Gear Review: NEBO Headlamps

This is a quick review of my headlamps in my bag. About a year ago, I bought two Nebo headlamps as I was out a lot at night on a trip in the Midwest. I wanted to have headlamps which also have a red light to preserve my night vision if needed and otherwise good white light to be safe on the trail to get to my shooting location and back. They are also great for light painting, see more about it below. Before switching to the Nebo lights I had a Black Diamond headlamp but it used AAA batteries and I finally wanted to get something which is easy to recharge without carrying around a bulky battery charger or buy new batteries all the time.

NEBO Mycro 400 Rechargeable Headlamp

This light is amazing. It is always in the pocket of my jacket and I have it always handy if I need it. 

I have used this light for a year now and used it a lot more than the Einstein Flex 1500. Mainly because it is so small and easy to attach to my cap.

I have never used it with the headband only with the clip where I clipped it on my cap. But most of the time I just hand hold it when I need it. I used it also a lot in the city in dark streets or unlit streets. It is super easy to use. 

There are two downsides for me with this light. First is that the red light mode is not very powerful with the 1 lumen output. It did the job when I needed light to adjust my camera or check things. I like the red light mode better of the Einstein 1500 Flex. Second it needs a Micro USB cable to charge.

Here are the light modes from the  Nebo website.

Light Modes

• Turbo (400 lumens) – 30 second intervals* / 80 meters
• High (150 lumens) – 1 hour / 50 meters
• Medium (50 lumens) – 2 hours / 18 meters
• Low (15 lumens) – 5 hours / 10 meters
• Green (1 lumen) – 10 hours / 3 meters
• Red (1 lumen) – 10 hours / 3 meters

*Turbo mode is designed to give you short bursts of power when you need it most. After 30 seconds, the light will return to the previously used mode to prevent the light from overheating and protect the battery. Turbo mode can be reactivated at any time.

Recommendation:

Even though I have the Mycro 400, I would recommend you to buy the Mycro 500+ (see details below) now instead.

NEBO Mycro 500+ Rechargeable Headlamp

I don’t have this headlamp but will most likely replace my Mycro 400 with this one. It is pretty similar to the 400 if it comes to the built size and functionality. 

However it comes with a lot of extra features. It has 500 Lumens instead of 400, which is a plus. Battery size stayed the same but the biggest advantage is that you can now recharge it with an USB-C cable instead of the Micro USB cable. This makes it so much easier when the same cord fits all of your devices. Compared to the Mycro 400, the green light mode got removed but I never used it and I don’t know for what you would use it for in the first place if you are out taking pictures.

I love that the Mycro 500+ uses the flood lights for the red mode which gives you 25 lumens instead of 1 lumen with the Mycro 400. Of course the run time on red is reduced compared to the Mycro 400 as it uses a higher lumen output. It even overpowers the Einstein 1500 Flex if it comes to the red light mode. 

Here are the light modes from the Nebo website.

Spot Mode

• Turbo* (500 lumens) – 30 second intervals / 90 meters or 295 feet
• High (200 lumens) – 1 hour / 60 meters or 196 feet
• Medium (100 lumens) – 2 hours / 42 meters or 137 feet
• Low (30 lumens) – 3 hours / 23 meters or 75 feet

Flood Mode

• COB HIGH (200 lumens) – 25 mins / 24 meters or 78 feet
• COB LOW (50 lumens) – 1 hours / 11 meters or 36 feet
• COB RED (25 lumens) – 35 mins / 8 meters or 26 feet

*Turbo mode is designed to give you short bursts of power when you need it most. After 30 seconds, the light will return to the previously used mode to prevent the light from overheating and protect the battery. Turbo mode can be reactivated at any time.

NEBO Einstein 1500 Flex Headlamp

This is the biggest and most powerful headlamp in my bag. It has a maximum power output of 1500 Lumens and comes with a large battery for a run-time of up to 18 hours. 

The light comes with a size-adjustable headband which has a center strap, which runs over the top of your head for better weight distribution. The strap is big enough to fit over a beanie. 

The battery is at the back of the strap due to its size and weight. It is a rechargeable battery which sits in a waterproof housing. To charge the battery you need to remove it and charge it with a USB-C cord. I love that it has an USB-C port as most of my other gear has the same port and saves me from bringing multiple different charging cables. The battery has a charging indicator. Alternatively you can use two CR123A alkaline batteries but you will get reduced performance if you do so.

The headlamp throws a wide beam which is not adjustable. So it is great to lighten up the way in front of you. If you are looking to take one of the pictures at night with a person and a headlamp shining into the sky, this might not be the right one.

Here are the light modes from the Nebo website.

Light Modes

• Turbo (1,500 lumens): 30 second intervals* – 64 meters / 209 feet
• High (750 lumens): 2 hours – 55 meters / 180 feet
• Medium (250 lumens): 6 hours – 25 meters / 82 feet
• Low (10 lumens): 18 hours – 8 meters / 26 feet
• Red (5 lumens): 12 hours – 1 meter / 3 feet

*Turbo mode is designed to give you short bursts of power when you need it most. After 30 seconds, the light will return to the previously used mode to prevent the light from overheating and protect the battery. Turbo mode can be reactivated at any time.

Common features of the lights

• The lights are all water resistant and even a rain shower can’t stop them. The Boost mode is activated after turning on the lights and then press and hold the button again. It will stay on for a maximum of 30 seconds or until you touch the button again (in less than 30 seconds). After that the light will go back to the light mode which was used last. This time limit stops the light from overheating and excessive drain of the battery.
• If you press the On button multiple times after turning on, it will cycle through the different light modes. You have to press the button within 8 seconds after turning it on. If 8 seconds have passed and you press the button again, the light will turn off. The next press of the button will turn the light back on in the light mode you last used.
• When you first turn on the light with a press of a button it starts with high mode, the next press of the button will cycle the light to medium, then low and then green (Mycro 400 only) and lastly to red.  
  If you press and hold the button while the light is off, it will reverse the mode cycle and start off with red, followed by green (Mycro 400 only), low, medium and high. 
  It works similar with the Mycro 500+ but it has two buttons. One for spot light and one for flood light mode.
• The angle of the light can be easily adjusted by just moving it to the position you need. It stays in position until you move it to another angle. The mechanism to angle the light holds up well.

Light Painting

Besides being awesome headlamps to help me on the trail to get to my location and back and set up my gear, they are also great to light paint. I used them to brighten up some elements of my photos while taking long exposures at night. See the example below.

Conclusion

These two Nebo lights served me well in the past year. I used them a lot more during the fall and winter season as it gets dark very early and gives me more time to explore and photograph at night. These two might not be the fanciest lights you can buy, but they are durable, water resistant and haven’t failed me yet.

Especially the Mycro 400 was used a lot as it just sits in my jacket pocket. I used it when out and about at night, even when not photographing. This one is super compact and lightweight and its so small, it’s easy to forget that it is in my pocket.

The lights offer a good value for their price. The Einstein 1500 Flex is large but if you out for a long time you want to make sure you won’t run out of battery.

What are your favorite lights? Have you used Nebo lights before or had any bad experience? Any recommendations?