Pictures of food, to demonstrate CRI

jon_slider

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It is a foggy day, 5pm in San Francisco. One of the photos in each series is natural daylight in my kitchen which I estimate presently at about 5000k. One of the photos is 70CRI 6000k, and one of the photos is 92 CRI 4000k.

I dont think it is the Neutral White 4000k Color Temperature that makes the food look more appetizing.
And I don't think its the cool white 6000k CCT that makes the food look unnatural.

Imo the difference in the Appetizing Index is the CRI..
Bon Appetit!

try to guess which 2 photo are 92CRI:)

1.
35107295460_084a1a0652_b.jpg


2:
35326724412_376ab947e6_b.jpg


3:
34683708193_51e711d508_b.jpg


4:
34652794074_cac143d5ab_c.jpg

5:
34652794844_81127fbc9f_c.jpg


6:
34652795964_8e40c51e51_c.jpg
 
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Johnnyh

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Well Jon, this is pretty cool! But the most heavenly light from above couldn't make that....whatever it is...in the first three pics look appetizing! LOL!
 

Str8stroke

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I will play. According to my monitor and eyes: I guess: 1 & 4 = Sun, 2 & 5 = 70CRI, 3 & 6 = 92CRI. If I got it correct, can you send me a can of Anchovies? I love those, especially the ones with olives. mmmmmmmm.
Have a good weekend.
 

richbuff

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Thanks for the pics and insight into comparative CRI.

I am on a 2,500 lumen a day diet, and I keep fit by walking six miles nightly with my lights. Tonight will be my 2,500 calorie Thrunite TN42vn.
 

Johnnyh

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Sorry, got too caught up with the "appetizing" aspect and forgot to make my guess. I concur with Str8...3 & 6 are the 92 CRI. I gather this only because of the more diffuse light in 1 & 4 which would be the result of a foggy afternoon sun and the low CRI are (to me) obvious. BTW, sorry if I sounded like I was questioning your culinary choices! To each his own! That fish is probably high in Omega-3 fatty acids! Rock on!
 

jon_slider

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thanks for all the comments
anchovies are on the way

culinary choices! To each his own! That fish is probably high in Omega-3 fatty acids! Rock on!
I kind of expected some yuck reaction, which is why I blamed the cat..
but since you are very courteous, I feel I can be honest
those boneless skinless in olive oil sardines from trader joes are actually really good, not very fishy at all, tastes like chicken, LOL

pics 1 and 4 are foggy afternoon daylight. I was surprised how poorly the iPhone did at this light level, I don't know what lumens ambient light was.

pics 2 and 5 are 6000k xpg2 70 CRI.. pic 2 is a good example of a situation where low CRI is not ideal. There are other times when low CRI works fine. Looking at green plants at night, for example, they look greener at 6000k 70 CRI, than at 4000k 92 CRI.

pic 3 and 6 are 4000k N219b 92 CRI. Pic 3 is a strong example of the benefit of CRI in this application. Pic 6 makes the bananas look better than pic 5, but I think the fish picture has more impact, or maybe its "shock value" LOL

Im learning some foods work better than others for CRI examples. Not always the ones I expect. It seems chicken and fish send a stronger message than peaches and bananas.
This chicken comparison made a big impression on me.
I think everyone can tell which one is high CRI in this case, humans seem to have a strong sense of what grilled chicken color should look like. For evening BBQ, and checking burgers and chicken for doneness, I would choose the 4000k high CRI at 100 lumens or less.

34418587383_275e9abaca_b.jpg


Otoh, if I needed to spot the dog running at the end of the football field, the 6000k would get the nod. When 1000 lumens is called for to spot a large moving target, CRI is not as much of a priority as brightness and throw.

I am on a 2,500 lumen a day diet, and I keep fit by walking six miles nightly with my lights. Tonight will be my 2,500 calorie Thrunite TN42vn.
walking for a couple of hours outdoors at night with a 2500 lumen spotlight, scanning the perimeter for threats, I can understand CRI is not a priority
once you stop to cook, for close range, I suspect you will choose something a little less amped up.. less lumens, more CRI, and possibly warmer :)
 
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Johnnyh

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This really got me thinking. A few years ago, a friend gave me a clip-on LED grill light. I used it a couple of times but it never really "floated my boat" and I abandoned it. Now I know why! At the time, I made no real, conscious observation that the food looked looked "less than appealing" under it but I'll bet dollars to donuts that's exactly what my subconscious recorded! Are there Hi CRI clip-on grill lights? I'm off to Google it...
 
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seery

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Pic #4 looks 100% spot on perfect.

Is that the iPhone?

The others not so good.

Good stuff. Thanks for posting.
 

louie

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When I take CRI pics, I use a camera set to "daylight" white balance to eliminate any auto white balance effects. Then the high CRI lights look good, and everything else looks terrible.

My understanding is that the HCRI LEDs will have a different CRI and/or color temperature at lower drive levels, maybe not as good. And that reds are the main difference - try looking at a rare steak with various CRIs.
 

jon_slider

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Are there Hi CRI clip-on grill lights? I'm off to Google it...
not sure whats out there

I use a Maratac AAA w Nichia clipped to my hat. The Tool also works. Both have reversible pocket clips.
30803296462_7f27413b2b_b.jpg


There is an Aluminum version of the Tool w Nichia also, on sale for $11, its a killer deal!

