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Incandescent light is simply more familiar to you, it is hardly ideal. It is very high on the yellow/red spectrum compared to sunlight. LED has a better balan

• jacobolus 11y ago
  Incandescent bulbs which mostly emit light in the yellow–red part of the spectrum are much better for nighttime lighting, because they make less glare in your peripheral vision (which is dominated by rods and “S” cones), have less effect on night vision (short-wavelength light causes the eyes to become bright-adapted, making the rods completely useless), and cause less disruption to sleep cycles (Melanopsin is less sensitive to longer wavelengths). Furthermore, incandescent bulbs have a nice smooth spectrum, which in my experience results in better preservation of color relationships. LEDs can be okay if you make an effort to find ones which are ~3000K CCT, and diffuse them properly. Fluorescent bulbs are invariably unpleasant, and tend to give me a headache, in addition to making everything look garish. LED car headlights and streetlamps of CCT >3000K should be illegal, they’re much too bright in the short-wavelenth part of the spectrum, blinding drivers and pedestrians, disrupting people’s sleep (and animals and plants), creating nasty light pollution which blacks out the stars, and not actually improving visibility compared to less-blue LEDs or high-pressure sodium lamps. Same goes for flashlights and camping lamps, though those probably shouldn’t be literally illegal, just discouraged. I hope someday display technology improves a bit and can support broader spectrum output with more than three isolated/intense primaries. Ink on paper is much nicer to look at than pixels on current screens. (Of course screens have the nice feature that they can easily change what they show.) For daytime lighting a carefully constructed LED lamp might be better than incandescent lamps, but I much prefer just sitting near a window.
  • keithpeter 11y ago
    Incandescent light bulbs are still made for 'industrial' use and can be bought from Amazon and electrical suppliers in the UK. I still use a couple of 40w bulbs in steel reflector luminaires upstairs in the 'cave' because I prefer the light. May well move to a 'chandelier' style luminaire downstairs for Xmas look and warm spectrum. Days are short at this time of year at 52.5 North. Art shops sell 'daylight' bulbs (incandescent with light blue glass envelope).