Halogen bulb in studio strobe

nikonusersince2007

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I need to purchase my studio strobe bulbs, but I am not sure if they are halogen, tungsten or fluorescent bulbs.
What is "halogen" lighting/coloring/temperature?
Is "halogen" the best choice for studio portraits of people vrs. tungsten or flouresent bulb in studio strobes (flash and constant lighting option).
Thanks
 
Incandescents are in the 2,700-3,300 K range.
Fluorescents: 3,500 - 5,500 K
Halogen: 3,200 - 3,500 K

If you're going to mix constant lighting with strobes, you need to match the two sources temperatures.
 
So as long as I have no other artifical lights on in the room just my 2 halogen strobe lights which have softboxes attached I am okay using halogen bulbs for people portraits?
What about using my speedlight (nikon SB-600) with the 2 halogen bulb strobes?...is the SB-600 unit halogen or a different light form and therefore should not use the speedlight in conjunction with the 2 halogen strobes?

Last question: Is it okay to have natural light coming in from a window in conjunction with using the 2 halogen strobes or is this not a good idea because they are 2 separate light sources?
What K range is natural light?

I really appreciate your help!

Incandescents are in the 2,700-3,300 K range.
Fluorescents: 3,500 - 5,500 K
Halogen: 3,200 - 3,500 K

If you're going to mix constant lighting with strobes, you need to match the two sources temperatures.
 
I need to purchase my studio strobe bulbs, but I am not sure if they are halogen, tungsten or fluorescent bulbs.
What is "halogen" lighting/coloring/temperature?

Halogen lamps are a particular type of incandescent lamp. They tend to run a little hotter than most standard incandescents. The standard for studio lamps is usually 3200 K ("P2") but 3000 K and 3400 K ("P1") studio lamps also exist. Standard incandescents run from around 2600 K to around 3000 K (with higher wattage lamps typically being higher CT than lower wattage lamps), though some are designed to run at 3200 K and even 3400 K. The standard incandescents designed for 3400 K usually have a very short life, and even the 3200 K ones may have a life of around 60 hours. If you are going to standardise on 3200 K incandescent lamps, halogens are the way to go in the long run. Although halogen lamps are a little more efficient than standard incandescent lamps (the higher the CT, the more efficient they are) they are still more inefficient, and hence produce more heat, than fluorescent lamps.

Fluorescent lamps can have CCTs (in their case they have 'correlated colour temperatures' instead of simply 'colour temperatures') anywhere between about 2700 K (called "soft white" by GE) to over 7000 K, though the latter are usually bad for photography. CFLs go up to about 6500 K (called "daylight" by GE). One of the other things you should look out for is the CRI - the colour rendering index - of a fluorescent lamp. This is a measure of how well the very spiky discharge spectrum has been smoothed out. The maximum possible is 100, and you should be looking for anything over about 85, above 90 is excellent, for portraiture (I'm sure that some people will have used lamps with a CRI of 82 and not complained, however). They put out much less heat than incandescents for the same amount of light.

I assume that you are talking about using these lamps for shooting, not just as modelling lamps. It would be helpful if you clarified that.

Although incandescent lamps have the highest light quality (in terms of their perfect CRI) fluorescents with a high enough CRI are often preferred nowadays because of their lower heat output and, of course, lower electricity consumption. You will need quite a lot of light if you are shooting portraits (why do you want to use continuous light for portraits if you also have strobe?)

As Sparky already said, get lamps that have the same CT or CCT - so pick all the same type of fluorescent with the same CCT, for example, such as these (link) with a CRI of 93 at 5500 K.
 
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"Natural" light varies tremendously.

Moonlight is 4,000 K. Direct sunlight is 5,000 - 6,500. Overcast is 11,000. Shade can stretch to 20,000.

If you're not sure of the color temp of your natural light, shoot a gray card and shoot in raw.
 
I need to purchase my studio strobe bulbs, but I am not sure if they are halogen, tungsten or fluorescent bulbs.
What is "halogen" lighting/coloring/temperature?
Is "halogen" the best choice for studio portraits of people vrs. tungsten or flouresent bulb in studio strobes (flash and constant lighting option).
Thanks
You (or maybe just me) seem to be confused. If you have a studio 'strobe'...then the main bulb is a flash tube type bulb...not halogen/tungsten/florescent etc. This is the bulb that 'flashes' and is used for your photo.

