09-01-2014, 02:17 PM | #1 |
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LEDs vs Xenons (picture analysis)
So I've watched many threads passing by, with people asking whether or not the LEDs are worth it over Xenons.
Those threads always derailed with arguments that one is better than the other, but none backed up their claims. Anyway, my car was in the shop (following an accident - then again following dealer fuckery) and I got it back today. In the mean time I was given a 320xi with Xenons. Here are some picture comparisons between the loaner's Xenons and my LEDs (both adaptive lights) First of all: - pictures were taken at the same distance, with the same camera and lens (Sony A7 with the Zeiss 55mm F/1.8) - all picture had the exact same exposure : 1/5 seconds - all picture had the exact same F stop : F/5.6 - all picture had the exact same ISO : 100 - the only processing that I did was to convert Sony ARW to 16bit tiff - for the numerical analysis I converted all the pictures to B&W - garage in front was @ around 5-7m - I can provide the RAW files from my camera if anyone's interested. If not I got the jpegs on flickr Xenon Low beams vs LED Low beams In this comparison I noticed that the LEDs are brighter. One can see this in the amount of light that falls on the door itself and the floor. I've did some very simple numerical analysis on these photos (converted in B&W). These are 16bit photos, so max numerical values go to 65535. Xenon: pixel average* for whole photo: 5578 LED: pixel average for whole photo: 7162 *by pixel average I mean, the average value of all the pixels in the image. Xenon: pixel average for the dark* part of photo: 1978 LED: pixel average for the dark* part of photo: 1857 * dark part = top region, not illuminated by the headlights. Basically used to measure ambient light in the garage. Xenon: pixel average for the lit* part of photo: 11542 LED: pixel average for the lit* part of photo: 15958 *lit part = bottom region, illuminated by the headlights. Gives a measure of the strength of the low beams By these numbers alone: LEDs low beam gives 38% more light Xenon High beams vs LED High beams Here, the first thing you'll notice is that the illuminating pattern is different. I don't know how that would translate in real life visibility though. I wasn't inspired, at the time, to take photos of targets illuminated at 100-200m ahead... If we get to the business of power output, here again I say that the LEDs win out. You can definitely see the two beam centers which just "light" up with the LEDs. And here are some numbers to back up the claims: Xenon: pixel average for whole photo: 12981 LED: pixel average for whole photo: 15312 Xenon: pixel average for the dark* part of photo: 2197 LED: pixel average for the dark* part of photo: 2094 * dark part = top region, not illuminated by the headlights. Basically used to measure ambient light in the garage. Xenon: pixel average for the lit* part of photo: 19714 LED: pixel average for the lit* part of photo: 25822 *lit part = bottom region, illuminated by the headlights. Gives a measure of the strength of the high beams By these numbers alone: LEDs high beam gives 30%** more light. Here, I included the dark middle region of the Xenons, so that number is probably closer to 20%. Here's my Flickr account for the full size photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/stormlv/
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09-01-2014, 02:43 PM | #2 |
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Great work and analysis!
So you were able to confirm th manufacture claim of brighter and more light for less power consumption (and assuming better reliability) If i had extra doh, yes i would go for the LED, otherwise xenon is good enought for m for now, much better than halogen at least... |
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09-01-2014, 02:49 PM | #3 |
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I have had multiple cars with HID headlights. The LED lights on my 4 series are much better. Especially on high beams. It's a big difference.
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09-01-2014, 03:11 PM | #4 | |
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Fabulous info by the way!
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09-01-2014, 03:12 PM | #5 |
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I am yet to come across a claim BMW made that did not turn out to be true or understated
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09-01-2014, 06:03 PM | #7 |
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Yeppers, I have to agree. Still nice to see some good empirical evidence for the LEDs.
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09-01-2014, 07:45 PM | #11 |
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wow i wonder why the highbeams for the xenon have that huge gap missing in the middle. It makes no sense that the middle has a dark spot like that. The LEDS look great and ill be sure to option that on my next bmw.
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09-01-2014, 08:01 PM | #12 | |
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In this case, the angle of the LED lights is greater, which means they converge in a short enough distance to light his garage door. The Xenons have a smaller angle, which means they do not converge. I have to assume if the car backed up 5-10 feet that spot would disappear. Likewise if you pulled the LED car closer to the door, you would also get a spot in the middle. #science
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09-01-2014, 08:17 PM | #13 |
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09-01-2014, 09:36 PM | #16 |
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Excellent work. I have LED.
They are stunning even in drl. I noticed that my old xenons had less brightness but more yellow. I found I could see better with the yellow even at reduced output. Even so, LED are worth it. |
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09-02-2014, 06:34 AM | #17 |
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fantastic post OP. I recently opted for the LED's on my M4 and am very impressed. I personally don't think I will ever go back to anything else. The beam is so much sharper and you can see a lot better IMO.
I drive into work very very early and I live out in a ranch community so its very dark and these lights are amazing, also very good in fog believe it or not. anyone who is on the fence with picking the LED options I would highly recommend you do!
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09-02-2014, 07:07 AM | #18 |
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I paid $3.5k for LED headlights (Australia tax) and think it was money well spent. Beyond the better brightness, the LEDs light up all of the road markings amazingly well at night, especially in crappy weather. It's so much less fatiguing to drive at night now and that's something that can't be measured in numbers
I've seen the highbeam a few times (mainly when testing the adaptive system) and it's stupidly bright, especially when it hits a big sign - oww my eyes |
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09-02-2014, 08:10 AM | #20 |
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I just wish I'd seen this comparison a few months ago before I ordered my car. At the time there was no credible info to indicate the LED's actually put out more light than the Xenons, which seem less bright than I expected. Most comments seemed to be about the appearance of the lights when looking AT the car, which doesn't mean a lot to me and even BMW didn't seem to be claiming increased light output. Information showing the LED's actual performance relative to the other options would've been great. Too much to expect, BMW?
So I passed on the LED's, which I should've ordered. One for the next car, I expect. |
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09-02-2014, 08:20 AM | #21 | |||
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Thanks all!
Quote:
This is true for both the LEDs and Xenons, which means that a source 40% brighter than another one at 10m will be 40% brighter at 100m as well (even though the brightness of both has decreased substantially at 100m) Don't get it then Quote:
Quote:
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09-02-2014, 09:07 AM | #22 |
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Good work OP. If you could keep the cars longer I'd almost be willing to send you my LUX meter to measure light output. However your image analysis and comparisons are good. Thanks. Someone should sticky this.
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