ccarrolladams said:
Please help me understand the methodology.
How did you set the color temperature of the Hue to match the SysLite? What sort of instrumentation did you use?
Are all the results the result of eyeball estimates? With currently available instrumentation the delivered lumens should not be in question.
Interesting discussion.
To answer CCaroll's questions, yes, the finely calibrated instruments I used were my Mark One Eyeballs. [eek] Certainly no match for dedicated calibrated test equipment. However, given that my handheld lightmeter is dead, that is all I have to go on. That, and a number of years shooting a Leica M3 film camera having no light meter. I had to train my eyes to really see light. I learned eyes make terrible light meters, but you can get along pretty well after some practice and rules of thumb.
Anyway, my "test rig" involved a blank wall. The SysLite was set in a tripod washing one side and inside corner of the wall with light. The Hue, missing its diffuser, was set up similarly on the other side/corner. The beam patterns happened to match. The Hue iOS app allowed me to, with the slide of my finger, adjust the Hue bulb to roughly the same color temperature as the SysLite. The latter having a touch more green in it than the Hue, to my eye, but it was as close as I could get it. Subjectively, standing back to take in the big picture, the brightness of the areas lit on the wall were very similar for both lamps. Darned if my handheld lightmeter wasn't broken, or I would've at least tried to get some measurements that way.
Another LED product I'm impressed enough with to invite into my home is
CREE's CR6 recessed can light retrofit. Like Hue, they are using multi-color LED arrays to produce white light with a >90 CRI. Neither Hue, nor CR6 are RGB, but a curious mix of broad and narrow spectrum colors. How that would fare in film use, I don't know. It does please my eye, especially with the "bowl of fruit" test! ;-) Most CFLs and phosphor-based LEDs have not passed that test in my kitchen. Now we're starting to see some quality light out of these things.
Of course, I'm not trying to suggest any off-the-shelf LED lightbulb is a replacement for the SysLite, far from it. Just that the opportunity presented itself to do a side-by-side brightness comparison for my own curiosity: how bright is it really? Thus, sharing here. I find it fascinating the SysLite is such as great tool for the film industry. I have no idea how the Hue bulb would fare in your requirements, but it might be something to keep an eye on for future evaluation.
BTW - there is an active developer community around Hue now that the API has been released. One such project involves
controlling Hue with DMX controllers for possible stage lighting use. Who know where that will lead.
(edited for clarity)
. )
