What's your favorite color temperature?

“Welcome to Hell. Here’s your accordion…”
— Gary Larson

is now replaced by

“Welcome to Hell, here’s your 10000K flashlight.”


Yeah, in case that doesn’t land…

1 Thank

5700k or 5000k. I like cool to neutral, especially when it’s high CRI.

I don’t dislike warm, I use warm lights a lot when e.g. doing an all night hacking run, but I find them a lot harder to use for general purpose stuff. Plus, IMO, high CRI neutral DUV cool white is just a beautiful tint.

Then why is hell yellow and heaven blue?? Lol bet you didn’t think of that!

Nah, did. Flames, and Rayleigh scattering.

2 Thanks

Around 5000K for me - happy with a bit either side but definitely prefer the cool white to warm white. In flashlights I mean - prefer warmer whites in some of my ceiling lights (eg dining room).

4000-4500K, ideally.

5000K looks OK to me indoors, but looks slightly unnaturally blue to my eyes outdoors (at least in a near-field floodlight.)

Throwers I tolerate colder, but I have some 4000K now as well…Acebeam L35 and P17, Convoy L21B, M21A, M26D, and L6.

4000K is pretty good all rounder. -duv.

2700K for ambient evening lighting.

Still have some older lights with 5000K- fine for emergencies but the CCT is too cool for them to be “enjoyable”, to my eyes everything looks washed out.

Nichia 219b 4500K:
the one in the middle
Imgur

That’s a very tough question. It really depends on the situation :smiley:
At night, I have a 2700K light on my bedside table, but I don’t like this temp for any other use case.
Outdoors, and as my general pick, it would be above 4500K, probably more between 5000K and 5500K .

For outdoors, 5000K - 5700K (well, all my 519A “5700K” actually measure ~5300K, so I guess about there). I do actually have a LH351D 5700K 90CRI and its too harsh.

I live in the desert, which is beige, and if its not wet season, the foliage, if its alive, is a very pale green. Everything is dominated by beige / red dirt, and very pale green foliage. 5000K+ makes stuff look realistic, at least.

When I take something like 4000K into the desert, it all blends into yellowy / brown and there is no differentiation in the subtle shades, like it turns sepia.

For indoors, I prefer 4500-5000K for food prep, and 1800K for mood (night, office, etc).

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Nice to have context, I think this is one reason there are arguments about CCT/Tint, and also thermal Stepdown etc, of course if someone is outside in northern Canada, their experience will be different to that of someone in the tropics!

I keep meaning to start a poll of thermal Stepdown/turbo preference and ?latitude/climate region/local terrain? I think it’s too complicated for the forum software though.

I wouldn’t be surprised if ethnicity and age also play part on CCT preference, I really enjoy data :stuck_out_tongue:

Dedomed SM573 519A. Comes out to around 4100k. A little warmer and a little less pink than SW45Ks.