How far is not too far - light Q

I saw alot of pics here of light being 1-2 meter away from foliage..
I know closer=better - but will results be seriously reduced if I have my 600w bulb ~1 meter from plant?

I'm new - - - try and be nice.. pretty please

With a 600 watt hps u want to keep it atleast 24 to 32 inches away from plant tops

Will I get serious loss of affect if its 45-50 inches away..
will it stretch - thats the real question..

honestly i keep my 600watter about 10 inches away from the closest tops and they do great for my 400 watt i keep it no less than 8 inches away. but if you do it that close you better be checking them every day as mine will grow few inches a day so your 8 inches could turn into 5 or six real quik and then burn baby burn burn

happend to me yesterday i didnt check on them for 2 cycles got a tiny bit burned