KL Fiber Optic Light Sources

Advantages  

• Best colour reproduction, especially for red shades.
• Same colour spectrum as sunlight in visible region.
• Natural colour reproduction across the full spectrum.
• Practical use case which everybody knows: Cloths, which look different in sunlight compared to a shop with neon light.
• Use cases for microscopy include forensics, museums, medical technology, and yellow metals (brass, gold).

Disadvantages

• Colour temperature not consistent, between 3050K and 3400K depending on brightness setting. Optional daylight filter available.
• Lifetime of the lamp about 50-1500 hours, depending on brightness setting.
• Higher operational costs.

Advantages

• Long lifetime of 50,000 hours (decrease luminous lux to 70%).
• Consistent colour temperature of 5600K (daylight) during dimming. An optional halogen filter for a more yellow color is available, similar to halogen light.
• Low power consumption.

Disadvantages

• Limitations in colour reproduction, especially in the bluegreen and red color ranges.

Halogen and LED light sources have different native emission characteristics. Filters interact with them in distinct ways. Please see below the emission spectrum charts for the different KL light sources used with their corresponding color filters.

KL 1500 HAL (halogen)

KL 1600 LED / KL 2500 LED

If you need guidance selecting the optimal filter/light source pairing, SCHOTT’s application experts are available to support you.

The choice between those two products depends on your requirements and use case. The KL 300 LED allows multi-function illumination. It offers an easy exchange of light guides by using the same light source. Therefore, it gives full flexibility for realizing different illumination techniques with different light guides (Ring Light, Gooseneck, Flexible Light Guide, and Backlight). On the other hand, the EasyLED Spotlight Plus is a Gooseneck solution that offers brighter illumination and stronger contrast based on the independent light control of both arms.

A diffusor softens the light and reduces the reflection of LEDs on the sample. A polarisation filter eliminates reflections from the surface of the sample and pronounces anisotropic materials, but can also change the impression of the image. Furthermore, this method is very light-consuming.