Changing LED Tint With Filters

[lumen aeternum]

Re: I'm an LED tint snob!

photobucket doesn't show up anymore. Any newer photos available?

 

[Got Lumens?]

photobucket doesn't show up anymore. Any newer photos available?

I am reposting my replies below.
The photos from Photobucket do show up in Chrome with the Photobucket patch installed.
The new Dropbox pics do not show up in all browsers, MobileWeb, or TapaTalk.
If so, You need to click on the placeholder and the pic will open in a new browser window/tab.
Hope this helps
GL

Here are two recent wall shots. I will try to get some outdoor shots soon.
First a Freehand shot with the Preon0's distance to wall ~6":



. . . Click to Enlarge


Second a controlled shot with the Preon0's distance to wall 10":


. . . Click to Enlarge


GL

Hi,
Using the Lee Filter Swatch book I took a few photos using 4 Sevens Preon2 CW R5 hosts.
Filters used are Primary Red #106, Just Blue #079, & Primary Green #139.
Clickable thumbnails.
Enjoy
GL

Derek Dean,
Here's a first for the thread. A Lee filter that increased the lux power of the light on low level . Calculated 1M Lux without 0.1175. Calculated 1M lux with 0.475 lux.
#271 Mirror Silver
GL



. . . Click to Enlarge

Derek,
Thanks for sharing Swatch Book!
The New Swatch Book, Designer Edition, does not have page numbers.
Does anyone know of a different edition currently for sale that has page numbers?


The Swatch Book Designer Edition is arranged Per wavelength. Starting in the Ultra-Violets and progressing to the Infra-Reds, The diffusing films/fabrics, and then the Diffusion Foils and Reflective Films/Foils.


I will play around with it some and report back my results.


I guess for those that have a newer swatch book without page numbering, mention the approximate Wavelength section the filter is from.
Example: #100 Spring Yellow ~600nm or #332 Special Rose Pink ~700nm. This way those with and those without page numbers can find a particular filter much easier and faster.
GL

 

[SubLGT]

....They don't have their limited-palette Zircon (high temperature) gel filter swatch book listed on their website, but I e-mailed them, and they sent me one for free. This Zircon swatch book has (so far) five "Minus Green" filters, six "Warm Amber" filters, and three "Diffusion filters"...

Apparently the Zircon swatch book is no longer available. There are various Zircon sampler "packs" of 12" x 12"sheets here:
http://www.leefilters.com/lighting/packs.html

Zircon detailed info here: http://www.leefilters.com/lighting/zircon.html

 

[Husker]

Does anyone sell LED throw flashlights that come with a Red, Green or Blue beam?

 

[Got Lumens?]

Apparently the Zircon swatch book is no longer available. There are various Zircon sampler "packs" of 12" x 12"sheets here:
http://www.leefilters.com/lighting/packs.html

Zircon detailed info here: http://www.leefilters.com/lighting/zircon.html

They are still listed on the site


piclink

 

[Derek Dean]

Got Lumens, thanks so much for helping to maintain this important thread : )

 

[kaichu dento]

Does anyone sell LED throw flashlights that come with a Red, Green or Blue beam?

The best, quickest way to getting a throwy light with color would be to pick one you already like and just add the proper filter to get the color you're after. It's actually way better than letting a manufacturer choose your color for you, as you can go warmer, cooler, more or less saturated depending on your tastes and not someone else's.

 

[jrgold]

Does anyone sell LED throw flashlights that come with a Red, Green or Blue beam?

The noctigon k1 comes in red, green, and white osram emitters. It's a very powerful 21700 thrower


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Derek Dean]

Just a quick note of interest, it's come to my attention that the regular LEE filters fade VERY quickly when used in front of LEDs. It is now HIGHLY recommended that you purchase and use only LEE ZIRCON filters, which are specifically designed to be used with LEDs. Zircon material is twice as thick and highly resistant to fading.

I found the Lee Zircon filter # 802, which is approx. equivalent to minus 1/4 green, to be nearly perfect for filtering ALL my Zebralights. Zircon #803 would be approx equivalent to minus 1/8 green.

I was really surprised when I replaced all my regular Lee filters with the Zircon filters, to find exactly how much those old Lee Filters had faded, so trust me, it's really worth it for the slight extra expense to go for the Zircon filters.

I've updated the first post in this thread with the new info. Happy filtering : )

 

[jtr1962]

I noticed this thread dates from nearly 10 years ago. At this point there are any number of LEDs available in all color temperatures with CRIs at least in the low 90s. Given that, I question the point of filtering. Maybe it can fix small variations around the margins, but that's assuming the correct filter exists. But honestly, almost nobody would be able to tell CRI 93 from CRI 98, assuming a filter could get you from 93 to 98.

