Filter for indoor flash photos

[wibbly]

When I take photos indoors with ambient light I want the colour of the flash to be similar to the ambient light. So I set the colour balance of the camera to be the same as the ambient light (Tungsten or Flourescent) and put a filter in front of the flash to make it match the ambient too.

For Tungsten, I see the Lee 100mm polyester filter range, and the 81B (P81B) recommended for the purpose. But which filter is it for matching Flourescent ambient light?

www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Lighting/Sto_Fen_Omni_Bounce_01.htm (http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Lighting/Sto_Fen_Omni_Bounce_01.htm)

lead me to the 81B

I don't think there's a green OB to fit my 420EX (yet), so it looks like a need a green filter, but which one?

John

[Jay J]

Wibbly,

That's a great question and I hope someone answers it. Because as a wedding photographer I have a heck of a a time with the 10D's ambient light color casts. My skin tones are always whacko.

I'd like to set the camera on a kelvin setting to take care of ambient light and then gel the flash, but I'm not sure what gel to put over the flash.

The other thing that concerns me is that ambient, say in the brides living room, is much less than in a closed off reception room that is lit with nothing but ambient light. Which means one setup for one ambient light condition may not be correct for another.

It's my only complaint about the 10D and now the 20D. Miserable color casts, poor skin tones and all of it stems from the camera not having an external white balance control. This leads to poor AWB is many situations and poor ambient light white balancing.

Like I said, hope someone can help us.

Jay J
www.julianophotography.com (http://www.julianophotography.com)

[wibbly]

Ideally, we'd be able to set the colour temp of the flash continuously to meet/match the prevailing ambient light temperature. Ambient (if that's all there is) can be sorted with a custom white balance. But then adding a fill flash messes it up to a somewhat unpredictable degree.

So I'm selecting the two fixed custom WB cases of Tungsten, and whatever correction is used for the 20D's generic 'Fluorescent' correction, and asking for each of these cases, how can I make the flash somewhere nearer the same temp as the ambient?

Looks like it's 81B for tungsten and some (??) shade and density of green for Fluorescent... Someone in another forum said 'light green' with maybe some yellow, which doesn't help me actually select something close to start...

John

[Akreager]

Pbly less than what you were looking for. I use Nikon flash and they provide the filters and I can buy a decent range. What I use to do in the past was go buy gels intended for studio flash, cut them down and tape them on. I just forget which. Go to a site like B&H or Adorama and search their products for 12X12 FL to Daylight. There will some diferent choices. They are not expensive.

[cmM]

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=45189&is=REG

[chtgrubbs]

Rosco Labs makes a filter called "PlusGreen" which is designed to replicate the balance of flourescent. It should be available from B&H, Calumet, and also theatrical lighting supply houses.

[wibbly]

Well, found this Lee Colour Magic Arc Collection pack, £13.20 @ Speedgraphic in the UK. Contains sheets of exactly what (I think) I want :-) Designed for putting over lights.

http://www.leefilters.com/LP2.asp?PageID=70

CTO filters convert daylight to tungsten Plus Green's good for making daylight = fluorescent

Fluorescent Green's not useful to me as they do tungsten to fluorescent correction.