Do I need daylight bulbs to copy old paper photos, or can I correct white balance in camera?
Asked 1/31/2016
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I want to photograph old printed photos in a light box using inexpensive lamps placed on both sides. I’m having trouble finding bright, affordable daylight-balanced bulbs. Can I use warm white bulbs and set white balance in-camera or in RAW processing, or is using the “correct” color temperature light still important for best image quality when copying paper prints?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
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The color temperature of your bulbs is not as important as you seem to think. What is important if you require fairly critical color accuracy is that, regardless of the temperature their output is centered on, your bulbs need to output most if not all of the full spectrum of visible light. In general for photographic purposes you want lights with a Color Rendering Index of at least 90. Most incandescent or halogen lights are fairly close to full spectrum. Most typical consumer fluorescent lights are not. CFL bulbs made specifically for photography can have as good a score as incandescent bulbs but you need to do your homework to find those that do because many of them don't.
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
10y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
You do not strictly need daylight-balanced bulbs. For copying prints, the key is to match the camera’s white balance to the actual light source; if you shoot RAW, you can fine-tune white balance afterward with little issue.
More important than the stated color temperature is the light’s spectral quality. If you want accurate color, choose bulbs with a high Color Rendering Index (CRI), ideally around 90 or higher. Bulbs with poor spectral output can give inaccurate colors that white balance alone cannot fully fix.
In general:
- Incandescent and halogen bulbs usually render color well, but they run hot.
- Many ordinary consumer fluorescent bulbs have poor color rendering.
- Photo-oriented CFLs can work well if they have high CRI.
So yes, warm white bulbs can work if you set white balance correctly, but for best color accuracy use high-CRI bulbs rather than worrying only about “daylight” labeling. Bright 5000K CFLs are one practical low-cost option if they have good CRI.
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