Chinese China Paper Lantern lights - LED color corrected ?
 

So it's been a while since i've had the joy and privledge of lighting a scene with a china light and with all the new LED technology I'm not sure exactly whats out there and what bulb to use. Heck, I barely remembered what I used two years ago. I believe it was a color corrected bulb that lasted around 3hrs.

Heres what I need. Some cheap and quick good lighting. One scene at a bar, the other a romantic dinner. Thinking of using a 16" or 20" lantern.

Are the 3hr photo bulbs still the best out there, something else that might last a little longer, burn cooler ?

Thanks

Try a compact fluorescent or, even better, get a "Y" or "T" adapter to put multiple compact fluorescents in the same fixture. I've done it before and three 150W equivalent lamps is rather bright.

How does this work regarding color temperature ? Will this be a good fill light in a romantic setting ?

Buy whatever color temperature you wish when you get the CFLs. There are usually two or three colors to choose from at the store. 2700K is the most common to match incandescent home lighting but daylight or an in-between "bright white" may also be available.

Chinese lanterns have their place and are certainly affordable. Their downside is that they spill all over the place, but that can be an advantage. A romantic setting can be lit many different ways. A china ball is simply a spherical diffuser. How it is perceived on camera is up to you and how you use your lights.

I second the CFL option.

As for color temp, it depends on how you are balancing your camera and the color temp of your other lights. I've had better luck with the color rendering of daylight CFLs and if you are shooting a digital format you'll likely get a cleaner image using daylight color temperature.

I have some 5000k CFLs i use when using all daylight fixtures that give a slightly warm color to images from a camera set to 5600k. That is the nice thing about CFLs, you can carry a couple different color temp bulbs around and mix and match instead of gelling since gels will reduce light output. They are easier to gel too, though, since you can wrap gel right around the bulb without risk of burning since they dont get hot like tungsten bulbs.

Just check ahead of time to make sure the CFLs dont flicker or band or go too green/minusgreen since that can be an issue, tungsten color rendering will probably be superior.