Is Panasonic Considering Developing an LED Matrix

L

LanceLewis

Member
Kind of hoping that manufactorers recognize that many lighting scenarios are becoming LED only, and that is certainly the direction the industry is heading in (in regards to theaters/concerts). While it may take another 10-20 years to phase out the instruments that are still in the field that are primarily halogen, we are seeing theaters in our area making the switch to all LEDs. We do a lot of work in theaters and when I first started out, I would painstakingly as the lighting guy to show up early and show me their basic wash for the show. I would then white balance using their basic wash. But after thinking about it, it occurred to me that if the source of the light is halogen (like all theaters were), then 3200k was always going to be pretty darn close to right. So for more than a decade when we are in a theater we just flip on the 3200 preset and away we go. If the lighting designer through all green gels on their lights and through that out...it looked all green in our cameras. Since I view our job as duplicating what actually happened in the theater, this strategy has never failed me (on the rare occasion that the coloring was a little off at one theater or another...it is far easier to apply the same color correction to all cameras and being set at 3200k meant they were always exactly the same).

Along comes LED. I would love to have a preset, right along side 3200k and 5600k. ALSO...and this is probably the more critical part, I would love to see a matrix to match...you know just like how their is a fluorescent matrix. It's my understanding that LED lights do not have the same Color Index as halogens and can't quite reproduce the same colors...perhaps a matrix would address this??? Am I over thinking things? Anyone else have some thoughts here?

lance
 
LED lights can change the colour temperature by scene so setting WB can be wrong scene by scene. Talking to theatre lighting guy he likes the fact that an evening scene can be evening and mid day mid day to the audience. So even more now I set for an indoor preset just like you described . If it looks really off I accept I will correct in editing !!!
 
That's a good point, I think. I also do what you describe, but I preset to 5.6k as it gets me closer than 3.2k would. Here's what I am pondering: If a halogen bulb is about 3.2k (it's actually less, but go with it) and you gel it...it's still right to set for 3.2k. If an LED white emittance is let's say 5k, then when it uses another color...will being set at 5k yield that other color. I believe it would...but now you have me questioning that.
 
I do stagework too, and have found that we set our cameras often in the middle, about 4000 - 4500K, and it is often acceptable for dark, bluish light as well as brighter day/red scenes.

Seems to work for us, and lowers the amount of time in post.

Cheers,

Vaughan
 
The problem is not all LED's produce the same "color" of white light. Tungsten is tungsten regardless of instrument and lamp manufacturer(within reason), all LED's are not "LED's", so to speak, meaning they have different spikes and deficiencies that vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. They are getting better and closer to each other, but they're still not the same. Usually if you balance to one brand of LED light, another brand will not match.
 
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