Yeah comparisons need to be done using manual camera settings and no editing.
Or both beams in the same shot. See my side by side cateye comparisons:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...d.php?t=167551

I found I need about 2seconds exposure to give a good representation of what I see visually(these cateye lights are brighter than they look). So you really need a tripod too.