Beam has a lot to do with it. But you don't really need a lot of light, or even a ton of spill, to ID a person. Have a loved one stand in a pitch black room, and take your lowly 3D Maglite (I know you have one, we all do) room to room to find them. You'll find that even it, with it's awful beam and low output, can ID the person adequately. You won't be able to check them for ticks or anything, but you can tell who they are. With a modern light with a quality reflector that offers good spill and a moderate hotspot, and a 150-350 lumen output, you've got all you need to get the job done.