Shooter21
Enlightened
This is my favorite indoor torch. What do you guys think of this mule for photography?
Quad 219 Mule Photography
- Thread starter Shooter21
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Grmnracing
Newly Enlightened
I find the Nichia 219 great for color rendition.
Brown curtains. The left Nichia 219. The right side a Quark AA^2 XML. The Quark renders the colors way off. Makes everything look a bit green. What you see in the picture of the 219 is the exact my eye sees in person.
The Nichia 219 is great for night time BBQ's. The actual color of the meat is very apparent with the Nichia. Once you go 219, it's hard to go back to any other led. The 219 handles white well also. It's not too warm to turn white to appear orange.
Now the 219 on the right, Quark on the left.
Steven
Brown curtains. The left Nichia 219. The right side a Quark AA^2 XML. The Quark renders the colors way off. Makes everything look a bit green. What you see in the picture of the 219 is the exact my eye sees in person.
The Nichia 219 is great for night time BBQ's. The actual color of the meat is very apparent with the Nichia. Once you go 219, it's hard to go back to any other led. The 219 handles white well also. It's not too warm to turn white to appear orange.
Now the 219 on the right, Quark on the left.
Steven
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Shooter21
Enlightened
Its installed in a copper p60 host and it has 3 levels moonlight-medium-high. Im not sure about the output but on high its about 800 lumens
BenChiew
Flashlight Enthusiast
Looks tempting. I mean those fruits. Great start.
jcw122
Enlightened
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- Jun 19, 2009
- Messages
- 445
Depends what kind of photography you're interested in. Color accuracy being what it is, if you are shooting for something to have mood or character it's going to fall short. I prefer warmer colors than the 219, even if it sacrifices color accuracy.
Flashlight Dave
Enlightened
From the beam shots it don't look like a mule. Is it from Oveready? I have a M61 219 that I sometimes use for photography but I read somewhere that cameras don't see light like we do and that HCRI is not as affective as one might think.
Very right about that. High CRI is only measured based on light sources of the same CCT (Correlated Color Temperature) and is not an indication of full color accuracy but rather color accuracy based on the given color temperature of the light source. Frequently when shooting with a high CRI emitter, I prefer to adjust the white balance setting to compensate for the mostly warmer tint.
As for my Night Trekking photos on my signature below, I prefer to leave the color temperature in camera closer to daylight to show the warmth of the tint but as you can see, the colors isn't as accurate.
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Shooter21
Enlightened
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Shooter21
Enlightened
mesa232323
Enlightened
This is a little off subject and I don't mean to side track this thread from LEDS but would incandescent lighting render color better than the HCRI nichia while taking pictures?
That mule is an ingenious idea. Where can I find a drop in like that?
That mule is an ingenious idea. Where can I find a drop in like that?
Shooter21
Enlightened
Yup incans are the best when it comes to color rendition. This is a custom drop in made by vinhnguyen54 on cpf you can contact him if you want one of these modules.
Derek Dean
Flashlight Enthusiast
Well, as has been discussed, while an incandescent light may have a CRI of 100, that doesn't necessarily mean it renders colors accurately, as seen by our eyes or a camera with it's white balance set to "daylight".
I think I'll have to setup a test. Shoot a scene lit by a Nichia 219, with the white balance set to daylight, and then shoot the same scene lit by an incandescent light, with the white balance set to "tungsten". It should be interesting.
mesa232323
Enlightened
This would be the perfect thread to post such pictures. I may do the same with my L3 Illuminations L10 nichia 219 vs streamlight stinger
Flashlight Dave
Enlightened
Definitely a mule! Cool setup!
Derek Dean
Flashlight Enthusiast
Ok, not very scientific, but I did a quick test using my Nichia 219 equipped NovTac 120P and my 30 year old 3D Maglight with an incandescent bulb and new batteries. These were all shot with my Canon G10 set to manual, with the white balance listed for each photo.
Nichia 219 - Camera WB set to "Daylight"
Incandescent 3D Maglight - Camera WB set to "Tungsten"
Nichia 219 - Camera set to Auto WB
Incandescent 3D Maglight - Camera set to Auto WB
Incandescent 3D Maglight - Camera WB set to "Daylight"
Incandescent 3D Maglight - Camera WB set to"Daylight" - Photoshop WB set to 3200
So, to my eyes the Nichia 219 slightly edges the incandescent light for color accuracy, but to be honest, there are so many variables in a test like this that I could probably spend some time and get them both to look pretty much equal.
Still, this certainly shows how far LED technology has come, and should prompt us to request more High CRI 4500 kelvin LED equipped lights.
Nichia 219 - Camera WB set to "Daylight"
Incandescent 3D Maglight - Camera WB set to "Tungsten"
Nichia 219 - Camera set to Auto WB
Incandescent 3D Maglight - Camera set to Auto WB
Incandescent 3D Maglight - Camera WB set to "Daylight"
Incandescent 3D Maglight - Camera WB set to"Daylight" - Photoshop WB set to 3200
So, to my eyes the Nichia 219 slightly edges the incandescent light for color accuracy, but to be honest, there are so many variables in a test like this that I could probably spend some time and get them both to look pretty much equal.
Still, this certainly shows how far LED technology has come, and should prompt us to request more High CRI 4500 kelvin LED equipped lights.
Thanks Derek Dean for taking the time to do this!
The most accurate color achievable would be to understand the exact color temperature of the LED and set the white balance accordingly. All higher end cameras allow users to set color temperature based on degree Kelvin and it should be enough to compensate for the difference in color temperature. Alternatively, one can use a white card to do a preset white balance before taking the actual picture.
Back to the original topic about using a Mule type light for photography, although the beam is smooth with hardly any hotspot, I still find the lighting a little harsh, especially when using it as a side light where shadows still appear harsh and with a defined edge. End of the day I would still prefer a dedicated strobe (flash) with a soft box on it for a softer overall lighting. That said, the Mule setup isn't totally useless. It sure do have it's place as an added accessory for times where dedicated lighting is not readily available.
The most accurate color achievable would be to understand the exact color temperature of the LED and set the white balance accordingly. All higher end cameras allow users to set color temperature based on degree Kelvin and it should be enough to compensate for the difference in color temperature. Alternatively, one can use a white card to do a preset white balance before taking the actual picture.
Back to the original topic about using a Mule type light for photography, although the beam is smooth with hardly any hotspot, I still find the lighting a little harsh, especially when using it as a side light where shadows still appear harsh and with a defined edge. End of the day I would still prefer a dedicated strobe (flash) with a soft box on it for a softer overall lighting. That said, the Mule setup isn't totally useless. It sure do have it's place as an added accessory for times where dedicated lighting is not readily available.
Shooter21
Enlightened
Great pics Derek, Surprisingly I think the 219 does a better job in that scenario than the maglite.
