HMI reflectors are powerful types of equipment widely used in cinema and television, as they have a high CRI (very high color rendering index).
This means that their light is 3 to 4 times more powerful benin phone number data than the light from tungsten reflectors, and is as close to sunlight as possible. The color temperature ranges from 5600K to 6000K, but they also exist at a temperature of 3200K. Since they consume a lot of energy, they need a dedicated circuit to operate.
In fact, HMI is the type of lamp, and can be used in different types of reflectors, the most common being the fresnel.
These reflectors are the evolution of the electric arc, a rudimentary type of lighting made through a high voltage arc passing through two carbon tips.
How does HMI work?
HMI is the acronym for “ Hydrargyrum Medium - arc-length Iodide ”, which would be abbreviations of the components of the lamp: “H” for Mercury ( Hg ), “ M ” for rare metals, Dysprosium, Thulium and Holmium; and “ I ” for the halogen elements Bromine and Iodine.
The equipment requires a ballast to operate. In the past, these ballasts were heavy and noisy. Today, they are electronic, meaning they are lighter, more portable and quieter. In addition, the old lamps did not have UV filters. The radiation was so intense that many actors and audiovisual professionals ended up developing skin cancer. Nowadays, they already come with this filter.
What are HMI lamps used for?
They are used to illuminate outdoor environments, usually combined with sunlight. Due to their high price, it is more common to see this type of equipment in high-end film productions.
Disadvantages
In addition to being extremely expensive, making them incompatible with most productions, their useful life is quite limited, determined by the number of times they have been turned on. Furthermore, when there is a lot of wear and tear, they present a high risk of explosion.