Martin Hong Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Recently I have began to use CFL (Compact fluorescent lamp) for my lighting gear.. Why? They are cheap, comes wit various output. Also offer different color temperatures.. But as for now all i can find in market, at least in where i live now (Argentina), are 2700k, 4000k, 6500k. Those are the common ones.. The manufacture OSRAM states that they offer the following lineup: 827 2700 K INTERNA 830 3000 K Warm White 835 3500 K White 840 4000 K Cool White 865 6500 K Cool Daylight 880 8000 K SKYWHITE As for now i couldn't find in the market the 3000k 3500k and 8000k, otherwise they'd be very useful in some scene Also of course, for the price you pay, you can't compare to the professional flo lighting gear like Kino flo.. etc, also you don't find 5500k CFL out there for domestic use.. I think.. This is what i think about CFL Pro: Cheap, low power consumption, less heat, durable (longer lifetime), great light quality, high frequency, different color temperature. Cons: less output than other lighting gear used in filmmaking. Not dimmable. Can't be switched off and on often (contents circuits in it, by doing some component can easily break) Anyone has used them already? opinion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member John Sprung Posted August 26, 2011 Premium Member Share Posted August 26, 2011 There was a company at HD Expo or CineGear within the last few years that had a line of lighting gear based on big CFL's. IIRC, they were mogul base, and about the size of a 1000 Watt incandescent. -- J.S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Hong Posted August 27, 2011 Author Share Posted August 27, 2011 There was a company at HD Expo or CineGear within the last few years that had a line of lighting gear based on big CFL's. IIRC, they were mogul base, and about the size of a 1000 Watt incandescent. -- J.S. That's what i used, mogul base socket, the one i got was 105watt=500w traditional bulb. But never seen 1000 watt one..But if i use 2 of those it could offer 1000w equivalent of output power. They are all homemade of course, mounted to a softbox.. later i will show a picture.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Blair Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 This is what i think about CFL Pro: Cheap, low power consumption, less heat, durable (longer lifetime), great light quality, high frequency, different color temperature. Cons: less output than other lighting gear used in filmmaking. Not dimmable. Can't be switched off and on often (contents circuits in it, by doing some component can easily break) Anyone has used them already? opinion? Another con is that there is a "green spike" in the color spectrum. I recently shot a short using CFL's in a scene that I wanted to look gritty anyway so I wasn't too concerned about this. The slight green is very subtle, but noticeable when placed in juxtaposition with tungsten, or properly balanced sources. Because of this I would advise implementing some minus green to your CFL light rigs whenever possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Hong Posted August 29, 2011 Author Share Posted August 29, 2011 Another con is that there is a "green spike" in the color spectrum. I recently shot a short using CFL's in a scene that I wanted to look gritty anyway so I wasn't too concerned about this. The slight green is very subtle, but noticeable when placed in juxtaposition with tungsten, or properly balanced sources. Because of this I would advise implementing some minus green to your CFL light rigs whenever possible. Thanks for the advice! haven't noticed that yet. I should use gel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Phil Rhodes Posted August 29, 2011 Premium Member Share Posted August 29, 2011 Try it. It depends what you're trying to match, and what you're trying to match it to. Every CFL is different, and every "daylight" is different. Carry some 1/8 plus and minus green. Often it really is necessary to be that subtle. I've seen plenty of "daylight" fluorescent tubes that looked magenta because they'd overcooked the minus green correction in the phosphor mix. You absolutely can't tell in an isolated situation, but by comparison, and through the lens, you can. P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD Hartman Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Looking at the CFL lamps at HomeDespot, I see that they have a range of color temps (Tungsten to almost daylight), but the CRI isn't listed on the package. Would be interested in them as a substitute for photo floods in china balls, but with no CRI information, I'll pass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Lasater Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 Here are a few CFLs with good CRI rating: http://www.coollights.biz/bulbs-fluorescent-bulbs-c-26_33.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Hong Posted October 3, 2011 Author Share Posted October 3, 2011 (edited) Here are a few CFLs with good CRI rating: http://www.coollights.biz/bulbs-fluorescent-bulbs-c-26_33.html Nice data, thanks. They offer 5600k bulb for a reasonable price and attached a pic of the sofbox with a 6500 105w bulb cant remember what was the white balance setting, but you can see its bluish... Edited October 3, 2011 by Martin Hong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now