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Introduction to Cool Lights

Choosing Fluorescent Lighting

Fluorescent lighting fixtures consists of two major components, the fluorescent lamp and the ballast.

The Fluorescent lamp is a gas discharge lamp similar to neon signs or sodium vapor lights. The inside of the lamp contains inert gas plus a small amount of mercury and is coated with special phosphors that produce visible light when excited by an electrical current. The ballast heats filaments in the lamp during the starting process to ionize the gas. This then allows current freely flow from one end of the lamp to the other. Electrons bombard the phosphors inside the lamp during this process, causing them to glow brightly with visible light.

The phosphor coating very efficiently converts the electric current into visible light. The phosphors are chemically formulated to tailor the lamps color spectrum for the intended application. Fluorescent lamps are more efficient at producing light than “hot lights” and they run cooler. The fluorescent lamps also last much longer. Being more efficient and longer lasting makes fluorescent an excellent lighting alternative for imaging applications.

Fluorescent lighting products provide solutions for many applications including video, digital and analog photography, stage, studio, TV, film, and medical imaging. Fluorescent fixtures offer the image-maker many benefits.

Fluorescent lighting is an economical way to light large sets while using a fraction of the power required by other lighting systems. The lamps are cool and provide a more comfortable environment for subjects that spend long periods under the lights. Because fluorescents burn much cooler than halogen and HMI, they are also safer to handle during a shoot and are less likely to cause burns if they accidentally come into contact with other objects. The trade-off here, is that fluorescent light fixtures are limited in their brightness, when compared to many hot-light fixtures. Several fixtures would be needed to equal the brightness of one 1000 Watt tungsten-halogen, or HMI light head.

Modern electronic ballast’s that power the lamps operate at very high frequencies, producing flicker free results and many fixtures feature continuous dimming for more precise lighting control. Lamps that are incredibly bright are now available (They are so bright that it is difficult to look at them directly). New phosphor coatings are so highly corrected they require little or no additional filtration and the lamps render skin tones beautifully.

Fluorescent fixtures cover large areas, producing a soft uniform light that is relatively easy to control and they are available color corrected for both daylight (5500 K) and tungsten (3200 K). This makes it easy to mix Fluorescent with other lighting systems, natural and artificial.

There are many accessories and light modifiers available to help control the effects of your lighting. You can choose from barn doors, grids, louvers, filters, reflectors and much more.

Fluorescents have become very popular in video and digital applications because they are so easy to transport, handle and control.

Intensifier	Eggcrate	Barndoor

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