amber-drift

derekleffew

Resident Curmudgeon
Senior Team
Premium Member
The phenomenon whereby an incandescent lamp becomes more amber (or yellower) as it is dimmed. The exact formula for color temperature dependent on voltage is: coltemp/COLTEMP = (volts/VOLTS)^0.42. Thus a 3200K lamp at 50% voltage (not necessarily 50% on the control console due to the square-law dimming curve), will have a color temperature of ~2400K.

The effect can be counteracted somewhat by the use of CTB, 1/2-CTB, 1/4-CTB, and 1/8-CTB color filters.

For those mathematical masochists, see Planck's law.
 

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