When you are in teh store and looking at two flashlight, one flashlight might be labeled with lumens and the other flashlight might be labeled with candela. In this case, a person might assume that the flashlight with the higher measurement is a better flashlight to purchase. However, each of these measurement describes a different aspect of the light that the flashlight will emit.
For this reason, it is important for individuals to understand the differences between each of these measurements in order to make an informed decision about which flashlight to purchase. Lumens measures the total amount of light that a flashlight will emit while candela measure the strength of the flashlight in a specific direction. If a flashlight emits a high amount of lumens, it means that the flashlight will emit a large amount of light in total.
Lumens and Candela: Which Flashlight to Buy
However, it does not provide information as to in what way the light is emit. Conversely, if a flashlight has a high candela rating, it means that the flashlight focus its beam in one specific direction. The two measurements is related to one another in that the beam angle of the flashlight will affect the rating of each of the measurements.
For instance, if a flashlight emits a narrow beam of light, its beam angle are narrow which increase its candela rating. However, the same flashlight will have a wide beam angle which decrease its candela rating. For instance, a lantern will have a more higher lumen rating than a flashlight with a narrow beam of light because the lantern emits more light into the environment as a whole.
However, the lantern will have a lower candela rating because its beam spread in many direction instead of one. Contrast this with a flashlight with a narrow beam of light and lower lumen rating than the lantern but a higher candela rating. Distance from the flashlight will impact the amount of light that is provide to a target object.
The further away from the flashlight the target object is, the less light that will reach that target object. For instance, if an object is twice as far from the flashlight, the brightness of the object will be one-quarter of it’s original brightness. Therefore, if an individual need to see an object that is very far away from them, a higher candela rating is important.
A flashlight that has a high lumen rating but a low candela rating will emit light that spread out from the flashlight before it reaches the target object, making that flashlight of no use in those situation. Based off the tasks that you wish to perform with a flashlight, you can determine which flashlight is the best for those tasks. If you wish to fill a room with light, you will want a flashlight with a high lumen rating.
However, if you wish to see an object that is very far away, you will want to purchase a flashlight with a high candela rating. Furthermore, if you are comparing flashlights to determine which flashlight best perform a certain task, you can calculate the brightness of each flashlight at the distance at which you will use the flashlight. Thus, by understanding the importance of both lumens and candela rating, individuals can purchase the flashlight that best suit their need.