Inside the booth
Diagnose LED bands caused by rolling-shutter timing
A steady-looking light to your eye can vary during a sensor’s row readout.
Horizontal brightness bands across a phone portrait can result from the interaction between a changing light output and a rolling-shutter sensor. The room may look evenly lit while the camera records different brightness by row.
Compare with a continuous reference light
Capture a plain wall under the suspect booth light, then repeat under a known steady source while keeping the camera settings similar. If bands appear only under one light, test its dimmer or operating mode. LED drivers and pulse-width modulation can interact with rolling-shutter capture.
Evidence: Camera manufacturer documentation
Change timing, not just brightness
Try another exposure time or a different camera mode and compare several frames. A brighter light may make the image more exposed without removing temporal modulation. Do not infer the mains frequency or prescribe a universal shutter value from one photograph. Some camera anti-flicker modes time a mechanical shutter for supported lamp frequencies, but their capabilities vary by model and do not necessarily handle high-frequency LEDs. Check the camera manual and judge the recorded frame, not only the live preview.
Evidence: Camera manufacturer troubleshooting
Keep an evidence pair
Save one affected and one clean test image with the light and camera settings recorded. If the booth uses a dedicated strobe, verify its synchronization using the manufacturer’s camera and light documentation. Do not modify electrical equipment to chase image banding.
Evidence: Camera manufacturer documentation
Sources & further reading
Sources for the specific facts and product descriptions above. Our worked examples, interpretations and practical suggestions are original editorial guidance.
- Basler, Light Control DocumentationCamera manufacturer documentation
- Sony Support, How to reduce camera flickeringCamera manufacturer troubleshooting