Lenses are essential components for lighting. They allow the user to focus, to a greater or lesser degree, the light emitted from sources such as incandescent bulbs, fluorescent tubes or LEDs. Lenses are fixed or adjustable and allow the user to adapt the light beam to the activity and
lighting needs.

Reflectors act like mirrors, reflecting light in a given direction. Whether parabolic or flat, reflectors have an internal reflective surface with a mirrored appearance.

Lenses are made of glass or plastic and be used to produce relatively compact devices. Depending on their shape, they can either diffuse or concentrate light rays. Depending on the light source, Petzl headlamps come equipped with:

• a reflector (incandescent bulbs)
• a lens (LEDs)

Reflectors

Headlamps equipped with an incandescent bulb have a specially designed reflector which concentrates the light emitted by the source forward. This particularly affects the light emitted to the sides and back of the bulb.
The shape of each Petzl reflector is designed to precisely to ensure maximum efficiency in terms of output, beam uniformity, etc. Petzl reflectors are designed to limit imperfections in the beam due to the shape of the filament, the quality of the glass of the bulb, or the presence of two different light sources. Reflectors are generally covered by a protective lens.

                             
Incandescent light without reflector                            Incandescent light with reflector

 Adjustable focus 
Petzl headlamps with reflectors can be focused to adjust the width and distance of the light beam.

Lenses

High-output LEDs emit light around a 180° sphere. Lenses allow the entire beam to be concentrated forward of the headlamp, at the angle required. Petzl lenses are designed to maximize lighting efficiency in terms of output and beam uniformity.

                              
High-output LED without lens                                          High-output LED with lens

 Wide Angle lenses
Headlamps equipped with lenses emit a powerful, narrow, focused beam for lighting over long distances. To adapt this beam when there’s a need for wide-beam lighting, Petzl has designed a retractable Wide Angle lens made up of multiple micro-lenses.

High-output LED with Wide Angle lens

 

 Special case: cylindrical 5mm diameter LEDsCas particulier des Leds cylindriques de diamètre 5mm
These LEDs are used in certain Petzl headlamps and are composed of a lens as well as an internal reflector (support for light source). Because of this, they emit light at a predetermined and fixed angle. For more efficient lighting, Petzl adds a silver-colored finish to certain light bodies containing cylindrical LEDs.

Refector                                                Lens
     
     Cylindrical LED (Ø 5 mm)