2024 LMU Camera/Lighting Tests

These tests were done at LMU’s School of Film & Television in July of 2024 by Roberto Schaefer, ASC, AIC, and Adam Wilt, assisted by CML volunteers Robert Cunningham, Lamont Burrell, and Jose del C Martinez, and LMU volunteers Jules Howard, Jayadeep Neerubavi, and Luke Taylor.

Test setup and image processing details.

Part I: 9 Cameras and 23 Lights Combined

As in our NFA 2020 tests we captured the same scene with 9 different cameras (the GH7 was used both in raw and in ARRI LogC3 mode, so it counts twice) under 23 different lights, at both 3200 K and 5600 K settings. In addition we captured 3 lights at 4400 K following a discussion on CML about using that color temperature; you can compare the 4400 K clips against those from the same lights at 3200 K and 5600 K.

Warning: The DSC ChromaMatch GEO chart’s illumination wasn't consistent between lights, and it suffered from variable flare (most obvious in the tungsten tests). ChromaMatch images in these tests are not indicative of a light’s and/or camera’s color rendering ability and are only useful for comparing the relative performance of different cameras under the same light. Compare ChromaMatch images and ’scope patterns only between tests with the same light.

Data pages

Cameras & lights tested: Info on the equipment tested, including slate/file IDs and website links.

Browse tests by thumbnail: Click or tap thumbnail to open a page with detailed lighting info.

A/B Comparison: View tests side-by-side in an A/B splitscreen. (CML cookies need to be accepted for the A/B Comparison to work, otherwise it will revert to the Alexa 35 and the Electro Storm CS15 all the time. You can change your cookie choices by clicking on the floating cookie at the bottom right corner of the page.)

DPX files: A single exposure-leveled, Rec.709 dpx frame for each of the tests.

Video clips

All tests, organized by camera: Clips of all lights and CCTs for each camera. Clips with -leveled are exposure-leveled, but not white-balanced; -balanced clips are leveled and balanced; -balanced-skintone clips show a vectorscope trace for the models’ faces only.

All tests, organized by light: Leveled and balanced clips of all cameras for each light. Clips with -scopes include WFM and vectorscope overlays (see warning above).

Video links open on Vimeo. If the pages are blank or the videos will not play, your browser is too old to display Vimeo clips. Please use a more recent browser / OS / mobile device to see the videos.

Part II: 33 Lights Measured

We set up 33 lights and measured their CCT, ∆uv, and color-quality metrics at 3200 K, 4400 K, 5600 K, and 6500 K, all at 100% power. We also measured color and output at 50%, 25%, and 10% power at 5600 K, and looked at the effect of modifiers (diffusers, fresnels, etc.) on color, brightness and beam patterns.

Light Measurements: A summary of our results, with links to detailed information for each light.