Whose light do you find more natural, Florescent or Incandescent?

  • Thread starter Thread starter I_am_learning
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Light Natural
AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on the perceived naturalness of fluorescent versus incandescent lighting, with participants noting that incandescent bulbs have a Color Rendering Index (CRI) of 100, while fluorescent bulbs typically range from 60-70. Some users find incandescent light to be too yellow-reddish, while others prefer the whiter, more natural appearance of fluorescent light. There is a consensus that neither type of light is truly "natural" on its own, but a combination of both can create a satisfactory lighting environment. Participants also express a preference for diffused natural sunlight over artificial lighting, highlighting its unique qualities. Ultimately, the debate reflects varying personal preferences and interpretations of what constitutes natural light.
I_am_learning
Messages
681
Reaction score
16
Color Rendering Index is said to measure the extend to which lights behave as natural light .It is said that Incandescent have CRI of 100 and Florescent have around 60-70. However, I find the lights from Incandescent yellow-reddish and I find that objects are rendered yellowish on its light. I instead find Florescent's light white and more natural.

How do you feel?

(Edit: After thinking for some time, I thought this was more appropriate for this GD than EE)
 
Physics news on Phys.org
I honestly can't tell a difference.
 
Sunlight makes everything feel too "glarey". The light from CFL's reminds me of a hospital. Incandescent light is too yellow. I really like diffused natural sunlight. I have a skylight in my office with an etched white diffuser that is simply fantastic to read/work in.
 
Fluorescent light is very heavy on the green, thanks to the still ubiquitous Hg gas in the tubes. That 569 nm green line is good enough to calibrate your spectroscopes.

Neither are "natural" by themselves, but together the red-orange of incandescence and blue-green of fluorescence make a satisfactory substitute. I use about a 4:1 ratio of CFL to incandescent around the house.

If I had to choose one or the other as being "more natural" I'd have to go with a high-wattage halogen lamp, or perhaps a 5000 K incandescent stage light.
 
I like my CFLs and fluorescents to be cool (3300-3500K) but not daylight (5000 to 6500K). Nevertheless, I have a few of the warm white (2700K) in rooms with more wood panelling / dark colours. It's been a while since I've had incandescents, but they probably more closely resemble the warm white CFLs (<3000 K).

The candelabra-style CFLs that I have in a few places have a mix of energy-efficient halogens and CFLs, so that there's a good initial light (it's been a while, but I hadn't been able to find candelabra-style CFLs that turned on with near-full brightness, despite them only being 40-60 W equivalents).

Given the above, that's probably why I prefer the fluorescents.
 
Natural light is yellowish. That's why candles are romantic. White lights are creepy.

I much prefer sunshine.
 
qspeechc said:
Natural light is yellowish. That's why candles are romantic. White lights are creepy.

I much prefer sunshine.

You think so? Natural light looks pretty darn white to me.
 
Jack21222 said:
You think so? Natural light looks pretty darn white to me.

By natural light I can only guess that means sunlight. Maybe moonlight.
From wikipedia:
The Sun's stellar classification, based on spectral class, is G2V, and is informally designated as a yellow dwarf, because its visible radiation is most intense in the yellow-green portion of the spectrum and although its color is white, from the surface of the Earth it may appear yellow because of atmospheric scattering of blue light.

From http://www.universetoday.com/42268/why-is-the-sun-yellow/":
So why is the Sun yellow?

Actually, the Sun isn’t yellow. Seen from space, the Sun looks almost pure white. The Earth’s atmosphere blocks some of the spectrum of light coming from the Sun so that it appears yellow from here on the surface of the Earth.

As you might know, the light from the Sun isn’t anyone color. It’s actually a collection of light from almost the entire electromagnetic spectrum. The gives off light in the radio spectrum, infrared, through the visible spectrum and even into ultraviolet and X-rays.

When we see the Sun, we’re seeing an average color of all the photons hitting our eyes. Some of those photons are red, others are yellow, some are green and others are blue. But when you average the color of them all, that’s when we get the white color of sunlight (seen from space). Now, when those photons pass through the atmosphere, some of them are absorbed or scattered away, so we see the more yellow color.

And here's a longer more scientific website:
http://www.science20.com/solar_fun_of_the_heliochromologist/the_color_of_the_sun_part_ii
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Back
Top