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Sun, bounce, or daylight LED
An Orlando face at 11 a.m. Is lit by a source you cannot dim. The decision is how to fill the shadows that sun carves, and whether a 5600K head earns its battery. The table uses Aputure’s published LS 60d photometrics as the LED column, and the Florida Climate Center’s July 92.0°F normal as the heat column’s reminder.
| Sun only | Sun + bounce | Sun + 5600K LED fill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who is the key? | The sun | The sun | The sun; LED is fill unless you are in open shade |
| Colour | Daylight; white-balance ~5600K | Same, plus whatever the bounce is (white vs gold) | Match the head to daylight. Aputure LS 60d lists 5600K, CRI ≥96, TLCI ≥98 |
| Control | Move the body, wait for a cloud, find shade | Angle and distance of the bounce; wind will flap it | Dimmer and beam (LS 60d 15 to 45°); 54,300 lux at 1 m spot, 9,014 lux flood |
| At 3 metres | Whatever the sun is | Soft fill, low output compared with noon sun | 7,602 lux in spot, 1,096 lux in flood on the LS 60d sheet |
| Heat on kit | Body in sun. Sony 32 to 104°F window | Same, plus a board that wants to sail | Lamp head listed −4°F to 113°F; batteries still follow the camera |
| Power | None | None | AC, D-Tap, or NP-F as Aputure lists; full output needs the power they specify |
| Park friction | Handheld walks | A board can obstruct hardscape; city park rules limit objects on pavement | Stands and cables are “objects on the hardscape” without permission on the city park-rules page |
When each column wins
Sun only
Open shade on the Lake Eola loop, or after 4 p.m. When the key drops. Fast, legal on a handheld walk, harsh at noon.
Bounce
A white card or a wall. No extra heat load on a battery. Wind on the lake will move a fabric bounce. Weight it or skip it.
Daylight LED fill
Open shade under a live oak, or a stand-up where the sun is backlight. Keep the head in 5600K. Read the lux-at-distance table so the fill does not overpower the key and go “interview flat.”
FAQ
- Why not tungsten outdoors?
- Tungsten sits near 3200K. Daylight and a 5600K LED will look blue on a tungsten balance, or the tungsten will look orange on a daylight balance. Match the family.
- Do I need the 54,300 lux figure?
- Only as a 1-metre spot maximum on that fixture. At talking distance the flood row (9,014 lux at 1 m, 1,096 at 3 m) is the honest fill number.
Sources: Aputure LS 60d; Florida Climate Center; City park rules.