Cateye LD600 rear light Video

Quoted message said:

I recently started a thread after I saw a cyclist with a Cateye LD600
rear light. It was on chasing mode where only 1 of the LEDs is lit at
any one time. I thought it was far worse than either steady mode
where all LEDs are on constant or the flashing mode where all LEDs
flash simoultaneously.
Anyway to show what I mean here is a video It was taken using the
movie mode on a Nikon Coolpix 5600. the lights were all the same
distance from the camera - about 40 yards. All 4 lights had fresh
alkaline batts from the same box fitted.
The two different chasing modes are on the left. Then the steady
mode and the flashing mode where all LEDs flash at once is on the
right.

I don't need to watch the videos as I see a lot of these LD600 lights in
London, some on chasing mode. I agree that's a relatively [censored] mode, but
the LEDs are so bright that the cyclists are still easy to spot.

~PB

Quoted message said:

Anyway to show what I mean here is a video It was taken using the
movie mode on a Nikon Coolpix 5600. the lights were all the same
distance from the camera - about 40 yards. All 4 lights had fresh
alkaline batts from the same box fitted.
The two different chasing modes are on the left. Then the steady
mode and the flashing mode where all LEDs flash at once is on the
right.

It may be a trick of the camera - but the all LEDs flashing mode looks
a lot brighter than the steady mode.
Also a trick of the camera - why do you get those vertical lines from
streetlights on a video at night? It happens on my Canon A40 as well.

peter

Quoted message said:

The two different chasing modes are on the left. Then the steady
mode and the flashing mode where all LEDs flash at once is on the
right.

Out of interest, which chasing mode is which on the left? To me, the
mode second from the left looks better than the flashing mode on the
right, assuming the lamp is to be coupled with at least one steady
light. If that's the one that uses the sequence 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-repeat
then I'm inclined to carry on using it (with 3 steady lights, as I
always have, of course).

But anyway, I can see that I'm going to have to go out after dark and
experiment with different modes with the light hanging at one end of the
garden and me standing at the other.

--
Danny Colyer <URL:http://www.colyer.plus.com/danny/>
Subscribe to PlusNet <URL:http://www.colyer.plus.com/referral/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

40 yds seems fine to me. But I believe that last time you saw him from 100
yds away.

Rod King

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

I recently started a thread after I saw a cyclist with a Cateye LD600
rear light. It was on chasing mode where only 1 of the LEDs is lit at
any one time. I thought it was far worse than either steady mode where
all LEDs are on constant or the flashing mode where all LEDs flash
simoultaneously.
Anyway to show what I mean here is a video It was taken using the
movie mode on a Nikon Coolpix 5600. the lights were all the same
distance from the camera - about 40 yards. All 4 lights had fresh
alkaline batts from the same box fitted.
The two different chasing modes are on the left. Then the steady
mode and the flashing mode where all LEDs flash at once is on the
right.

Iain

Rod King said:

40 yds seems fine to me. But I believe that last time you saw him from 100
yds away.

Thats true Rod. I wasn't trying to replicate the circumstances of my
first post. I intended to
just to demonstrate the effectiveness of the different modes side by
side..
With regard to the distance. The camera was on wide angle mode and
I don't claim that the effect on video is representative of any
particular distance in real life.
Having seen the the different modes from a reasonable distance at
night I think the one II saw and referred to in my first post was
inadequate due both to the mode used and low batteries.
As somebody relied to the earlier post (perhaps I'm paraphrasing)
any light is far better than no light.
That said if you run a LD600 it would appear the steady mode or
the all LEDs flashing mode is best as they are far more visible than
the chasing mode.

Iain

naked_draughtsman said:

It may be a trick of the camera - but the all LEDs flashing mode looks
a lot brighter than the steady mode.

In real life so to speak the all LEDs flashing mode looks slightly more
visible to me than the steady mode. It's hard to say whether its
brighter or just the flashing effect.
In any case to me the all LED flash mode looks like the one to use.

Iain

Danny Colyer said:

Out of interest, which chasing mode is which on the left? To me, the
mode second from the left looks better than the flashing mode on the
right, assuming the lamp is to be coupled with at least one steady
light. If that's the one that uses the sequence 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-repeat
then I'm inclined to carry on using it (with 3 steady lights, as I
always have, of course).

Danny
The light second from left was the 1,2,3,4,5,4,3,2 mode. Looking at
the two chasing modes side by side I think the other mode has more or
slightly longer off phases which reduces the overall brightness.
The problem with buying lights is that they are judged on
specifications and reputation. This will I think give the right answers
most but not all of the time. It would be simple for a magazine to do
a side by side comparison of different front and back lights and
recommend best buys backed up by videos posted online so that
different lights could be compared.
A few times I've seen cyclists with really bright eye catching
front LEDs and I've no idea what they are but a side by side video of
didderent lights would sort out the wheat from the chaff.

iain

Quoted message said:

That said if you run a LD600 it would appear the steady mode or
the all LEDs flashing mode is best as they are far more visible than
the chasing mode.

