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Low Budget lighting - CFL - Anyone?


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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?

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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.

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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..

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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.

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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?

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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

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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.

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  • 5 weeks later...

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...

 

296khtz.jpg

Edited by Martin Hong
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