Flashlight colour filters

LEDBE
F

foxtrot29

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May 21, 2008
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Not an often discussed topic I find are the colour (or "color" for my American brothers!) filters available for our lights.

Obviously the Surefire filters, (F05/F06, others for the C series lights) are high quality...

Anyone use the cheapy ebay spiderfire ones available on ebay? Typically $12 for 4 filters (blue/red/yellow/green)...?
 
Keep in mind, filtering is horribly inefficient, especially attempting to use something like a red filter on an LED light. Filters block most of the emitted light, allowing only certain wavelengths through.
 
try out color gels used for stage lighting.

You can buy a sample pack of color (or colour) swatches for around 5$? They have like 100 colors, and you can cut roughly 2 filters per swatch.
 
Look for Apollo gels Series 7. Sampler at internetapollo.com

:)
AP2240 Apollo Straw 1/4CTS Converts 5500K to 4500K.
AP2220 Apollo Straw 1/2CTS Converts 5500K to 3800K.

No large losses of light with these! :devil:
 
Marduke said:
Keep in mind, filtering is horribly inefficient, especially attempting to use something like a red filter on an LED light. Filters block most of the emitted light, allowing only certain wavelengths through.
Click to expand...

True, I actually wanted a red one -- in the hopes that it would also block some (at least half) of the emitted light.
 
Sgt. LED said:
Look for Apollo gels Series 7. Sampler at internetapollo.com

:)
AP2240 Apollo Straw 1/4CTS Converts 5500K to 4500K.
AP2220 Apollo Straw 1/2CTS Converts 5500K to 3800K.

No large losses of light with these! :devil:
Click to expand...

Sgt. LED - I looked for their Sampler, but I couldn't find it. I also did a search for Series 7, also no luck. Can you give me a direct link or tell me where to look? Thanks!
 
You are going to be pretty pleased with the results! :thumbsup:

Put it under the glass, it'll be safe and last forever.
 
Last edited:
No problem!

I like 2240 best, it's warm but subtle.
If you like the S2 Seoul with the 93 CRI then the 2220 would be nicer on your eyes.

I think it mostly depends on the tint on the LED you are trying to deal with. What tint did you land?

There are other color temp changing filters in the pack besides the Apollo straw, you might want to experiment a bit shining the light through some of them before you start cutting.
 
lets see...

the d20 uses a q5
it actually is ever so slightly greenish.

IMG_1568-800.jpg


:)
no beamshots.. I'm too lazy to do a custom WB.

IMO, I usually place the filter on the outside.. protects the glass.


here we are!

IMG_1571-800-1.jpg

IMG_1579-800.jpg

IMG_1581-800.jpg

IMG_1583-800-1.jpg
 
Last edited:
Very good job. Plus you used a Spyderco to cut it, nice.

So do you think it's worth telling others about? Every time I try all I get is noise about how inefficient it is and that it's a waste of time.

I don't think people understand that I'm taking about filters that are designed for this type of work. I think they only consider those old thick hard plastic incan tinting filters of the past! Still it doesn't work well for those hard shifts into red with an LED but that doesn't mean it needs to be ruled out all the time for LEd tint correction.

If you like how it works then do me a favor, point a few people to the free gels and maybe they will catch on. Some people are afraid to swap emitters and don't have the cash to pay others to do it for them. This is easy and you don't loose much if any light.

What puts out more lux, a Q2 5A or a gel corrected R2? :whistle:
 
heh.. I like how you noticed the spyderco..

Indeed, it is worth telling others about.. these filters probably only reduce light output by 10-30%? (all in all, that isn't much.)

speaking of which.. gonna do a lux test on that D20 now. with my camera.

3131 lux compared to 3414.. not too much of a change.

hmm.. actually, I'll change my testing method. same distance, with or without filter.

with filter: 3464
without: 4149

(NOT lux values.. comparison values, only)

well, we don't wanna be linking _too_ many people to the free filters.. that's what happened to LEE filters, and now they charge for this swatch books.
 
Last edited:
Great! Thanks for letting me know how much light really is lost. I can't tell with my naked eye.

It doesn't seem like enough light loss to be concerned about personally on the 1st test. Now on the 2nd test it's a noticeable difference.

Hmmmm.......
 
Last edited:
well, the second test would be more accurate.

the first test used measurements from a different test.. the camera may have been positioned differently.
 
Well then it does lose more than I thought. Maybe I don't notice the loss of light because of the added warmth and the way it's percieved by my eyes? :thinking:

Oh well, it still makes crappy tints look good! :D
 
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