I've just been out in the garden with DW assessing the different modes
from a distance of about 60'.

Mode 1 is the simple flashing mode. I found it bright, very visible,
but also rather unpleasant to look at. I won't use this mode, as I see
no reason to subject others to something that I would object to being
subjected to myself.

DW was happy enough with this mode, as long as it is accompanied by a
steady light.

Mode 2 is steady mode. If it was my only light then obviously this
would be the mode I'd use, but I use the LD600 alongside 3 steady
lights. DW commented that it was dazzling.

Mode 3 is the chasing mode (1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-repeat). At this distance,
the chasing was clearly visible and the light appeared bright. Given
the presence of at least one steady light alongside, we both agreed that
this was our favourite.

Mode 4 is the all-over-the-place flashy mode. We both agreed that it
was [censored]. DW commented that as a motorist it would probably make her
crash (hopefully something of an exaggeration, she doesn't make a habit
of crashing).

So, clearly YMMV, but I'm sticking with the chasing mode.

--
Danny Colyer <URL:http://www.colyer.plus.com/danny/>
Subscribe to PlusNet <URL:http://www.colyer.plus.com/referral/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

Danny Colyer said:

Mode 1 is the simple flashing mode. I found it bright, very visible,
but also rather unpleasant to look at. I won't use this mode, as I see
no reason to subject others to something that I would object to being
subjected to myself.

A fair point. I hadn't considered the fact that it might be irritating.
That said there are plenty other flashing light sources like indicators
I've never seen any cycle lights, flashing or otherwise I thought
bright enough to be irritating, bearing in mind the fact drivers will
pass in a few seconds. I agree it would be too bright to be used
cycling in a group where other people could be a short distance from
the light for some time.
I'll see what I think the next time I pass someone using an LD600 in
flashing mode.

Iain

Quoted message said:

Danny Colyer said:

Mode 1 is the simple flashing mode. I found it bright, very visible,
but also rather unpleasant to look at. I won't use this mode, as I see
no reason to subject others to something that I would object to being
subjected to myself.

A fair point. I hadn't considered the fact that it might be irritating.
That said there are plenty other flashing light sources like indicators
I've never seen any cycle lights, flashing or otherwise I thought
bright enough to be irritating, bearing in mind the fact drivers will
pass in a few seconds. I agree it would be too bright to be used
cycling in a group where other people could be a short distance from
the light for some time.
I'll see what I think the next time I pass someone using an LD600 in
flashing mode.

Particularly irritating if you're following someone down an unlit cycle path or
country lane.
I use chasing mode in this circumstance but use flashing mode when i'm riding in
traffic because i think it makes me more visible.

Quoted message said:

I've never seen any cycle lights, flashing or otherwise I thought
bright enough to be irritating, bearing in mind the fact drivers will
pass in a few seconds. I agree it would be too bright to be used
cycling in a group where other people could be a short distance from
the light for some time.

To be fair, I only drive a few hundred miles a year and most of those
are on the motorway, so I seldom encounter cyclists as a motorist.
That's a good reason for getting the wife's opinion, she drives every day.

As a cyclist, I really, really hate sitting behind someone with a
bright, fast flashing light, especially when it's someone riding at a
similar speed to me and I might be stuck behind them for 20 minutes.
They'll typically be several hundred yards ahead, and I won't be able to
catch up before one of us turns off.

--
Danny Colyer <URL:http://www.colyer.plus.com/danny/>
Subscribe to PlusNet <URL:http://www.colyer.plus.com/referral/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

Quoted message said:

A fair point. I hadn't considered the fact that it might be irritating.
That said there are plenty other flashing light sources like indicators

I had to be reminded to turn off my LD600 flashing mode when I was
leading a fellow rider who is epileptic.

R.

"naked_draughtsman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Anyway to show what I mean here is a video It was taken using the
movie mode on a Nikon Coolpix 5600. the lights were all the same
distance from the camera - about 40 yards. All 4 lights had fresh
alkaline batts from the same box fitted.
The two different chasing modes are on the left. Then the steady
mode and the flashing mode where all LEDs flash at once is on the
right.

It may be a trick of the camera - but the all LEDs flashing mode looks
a lot brighter than the steady mode.
Also a trick of the camera - why do you get those vertical lines from
streetlights on a video at night? It happens on my Canon A40 as well.

peter

I don't know about a trick of the camera, aren't the verticals called 'lamp
posts'? ;-)