how can i tell whether a light is tungsten or flourescent?

Generally, a tungsten light would be a bulb and fluorescent would be a tube, unless you're talking about an energy-saving 'bulb'
 
so flourescent you balance with cto on your flash, and tungsten with the green gel?
 
I've got daylight balanced energy saving bulbs in all my main rooms.
They cost more but it really helps when looking at prints after dusk.

My suggestion....
Stick the camera on daylight and take a shot.
Tungsten will be violently orange and flourescent will come out green.
 
but some are also daylight rated.... would I be right in assuming you wondering about this in referance to settting WB on your camera? If so, a test shot is normally the quickest way of finding out if its not immediately obvious. See if there is a colour cast, [this *can* be greenish for florescent, orange for tungsten/sodium] and adjust WB until it looks about right. Or use a white card.
 
In terms of white balance, you'll find a low energy fluorescent light bulb replacement closer to a tungsten bulb.

One of my cameras does best with the Auto white balance for low energy bulbs; another is best with the tungsten setting. Setting a custom white balance off a piece of light pastel blue card will help "warm up" your shots, if you want to preserve the ambience.
 
it's for a school nativity play - in a big hall, very high ceilings and i seem to recall tube lighting - i was intending to use a flash - bounced - but thinking might just stick with a higher iso and balance post shoot
 
Tube lighting is covered in the fluorescent WB settings - you probably have three options, so "suck it and see" when you get there.
 
another method is to put your camera in live view mode (if you have it) and simply scroll through the wb menu you watch it change before your eyes.

(cowasaki showed me that at the tp convention) :thumbs:
 
sheridant said:
so flourescent you balance with cto on your flash, and tungsten with the green gel?
Click to expand...

No, you try to match your flash output with the existing lights so if they are tungsten bulbs you want to warm up your flash with the CTO gel and if they're fluorescent you want to 'green it'.
Then when you set the white balance (in camera or later if you shoot raw) the general colour cast is even.

sheridant said:
it's for a school nativity play - in a big hall, very high ceilings and i seem to recall tube lighting - i was intending to use a flash - bounced - but thinking might just stick with a higher iso and balance post shoot
Click to expand...

If it's a play then will the main lights even be on? All the theatre photography I've done has used the stage lights only (no flash), with the main auditorium in darkness.
 
DuncanDisorderly said:
Just a thought - take it in RAW as it is easy to correct white balance problems when you get home.
Click to expand...

Although there's no mention of flash in the OP the later post asks about balancing using gels... the problem is that any method of white balance you like isn't going to help if you have light from a fluorescent light and you mix it with a daylight balanced flashgun, you need to balance the two light sources.
 
incapete said:
If it's a play then will the main lights even be on? All the theatre photography I've done has used the stage lights only (no flash), with the main auditorium in darkness.
Click to expand...

valid point but if its a primary school hall, unless they have a stage, it will probably be under the normal lights....as someone already said, its probably going to be a case of get there early and suck it and see
 
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