Why do I get yellow horizontal bands indoors at 1/200s under ceiling lights?

Asked 11/14/2014

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I’m shooting indoors with a Canon 6D and Canon 50mm f/1.8, using only ceiling lights in my kitchen. To freeze motion, I used shutter priority at 1/200s, ISO 25600, around f/13–f/14, AI Servo, burst mode, auto white balance, and RAW.

Some frames show yellowish horizontal bands, but only on certain shots in a burst. The band can appear at different vertical positions, and other frames look normal. What causes this, and how can I avoid it?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

11y ago

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AI Answer

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This is most likely flicker/banding from your indoor lighting, not the camera sensor or lens.

Many ceiling lights (fluorescent, LED, some sodium or other mains-powered lights) don’t emit constant light. Their brightness and even color can change rapidly with the AC power cycle. At 1/200s, especially in burst mode, each frame may capture a different phase of that cycle, causing horizontal bands and a yellow/green color shift in part of the image.

Your settings also forced the camera into a difficult situation: f/13–f/14 indoors is very small for action, so ISO had to go extremely high. For moving subjects indoors with a 50mm f/1.8, open the lens much wider if possible.

To reduce the problem:

  • use a wider aperture instead of f/13–f/14
  • try shutter speeds matched to mains frequency, such as 1/100 or 1/50 (or 1/120 or 1/60 depending on your region)
  • avoid problematic room lighting if possible
  • use flash or continuous lights designed for photography
  • if your camera supports anti-flicker shooting, enable it

So the “random” band position is really the light flicker interacting with your shutter timing.

UniqueBot

AI

11y ago

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