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Author Topic: GTI Lights VS Solux Lights  (Read 5833 times)

larkis

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GTI Lights VS Solux Lights
« on: July 24, 2016, 12:55:24 am »

I want to get a lamp for viewing prints next to my monitor, what will give me a more accurate light ? Solux claims 98 CRI and GTI true light T8 florescents claim "approaching 95 CRI". Marketing speak aside, which light is actually better to use ?

digitaldog

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Re: GTI Lights VS Solux Lights
« Reply #1 on: July 24, 2016, 09:25:37 am »

I want to get a lamp for viewing prints next to my monitor, what will give me a more accurate light ? Solux claims 98 CRI and GTI true light T8 florescents claim "approaching 95 CRI". Marketing speak aside, which light is actually better to use ?
I use both. Visually I prefer the Solux, they are hard to beat for their light quality and spectrum. But they run hot and are not easy to control. The GTI booth is fluorescent which isn't an ideal illuminant but it runs cool and even and it's very useful to me when working with other's using a similar fluorescent light booths. Ignore CRI, it is nearly meaningless as a metric of quality. The Solux solution will likely be less expensive too.
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howardm

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Re: GTI Lights VS Solux Lights
« Reply #2 on: July 24, 2016, 10:04:20 am »

the nice thing about the GTI booth is that its 'standard' so if you're going to be in the proofing biz or interacting w/ others, that's important.  On the other side, it's kinda hard to get behind $700-900 for even their smallest 'booths' which appear to be some fairly basic sheet metal and a flour. fixture.  I think they are priced for the industry, not for the small user.

That said, you can get just their fancy bulbs and put them in a different fixture.  I have one of those SAD (seasonal affective disorder) that would be perfect for the GTI bulbs which are about $37 or so.  I may try that along w/ some ND gels and maybe some diffusion material.

Yes, the Solux's look great but they do run hot and it's hard to find a good fixture for them.  These days, MR16 desklamps are very hard to find and if you want multiple bulbs, you're really on your own or getting their track setup.

These days, I'm bouncing between a Solux (their old task lamp) @ 3700K or an inexpensive desk LED lamp that has 4 different temps and 5 different intensity settings.

Czornyj

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Re: GTI Lights VS Solux Lights
« Reply #3 on: July 24, 2016, 10:49:54 am »

FWIW, recently I started using high CRI LED light bulbs as an alternative light source for print evaluation and ambient lightning and I quite like them. They're inexpensive, cold, energy efficient, should last longer and be more stable than CCFL, ant fit standard bulb socket.









« Last Edit: July 24, 2016, 11:05:09 am by Czornyj »
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Marcin Kałuża | [URL=http://zarzadzaniebarwa

datro

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Re: GTI Lights VS Solux Lights
« Reply #4 on: July 24, 2016, 12:21:33 pm »

Which brand/model of bulb are you using?  I've looked at a number of these but still not sure about their use in my imaging work area.

Sent from my TouchPad using Tapatalk

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Czornyj

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Re: GTI Lights VS Solux Lights
« Reply #5 on: July 24, 2016, 12:28:13 pm »

Which brand/model of bulb are you using?  I've looked at a number of these but still not sure about their use in my imaging work area.

Sent from my TouchPad using Tapatalk

I use Yuji 5000K bulbs, they're quite decent IMO
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Marcin Kałuża | [URL=http://zarzadzaniebarwa

RHPS

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Re: GTI Lights VS Solux Lights
« Reply #6 on: July 24, 2016, 03:51:02 pm »

Is anyone here using the Soraa vivid LEDs? I bought some for my camera club print viewing area and they seem pretty good. One nice thing is that they are GU10 line voltage which makes it very easy to find fittings. I measured the CRI as 95/ for my 4000K samples. Visually I found them to be close to my own Solux 4700K set-up.
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howardm

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Re: GTI Lights VS Solux Lights
« Reply #7 on: July 24, 2016, 03:56:35 pm »

I'm waiting for their BR30 product, hopefully later this year. 

I think Tim Lookingbill got a number of them.

Tim Lookingbill

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Re: GTI Lights VS Solux Lights
« Reply #8 on: July 24, 2016, 05:08:42 pm »

I'm waiting for their BR30 product, hopefully later this year. 

I think Tim Lookingbill got a number of them.

I have the Soraa Vivid 00807 LED bulb. Cost me $35 bought on Amazon. It's good enough to view prints under and renders yellows with a slight reddish bias compared to the greenish bias of daylight balanced CFL's. The two LuLa discussions below has pictures I posted showing color rendering and an issue I had with cracks in the lens possibly causing strange halos which was dispelled by a Soraa tech email I received as the halos being a result of the lens design when lighting subjects at certain distances. The cracks were not part of the design. I still have it and it still works.

http://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?topic=99479.msg814417#msg814417

http://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?topic=102190.msg843269#msg843269

I'm going to check out that Yuji LED bulb to see if it's better than the Soraa.
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Tim Lookingbill

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Re: GTI Lights VS Solux Lights
« Reply #9 on: July 24, 2016, 05:34:03 pm »

Just a note about these LED bulbs either from Yuji or Soraa is that in my own experience buying a second Soraa and having my review removed from the Amazon Soraa page which I praised the color rendering but also included the halos pics, it appears at least in the US they're very difficult to buy as I found in this CandlePower Forum discussion dated 2014...

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?386371-Arist-s-Studio-Wider-angle-LED-5000K-90-CRI-Par20-or-Par30-does-it-exist

No one knows why it's so difficult getting these bulbs.
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rdonson

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Re: GTI Lights VS Solux Lights
« Reply #10 on: July 24, 2016, 06:39:34 pm »

I have the Solux Color Proofing Light kit - 4 MR16 halogen bulbs on a 4 ft track.  Recently I've started testing some 4000K LED MR16 6W bulbs and I sure appreciate the reduced heat and power consumption.  I have no way of running spectrum analysis but switching between the Solux MR16 4100K halogen bulbs and the LEDs I don't see a marked difference.

The MR16 LEDs are from Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EO8ZH52/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Are there better LED MR16 bulbs available?


 
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Ron

LenR

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Re: GTI Lights VS Solux Lights
« Reply #11 on: July 26, 2016, 01:46:13 pm »

I like the GTI because you can dim it way down till it matches your display. 
It sits next to my monitor and gives an excellent match between the image on the screen and the print in the booth.
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John Nollendorfs

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Re: GTI Lights VS Solux Lights
« Reply #12 on: July 27, 2016, 10:51:23 am »

Only have one thing to ask you guys advocating 5k proofing lights, is that, or daylight going to be you print display lighting?

Most people display their prints under 22-2800k light sources. Images will look different, depending on the printer and inks you are using. Also, many people see to think they should be using quite bright evaluation lights, again, a lot depends on what the intended display illumination.

Just my 2 cents.
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digitaldog

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Re: GTI Lights VS Solux Lights
« Reply #13 on: July 27, 2016, 12:00:08 pm »

Most people display their prints under 22-2800k light sources. Images will look different, depending on the printer and inks you are using.
Our eyes adapt to the white and illuminant. Take two vastly different pieces of 'white' paper. View them one at a time under any illuminant you desire (well, within reason). First sheet looks white. 2nd sheet looks white. View both the same time; different story. We're hoping for WYSIWYG in terms of a print and display next to each other. Once you move the print from the viewing booth next to the display, we're in a different situation. There's nothing to match the print to. Fretting over the illuminant next to the display and how to calibrate the WP of the display for a match is the real work.
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