AF100 and HMI lights going green?

[Jon Furtado]

I did a shoot this weekend where I pointed toward a window back lit with an HMI outside. No matter how I white balanced, the HMI light looked green. Is this an AF100 issue? I pointed it toward another window lit by an HMI and it was proper daylight blue.

Whats going on here?

 

[Barry_Green]

No, it's an issue with that particular light. How could that possibly be an AF100 issue?

I've owned many HMI lights and when properly white balanced, they look exactly as they should. However, the bulb in an HMI could certainly add some green, there's definitely a noticeable green shift in some of the bulbs I've used. My old Britek DayPhotos were substantially green. My older Cool Lights HMI is greener than my newest HMI, but with a brand-new bulb that would probably be fixed.

 

[Isaac_Brody]

Older HMI's tend to run a little green. You can use minus green gels to fix that color temperature.

 

[dwiener]

Older HMI's tend to run a little green. You can use minus green gels to fix that color temperature.

+1
Bulbs color shift with age. Open the fixture and look at the lamp. If the glass is very cloudy it's probably time for a change. FWIW the bulb mfg's rate their bulb life to total failure, not color temperature or even brightness. As far as they're concerned if it strikes it's still good.

 

[Tvdie23]

Possible the bulb is old like other mention. Remember HMI take a good few minutes to get to speed too.

 

[Barry_Green]

Possible the bulb is old like other mention. Remember HMI take a good few minutes to get to speed too.

That's another thing -- I was rigging that Cool Lights HMI today and when I turned it on it was about as green as a seasick passenger on the Titanic. It takes a good five to 10 minutes before an HMI comes up to operating temperature and starts really pushing out a lot of light and settling in on its "real" color temperature.