Coloured bulbs behind coloured lenses

[TheOtherLeft]

Is it OK to use coloured bulbs behind coloured lenses?

I have a few T10 bulbs to replace in my high mount brake light. As I can buy clear and red bulbs at the same price which is more effective?

I've read that using coloured bulbs behind coloured lenses gives a "richer" colour (what ever that means) but from my experience with colours against colours, ie trying to read red writing using a red torch is useless as the wavelengths cancel each other out, and hence am second guessing. Are the two phenomena the same?

Cheers.

[pozman]

the red lenses filter out all the other colours in the spectrum other than red, so yes it may be "richer" to run a right light thru it

when reading red writing it reflects only the red, absorbs the other colours of light, the white back ground will reflect all colours that are shining at it, if only shining red light at it, it is all you will see, giving red on red, and not being able to read the writing

but either way if using incandescent globes the glass is tinted so it acts as another lense, so it wont make too much difference

hope this is clear, not the best at explaining sometimes

paul

[chimpboy]

There would either be no difference or they would be dimmer and redder. They certainly won't be brighter (all else being equal).

[Ezookiel]

I upgraded to LED's and used an Orange LED behind an orange lense as the indicator, and it is a much deeper orange colour, but also a lot dimmer because of it. If I was doing it again I'd go with a white LED globe instead.
But it is certainly still visible and useable.

[chimpboy]

I upgraded to LED's and used an Orange LED behind an orange lense as the indicator, and it is a much deeper orange colour, but also a lot dimmer because of it. If I was doing it again I'd go with a white LED globe instead.
But it is certainly still visible and useable.

I bought some LED lamps for my reverse lights thinking they'd be better. Well, I fired up one LED lamp (24-LED it is too), and one old school incandescent (21W). There is no contest, the incandescent is way brighter. Both lamps white.

Maybe the LED lamps I bought were too cheap, dunno. I was a bit disappointed.