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The only reason to do everything with a blue LED + phosphor is that it's smaller and simpler than an array of LEDs – particularly for small lights.

Streetlights use arrays of LEDs anyway (to achieve appropriate brightness) so shouldn't have any problem using a mix of different colors.



The color reproduction of RGB white LEDs is terrible. You just have tree spikes in the spectrum were each LED emmits light.


Street lighting isn't meant for photography though.


There is value to having things look like the colour they actually are outside of photography. Think of the nice red dress turning brown in the article.


Mixing colors in the array would be horrific. The array is sparse enough that each LED casts a distinct shadow through foliage. This forms a unique lighting texture on the pavement. If each LED were randomly red, amber, green, you'd have wild colors all over the pavement.

Single color is the way to go. And the broad spectrum produced by phosphor makes for better vision compared to the narrow spectrum of sodium or straight-LED lighting. IMO the best option would be phosphor + yellow or green LED.




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