Another lighting question

[Kayos]

I'm just about finished first fixing the darkroom/man cave and now need to sort the lighting, but as usual I have some requirements so thought I'd ask before wasting a day searching

The lighting needs to ideally be as close to daylight as possible, and it can't be fluorescent or energy saving (they give out nasty radiation for a while once off)

It also needs to please SWMBO, there may well be a new industrial light fitting that does it all, however if it looks like it's come from a factory ceiling it won't get wife approval

Cost, I'm happy to pay for the right kit, but I am from Yorkshire so.......

The plastering is to be done next so I have (almost) carte blanche, access above is an issue due to the loft conversion, new carpet and chipboard, neither of which I want to lift so ideally something I can screw up to the ceiling

Thanks in advance chaps

 

[GKQ]

Best option metal halide, slow to heat up, light is as near to daylight as you can get. Down side run very hot and a bit juicy, but you get what you pay for. If to much go for a mix of warm white and cool white LED, I use them over marine tanks and they are almost as good as metal halides, but not as much heat, 1/3 rd running cost and last 10 times longer.

 

[Kayos]

I may look into led's, the problem is choice

Those ceiling lights look good, however there is a wall of full height cupboards so can't change the ceiling height, even by a bit, hence waiting for a plasterer I know is spot on and won't cause any problems

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Is it possible to get LEDs which are daylight-balanced? Do you need it to be that temp all the time or simply for critical colour-matching purposes?

 

[rich r]

If you're worried about the UV given off by fluorescents (full size and compact) then you can forget about anything approximating daylight, which has a high UV content. White LEDs use exactly the same process as fluorescents to produce white light - a phosphor coating converts UV to the mix of wavelengths making up white.

 

[Kayos]

There is a huge window so when I'm working at night or when its in darkroom mode (but with the lights on) I would like it to be the same as daylight for colour matching

The problem with fluorescent's is the radiation they emit once they are switched off, it likes to ruin photographic paper, when they are on the colour temperature is the most important thing.
and that Mrs Kayos approves
and they are not too expensive
and I can get new bulbs easy
and they don't have to be sunk in the ceiling

So really I don't need too much

 

[slim_boy_fat]

How about a desk lamp with a halogen daylight bulb [looks blue glass] - I used to use that when colour matching when spotting prints etc........?

I think I got mine from an arts supply store.

 

[bump]

Why not fluorescent with 860 lamps? They were standard in the colour grading rooms at Primary Colour, Metro, Joe's Basement and many other darkroom facilities I've used / visited. Separate them off for colour grading with a partition, so that you aren't in the same space as your printing area, ideally this area should be painted 18% grey.

Daylight is actually not a constant value, it varies according to cloud, pollution and the amount of reflective surfaces in the area. you get a bluer daylight by the sea as it has a higher reflectivity that grass.

 

[Kayos]

I'm currently experimenting with some daylight balanced film (Kodak Vision3 250d cine film with the remjet removed and put in 35mm canisters)
So I'm wanting to do some testing inside, having a daylight source will give me a starting point, and a reference with the colour printing

 

[rich r]

Ah I see - it's not the UV itself you're worried about it's the fact that the lights continue to emit light after switch off for a while. Fair enough.
The phosphor in LEDs also continues to emit for a little while after switch off, but generally not as long as gas discharge lights do.