Thanks Michael,
Of course my situation is considerably different than yours but that
source you listed is great. I have 10ft ceilings in most the building
with slopes on two sides, so a more directional lighting has worked well
for me. I was surprised to see replacements for the standard 4'
fluorescent tubes, but I didn't see any 8' tubes which I require--I'm
sure they will be coming.
I'll second you're stating the UV lighting will fade scenery and nearly
everything else, so if you're using standard fluorescent tubes--go get
some protective covers that eliminate much of that.
LED's are starting in invade photo lighting, but I don't think they have
decided on a color balance. Typical photo-floods are rated at about
3200 degrees K while daylight and strobes are in the 5000-6000 range.
Several of the photo LED manufacturers have dual temperature systems
meaning you have to figure out what to do, but they are coming too.
So LED's aren't just for loco headlights anymore!
Bob Werre
PhotoTraxx
On 3/12/13 3:03 AM, Michael Eldridge wrote:
I'm using two very different types of lights.
In the suspended ceiling, I installed regular screw bases for bulbs
above diffusing panels. Each fixture has two 13 watt bulbs that look
similar to this:
http://www.bulbamerica.com/ge-9w-r20-led-bulb-dimmable-warm-white-360lm-lamp.html
Above the layout, similar to the usual behind the valence lighting, I
will be using high brightness LED bars. The ones I got are rigid and
have an LED every 3/4 inch. My theory here is that having so many
lights will greatly reduce the shadows cast onto the backdrops. These
are not plug and play. You have to install a transformer somewhere,
but they sell jumper wire sets to connect everything. I got these from
SuperBrightLEDS.com:
http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/pcb-board/rlbn-x30smd-series-narrow-rigid-light-bar-w1-chip-leds/98/
My theory is that CFL's have broad spectrum light, with lots of UV.
LED's should have a very narrow spectrum. I believe this will reduce
fading of the scenery and backdrops.
I would not buy off-brand bulbs. An engineer friend of mine pointed
out that while the LED's will last for 50,000 hours, cheap regulators
in the bulbs will not. I've been paying about $20 for the 13 watt
bulbs. The bars for the layout lighting are $10 for 20 inches (30 LED's).
-Michael Eldridge
