Coollights LED's - Color Temperature

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yoclay

Veteran
I've got 3 LED 600's (5600K) coming from Coollights. Richard was really terrific and patient with me. Great service.

What are people's experience with the color temperature of these units? I see he has included a 1/4 and a 1/2 minus Green in the filter kit which comes with it. What temperatures are most people getting and how often do they use these filters?

The other thing I wondered about is soft boxes. I am actually not so sure of their necessity as one of the main reasons these lights are great is that they don't give off heat and virtually anything can be put in front of them. I was thinking why not just use the barn doors as the basis for an instant soft box for instance? Some aluminum foil and a transluscent material and you are there. I am also starting to see from other manufacturers a simple frosted plastic mount which fits directly over the light itself (without the barndoors) and simply turns it into a softbox. I can't remember who this is from...

Other peoples comments?
 
The filter has nothing to do with the color temperature. Color temperature is on the red to blue scale. The filters he's supplying are to correct out the green cast that less-expensive LED fixtures often exhibit.
 
How do I determine when to use the 1/4 or the 1/2 minus green then?

Also it has been my experience that very often, color temperature varies from one light source at 5600K and another kind of source at supposedly the same temperature. What about dimming? Does anyone know how that effects these units, do they get warmer? Does the green/magenta balance change as well when they are dimmed? Etc.

Since Red is composed of magenta and yellow in terms of the color wheel (yes, I know that strictly speaking we are talking about RGB, but there is a relationship) and dimming on some other kinds of lights makes them warmer, I have found that less correction is needed for green style casts as they are dimmed. In that sense color temperature does make a noticeable difference for questions like this.

But of course none of this may be true for LED's....
 
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Dimming affects color temperature a bit even with LEDs. As Barry correctly stated, minus green filters have nothing to do with color temperature and just filter out excess green. Which filter you use is a personal preference. Some prefer 1/4 minus green and others 1/2 minus green. Some use none at all. It can also raise the CRI of the fixture effectively and help it mix well with other light like real daylight or light from fluorescents. Again, there's no rule, just do tests and see if you need them in the situation you are using them in.

The LED 600 includes a diffusion panel with the filter set but softening up a light isn't just about a diffusion panel. Its also about the size of the surface area emanating light. A 24 x 24 inch softbox will give a softer light than a 10" x 10" diffused surface. That's why the softbox can be necessary for some.
 
Yoclay – We generally use the lamps 4 ways –

1: Using the panel straight (no diffusion/just dimmer control + cancelling LED rows) and narrow the spill by using the barndoors – usually for backlight or background separation light.

2: As above but as a key light. Shooting through a large square diffusion sheet that is on an expandable frame acting like a large softbox facing, or the material removed from the frame and thrown over the lamp head.

3: The lamp shot through a large opal diffuser frame but only where time and travel requirements permit.

4: If the lights are on the move we sometimes use 2 LED600s on a T-Bar covered with material diffuser sheet when tracking a subject.

We have found that these units work in the above configuration very well and enable shots to be set up quickly and efficiently. Of course we also use many other lighting techniques but the above is generally used when time and travel requirements are an issue.

Colour Correction –

Generally we have not needed to CC filter the lights as we find they balance very well with daylight but of course we carry filters if we need them. I also find that I do tend to slightly dim the panel when used as a key light as this does warm the light very slightly. The camera you are using will also play a role in how well it will deal with light. I say this because I noticed a big difference in the way a Sony F350 and a PDW-700 dealt with the colour balance, with the latter being superior.

Once you have got to grips with their strengths and weaknesses I am pretty sure you will be very happy with you purchase.

Regards: Stu
www.studioscotland.com
 
Thanks Stu, I often have worked in the past like how you describe with HMI's, but one of the things I am sold on with LED's is how well I can walk into a situation and very quickly augment a situation exactly where I need it to be using the dimmers without overpowering the existing atmosphere. Brilliant really. I find packing material in the sheet form acts a lot like spun and since these lights are cool, it gives me great flexibility for diffusion in all kinds of situations.

I did a test today and popped a 600 spot into a chimera using the barn doors to press against the insides of the softbox and butting it up against the ring. It worked perfectly, quick and easy. The box held its form (40cm x 60cm) and I could definitely see using some aluminum foil for the barn doors if I was really being perfectionist.
 
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