What kind of lights are these

Max Moosbrugger · July 19, 2020

No bare with me this is just a quick photo i took with my I phone so it's by no fully means color accurate. I believe the light had a little more of a green cast to it. I can't figure out what the lightbulbs were that this store is using. I wanna say they're sodium vapor, but i don't think this is the case as I live in a pretty old neighboorhood surrounded by sodium vapor street lamps which are alot more orange than this greenish yellow light I saw. See below

Sodium Vapor Lights On College Campus Photograph by Ted ...

wondering your guy's thoughts?

David Mullen ASC · July 19, 2020

Looks like yellow fluorescent tubes, some are sold as yellow bug light tubes, others are just yellow or amber “party color” tubes. Some people also wrap gel around a tube.

https://www.bulborama.com/F32T8-GOLD-INSECTO-YELLOW-SUPRA-LIFE-BUG-LIGHT-FLUORESCENT-BULB-p1778.html?AdID=13950cm00cm0C77200

Max Moosbrugger · July 19, 2020

I think these are it it. I imagine these lights will vary given in color given the brand I choose. I'm after more of a greenish yellow rather than than the warm comforting yellow u typically see. I'm wanting that kind of industrial murky look these lights gave off.

Satsuki Murashige · July 20, 2020

1. You could go back to the store, talk to the owner and see if he or she will let you examine the tubes. The specs should be printed on the tube. If you want yellow-green, Warm White fluorescent tubes would be common. If you want blue-green, then Cool White.

2. Take a digital stills camera that will let you manually set white balance in Kelvin. Take stills at 3200K, 4300K, 5600K and see what colors you get. Since an iPhone camera will auto white balance, it’s not really the best source from which to judge color.

Max Moosbrugger · July 31, 2020

Ur so right. I should’ve just asked them to begin with, they seem like nice people and there’s no harm in trying I guess

Phil Rhodes · July 31, 2020

Presumably they'll be the anti bug ones. Just make sure you don't accidentally buy the ultraviolet-emitting tubes intended for bug zappers, which are different. I'd just get gold or yellow fluorescent tubes.

P

Satsuki Murashige · July 31, 2020

4 hours ago, Max Moosbrugger said:

Ur so right. I should’ve just asked them to begin with, they seem like nice people and there’s no harm in trying I guess

You could still just call them up, right? Def no harm in asking, the worst they can say is no!

Phil Rhodes · August 1, 2020

This is in the wrong part of the world for you, but this sort of thing is not hard to find. There are both "gold" and "yellow" tubes which might be slightly different in colour, but you can look around I'm sure.

https://www.nationallampsandcomponents.co.uk/fluorescent-tubes-and-starters/t8-coloured-tubes/36-watt-4ft-yellow-t8-fluorescent-tube

Marcos Cooper · August 11, 2020

The CineMeter II app for iPhone will give you a fairly accurate reading of the color temp of lights. Maybe not accurate enough to use for setting your camera but it can definitely tell you the color of the lights.