"Albert Manfredi" wrote in message
...
"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote:

Albert Manfredi wrote:

It's not tungsten we prefer, I don't think, but rather a color
temperature that's close to that of a flame.

Err, isn't that what I wrote? It's the colour temperature that matters
rather than the source.

Well, you wrote may things, including this:

"Lighting which is used to replace daylight - like that most of us have at
home for use when daylight fades - ideally shouldn't give such a sudden
change in temperature that it is noticeable. In the same way as lighting
used to supplement daylight - like in say an office - should also be an
approximate match to that daylight. It's common sense, really."

I do agree that if we are supplementing daylight, e.g. in work spaces with
large windows during the day, rather than providing lighting at night, a
cooler light (hotter temp) is probably preferable. But for night time
lighting, I think what we are looking for is the color of flame.

I'm saying, it's not that we are conditioned to the color of tungsen, it's
that we are looking for something close to 2000 K at night. Much cooler
cooler light than that (higher temp) is stark and generally unpleasant.

By the way, this also applies to xenon headlights in some cars. They are
superbly obnoxious at night, to other drivers. Even if they aren't
brighter than halogens, the bluish color is very distracting.
Fortnunately, there seem to be fewer of the really annoying ones around
these days. Maybe the auto makers got too many complaints.

Bert


Don'cha just hate the way they swing from blue through stark white to green,
when they come round a bend in front or behind you ... Also, having sat
behind some, the perceived ability to light the road, does not seem to be
any better than halogens, which may again come down to colour temperature
and the human vision comfort zone.

Arfa