THERE will be a change in the colour of the light when it is dimmed. Dimmers work by turning off the current for a brief period in each cycle. The filament cools during this off period and so the light will be redder. So not suitable for colour. Use a different lamp for a lower brightness or move the lamp away from the subject, a lamp twice as far away is four times dimmer. (2 stops) Don't quote me, I'm a beginner. Chris. http://www.chrisspages.co.uk -----Original Message----- From: owner-photoforum@listserver.isc.rit.edu [mailto:owner-photoforum@listserver.isc.rit.edu]On Behalf Of Gregory Fraser Sent: 30 October 2003 18:13 To: List for Photo/Imaging Educators - Professionals - Students Subject: Dimming hot lights I understand that the suggested way of adjusting the light level of hot lights would be to move the light, use a reflector or diffusion material etc. but I was wondering about just using a household dimmer. I bought some old 650 watt movie lights and I looked in the local hardware store where it seems all the dimmer switches were rated at 600 watts. >From my probably incorrect understanding of electricity, a 650 watt lamp at 110v will draw 5.9 amps. A 600 watt dimmer will safely allow 5.5 amps of current. Is that .4 amps the light wants to force through the dimmer going to add a lot of excitement to my shoot, just make the dimmer very warm or not have any noticeable effect? Greg