Pic #4 looks 100% spot on perfect.

Is that the iPhone?
yes pic 4 is daylight, no flashlight, taken with iPhone, automatic white balance

When I take CRI pics, I use a camera set to "daylight" white balance to eliminate any auto white balance effects. Then the high CRI lights look good, and everything else looks terrible.

My understanding is that the HCRI LEDs will have a different CRI and/or color temperature at lower drive levels, maybe not as good. And that reds are the main difference - try looking at a rare steak with various CRIs.

daylight white balance sets to 5000k I believe, so it will make 4000k look "warm", and 6000k look "cool". CRI is a separate factor than white balance. Yes constant current allows some tint shift at low levels. However, High CRI at low levels will still be higher CRI than Low CRI at any level.

and yes, steak with high CRI looks delicious, at low CRI it looks like a dead zombie

auto white balance chooses the coolest light in the photo to set to
so if I put a cool white light in a photo, it will set to that white balance. like this
note the color of the middle light, it is what I see, during the day when my brain is set to daylight white balance
34398322964_4331bb5158_b.jpg


if I keep the neutral white in the photo, but remove the cool white, iPhone auto white balance, will set to that neutral white balance, like this (same two lights on left above). I do see that middle light as white, not pink, at night, when my brain is adjusted to indoor incandescent for its white balance.
34434360313_6f293ef5d2_b.jpg


the time of day when a photo is taken, affects the color of the beam. Our brain also sees the beam as a different color, depending on what environment our brain is white balanced to.

using a camera to take pics is very informing. The trick is to get shots that actually look similar to what our eyes are seeing at the time. Some photos turn out better than others when showing colors. It depends on the light in the picture.

there is more info about tint, CRI, white balance, CCT in the Tint Snob thread
 
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ThePerishers

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lol, I gotta say I'm not used to see flashlight testing through pictures of food. But on that point, it's interesting how just a simple change in flashlight can result in the food looking appetizing or well, pretty disgusting... haha.
 

scs

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#1 and #4 sunlight.
#2 and #5 70 CRI.
#3 and #6 92 CRI.

If correct, that 70 CRI 6000k is quite acceptable according to the photos.

#3 actually has more contrast and color saturation than #1 on my monitor. If it weren't for the shadow which I assume is the result of the point light source from a flashlight, I would have reversed my guess for these two.
 

jon_slider

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#3 actually has more contrast and color saturation than #1 on my monitor. If it weren't for the shadow which I assume is the result of the point light source from a flashlight, I would have reversed my guess for these two.

I agree, the N219b photo is better than the late afternoon foggy indoor light, which seems insufficient for the camera
thanks for taking the time to look closely at the photos :)

that 70 CRI 6000k is quite acceptable according to the photos.
I agree it works fine for yellow bananas, but, look at the grilled chicken and you will see the 70CRI cannot compete.

there is definitely a time when cool white and 70CRI is sufficient. For example when working on a car during the day. otoh, it would make a very poor BBQing light. Courses for Horses :)
 

Ozythemandias

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Otoh, if I needed to spot the dog running at the end of the football field, the 6000k would get the nod. When 1000 lumens is called for to spot a large moving target, CRI is not as much of a priority as brightness and throw.


walking for a couple of hours outdoors at night with a 2500 lumen spotlight, scanning the perimeter for threats, I can understand CRI is not a priority
once you stop to cook, for close range, I suspect you will choose something a little less amped up.. less lumens, more CRI, and possibly warmer :)

Just want to draw a distinction between CRI and color temperature, its possible to have a cool white high cri emitter.

I found that CRI doesnt matter much at long ranges but tint still matters. Warmer beams tend to penetrate better, cool white seems to scatter and cause glare off the dust/haze in the air. Cool might technically reach farther but wamr makes it easier to see.
 

FRITZHID

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For quite some time now, in my kitchen, grilling & anywhere else I plan to do allot of food working, I've demanded high CRI lighting. I even keep a n219 edc for examining food stuffs..... Especially these days with so much low quality lighting in stores/restaurants.
 

jon_slider

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Just want to draw a distinction between CRI and color temperature, its possible to have a cool white high cri emitter.
I agree, however, the highest lumens will come from the lower CRI LED
We can get 1000 lumens from an 18650 powered, 70 CRI 6000k XP-G2, but the High CRI N219b 5700k used in the Jaxman E2 offers less than 400 lumens. Same with the HDS High Noon, that uses a 5700k N219c, its output is less than 300 lumens.

imho, red food is where CRI really shines :)
there is no need for more than 200 lumens of High CRI, when looking at food at arms length
 

Ozythemandias

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I agree, however, the highest lumens will come from the lower CRI LED
We can get 1000 lumens from an 18650 powered, 70 CRI 6000k XP-G2, but the High CRI N219b 5700k used in the Jaxman E2 offers less than 400 lumens. Same with the HDS High Noon, that uses a 5700k N219c, its output is less than 300 lumens.

imho, red food is where CRI really shines :)
there is no need for more than 200 lumens of High CRI, when looking at food at arms length

Those examples are limited by the makers and do not represent what is possible with those emitters. Especially with that 219c. A good 219c FET triple can be at 3000lm+ at turn on
 
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