Comments on: 85W CFL, biznatch http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/15/85w-cfl-biznatch/ the blog that is not dansdata.com Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:16:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.1-alpha by: yonorri http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/15/85w-cfl-biznatch/#comment-90 Sun, 15 Oct 2006 19:41:23 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/15/85w-cfl-biznatch/#comment-90 I quite like the 'warm up effect' of CFL's, I used one in my en-suite bathroom for numerous years and it was great to get up in the middle of the night and by the time I'd done bath room business the bulb still hadn't got up to it full working brightness so it hadn't disturbed ny sleep too much. Also when doing my abloutions in the morning the bulb tended to wake up along with me so I never felt overly stressed :-) I quite like the 'warm up effect' of CFL's, I used one in my en-suite bathroom for numerous years and it was great to get up in the middle of the night and by the time I'd done bath room business the bulb still hadn't got up to it full working brightness so it hadn't disturbed ny sleep too much.
Also when doing my abloutions in the morning the bulb tended to wake up along with me so I never felt overly stressed :-)

]]> by: Daniel Rutter http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/15/85w-cfl-biznatch/#comment-89 Sun, 15 Oct 2006 19:15:58 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/15/85w-cfl-biznatch/#comment-89 This CFL, like all modern ones, has a high frequency ballast and does not flicker. You can probably still buy flickery CFLs if you hit the discount stores, but I don't think it's easy any more. It also has pretty good <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_rendering_index" rel="nofollow">colour rendering</a> (yes, I <b>have</b> peered at it through my little spectroscope :-), much better than the cheapest and most efficient "triphosphor" fluorescent lamps, but I don't know how good it'd be as a general purpose photo light. You can get serious fluorescent studio lights with exact colour temperature specifications; most of them are no cheaper than quality "hot" studio lights, though. I think part of the expense is because of their heavy duty fittings and dimmable ballasts, both of which you can live without. If you're <a href="http://www.dansdata.com/shootingdigital.htm" rel="nofollow">shooting digital</a> and so don't care about the exact white point of your lights as long as they're uniform, I'm sure you could strike a perfectly good balance using various modern CFLs, and I'm also sure that most people would be perfectly happy with the results from CFLs like this one. I just don't know how good this one, in particular, actually is. Luxlite <a href="http://www.luxlite.com/product-features.htm" rel="nofollow">promise</a> a CRI of "82+", which is OK but not great. Old-style high efficiency fluoros are down in the low 60s; incandescent lamps are all very close to 100. This CFL, like all modern ones, has a high frequency ballast and does not flicker. You can probably still buy flickery CFLs if you hit the discount stores, but I don't think it's easy any more.

It also has pretty good colour rendering (yes, I have peered at it through my little spectroscope :-), much better than the cheapest and most efficient "triphosphor" fluorescent lamps, but I don't know how good it'd be as a general purpose photo light.

You can get serious fluorescent studio lights with exact colour temperature specifications; most of them are no cheaper than quality "hot" studio lights, though. I think part of the expense is because of their heavy duty fittings and dimmable ballasts, both of which you can live without. If you're shooting digital and so don't care about the exact white point of your lights as long as they're uniform, I'm sure you could strike a perfectly good balance using various modern CFLs, and I'm also sure that most people would be perfectly happy with the results from CFLs like this one. I just don't know how good this one, in particular, actually is.

Luxlite promise a CRI of "82+", which is OK but not great. Old-style high efficiency fluoros are down in the low 60s; incandescent lamps are all very close to 100.

]]> by: bmorey http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/15/85w-cfl-biznatch/#comment-87 Sun, 15 Oct 2006 18:42:58 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/15/85w-cfl-biznatch/#comment-87 Impressive. The biggest CFL I'd seen up to now was a 240 watt equivalent in Bunnings. Interestingly the first experimental CFLs in the early 60s were spiral types but never got of the ground as commercial glassworks couldn't manage production economically back then. Impressive. The biggest CFL I'd seen up to now was a 240 watt equivalent in Bunnings.

Interestingly the first experimental CFLs in the early 60s were spiral types but never got of the ground as commercial glassworks couldn't manage production economically back then.

]]> by: Mighty http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/15/85w-cfl-biznatch/#comment-84 Sun, 15 Oct 2006 13:59:06 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/15/85w-cfl-biznatch/#comment-84 Is there any perceivable flicker? Can you use one of these bulbs with a CRT? Is there any perceivable flicker? Can you use one of these bulbs with a CRT?

]]> by: magetoo http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/15/85w-cfl-biznatch/#comment-80 Sun, 15 Oct 2006 11:01:32 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/15/85w-cfl-biznatch/#comment-80 Brilliant! (Ahahah.) So how good are these for photography? Seems like it might be a decent present for an amateur photographer who is already well stocked in the memory card department (and we can forget about expensive stuff that I can't afford). Especially since my friend complained about the heat from the lighting last time I visited. Brilliant! (Ahahah.)

So how good are these for photography? Seems like it might be a decent present for an amateur photographer who is already well stocked in the memory card department (and we can forget about expensive stuff that I can't afford). Especially since my friend complained about the heat from the lighting last time I visited.

]]> by: lowlight http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/15/85w-cfl-biznatch/#comment-78 Sun, 15 Oct 2006 05:22:06 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/15/85w-cfl-biznatch/#comment-78 I still don't like the colour temperature of fluorescents. I've even tried the 'warm' bulbs, but they seem more greenish than the nice pleasant warmth of an incandescent or halogen bulb. I still don't like the colour temperature of fluorescents. I've even tried the 'warm' bulbs, but they seem more greenish than the nice pleasant warmth of an incandescent or halogen bulb.

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