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How bright is 650 lumens? Just what is that level of light good for? We give you real life applications and comparisons to help you understand what levels of brightness certain quantities of lumens will deliver.
Table of Contents
A Lumen is a measure of the total amount of light emitted from a source.
650 lumens means the light has the intensity of 650 lumens of light.
When you are looking for how bright a certain light bulb will be, whether it is LED, CFL or incandescent – the number of lumens is what you need to use as your comparison.
Lumens is the unit measurement of brightness, with 1 lumen (lm) equalling the brightness of 1 candle, so 650 lumens has the brightness of 650 candles.
650lm is a good level of light for general residential LED lighting. It’s suitable for up lighting, recessed lighting, downlighting, in table lights, spotlights and within pendants.
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The brightness of a 650 lumen LED bulb is in the highest region of light output for GU10 LED lamps. It provides a bright light and can be used in recessed lighting for most general lighting needs around the home.
A 650 lumen spotlight’s brightness relies on how the light is delivered. The most efficient delivery and, therefore, brightest spotlight comes from an integral LED or LED bulb. This option offers a high light output that can be used to focus light on specific areas both inside and out of doors.
A 650 lumen flashlight is great for illumination both indoors and outdoors, particularly suitable for outdoor walking, fishing, hunting and for keeping in your car ready for emergencies.
As with all lighting, the wider the beam of a light the less intense the illumination will be and therefore feel less bright and not travel so far. The narrower the beam the more concentrated the light will be and at its midpoint can feel brighter.
The brightness of an 650 lumen torch (British for flashlight) is the power of light of 650 candles. This level is regarded as a medium level of output for a torch and suitable for most indoor and outdoor tasks.
To compare how much light you get with different lumens levels, imagine a one by one meter room. If the room has a light bulb which emits 650 lumens then it can illuminate that area to roughly 65 lux (depending on the reflectivity of surfaces in the room).
As the lumen measurement of brightness is still relatively new on product packaging, there is an unfamiliarity with what an impressive lumen count is, so a comparison can be helpful.
Compared with an incandescent standard 40-watt (470 lumen) incandescent bulb, 650 lumens is brighter with an increase of 38% more output.
650 lumens of LED light can feel brighter than other technologies as it is directional and very efficiently delivers light compared to most other light sources. This amount of light is distributed with minimal wastage and therefore generally creates a brighter intensity on a surface than compared to other technologies.
The visual impression of brightness will differ in looks according to its color temperature, using the same amount of light.
LED light with a cool white color temperature of between 4000K to 7000K will feel brighter when compared to the warmer yellowish tones of warm white and soft white between 3500K and 2700K.
The distance light will travel depends on how the light is being delivered, particularly the beam angle of the light and it’s intensity. The more compactly the lumens are delivered the further the distance will be.
For example, a flashlight with 650 lumens with a tight beam angle has a peak illumination of 39,000 candela delivering light up to around 395 metres at no less than 0.25 lux. (using throw = SQRT (candela * 4)
For reading purposes a light of around 650 lumens directly onto a page is probably too bright if the reading light is positioned close but it will depend on how far away the light source is from the book. Around 400 lumens is the ideal output for a bedside reading light.
For an average sized room in your home, anything up to around 650 lumens is not going to feel bright enough as a good general level of light, but rather the required output to be repeated multiple times at various heights in and varying lighting products.
We have more on How Much Lighting Do I Need for A Room?
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A 650 lumen head lamp is a good level of brightness for outdoor activities such as camping and hiking. This level of output provides an effective illumination balanced to be bright enough and remain efficient in power consumption for longer lasting rechargeable battery life.
A 650 lumen bike light is bright enough for commuting in both lit and unlit areas. Cyclists will find this brightness especially helpful because it is concentrated in a focused beam angle. This level of light is also good for running or walking the dog at night.
A 650 lumen projector is regarded as a mini projector size or pocket projector, bright enough for most business presentations and will provide a clear image on screens or walls in well lit rooms. In dark rooms, the output may appear dimmer due to light being absorbed.
Solar lights are becoming more popular as they are a great way to light up the garden without running any electrical cables. A 650 lumens solar light is one of the brighter types available and will provide good illumination for lighting paths or features in gardens.
An 650 lumen LED downlight is a good level of light bright enough for most homes and regarded as the average recessed light output providing a good general beam of light. This level of output is recommended up to ceiling heights of 9ft high.
650 lm requires approximately 10 watts of power when using LED as the light source.
When considering the conversion of lumens to watts you need to consider the type of bulb or light source you are using. The greater the efficiency of energy spent (Watts) to create the light (lumens) the less power will be used and therefore a lower wattage as the result.
| Brightness in LUMENS | 220+ lumens | 400+ lumens | 700+ lumens | 900+ lumens | 1300+ lumens |
| LED | 4W | 6W | 10W | 13W | 18W |
| CFL | 6W | 9W | 12W | 15W | 20W |
| HALOGEN | 18W | 28W | 42W | 53W | 70W |
| INCANDESENT | 25W | 40W | 60W | 75W | 100W |
Useful comparative measurements often asked:
Lux can only be measured by knowing the distance and the area the lumens have to travel to.
650 lumens is 650 candles.
650 lumens to kelvin cannot be calculated. A degree of kelvin is the unit of measurement for color temperature and not brightness. However, an impression of brightness will increase with a high degree of kelvin as the light seems colder and brighter to the viewer.
Lumens and Candela. Lumens is the total amount of light from a fixture. Candela is how much of that light from a fixture shines in one direction. So 650lm would be less than 650 candela with the candela only quantified if the angle of beam width is known.
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