Are there any LED lights that are color temperature specific?

Question

I'm into video production and NEED to use halogen lamps because of the color temperature - flourescent lights are "too greenish" and tungsten light bulbs tend to be "too yellowish", but halogens give nice skin tones because of their color temperature. However, halogen lamps use a LOT of electricity and give off a LOT of heat, so I was wondering if I could eventually replace them with LED lighting instead, which is much more energy efficient (lower electric bill and less heat). Thanks to all who answer.

I'm just starting to get into digital video production, so I do not have a lot of gear yet. I don't have color meters or filters, and my camera right now is an Apple iSight webcam because the camera I want isn't available yet (high definition "prosumer" level gear) - and won't be until at least December. I have friends with decent cameras that are going to work with me using their cameras until I get my own. Some excellent answers here - thanks!

Answer 1

I understand your question but I really don't know the color temperature of LEDs. If you're doing a lot of video surely you have a color temp meter and can measure the Kelvin degrees of your light source.

OTH, LEDs are not cheap. They last so long that it's basically a one-time investment but to put out the light volume you're probably needing is going to use a lot of them.

If you don't want to build you own then I think what you are looking for is the Zylight Z50 and Z90 video lighting units. The Z50 can be camera mounted and both can be ganged together. Here's the specs:
http://www.atscomms.com/Sales/Products/Video/Lighting/Zylight_Z50/zylight_z50.html
http://www.atscomms.com/Sales/Products/Video/Lighting/Big_News_from_Zylight_April_20/big_news_from_zylight_april_20.html
The Z50 has an MSRP of $675.99 and it is available from Calumet Photo. The Z90 is $875.99 and is "overdue from the vendor." You can get wireless control for them also.
http://www.calumetphoto.com/item/ZL0050/
http://www.calumetphoto.com/item/ZL0090/
If you get one of these I'd appreciate hearing from you how well it works.

Here's some other info sources for you that may help:
http://www.laminaceramics.com/news/113005.aspx
http://people.csail.mit.edu/unamay/research-abstracts/led-abstract/led-abstract.html
http://www.theledlight.com/led-definitions.html
http://trinorthlighting.com/Store/index.php?main_page=index
http://www.trinorthlighting.com/Light%20Basics.htm

I'm doing some still photos with a bank of fluorescent lights, 6 to a side, and they are different brands and you can see color differences just looking at the lights. My Nikon P4 camera, which is a sophisticated point-n-shoot, has no problem with the white balance. I grant you that I'm not doing anything that is color critical but it is product photography. I wouldn't be able to deal with that horrible green color that comes from fluorescents and conventional film.

I went to the fluorescents just because of the heat problem. I was using a 500-watt blue coated bulb and reflectors. I couldn't stand it on for more than a few minutes. It fell on one of my cloth backdrops and I had an instant fire... not fun. Now my 12 40-watt fluorescents barely put off enough heat to be noticeable, give a lot more even lighting and, at 48" in length, cover a greater area. I've noticed a lot of digital pros switching to massive fluorescent light banks mounted in a box on casters that can moved easily around the studio. Some of these are light walls a dozen feet wide. I watched a location shot in an auto display room where the photographer brought two of these units in by semi that were about 25' long. They were covered with translucent white plexiglass that had been spray painted with transparent dye that added some magenta and blue to the light. Maybe you could experiment?

Answer 2

For video production, you require lights which are environment friendly, power saving, high intensity and less temperature. One important factor in lights which you should consider is dimmer control. And with the help of gel filters you can soften the output of the light so that you can get clear cut picture of your subject.
Rest, it entirely depends upon your shooting needs and in what kind of environment you’ll be using them.

http://www.dvcity.com/dvshop/CAMTREE-2pc.-SUN-6-LED-Fresnel-Lights.html

http://www.dvcity.com/dvshop/1pc.-Camtree-Shine-60-degree-288-LED-12V-Flood-Lights-CT-4-6012-without-Stand.html

Answer 3

WHY DON'T YOU TRY CONVERSION FILTERS FOR THE LIGHT YOU ARE USING, FOR INSTANCE A BLUISH FILTER WITH THE TUNGSTEN ONE. ALSO TRY THE WHITE BALANCE IN YOUR CAMERA.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHEN YOU SAID; "LIGHT EMITTING DIODES LIGHTS".