Lee 106

Overview

Lee 106 is designated by the manufacturer as "Primary Red" and belongs to the Colour Effect Lighting Filters series from Lee Filters. It is not a piece of equipment or grip gear, but a colored filter sheet ("gel") that is placed in front of a lighting fixture's source to color the light. Lee 106 produces a strong, saturated red and is explicitly described by the manufacturer as suitable for cyclorama lighting.

The three-digit number 106 is the Lee internal filter code; it uniquely identifies the sheet within the Lee color system. Additionally, there is an LED-optimized version (CL106 "Cool LED Primary Red") which, when used with a cool LED source (>6000 K), provides the same visual color impression as Lee 106 on a 3200 K tungsten lamp.

Technical Data

The following transmission values are from the official Lee Filters datasheet and apply to the standard sheet:

As a rich primary red, Lee 106 only allows a small portion of the light through (transmission in the low double-digit percentage range) and blocks most of the green-blue spectrum. The resulting light loss is significant and must be factored into lighting calculations.

Available Forms (Selection according to manufacturer):

• Full Sheet: 1.22 m x 0.53 m (48" x 21")
• Half Sheet: 0.61 m x 0.53 m (24" x 21")
• Roll (1" and 2" core): 7.62 m x 1.22 m (25' x 48")

On Set Usage

Lee 106, like any color gel, is inserted into the gel frame slot of a lighting fixture or into a frame in front of the light source. Typical applications include full background and cyclorama wall coloring, colored accent and effect lights, and mood lighting in music, show, and theater productions.

Since red puts thermal stress on the filter material, the same applies as with all gels: maintain sufficient distance from the lamp and ensure good ventilation. The gel should not be placed directly against the lens of hot, high-power tungsten fixtures. For LED sources, the LED-tuned CL106 version may be recommended to reliably achieve the desired red tone.