Many studio strobes also have a modeling light, which is a continuous style bulb (halogen/tungsten/florescent etc.). This bulb is main just for seeing where your light will go, it's not used for actual shooting (although it could be, in some situations).

So you have two completely different bulbs in a studio strobe...so which do you need?
 
CowboyStudio Photography Lighting | Studio Equipment | Studio Accessories This is what I have. What bulb do I need and where can I purchase from? It has a switch for modeling light but I also think it works as a strobe because it also flashes. I am very confused. Thanks for the help

I need to purchase my studio strobe bulbs, but I am not sure if they are halogen, tungsten or fluorescent bulbs.
What is "halogen" lighting/coloring/temperature?
Is "halogen" the best choice for studio portraits of people vrs. tungsten or flouresent bulb in studio strobes (flash and constant lighting option).
Thanks
You (or maybe just me) seem to be confused. If you have a studio 'strobe'...then the main bulb is a flash tube type bulb...not halogen/tungsten/florescent etc. This is the bulb that 'flashes' and is used for your photo.

Many studio strobes also have a modeling light, which is a continuous style bulb (halogen/tungsten/florescent etc.). This bulb is main just for seeing where your light will go, it's not used for actual shooting (although it could be, in some situations).

So you have two completely different bulbs in a studio strobe...so which do you need?
 
Well, what bulb is burned out....the strobe bulb (flash) or the modeling light (continuous light)?
 
Isn't there a ring-shaped tube as well? Anyway it sounds like your modelling lamp has burned out. Take the old one to a shop and ask for a replacement.
 
I was thinking it is a modeling light as well. But isn't a modeling light and a strobe light too different things? This unit has a modeling switch on/off, but it also will flash when I have the hot shoe hooked into the light and my camera.? I am so confused. Do I have a strobe or modeling unit?

Isn't there a ring-shaped tube as well? Anyway it sounds like your modelling lamp has burned out. Take the old one to a shop and ask for a replacement.
 
The picture on the link you showed us, shows two bulbs. One looks like a donut (the flash tube) and one looks rather phallic (the modeling light).

But isn't a modeling light and a strobe light too different things?
Two different bubs...but they are both on the same unit.
 
Do I have a strobe or modeling unit?

You have both.

The modeling light in the middle of the unit is for your eyes to see how the light will appear on your subject. The flash tube produces a bust of light for the camera to record.
 
I think I am getting it now.
So I would have the modeling light switched on to see how the light falls on my subject and then switch the modeling light off so the strobe will flash a much more powerful light?

What is better to light the subject's(person) backdrop with to prevent the subject's shadows from appearing on the backdrop and aslo to make sure the backdrop is evenly lit to prevent dark patches: modeling light or strobe light?

Is 1/16th less power/less light flashed than 1/8th?
What is the progression of these steps? 1/16, 1/4, 1/8, then what comes after 1/8 does it go 1/1, 1/2?

Thanks!

Do I have a strobe or modeling unit?

You have both.

The modeling light in the middle of the unit is for your eyes to see how the light will appear on your subject. The flash tube produces a bust of light for the camera to record.
 
So I would have the modeling light switched on to see how the light falls on my subject and then switch the modeling light off so the strobe will flash a much more powerful light?
With the studio lights that I've seen, the modeling light goes out automatically when the strobe fires. With some units you can set it to 'cycle' so that the modeling light stays off until the strobe has had a chance to recharge...so that you know when the strobe is ready to fire again.

Although, even if the modeling light doesn't go out, it's such a lower amount of light (for that brief amount of time) that it likely wouldn't register in the photo.

What is better to light the subject's(person) backdrop with to prevent the subject's shadows from appearing on the backdrop and aslo to make sure the backdrop is evenly lit to prevent dark patches: modeling light or strobe light?
You typically don't light anything with the modeling light. It's just a visual aid. You light everything with the strobe...and remember, the modeling light is just a representation of what the strobe will do, so if something is lit by the modeling light, that something will be lit by the strobe when it fires.

Is 1/16th less power/less light flashed than 1/8th?
What is the progression of these steps? 1/16, 1/4, 1/8, then what comes after 1/8 does it go 1/1, 1/2?
This is 3rd grade math...isn't it?

They are just fractions. 1 (or 1/1) is full power. 1/2 is half as much power (one stop down). 1/4 is half as much as 1/2 (one stop down). 1/8 is half as much as 1/4 (one stop down)...and so on.
 

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