Lighting: 5400 vs 5600 Kelvin? at DVinfo.net

Richard Spangenberg · September 8th, 2011, 09:10 AM

This is probably nothing, but thought it wize to check. I am using 5400k LED lights for fill etc. Accenting Peoples faces with a CMI Fresnel focusing spot coming in at 5600 k. That is slightly bluer, so I plan to white balance with it and let the other lights do what they do. THey should just be a bit warmer.

I don't really think there is much difference between the two and they should work together quite well. Or, maybe I a really wrong.

What experience do you guys have?

Rick

Shaun Roemich · September 8th, 2011, 11:47 AM

Colour temperature addresses the location of the light along the Red - Blue continuum.

White balancing adjusts the Red, Green, Blue matrix.

ASSUMING that the LEDs don't have something weird happening in the green spectrum, you SHOULD be fine but the actual spectography of light may leave you with a colour cast, depending on your individual lights.

As you surmise, testing WILL give you a definitive answer.

Ken Hull · September 8th, 2011, 11:52 AM

Richard,
I've lit with slightly mismatched color temps before, and not seen a problem. I suppose in the "real world", the fill light (the sky) would be a higher color temp than the key (the sun), but that's probably nit-picking. As long as all your key lights match each other, and your fill lights match each other, you should be OK.

Another consideration might be the incomplete spectrum of LED lights. I've seen several comments in this forum about LED light not having the smooth spectrum of an incandescent. I don't know how continuous the spectrum is with CMI lights, but you might want to do a test with a subject having several different colors. See if the LEDs leave a color dark, while the CMIs show it as bright (or vice versa). I suppose a spectrum continuity mismatch could lead to a weird effect on the subject.

Just my 2 cents worth,
Ken

Rick L. Allen · September 8th, 2011, 02:21 PM

White Balance to the 5.6K light then add the 5.4K and all will be fine. Experienced shooters can usually see a difference in color temp of about 400K but it's really hard to see a 200K difference.

September 8th, 2011, 09:10 AM	#1
Richard Spangenberg Tourist Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Westport, CT USA Posts: 3	Lighting: 5400 vs 5600 Kelvin? This is probably nothing, but thought it wize to check. I am using 5400k LED lights for fill etc. Accenting Peoples faces with a CMI Fresnel focusing spot coming in at 5600 k. That is slightly bluer, so I plan to white balance with it and let the other lights do what they do. THey should just be a bit warmer. I don't really think there is much difference between the two and they should work together quite well. Or, maybe I a really wrong. What experience do you guys have? Rick

September 8th, 2011, 11:47 AM	#2
Shaun Roemich Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia (formerly Winnipeg, Manitoba) Canada Posts: 4,088	Re: Lighting: 5400 vs 5600 Kelvin? Colour temperature addresses the location of the light along the Red - Blue continuum. White balancing adjusts the Red, Green, Blue matrix. ASSUMING that the LEDs don't have something weird happening in the green spectrum, you SHOULD be fine but the actual spectography of light may leave you with a colour cast, depending on your individual lights. As you surmise, testing WILL give you a definitive answer. __________________ Shaun C. Roemich Road Dog Media - Vancouver, BC - Videographer - Webcaster www.roaddogmedia.ca Blog: http://roaddogmedia.wordpress.com/

September 8th, 2011, 11:52 AM	#3
Ken Hull Major Player Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 240	Re: Lighting: 5400 vs 5600 Kelvin? Richard, I've lit with slightly mismatched color temps before, and not seen a problem. I suppose in the "real world", the fill light (the sky) would be a higher color temp than the key (the sun), but that's probably nit-picking. As long as all your key lights match each other, and your fill lights match each other, you should be OK. Another consideration might be the incomplete spectrum of LED lights. I've seen several comments in this forum about LED light not having the smooth spectrum of an incandescent. I don't know how continuous the spectrum is with CMI lights, but you might want to do a test with a subject having several different colors. See if the LEDs leave a color dark, while the CMIs show it as bright (or vice versa). I suppose a spectrum continuity mismatch could lead to a weird effect on the subject. Just my 2 cents worth, Ken

September 8th, 2011, 02:21 PM	#4
Rick L. Allen Major Player Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Fayetteville, NC Posts: 536	Re: Lighting: 5400 vs 5600 Kelvin? White Balance to the 5.6K light then add the 5.4K and all will be fine. Experienced shooters can usually see a difference in color temp of about 400K but it's really hard to see a 200K difference. __________________ "The good thing about science is that it's true whether you believe it or not." Neil deGrasse Tyson https://www.nautilusproductions.com/