Different types of photography, by their very nature, dictate the need for different accessories and one such necessity for landscape photographers is some type of flashlight. As with all things in outdoor photography, it is important to evaluate what feature best address our photo requirements. With respect to landscape photography, we need something that is small (I already carry too much stuff); something waterproof (I’ve been know to fall into both still and running water); something robust (things fall from my vest and pockets all the time); also, something with various brightness levels and long run times (I’ll explain later…). It would also be nice if this were free or at least cheap – somehow that specification however, never materializes (drat).
I have used and owned a number of flashlights and there are a number of good sites which even specialize in only flashlights – one in particular I highly recommend is BrightGuy.
NovaTac's Storm
Of all the lights I’ve used and had any experience with, the one which I believe meets all the objectives is NovaTac and particularly the Storm. The Storm is really small – weighing in at 3.1 ounces with battery and will fit anywhere at merely 3.3 inches. Anything smaller and it would be too hard to hold. It’s waterproof down to 66 feet (beyond that, I’ve lost it anyway…). Robust? NovaTac builds to military specifications. It’s made of Aerospace Grade Aluminum and has a hard anodized finish with a limited lifetime warranty. Now the importance of various brightness levels is that this light runs for 30 minutes at 120 lumens, really bright!, 2.5 hours at 42 lumens and an incredible 14 hours at 10 lumens. 10 lumens is useful when you want to check the status of your camera without getting everyone around you upset at the brightness of your flashlight – it’s a very low light but just enough to get the job done. Additionally, this light has a disorienting strobe which I’m sure will come in handy should you surprise a bear at night – or you could throw your flashlight and run, hopefully faster than your nearly departed friends.
So what are the detriments? Well, price for one – the Storm retails for $99. You could search the Internet and get a better deal and as I’ve already concluded, you get what you pay for. Another possible drawback is the use of CR123A lithium batteries. This is common with technical flashlights since they hold a charge for much longer periods than typical batteries thus you generally get a bigger bang for the size in term of light and longevity. It is however, more difficult to replace when traveling so you need to ensure that you have backups.
NovaTac has more flashlights and if the Storm doesn’t meet your needs, there are other very good alternatives. In any event, the Storm is one very technical and competent flashlight which could meet the needs of many landscape photographers.
