Lee 251

Overview

Lee 251 is the designation for the Quarter White Diffusion from the range of the British manufacturer Lee Filters. It is a diffusion gel (light filter) placed in front of a light source to scatter and soften the light. Despite the name, 251 is not a color filter or color correction, but serves exclusively for light shaping: the milky-white gel softens hard edges and shadows without significantly altering the color temperature.

Within Lee's White Diffusion series, 251 is among the weaker diffusion strengths, falling below the stronger Half White Diffusion (250) and the full White Diffusion. For even more subtle diffusion, there is the Eighth White Diffusion (252).

Technical Data

The following values are from the official Lee Filters specification:

The gel is manufactured on a robust polyester base. The 251 is available as individual sheets and in various roll widths and cores.

On-Set Usage

Lee 251 is used when a very slight softening of the light is desired without losing much brightness. Typical applications:

• Gently mitigating hard, defined shadows, for example on faces and in interviews.
• Reducing glare and harsh reflections by distributing the light more evenly.
• Fine-tuning diffusion strength when 250 (Half) already diffuses too much.

Since the transmission is around 80% and only about a third of a stop is lost, the 251 is particularly suitable when light output is limited but a noticeably softer characteristic is still desired. The gel is typically attached to the barndoors of the light fixture using gel clips or tape; due to heat generation, sufficient distance from the light source should be maintained.