I thought I might learn something from trying to take a photo of my 16 watt HID beam in an open area instead of a narrow bike path. I took it to a nearby harbor to try it. There was a little dampness in the air and it reflected a little light in the air. If you look close in one photo I am lighting up the water pretty close to the opposite shore. It does show that it is a narrower beam than a car headlight, is brighter than one beam on low, and has more reach.