polarised light

[megroot]

Guys,

I got a question. On Euro i've seen this actulite polarised light lamp. The asked 125 GBP, it is almost equall as $ 200 or € 185,-.
Is there anybody who use this light, and is it worth the great amount of money.
At the moment i'm painting under two blue light bulbs off 100 W.
What are u using???

Marc

 

[RobH]

In a word, Marc. Yes. Worth it (to me).

They sell them for £100 at Euro, a special price I believe.

I also use some low wattage (20W) full spectrum bulbs; these are flouro type bulbs that are daylight bulbs - a much cooler colour than the blue daylight bulbs, and literally cooler, as they don't get anywhere near so hot: HERE .
I use these for photography also.

 

[nagashino]

Hi Marc

I know a lot of painters who use the Actulite polarised light, and they swear by it. So far I have not bought one as I think they are quite expensive. I did get a chance to use one at a show when I was doing a demo, and to be honest, I didn't like it. Maybe that's because I'm used to painting under standard daylight fluorescent lights (similar to the ones Rob has mentioned). I use a 3x magnifier with a circular daylight fluorescent built in, and that works for me. Maybe that's why my colours always look weird! :lol:

I guess the Actulite does help with contrasts and details but it would be an idea to try one out before you invest all those Euros!

BTW - Marcomanni started last night!

Cheers

Phil

 

[megroot]

Thanks Rob and Phil,

Phil: Good luck with the Marcomanni. I redone the shield. It was to clean.

Rob: Thanks for your opinion. BTW: what was that stuff you gave me in the little photocontainer what looks like autumn leave's??

Marc

 

[quang]

Hello Marc,

I'm using the Actulite for sculpting and painting for almost 3 years now. I'm using nothing else and would be lost without it.

HTH
Quang

 

[Einion]

Hi Marc, if price is an issue the spectrum of lighting is more important than the polarising filter.

Full-spectrum light as it's commonly called is easier on the eyes and gives you much better judgement of colour than 'normal' artificial light. There are a number of options for lights with better spectra (sometimes marketed as daylight bulbs) so you could try a local lighting supplier, see if they know what you're talking about! The two critical things are CRI (colour-rendering index) and the temperature of the light in Kelvins, °K: you want something greater than 5000°K ideally, to a maximum of around 6500°K, more than that and it's sure to look too blue.

If you want to give yourself a cheap 'quick fix' you can light the room you paint in conventionally, paint three of the walls white and the fourth wall (or perhaps the ceiling) blue.

Einion