will expect you to use red.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Kevin.M wrote:

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

In the Army we used red and the maps we used were all printed to be read best under a red light.
So I say red.

mikegreenwald Loc: Illinois

I'm no expert on this subject, but I've seen two different studies that claimed to show that the intensity of the light is what counts most, not the wave length (red, etc). It was a long while ago, and I can neither remember where they were, nor can I find them with a Google search.

dbrugger25 Loc: Raleigh, NC

Even after a brief exposure to white light it takes about fifteen minutes for a person to regain night vision.

Red light, if not very bright, does not affect night vision. I have been an amateur astronomer fot thirty years and most astronomers have a dim red flashlight. If a roadway or streetlights are within view they discipline themselves to cover their eyes or not look directly at the source of light.

We usually go observing during times when the moon is not visible, or not located in the area of the sky where we are observing.

Green and yellow light have about the same vision negating effect as white. Dark blue, purple and orange have less effect on night vision but red, if not intense, has almost no effect.

GLSmith Loc: Tampa, Fl

Scientific reason for using a red light at night for photography.... Bugs & flying insects are not attracted to the red light....unsure about green

dbrugger25 Loc: Raleigh, NC

My parents used yellow colored light bulbs for their outdoor entrance lighting. Yellow didn't seem to attract bugs.

Canisdirus

I use red ground lights around parts of my property....for guests.

It works...

Kevin.M Loc: Forked River, NJ

Bridges wrote:

In dark parks, they usually request red lights.

Thanks for that info! ~Kevin

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

Kevin.M wrote:

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

Red is the best. Red is sensitive to some degree across all three of the eye's color sensors. And it doesn't ruin your night vision (the chemical vision purple) as much as other colors and white light. This makes it worth the investment.

47greyfox Loc: on the edge of the Colorado front range

This one is easy. Science aside, the answer is ‘red.’ Back in my submarine days, I stood watch in the control room area where we always had to be prepared to ascend to periscope depth. The entire area after outside sunset to sunrise was “rigged for red” including all equipment lights, as were adjacent passageway lights.
Want a reaction? Make the mistake of lighting a cigarette without cupping the flame. 😠