SoLux PAR (120 volt) Bulbs

[Light Seeker]

Solux has released a line of full spectrum, dimmable, 120V bulbs that will work in a standard screw-in socket. They are 3500K, and they come in 50, 75 and 90 watt sizes.   

https://www.solux.net/cgi-bin/tlistore/soluxparbulbs.html

Has anyone had a chance to try these yet?

Any comments on how suitable these might be, versus their MR-16 bulbs, for workspace / studio lighting or art & craft show displays?

Terry.

[digitaldog]

I have a few, lovely!

[aduke]

What is the light output of these bulbs? Do they produce the about the same light as the equivalent wattage incandescent bulb?

Alan

[digitaldog]

I’d say they are pretty equal to their alternative PARs yes. I popped a few in the Kitchen next to the originals and aside from their much nicer light quality, output seems very similar.

[walter.sk]

How would these be dimmed? And would they retain the color temperature?

Also, are they suitable for using as print-viewing lamps, or is D50 a better starting point?  I am looking for a relatively low cost print viewing setup to recommend for friends who don't want to spring for the adjustable Normlicht or other viewing boxes.

[digitaldog]

They can be dimmed but the color temp will change. No way around that.

I don’t see why these bulbs or the MR16’s would be any different in terms of building your own viewing area. Its just a different bulb type as far as I can tell. I haven’t done any measurements to confirm this however.

[aduke]

Thanks Rodney.

Alan

[bill t.]

I tried those Solux PAR20's in the 50W size and found I couldn't see any real difference between them and a fresh, ordinary PAR20 from Sylvania, which costs a fraction as much.  My favorite display spots are Sylvania 35W "Crystalite" PAR20 spots.  They hold their color temperature and brightness at least a couple times longer than the 50W or 75W versions.  They start out a little warmer than the 50's, but the 50's trend towards the red at a much higher rate.

My best night time color reference is the F32T8/TL050 almost-daylight fluorsescents in the off-yellow, built-in light troffer in the kitchen.  Very good average real-world lighting simulation.  Of course nothing beats my north facing front porch in the afternoon, but very few people hang their art there.

[Ernst Dinkla]

They can be dimmed but the color temp will change. No way around that.

Right, "fully dimmable" is written on that page and no disclaimer on the inevitable color temperature change.  For Europeans: they are 120 Volt, so be aware of that. Two in series on 220-250 Volt is a possibility of course.


met vriendelijke groeten, Ernst


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[mgibson80]

Bill T - do you mean Capsylite ?

Sadly the Solux PAR20 flood is out of stock and from what I heard from them it could be that way for a while.  I recently tried to buy more than 40 bulbs for a project and they weren't available.  Just yesterday, I decided to reinvest in 75W heads and buy the bigger bulbs.  I did order one of the diffused PAR20s to test, but it isn't economical... I got a new 75W head + PAR30 bulb for the price of a PAR20 diffused bulb.

The Solux PARs I tested were very nice and I'm looking forward to getting some more work under them for a better look.

I would be interested in looking at the Sylvania bulbs Bill is mentioning for all these 50W heads I have... need to check that out.

[bjanes]

Solux has released a line of full spectrum, dimmable, 120V bulbs that will work in a standard screw-in socket. They are 3500K, and they come in 50, 75 and 90 watt sizes.

https://www.solux.net/cgi-bin/tlistore/soluxparbulbs.html

Has anyone had a chance to try these yet?

Any comments on how suitable these might be, versus their MR-16 bulbs, for workspace / studio lighting or art & craft show displays?

Terry.

I have the Solux MR 16 50 watt 36 degree 4700 K flood bulb in the Solux floor lamp for my own simple proofing setup.The fixture uses an additional plano-convex diffuser. For calibration and testing with Imatest I use the setup recommended by Norman Koren using six of the bulbs on two stands. I had to buy diffusers from Solux, but bought the lamps cheaply from Home Depot. The bulbs are not as bright as standard MR16 (which may be around 3400), since they need filtering to get to 4700K,

The advantage of this setup is that it is near the 5000K commonly used for proofing. The PAR bulbs have a parabolic reflector and are essentially spot lamps and likely would require extra diffusion to obtain even lighting.

Regards,
Bill Janes