UEHG vs UE blades (VERY pic heavy)

[Master Venturous]

This is going to be a comparison between two UEHG blades and two UE blades. Hopefully by the end of this comparison, you will better understand how each blade type effects both the color and appearance of the blade.

Note: All shots were taken with an ISO of 800 and an Aperture of f/22. The only variables that changed were the Shutter Speed and the blade type. Everything else remained the same. A variation of four Shutter Speeds was used, which I will post above each corresponding picture. Also note that the UEHG blades are 32" blades and the UE are 24" blades.


First let's start with a comparison of the actual sabers I'll be using for this comparison, the Dark Standard Issue V3 staff in Blazing Red and the Phantasm Initiate V3 staff in Guardian Blue:


Here are a couple shots of each saber with their blade plugs in:




In this first series of shots, I'll be comparing the UE blade vs the UEHG blade in the Blazing Red color. The UE blade is on the left and the UEHG blade on the right.

1/30 seconds:


1/10 seconds:


1/3 seconds:


0.6 seconds:



Here is the same comparison in Guardian Blue. Again, the UE blade is on the left and the UEHG blade on the right.

1/30 seconds:


1/10 seconds:


1/3 seconds:


0.6 seconds:



In this next series, I'll be comparing just the UEHG blades in both colors.

1/30 seconds:


1/10 seconds:


1/3 seconds:


0.6 seconds:



Now we will compare just the UE blades in each color.

1/30 seconds:


1/10 seconds:


1/3 seconds:


0.6 seconds:



Finally, here is a comparison of both blade types in each color. From left to right: UE BR, UEHG BR, UE GB, UEHG GB.

1/30 seconds:


1/10 seconds:


1/3 seconds:


0.6 seconds:



Concluding thoughts

- Blazing Red in the UEHG blades gives the weakest color
- Guardian Blue in the UE blades gives the strongest color
- Both colors look good at any Shutter Speed in the UE blades, both in person and on camera
- Blazing Red in the UEHG blades gives the strongest "light in a tube" effect
- Guardian Blue looks good in both blade types and there is very little "light in a tube" effect from Guardian Blue in the UEHG blades
- Blazing Red in the UEHG blades begins to wash out when placed next to Guardian Blue
- There is absolutely no "light in a tube" effect in the UE blades from either color, both on camera and in person

Tips for Photography

When photographing Blazing Red:
- When using UEHG blades, try to use either a very short Shutter Speed (1/6 or below) or a very long Shutter Speed (0.6 and above) to minimize the "light in a tube" effect
- The best effects come from using the UE blade at shorter Shutter Speeds (1/6 and below)
- Use a shorter Shutter Speed (1/6 and below) to bring out more of the true color of the blade (produces the true Sith color)
- Use a longer Shutter Speed (1/3 and above) if you want a more intense looking blade

When photographing Guardian Blue:
- The best effects come from using the UE blade at longer Shutter Speeds (1/3 and above)
- Use a shorter Shutter Speed (1/6 and below) if you do NOT want the white core effect of the blade and to bring out more of the true color
- The color looks good in both blade types, but there is a slight "light in the tube" effect when using the UEHG blades at Shutter Speeds around 1/10


I hope you enjoyed this comparison review of both Ultraedge blade types and that you learned more of how the blade types affect the color, brightness, and appearance of the blade. I hope to one day repeat this comparison in the Standard blades and in other colors as well. Take care!

[Aurentis]

Those shutter speed tips are going to make my photographer friend extremely happy when she and I get together for a saber photoshoot -- less trial-and-error to get the look she wants.  More than that, it's just plain useful information to have at our disposal.

Good on you, sir!

[Master Venturous]

Thanks for taking the time to read through it. I will warn you though that all cameras are different, and settings that work for one camera sensor may not be the right settings to use for another. I am using a Nikon D7000, which is a semi-professional camera, so it has a pretty decent sensor in it. If you are using a camera of less quality or more quality, the settings will most likely vary a bit, but will generally be around the settings I used to achieve the same effects. I would suggest using my settings as starting points and make small increment adjustments from there in the direction of the desired effects you want to achieve.

- If you want more of the actual blade color, reduce the Shutter Speed in incremental steps to achieve the desired look.
- If you want more of the white core effect of the blade or a more intense looking blade, do the same in the other direction (increase the Shutter Speed).

Note that all my shots were taken in Manual Mode as well, so if you are using something other than that (Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Program, Automatic), you will not have full control over your settings in order to achieve precise effects. All other modes except Manual Mode give the camera control over some aspect of your settings, which would render this comparison almost useless. In order to achieve specific desired blade effects, it is best to use Manual Mode if your camera has it. If not, then the next best thing I would recommend is using Shutter Priority mode in order to dial in specific Shutter Speeds and raising or lowering your ISO setting to brighten or darken the image respectively.

Feel free to post your images to this thread so we can have a look at how your shots turned out and what settings you used to get them.

[eerockk]

Awesome comparison, Venturous! Your photos are going to be what's responsible for me getting off my arse and buying a new tripod to replace the one I broke a year ago. 

Points awarded accordingly!

You're not the only one I'm thinking of here, but since you've joined the forum, your posts/videos/advice have been nothing but gold, IMO. Thanks man, for making for making daily life on the forums that much better! 

[Master Venturous]

Thank you for the great compliment. The funny thing is, it actually took me two attempts to write out that comparison. Like you, I always Preview my posts first before actually posting them, however when I tried to preview it, the page crashed from all the pictures lol. So when I refreshed the page, everything I typed out was gone, making me retype the entire thing. That was not a fun day, but I'm glad people find the information useful.