posted October 03, 2013 11:25 AM
Greetings fellow film enthusiasts
On the ELC bulbs does it make any difference if the reflector is smooth or faceted? I was just wondering if one is better than the other and why they offer both types? Thanks, Roger
Posts: 638
From: New York, NY, USA
Registered: Apr 2007
posted October 03, 2013 01:19 PM
Hello Roger,
There are Pros and Cons arguments for each design, and to the best of my knowledge, there are no explanations why a manufacturer chooses one design over the other. Until we get a logical answer we can use a Lux meter to see which one projects the brighter light.
posted October 03, 2013 01:38 PM
Greetings Jon and thank you for your reply! I went online to order a couple of bulbs and they offered the smooth reflector or the faceted so I guess I will order one of each then and do a comparison.
Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007
posted October 03, 2013 03:02 PM
We await your report, Roger, which will be interesting. Why should two lamps be manufactured which only appear to differ by their reflector surfaces?
Posts: 638
From: New York, NY, USA
Registered: Apr 2007
posted October 04, 2013 09:41 AM
Hello Jon,
The question posed by Roger intrigued me as I have heard it before but never gave it much thought. After your question I did a bit of research and I believe this post offers an excellent explanation of the topic at hand.
Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007
posted October 04, 2013 09:55 AM
Having clicked on the link provided by Jon Addams, I read the following:-
"Faceted reflectors, if focused to a tight light beam scatter some of the light, so you will never achieve the same tight light beam you could get with a smooth reflector".
Can a "tight light beam" refer to that used in a Super 8 (or 16mm) projector? If so, the smooth reflector seems to win.
posted October 04, 2013 11:45 AM
Hey Jon, Thank you for that post it made for some very interesting reading and helped solved the reflector lamp mystery! Good job! Roger
posted October 05, 2013 02:49 PM
Here is the latest update and this is what I read about the lamp reflectors from a site that sells both lamps.
Osram & Donar smooth reflectors are ideal for DJ Lighting.
GE & Philips w/faceted reflectors are ideal for movie projection.
I just got both today in the mail and I'm going to test them both out and report my findings! We will see if there is any difference between the two? RS
Posts: 45
From: Auburn, AL, USA
Registered: Sep 2013
posted October 05, 2013 11:04 PM
Roger,
Do you have a light meter that can measure the quantitative differences in brightness between these lamps? I suppose the only real way to know would be if your projector had a way to make sure the lamp is centered properly, or maybe to try a bunch of one and a bunch of the other to make up for possible differences in filament location.
Either way, it will be interesting to see if you find any difference between the two types.
Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007
posted October 06, 2013 02:15 AM
I keep spare lamps for my many projectors and all of the reflector lamps have a smooth surface. The faceted lamps must have been newly introduced and are probably for disco use.
But the proof is in the pudding, so we must wait for Roger's report with his new lamps.