When shooting macro video with light, do you need a filter?

[Papasmurf89]

Just like the title says. Would you guys recommend using a filter if shooting macro video with lights? Or would the lights be enough that you don't need to use the filter?

 

[3D diver]

Lights should be sufficient.

 

[tbone1004]

no. color filters are there to basically put back the part of the color spectrum that is lost at depth. Artificial light puts out the full color spectrum you need which removes that requirement. Using a filter with artificial lights will cause not only a light reduction to the sensor, but also overcompensate with a color shift. Bad news. Make sure you have sufficient lighting though

 

[toozler]

There is no real advantage in having both, both it does no harm - if your light emits a white bean, which most LED torches do.

The advantage for me is that there is still some degree of color correction on background objects (not reached by the light), but keep in mind the deeper and further you are from objects, the less effective filters are as the physical distance light travels increases and more yellow/orange/red/purple wavelengths are filtered out.

These were shot with a light, a red filter (internal) and a +10 macro diopter. The camera will compensate the 'excess' redness, as long as the light covers the whole frame. If the light is not wide enough, the camera will try to average the white balance for the whole frame (lit and unlit areas), which then causes exposure and white balance freakouts.

 

[tursiops]

There is no real advantage in having both, both it does no harm - if your light emits a white bean, which most LED torches do.

The advantage for me is that there is still some degree of color correction on background objects (not reached by the light), but keep in mind the deeper and further you are from objects, the less effective filters are as the physical distance light travels increases and more yellow/orange/red/purple wavelengths are filtered out.

These were shot with a light, a red filter (internal) and a +10 macro diopter. The camera will compensate the 'excess' redness, as long as the light covers the whole frame. If the light is not wide enough, the camera will try to average the white balance for the whole frame (lit and unlit areas), which then causes exposure and white balance freakouts.


View attachment 221263View attachment 221264

I really don't understand this, or you are wrong. If the camera can do such a good job of white-balancing, why do you need the filter? The filter also turns the video light red, but that effect is not seen in your pictures you show. Actually, it looks like your light you are using is so weak that your entire picture is being lit by ambient light, so the red filter is indeed a good idea. Both pictures appear to be in fairly shallow, clear water; why do you even need a red filter in the first place? And, in such shallow water, the ambient light will be quite bright, probably overwhelming a wear video light. What video light were you using?

 

[toozler]

I really don't understand this, or you are wrong. If the camera can do such a good job of white-balancing, why do you need the filter? The filter also turns the video light red, but that effect is not seen in your pictures you show. Actually, it looks like your light you are using is so weak that your entire picture is being lit by ambient light, so the red filter is indeed a good idea. Both pictures appear to be in fairly shallow, clear water; why do you even need a red filter in the first place? And, in such shallow water, the ambient light will be quite bright, probably overwhelming a wear video light. What video light were you using?

This was shot at about 10-15m (30-50 ft) in clear water on a sunny day. Here are a few screen caps without the filter on the first dive - because I too felt like it wouldn't be necessary but was wrong. You are correct about the video light, it was a small 180 lumens (60 deg) torch, so it doesn't 'pump in' a lot of red.



As I mentioned, if the whole frame isn't lit, then you start noticing more red because the camera white balance will average the whole image. Here is a screen cap with the light ON but without the diopter and shooting in WIDE mode. Note how red the lit area looks.



Here is a under lit ledge with filter, macro diopter, light (same 180 lumens) and on narrow mode.

 

[tursiops]

This was shot at about 10-15m (30-50 ft) in clear water on a sunny day. Here are a few screen caps without the filter on the first dive - because I too felt like it wouldn't be necessary but was wrong. You are correct about the video light, it was a small 180 lumens (60 deg) torch, so it doesn't 'pump in' a lot of red.

View attachment 221271View attachment 221272

As I mentioned, if the whole frame isn't lit, then you start noticing more red because the camera white balance will average the whole image. Here is a screen cap with the light ON but without the diopter and shooting in WIDE mode. Note how red the lit area looks.

View attachment 221273

Here is a under lit ledge with filter, macro diopter, light (same 180 lumens) and on narrow mode.

View attachment 221274

You need a stronger, wider-beam video light. Then you'll not want to use a red filter with the light. Right now you are basically shooting ambient and the light is irrelevant. 180 lumens spread out over the image is almost nothing. 180 lumens focused in a narrow beam is fine.

 

[large_diver]

For macro, I would agree with the folks above...no filter needed assuming sufficient light.

Here is an extract from video I took here in greater Boston, USA about a week ago at a depth of about 100 feet. Visibility was a murky 15 feet; natural light was VERY dim. This was shot with with a Hero 3+, 1080, 60fps, medium field of view, Backscatter macromate mini lens and dual Sola 2500 lights. I need to work on my lighting angle and intensity, but the quality of the image and the coloring came out very nicely.

Sorry for the duplicate attached photos...not sure how that happened.

Here's a link if you want to see a much larger view of the pic

https://zurich-diver.smugmug.com/GoPro-Still-Capture-Oct-2015/i-HnxJGSQ/A