Summary
The Imalent BTL50 is not a zoom flashlight in the traditional sense, yet the width of its beam can still be adjusted – without any moving parts. This is made possible by an integrated diffuser whose strength can be controlled electronically. This technology is extremely rare in flashlights, but highly practical.
Although the flashlight feels compact and comfortable to handle, the capacity of the built-in battery is somewhat limited for its size. The flashlight stands out with its slightly futuristic design and stylish leather-like covering. The width of the beam is adjusted with a rotary control, which allows for smooth, intuitive operation. A pocket clip or holster, however, would have been a welcome addition.
The full review is available here:
English review at BudgetLightForum
German review on my website
What I’d like to see is zoomable LEP lights
I like the idea, but I’m not sure how that would work. They’re already so narrow that a very small amount of refraction would bring them to a point and back out into a wider beam.
Lasers can be widened by standard optics, they may be narrow but they’re not perfect point sources. You can even use rather flat lens stacks, or mechanisms similar to what projectors use. The idea is simply to have a compact light source with much better quality light than classical zoomable LED lights, more robust than standard zoom lenses, etc.