Time to throw out the tungsten lights? (HMI v Tungsten v LED test)

[Patryk_Rebisz]

From my blog:
http://patrykrebisz.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/time-to-throw-out-the-tungsten-lights/

Recently i added a few LitePanle LEDs to my lighting kit so i wanted to learn a bit more about their properties (their color tint, how they respond to gels, how powerful they are). I set up 3 different lighting instruments: an HMI (LTM 200), a tungsten unit (Arri 650) and LED 1×1 (LitePanel 5600k Flood) unit and lit a scene. Now all those 3 lights are totally different instruments that have their strengths and weaknesses here they are being shown in very narrow test.



Camera used Canon 7D. All lights were placed 6 feel away from the table (for each picture each light was placed on the same stand). ISO was adjusted to provide more or less similar illumination from one light to another.

Here are 3 screen garbs with WB set to daylight (Arri gelled with CTB):



Here with WB set to tungsten:



And here to tungsten (HMI and LP gelled with CTO):




Conclusions:

- gelling any light other than tungsten produced unexpected results (some color shift)
- tungsten produces most natural colors
- LP in its native colors (here 5.6k) produces surprising good colors
- the bulb of this HMI is probably too fresh as it shows too much magenta (but i’m too lazy to redo the test with another HMI)
- when gelling lights it’s the fringes that show the most color distortions (see high res images below for better examples)
- 200 HMI is equivalent to 2x 650 with CTB !
- gelled, LP becomes almost unusable as 6 feet away from the subject the ISO has to be pushed to 1000!
- generally it’s best not to gel lights that are used as key to light your talent (unless going for an effect)

High res files to download:
http://tupeloproductions.com/gear/LP_test/

 

[OldCorpse]

Thanks. But when you speak of colors, don't you find the sensor and lenses are also variables?

 

[Patryk_Rebisz]

Thanks. But when you speak of colors, don't you find the sensor and lenses are also variables?

Absolutely, so you have to ultimately make your own judgement.

 

[Postmaster]

Thanks for sharing Patryk.

I'm curious how a Kino or even one of the cheaper Biax Tube lights would fit in the mix.

 

[Patryk_Rebisz]

Thanks for sharing Patryk.

I'm curious how a Kino or even one of the cheaper Biax Tube lights would fit in the mix.

I'm curious too but NO Kinos in my lighting kit...

 

[Chris Santucci]

I'm rediscovering tungsten after a few years away and enjoying the perfect CRI in the process (when I can manage it).

Thanks for the test/comparison.

 

[Patryk_Rebisz]

Here is the native white balance of each light (i guess you could call it best case scenario):

 

[David G. Smith]

I'm curious too but NO Kinos in my lighting kit...

There ain't any in my kit either, but down here with the bottom feeders, I for one have pretty much torn my hair out trying to deal with CFLs. Even with high CRI bulbs, I am not able to get accurate color out of them. Without minus green they all (That I have used) have a noticeable green spike. With a minus green (I have been using 1/8) there is now a noticeable magenta cast. White balancing to it, or adjusting in post skews the color (Especially skin tones). I am done with CFLs for any kind of portraiture.

I just picked up a couple of the cheap battery powered LEDs, the Yongnuo YN-160s,

http://www.amazon.com/Yongnuo-YN-160s-Panasonic-Samsung-Camcorder/dp/B006AUU8ME/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1363291276&sr=8-2&keywords=yn-160+led

And I am very pleased with them. I modified them for stand mounting and shot with them over the past weekend. The color looks spot on to me. I am going to pick up a couple more of them for sure. They have serious limitations, of course, but they are very handy.

Thanks for the post Patryk.

 

[OldCorpse]

I just picked up a couple of the cheap battery powered LEDs, the Yongnuo YN-160s,

http://www.amazon.com/Yongnuo-YN-16...TF8&qid=1363291276&sr=8-2&keywords=yn-160+led

And I am very pleased with them. I modified them for stand mounting and shot with them over the past weekend. The color looks spot on to me. I am going to pick up a couple more of them for sure. They have serious limitations, of course, but they are very handy.

Yep. I have five of these: Yongnuo YN-300 LED which is like only $20 more. I love, love, love that they are powered by commonly available cam batteries, and come in so handy. Barn doors and remote. No flicker!

