Filter for Florecent lights?

[ToddB]

Hey guys,

I was wondering if someone could tell me what color filter is good in Florecent light conditions? I've been curious about this for some time.

ToddB

 

[jeffreyg]

Todd,
I can't tell you what filter is best since it would depend on the film used and the type of fluorescent bulbs are the light source. Fluorescent bulbs come in different light temperatures expressed in degrees Kelvin. The fixture itself often covered with a plastic sheet could also have an effect. For example, in my office with walls painted with a soft white flat paint and one wall with two windows facing East and four light fixtures holding a total of sixteen 5000 degree Kelvin bulbs actually measured 4870 degrees Kelvin with a light meter. Others may be more helpful than me but I think you will have to do some searching and trial and error to come up with your desired results. I am assuming you are interested in color film. For black and white I would rely on an accurate light meter reading and a color filter chosen for a particular subject otherwise no filter will most likely work just fine. I have shot b&w with fluorescent lighting with and without filters with excellent results.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

 

[DREW WILEY]

Fluorescents are complex blends of phosphors, and not only differ with respect to color temperature, but also regarding spectral peaks. You
can try a set of so-called fluorescent filters, but really, there is no substitute for testing in advance, if you have an important job in mind. Simply using a color temp meter won't solve all the problems. Basically, when shooting color film, fluorescent bulbs of any kind, including CFL's, can often be hell.

 

[wildbill]

it depends completely on the types of tubes being used. and fld can be a good start but I've never seen one used in the motion picture business since we either correct the tubes or switch them out for either 5600k, 3200k, or 2900k depending on the film being used.
https://www.google.com/search?q=fil...rescent+lights&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

The biggest issue with fluorescents that I find is that it's unusual that they are the only light source, so if I have the option, I just turn them off.

That said, the fluorescent correction filters are basically about CC 30M plus whatever filtration you need to correct the target light temperature of the bulb to the temperature of the film. Is there any tungsten film left for still photography? I don't think so, so you would be correcting the bulb to daylight. An FL-D usually puts you in the ballpark, and then you can do some fine tuning.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Usually one just overwhelms them with flash or another light source, if they can't be turned off. ... unless you're photographing a zombie
wedding, in which case they might appreciate the ghoulish color casts.

 

[John Koehrer]

There are answers and then there are answers.
A color temperature meter won't help, the lamps are interrupted spectrum.

For color negative, Either the FLD or CC30M will work if you're not doing critical color balance. IE good 'nuff
The FLB was used with type B film.
If you also have mixed daylight or tungsten sources. You may get some unusual results. Not very pretty.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

There are color temperature meters that measure fluorescent. The Minolta color meters give one value for magenta/green correction and another for red/blue.