I've been looking for lights to use in a small size photo studio (read: bedroom with a screen and unrollable backdrop); halogens are too hot and power-hungry, and CCFLs have a shape that requires reflectors and/or diffusers, which I'd rather not have to buy, considering the ridiculous markups imposed on such items by the photo-market mafia... er, I mean, industry.
But then, I saw that there are flower-shaped warm-white CCFL lamps on sale (like the bottom one in
this bunch). On paper they look ideal for indoor photography: decent power (105W, 400+W equivalent) and large light source that doesn't require a reflector. All that's needed is a single reflective sheet behind them (I'm thinking aluminium foil, or heck, just a mirror), then you just point them and you're set.
But, every flower-shaped CCFL I can find has those weird bubble-like thingies on the tubes. Why? What good can those possibly give over a smooth tube? And, is the end result significantly different? I can't have bubble-derived lighting quirks in a photo "studio".
Flower-shaped CCFLs
Linear Mode
