Well, that happens every time I get a new camera . . .

Post #340,855 by Andrew Grygus 3/25/11 10:48:53 AM Reply	Well, that happens every time I get a new camera . . . . . which is usually when the current one breaks. My current generation point-and-shoot camera (Canon G10) is really lousy on pure reds. Other brands are worse - the Nikon was so bad I immediately replaced it with the Canon - but the Nikon is great for parties and outdoors. The Canon is much better than its predecessor (Pentax 750Z) on orange, but still renders things like a cut open squash as slightly orangish yellow rather than orange. It does greens quite well, which the Pentax did not - but that camera did reds much better. Overall color rendition is much different between the Canon and the Pentax (the Canon is much warmer), and both are quite different from the Kodak that preceded them. I'm hoping that when the Canon breaks I can get a camera that does green, red and orange all well. Meanwhile, I've got tons of stuff awaiting re-photo.
Post #340,856 by drook 3/25/11 11:06:20 AM Reply	If the camera doesn't have good white balance settings ... Any relatively modern photo editing software has really good auto white-balance correction. That's the first thing I do on all photos: White balance, then do an incremental un-do if it overcorrected. Typically the only other thing I need to do is sharpen so they look good at smaller resolution. -- Drew
Post #340,862 by Andrew Grygus 3/25/11 12:17:14 PM Reply	White ballance hasn't been a problem. It does white just fine. Bluish reds have been the worst problem (and have been mentioned in reviews, particularly of the Nikon). That can't be corrected without throwing whites and everything else off. This new lighting seems to have significantly corrected the red problem, but oranges are still too yellow.
Post #340,890 by Ashton 3/26/11 1:42:55 AM Reply	Is there such a thing as a variable-Â°K light source? Somewhat calibrated, that is. Take pic with guesstimated 'sunlight value'; view on your screen (what is Its spectral response curve?) Measure eyes-brain spectral response [Hah] -- alter °K for bracketing -- decide. Easy peasy. /Ducks.
Post #340,899 by crazy 3/26/11 8:03:59 AM Reply	Have you tried any other lighting types? CMH gives an incredible richness, kind of like have a controllable sun 4 feet away. http://www.google.co...amic+metal+halide
Post #340,903 by Andrew Grygus 3/26/11 10:50:33 AM Reply	Those seem a bit erratic . . . . . and temperature sensitive. The florescents I bought are specifically for photography and have a very stable color temperature. Three 45w curly florescents give me 1500W incandescent equivalent, which is pretty good for my uses. 65W and 85W versions are available should I need them. Color temperature of 5500° seems to work just fine. Strangely, while it looks very good with almost no correction needed on both tube monitor or flat screen, it looks terrible on the camera's own screen.
Post #340,912 by drook 3/26/11 1:19:42 PM Reply	Yeah, you learn to just trust the CFLs Stuff looks "unnatural" to the naked eye at first. Too bluish. But much better on-screen. -- Drew
Post #340,949 by crazy 3/28/11 7:03:41 AM Reply	Not sure what you mean by that Those bulbs were created to retrofit factory floor HPS lighting so they have a very specific ballast that runs them. But the ballast is common and cheap. They are intended for a variety of harsh environments. I have a portable one, not light, but portable. It takes about 5 minutes to warm up fully, and then the light of a single 250 watt bulb will easily outshine 1000 watts of incandescent, and do it just like the sun. Without getting that hot, at least as compared to any other HID bulb. If possible, visit a store with a couple burning and take a few pictures. The difference will be obvious. Especially for any pictures that have any depth, since the light will shine far deeper than any florescent.
Post #340,957 by drook 3/28/11 9:36:28 AM Reply	Depth is usually not an issue Most of my shots are taken within two feet of the subject. "Hero" shots are typically less than a foot. The lights are usually about three feet for the overhead and a foot or less for the backlight, which I sometimes bounce for front fill. -- Drew
Post #340,972 by Andrew Grygus 3/28/11 12:52:12 PM Reply	A 5 minute wait for a bulb to stabilize? Sorry, that just doesn't fit my lifestyle. Also, literature on those bulbs says the color temperature varies noticeably with ambient temperature, warm up time and from bulb to bulb. Great for factory floor lighting I'm sure, but not quite right for my application.

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