LED layout lighting finally affordable?

[Cajonpassfan]

Lol John, not too many basements here in SoCal. It's a roughly 600 sq.ft. room I built onto the back of the garage, and wanted to have a nice ambience, a "model train cathedral" of sorts because I figured I'd be spending a lot of quality time in there. I am...
Thanks for the links Skeebo, good info, although I only have one set of 4' tube fixtures under some cabinets.
The adventure continues....
Otto K.

[Joetrain59]

What kind of base is on those bulbs, Otto? Standard medium base, or pins?
 Thanks,
 Joe D

[C855B]

Otto's lights have a standard base. PAR30s are too big for pins. And that was a screamin' deal on those track fixtures! Wow!

PARxx = E26/E27 medium threaded base, where 'xx' = bulb diameter in 0.125" increments (PAR30 is 3.75").

GU10/MR16 = 110V bayonet pins spaced 10mm apart, on a Multifaceted Reflector 2" (16 * 0.125" increments).

GU5.3/MR16 = 12V straight pins spaced 5.3mm apart, rest as above.

There are other variations of the GU/MR spec in specialty lighting. Another spec is "BR" - "bulbous reflector" - a rounded format on a medium base, the most common being BR30, popular for using in downlight cans.

[sp org div]

Hey Otto,
Keep in mind there are a couple factors that are important for photos.  My records show the preferred balance utilizes a high CRI value (above 80), but also one needs to consider the Kelvin value, that should be near 5500 K if possible.  For the layout room, I use Daylight fluorescents that seem to give a fairly pleasing balance for daily use, as well as photography  (CRI 89, 5000K).

CRI and Kelvin reading:
http://www.fullspectrumsolutions.com/cri_explained.htm
http://lowel.tiffen.com/edu/color_temperature_and_rendering_demystified.html

[peteski]

I wonder whether since most digital cameras have custom white balance setting (where a white card is used to provide white balance reference) is the color temperature of the light source all that important? As long as the CRI value is high enough, the color rendition in the photographs should be good.

To me the color temperature of the light to consider would be to make it the most pleasing to the human eye (since we can't change our eye's white balance).  Well, we can to a certain degree, but I think you know what I mean.  To me personally 5500K light is way too blue and harsh looking.

[Cajonpassfan]

Agreed Peteski, while I think photography is important, is the "human" feel and  perception when one walks into the room I value the most because we can't photoshop our visual impressions. Jeff, I did try some 5000K lights and to my eye, 5000 K just feels too cold for rendering SoCal. (Hey it might be the right call for Oregon; but it is definitely a subjective call ) You need to come out here to help me figure out all this s**t, Mr. Cascade
Otto K.

[C855B]

I wonder whether since most digital cameras have custom white balance setting (where a white card is used to provide white balance reference) is the color temperature of the light source all that important? As long as the CRI value is high enough, the color rendition in the photographs should be good.

To me the color temperature of the light to consider would be to make it the most pleasing to the human eye (since we can't change our eye's white balance).  Well, we can to a certain degree, but I think you know what I mean.  To me personally 5500K light is way too blue and harsh looking.

You were reading my mind. 5500K was certainly the mantra back when I worked in pre-press. But I, too, was wondering that now with digital photography and dynamic white balance, color temperature is now a little less important than - like you say - CRI.

And I'm with you on 5500K as environmental lighting being too harsh. The general lighting I have now is ~3500K, and it's pleasant to work in. I'm still waffling about 3000K or 4000K for the spot lighting once I get the tracks up. I can certainly "tune" the ambiance with the stage spots, so maybe erring in the direction of "daylight" would be preferable as a more neutral base since I can add more red and amber. Hmmm.

[Mike C]

  I redid my lights earlier this year too . Used cheap Lowes track light fixtures and 65 watt equivalent Par 20 LED bulbs . They screw in just like a regular cfl or incandescent bulb and use the same base size . My bulbs are Daylight 5500K as I was used to the look of the old daylight flor. bulbs . I think the warm white bulbs just look too yellow , JMO of course .  Anyway when taking pics they tend to turn out a bit greenish , but it's easily fixed with a photo editor . Went from 320 watts of light down to just under 75 watts . Kept the temps a bit cooler in the layout room this summer .

[jereising]

Soon as Lowe's price went below $10 I jumped.  There is now only ONE five bulb fixture in the entire house still CFL.  I use the warm white, and am very happy with the light levels and operating cost.

[wmcbride]

I was at Sam's Club last week and saw these 48-inch LED shop lights for $36. I tried one and then replaced four others in the basement and over part of the layout.

They are really bright but not in a cold, weird way. I favor 2700K LED bulbs for living areas so I'm not into any garish "fluorescent" type of lighting.

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/4ft-led-shoplight-shoplight-led/prod16460030.ip?navAction=

[Ike the BN Freak]

I was at Sam's Club last week and saw these 48-inch LED shop lights for $36. I tried one and then replaced four others in the basement and over part of the layout.

They are really bright but not in a cold, weird way. I favor 2700K LED bulbs for living areas so I'm not into any garish "fluorescent" type of lighting.

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/4ft-led-shoplight-shoplight-led/prod16460030.ip?navAction=

I got similar ones from Costco for my garage.