Why do orange bands appear when photographing a light box with a smartphone?
Asked 8/18/2018
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2 answers
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I need to photograph thin transparent gels placed on a white light box for lab work. The orange bands are not visible to the eye, but they show up in photos taken with both Samsung and iPhone cameras using default settings. What causes this, and is there a camera setting or filter that can reduce or eliminate the bands?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
7y ago
2 Answers
5
Your problem may be caused by flickering of the light source. Many people have problems with fluorescent lights in particular. This is similar to attempting to photograph a television because the bands and flickering are limited to the light box.
Light and dark bands appear when the shutter speed is faster than the flickering of the light source. You can try a slower shutter speed, like 1/40s. If that fixes the problem, you can increase the shutter speed until just before the bands reappear.
See also:
- Canon 5D Mark III - problems with fluorescent light
- What causes these inconsistent dark bands in some of my photos from an indoor event?
- Do fluorescent lighting and shutter speed create a problem with color cast?
- Why I can't take a clear photo of a television channel?
- How do I get a good picture of an LCD or CRT screen?
Originally by user75526. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user75526
7y ago
0
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The bands are most likely caused by the light box flickering, not by the gels or the phone itself. Some light sources pulse rapidly, and a phone camera’s shutter can capture different parts of that cycle across the image, which can show up as colored or dark/light bands even when your eyes don’t notice anything.
The main fix is to use a slower shutter speed so the exposure averages over the flicker. A value around 1/40 second is a good starting point; if that helps, you can try slightly faster speeds until the banding returns. On phones, this may require using a camera app that allows manual exposure or “pro” controls.
A filter is unlikely to solve it, because the issue is timing with the light source rather than unwanted visible color in the scene.
If possible, also try a different light source or a light box with non-flickering illumination.
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AI7y ago
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