20Jul Filming with CFL lighting, should you spend a the extra on better bulbs?
So the question here is which one is not like the others? I’ve had decent results with the Cowboy studio 45 watt CFL bulbs ($21.44 = four pack), but I was trying to figure out why the ALZO 45 watt CFL bulbs are ruffly twice the price ($40.50 = four pack). So I went ahead and ordered a four pack of the ALZO bulbs to test them out.
Both the Cowboy studio and ALZO bulbs claim to be 45 watts at 5500k color temp and an approximate incandescent equivalent value of 200 watts of output. But looking at the Cowboy studio CFL (above left) you can already see that the bulb is significantly smaller then the ALZO bulb (above right) even though the labels indicate that these two bulbs are equivalent. I have the distinct impression that one of these distributors is modifying the facts a little bit.
When you place the Cowboy studio bulb in the middle of the ALZO 45 watt CFL bulbs it’s very easy to tell that the CFL puts out significantly less light. Hopefully in the next week or so I’ll have a chance to setup an actual test rig and find out how much of a difference there is between the bulbs. No matter what the final results ending up being, it’s pretty easy to see that the ALZO 45 watt CFL bulbs are worth the extra $5 a bulb for the performance. If I had to guess I would say the Cowboy studio 45 watt CFL bulb only puts out about 120 watts of equivalent light which means it’s probably a re-branded 32 or 27 watt CFL.
One thing is clear, the cost of each of these CFL’s does reflect the amount of light output. I’ll have to dig out the old voltmeter and amp meter to see what’s really going on. Once I have a chance to run some tests I’ll post a video. It should be interesting to see the results.
July 20th, 2012 at 8:42 am
You may find that the circuitry in the Cowboy light is just a lot less efficient, it very well may be using just as much energy, doing just as much work (45 watts) but not putting out as much light. If you’re trying to be energy conscious look for lower wattage, if you’re looking for light quality look for higher equivalent wattage. The best lights have both, and they are expensive.
July 20th, 2012 at 9:36 am
If the cowboy studio lights were running at 45 watts but less efficient, the light itself would run hotter then the ALZO bulbs. The ALZO bulbs are very warm after a few minutes of operation while the Cowboy studio bulb’s heat is hardly noticeable. It’ll be easy to see the watt usage and find out once I do a little wiring. The math should answer the question.
July 21st, 2012 at 1:02 am
I am using the 65W Cowboy bulbs? Does ALZO make 65W? Wonder if its the same brightness difference?
July 23rd, 2012 at 12:33 pm
I realize I’m hijacking this thread, but has anyone heard of a way to get barn doors onto a circular CFL head such as the one you used to test the CFL bulbs?
July 25th, 2012 at 1:51 am
you know…after scouring the web, I just don’t think cowboy studio is a reputable company to buy from.
November 6th, 2013 at 12:19 pm
Is there a bulb I can get that is warmer? My bulbs are so greenish blue that I can’t fix it in post. Thanks!!
November 14th, 2013 at 8:14 am
There are different K values depending on the lights you buy. Lower numbers are generally warmer and higher numbers are generally colder. 2700k CFL’s will give you a warm look if that’s what you are going for.