 

[Derek Dean]

jtr1962,
Just because an LED has a high CRI rating and nice color temperature doesn't necessarily mean it will have a pleasing tint. Color temperature and tint are two different animals, color temp is the variation between red/yellow and cyan/blue, while tint is the variation between green and magenta.

I have 4 lights that have CRI ratings above 90, and every single one of them has a greenish tint. When I place the proper level of magenta filter over them (or minus green if you prefer that nomenclature), they suddenly become extremely beautiful to my eye, with nearly perfect white beams and wonderful color rendering.

I believe I'm hyper sensitive to any green tint from my many years as a professional color printer, where I printed wedding photos all day long, and believe me, you don't want any hint of green in flesh tones, as it tends to make folks look a bit sickly.

Many folks don't mind a bit of green tint, because it can actually make outdoor foliage look rather nice, but for me, it's a no go. And yes, I've got two lights that specifically have Nichia 219b LEDs at 4500k , and they still appear just a bit green to my eye. But once I put a filter on them, then WOW, the green tint is gone and the colors just pop, and I'm a happy camper.

Hey, if you'd like to try some of this Zircon filter material for yourself, just PM me your address and I'll slip a small piece of Zircon 802 in the mail to you. You just might become a convert :twothumbs

 

[Got Lumens?]

I noticed this thread dates from nearly 10 years ago. At this point there are any number of LEDs available in all color temperatures with CRIs at least in the low 90s. Given that, I question the point of filtering. Maybe it can fix small variations around the margins, but that's assuming the correct filter exists. But honestly, almost nobody would be able to tell CRI 93 from CRI 98, assuming a filter could get you from 93 to 98.

Filtering will not increase the CRI. Filtering lowers certain color temperatures to make a light more aesthetically pleasing. The main point is You may have a light You really like but hate the tint, and filtering can help. Most LED lights last many years and great percentage of the older one's are still in service.

 

[kaichu dento]

I found the Lee Zircon filter # 802, which is approx. equivalent to minus 1/4 green, to be nearly perfect for filtering ALL my Zebralights. Zircon #803 would be approx equivalent to minus 1/8 green.

I've updated the first post in this thread with the new info. Happy filtering : )

Thanks for keeping up with this after all these years. I've had so many emitters swapped but have a modded E1L that for some reason was determined to be too difficult and I couldn't stand the light coming out of it. Now thanks to some minus green it's become one of my favorite lights to reach for.

 

[kaichu dento]

I noticed this thread dates from nearly 10 years ago. At this point there are any number of LEDs available in all color temperatures with CRIs at least in the low 90s. Given that, I question the point of filtering. Maybe it can fix small variations around the margins, but that's assuming the correct filter exists. But honestly, almost nobody would be able to tell CRI 93 from CRI 98, assuming a filter could get you from 93 to 98.

Yes, it's an old thread with still usable information. There are lots of emitter choices. Apparently you didn't read the pertinent parts of the thread or you would have understood better the reasons that some of us have been using the filters and the fact that you can do much more than fixing "small variations around the margins." Seems you're also confused as to the differences between CRI and output color. The first has nothing to do with this thread and the second is the primary focus of it.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

I thought it was emitter heat that caused LEE Filters to bleach out in the center. I concur with Derek that many Nichia, Hi CRI LED's have a hint of green and be distracting; that slight Magenta is much better for skin tones and some browns in the environment.

And with today's powerful light makers, the lumen loss from filtering is not a big deal. I just wonder how much light is reflected back off the shiny face of the filter nearest the source.

 

[jtr1962]

Filtering will not increase the CRI. Filtering lowers certain color temperatures to make a light more aesthetically pleasing. The main point is You may have a light You really like but hate the tint, and filtering can help. Most LED lights last many years and great percentage of the older one's are still in service.

My first instinct if I had a light I liked but hated the tint would be to swap out the emitter. That's doubly true if it's an older light. Swapping out the emitter for a modern, more efficient one could give 5x to 10x the output for a really old light. Moreover, emitters are dirt cheap nowadays compared to what they cost in the past.

 

[jtr1962]

Yes, it's an old thread with still usable information. There are lots of emitter choices. Apparently you didn't read the pertinent parts of the thread or you would have understood better the reasons that some of us have been using the filters and the fact that you can do much more than fixing "small variations around the margins." Seems you're also confused as to the differences between CRI and output color. The first has nothing to do with this thread and the second is the primary focus of it.

It's a long thread, so no, I didn't read most of it. My general take is that LEDs have improved vastly since this thread was started, both in terms of tint and CRI. Tint seems to be more a preference than anything else, so I get that part of it. Even modern LEDs may not have a tint you like because they're designed to mostly be on the BBL. Some people prefer a light source which is slightly off the BBL. Filters let you get something which isn't manufactured. I'm not really that sensitive to tints unless it's noticeably extreme. Bluish or aqua tints bother me the least. Purple tints bother me the most. Green is somewhere in between.

