Re: headlamps

The depth perception problem is due to (1) the "flat" lighting you get when the light source is close to your line of sight, as it always is for a headlamp worn on your forehead (reason for Ray's advice to hold the light closer to the ground - off to the side works, too), and (2) most LED lights use a group of LEDs, which gives a more diffuse light, which exacerbates the "flat" lighting. There are LED headlamps that have a single very bright LED or a halogen bulb plus a group of less bright LEDs, with several levels of brightness and combinations of the lamps. The single bright LED or halogen bulb by itself is usually in a shaped reflector to make a spotlight, like your old incandescent had. Over the years, I have acquired several LED headlamps and find I do not use the "group" type very often. The two that I have that incorporate a single bright LED plus a group (Black Diamond Spot) or the halogen bulb with a group of LEDs (a Petzl that is no longer available) work much better for just about anything I do in the way of hiking, climbing, skiing, or bicycling in the dark.