 

[Patryk_Rebisz]

The cool thing we find out here is that gelling anything is not a great idea as even quality lights gelled end up looking funky.

Simple tungsten light gelled with CTB look great and is a great way to "judge" how well any light performs. So it would be nice for you guys to test a simple scene with those LEDs of yours against tungsten + CTB (i assume you LEDs are daylight balance).

 

[paulears]

I'm quite confused as to the point of this test. It simply proves that all three on their own can do a pretty decent job. The only slight issue is adjusting the outputs to match each other, and the usual technique is to gel the brightest source, as you can lose the brightness without issue. It's clear the LED panel is the softest, as you'd expect from the big source. What I don't understand is that in the second set, with wb set to tungsten, they are all very blue - the arri should have been warmest, but wasn't - but in the last set, the arri warms up, yet you didn't change it? As it stands, the arri on a tungsten setting should have given the reddest but didn't. Are you sure the pics aren't mixed up for the Arri?

All this proves is what we already know - HMIs are blue, tungsten is red/yellow and LEDs are a white all of their own.

 

[David G. Smith]

Yep. I have five of these: Yongnuo YN-300 LED which is like only $20 more. I love, love, love that they are powered by commonly available cam batteries, and come in so handy. Barn doors and remote. No flicker!

THANKS!!! I ordered one.

I was wondering, I use the Sony batteries that are compatible with that light and have one of those AC adapters that fit into the battery slot. Do you know if that will work with them? I am assuming so, but you know how that is....

 

[Patryk_Rebisz]

I'm quite confused as to the point of this test. It simply proves that all three on their own can do a pretty decent job. The only slight issue is adjusting the outputs to match each other, and the usual technique is to gel the brightest source, as you can lose the brightness without issue. It's clear the LED panel is the softest, as you'd expect from the big source. What I don't understand is that in the second set, with wb set to tungsten, they are all very blue - the arri should have been warmest, but wasn't - but in the last set, the arri warms up, yet you didn't change it? As it stands, the arri on a tungsten setting should have given the reddest but didn't. Are you sure the pics aren't mixed up for the Arri?

All this proves is what we already know - HMIs are blue, tungsten is red/yellow and LEDs are a white all of their own.

The years Paul, the years....Your eyes must be getting weaker... You didn't see the label with tungsten white balance where it says Arri is gelled with CTB?

This test shows quote a lot to me:
- Finally for sure i know that 200 HMI = 650 tunsten (more or less)
- Gelled Arri is a great contender to daylight based source
- Gelling anything other than tungsten produces funky results
- Even quality instruments are best used in their native color range (for natural look)

 

[OldCorpse]

THANKS!!! I ordered one.

I was wondering, I use the Sony batteries that are compatible with that light and have one of those AC adapters that fit into the battery slot. Do you know if that will work with them? I am assuming so, but you know how that is....

Well, I never used it that way on these (though I have on similar LED lights), but as long as the AC/DC adapter puts out the appropriate volt/amp, you should be good to go - you can get switchable ones from Radio Shack... looking at my lights, it shows input voltage as 6.5-8.5v and 3A.

 

[Egg Born Son]

You also proved that cats don't like LED at all and like HMI the best.

 

[OldCorpse]

Oh, btw. I found a couple of reviews of these... one is in I think Polish(?), but the notes explain it pretty well:

Youngnuo YN-300

This is from a guy who sounds like he's from Austria, but a really comprehensive good review:

[h=1]Yongnuo YN-300 LED Video Light Review[/h]

 

[Patryk_Rebisz]

You also proved that cats don't like LED at all and like HMI the best.

Very correct observation!

 

[Ryan-Guy]

I like the hair tone on the HMI.

 

[paulears]

No - I meant in row two - wb set to tungsten, the arri pic in the centre is clearly blue? I'd have expected it to look like the one below - with the better red/yellow result. Row two centre looks like it has ctb on it. Have I lost the plot? (Quite possibly I have, and it really is age!!)

 

[Patryk_Rebisz]

No - I meant in row two - wb set to tungsten, the arri pic in the centre is clearly blue? I'd have expected it to look like the one below - with the better red/yellow result. Row two centre looks like it has ctb on it. Have I lost the plot? (Quite possibly I have, and it really is age!!)

I think you are on the blog where it somehow never updated the mid image (where it says that Arri was with CTB - thus ALL the lights are blue).