 

[jtr1962]

jtr1962,
Just because an LED has a high CRI rating and nice color temperature doesn't necessarily mean it will have a pleasing tint. Color temperature and tint are two different animals, color temp is the variation between red/yellow and cyan/blue, while tint is the variation between green and magenta.

I have 4 lights that have CRI ratings above 90, and every single one of them has a greenish tint. When I place the proper level of magenta filter over them (or minus green if you prefer that nomenclature), they suddenly become extremely beautiful to my eye, with nearly perfect white beams and wonderful color rendering.

I believe I'm hyper sensitive to any green tint from my many years as a professional color printer, where I printed wedding photos all day long, and believe me, you don't want any hint of green in flesh tones, as it tends to make folks look a bit sickly.

Many folks don't mind a bit of green tint, because it can actually make outdoor foliage look rather nice, but for me, it's a no go. And yes, I've got two lights that specifically have Nichia 219b LEDs at 4500k , and they still appear just a bit green to my eye. But once I put a filter on them, then WOW, the green tint is gone and the colors just pop, and I'm a happy camper.

Hey, if you'd like to try some of this Zircon filter material for yourself, just PM me your address and I'll slip a small piece of Zircon 802 in the mail to you. You just might become a convert :twothumbs

You may well be hyper sensitive to green tint. Note that one person's "white" can easily be someone else's green or purple or blue tint. I've heard the lens of your eyes yellows with age. A light which seemed blue in your youth might now seem perfectly white.

I'll PM you if I decide to take you up on your offer. In truth, the last few years I've been a caretaker for my mom, and have totally lost most interest in my hobbies. I haven't even touched most of my lights in years. Then in December my beloved cat got sick. I nursed her along until February 23 when she passed away. Cancer unfortunately, and by the time she exhibited noticeable symptoms there wasn't much which could be done beyond making her comfortable. Thankfully she spared me from having to make the decision to euthanize her. She was comfortable and happy right up until the end. Right now I'm just posting here as a distraction but in truth I've totally lost interest in all my hobbies, probably for a really long time. But if I get back into things, I'll probably ask you to send me some filters.

 

[Derek Dean]

jtr1962, absolutely correct that we all see things differently, which is the beauty of filters, as they let us customize the tint to our own personal liking, and at least for me, it's much easier than chasing different LEDs. I just make sure that any light I purchase now has a high CRI LED, and then when it arrives I filter it to my liking. Easy.

And yes, when I got my cataracts taken care of a few years ago, I did notice a distinct change in the clarity and color of light. It was quite wonderful to see the world with "new" eyes.

I'm sorry to hear about your cat, and having taken care of my Mom, I understand how easy it is to lose interest in hobbies, but don't worry, it doesn't last, and at some point something will just "click", and you'll suddenly find yourself interested again. Anyway, I hope you will take me up on my offer. I'll also throw in some regular (non Zircon) filter material for you to play with, as it can be a lot of fun.

 

[Owen]

I feel like there are many misconceptions about this topic, or maybe things people just don't give much thought to.
First, there is a fixed relationship between colors, and it is not subjective, or a "matter of preference".
Second, our visual acuity is based on contrast, not color rendering(how many colors are there on an eye chart?), and contrast is based on that fixed relationship between colors-which is why tint, not CRI, is what determines how well we differentiate details.
While they are not mutually exclusive, you can have high CRI without high contrast, which is why high CRI alone does not translate into "seeing better".
How well a color is rendered is often very hard to judge or appreciate without a standard to make a direct comparison with. Increased definition, defined as "the degree of distinctness in outline of an object, image, or sound, especially of an image", is something that is much more immediately obvious. When we see "high definition" displays, the idea is not that colors are rendered more accurately, but that the overall image is sharper, and shows more detail. "HD", a marketing term in optics, refers to the use of extra-low dispersion glass that reduces color fringing and chromatic aberration, the purpose again being a more detailed image with more well-defined edges.

Our perception of color changes, because our eyes can adapt to that. What they can't do is create contrast between colors, because that does not change.
I think this is why there is a lot of disappointment expressed about the tint of some of these high CRI LEDs, and it is certainly one of the reasons I have never given that term, or rating, much weight in my own buying decisions.

Anyway, what degrades these filters; is it heat?
I use a Lee filter to make a cool white, in a light that has no neutral option, more usable. I suppose some gradual degradation over time is not a big deal to me, since a single filter sheet is enough to make hundreds of them, and it only takes a couple of minutes to cut and swap in a new one...