blackest Loc: Ireland

Hi all,

I picked up yesterday a 160 daylight balanced led panel and it's not too bad power wise.
I have a few flash modifiers and some bowens S type adapters and some actually will take the panel more or less.

There are many variations available from around $20 upwards (at this price you don't get a battery or a charger or a case). They can run of 6 AA batteries or a Sony F series battery. Some even have infrared remote controls.

They are also very light in weight so not the hardest thing to carry around.

with the little 160 Led Panel I have i managed 1/60th at F1.7 and with a white umbrella about 1/30th both at ISO 200 and a distance of around 3 feet. Granted this isn't a flash gun but with my camera able to shoot pretty much noise free at 3200 iso thats around 4 stops available.

Interesting little lights, very portable and they won't break the bank.

What do you think?

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

Since I shoot a lot of moving subject macro, I won't be giving up my flashes or ring lights as this is too under powered for me. That said, I can see where some may find it beneficial......

Don, the 2nd son Loc: Crowded Florida

Great for macro subjects.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

I currently have a 130 LED panel that has worked OK for me but my next LED source will be this one -

https://www.ebay.com/itm/YONGNUO-YN320-LED-Light-3200-5500K-PRO-wireless-control-for-SLR-Canon-Nikon-USA/202170957128?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l9372

Bigger will be better - but still manageable ! Very nice for relatively close subjects ( 7-8 feet or less) and of course, good for closer video work. I will be mounting mine on the Soff Shoulder bracket I have.

See Jason Lanier on Youtube using the "Rotolight" series of continuous lights !

..

The Soff Shoulder bracket

(Download)

blackest Loc: Ireland

Here's a couple of reviews for different panels

7 for under $50

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwrGLPi6qb4

10 fur under $100

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcBb-MInwBc

There is quite a bit of variation in hardness /softness and brightness some have a narrow spotlight style beam while others are quite wide. Worth checking out if I had 2 i would have 1 more stop of light.

This article is a pretty good primer on the inverse square rule when it comes to light it's unit less but halving the distance between light and subject increases the light by 2 stops and doubling it decreases by 2 stops (one stop would be 0.7 1 1.4) the further away the light source the longer the distance for the light to drop off. our ultimate light source the sun is so far away that there is no real drop off in light.

https://petapixel.com/2016/06/02/primer-inverse-square-law-light/

you can do a lot with a little.

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

"very portable..." yes... "what do you think?"
blackest as a commercial bridal makeup artist I find my "Glamcor Classic Ultra" indispensable for location assignments...
https://glamcorlights.com.au/glamcor-classic-ultra.html

Superb color temperature control... "...Smoothly transition from candlelight to daylight and achieve the best colour temperature possible in any conditions..." this is so important when working with bridal parties since the maids of honor can be rather demanding that I match their eye decor precisely to their gowns etc...

As for photographic use? Not much of a major fan here... albeit they are extremely popular with YouTube makeup gurus... much nicer catch lights in eye as compared to ring lights... unless you are going for an "Alien" outer space visual statement...

Disclaimer: Not affiliated with Glamcor

All the best on your journey

blackest Loc: Ireland

interesting, never thought much about makeup before but the color of light is going to have an effect. Must be hard working with stressed out brides maids, I don't envy you.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I have one with 96 LEDs that I use for light painting. If you find my post of Jack"s Bus, it was done with about 4.5 seconds of light within a 25 second exposure at ISO 4000 from a distance of about 30 feet or maybe a little more. I've also used it for fill when doing non-flash exposures in low room light.

Mine is about 5000K, and comes with filters for 4000K and 3200K. Output is continously variable with a potentiometer. CRI is a little above 90, which is not perfect, but is not bad. It uses 6 AAs or a rechargeable battery (with a Sony label). It can interlock together with other identical panels, but each has to be controlled separately. Mounts to a hot shoe or cold shoe.

This is not a replacement for a flash unit, but is very cool and can also double as a flashlight when you are shooting at night. I don't have detailed information with me, but believe it was $119 or maybe $129 from B&H.

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

I prefer a flash as the short duration of the flash stops motion, be it my own or my subjects and it allows me to stop down the aperture for increased DOF. Plus I don't have to up the ISO...

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I do not remember the actual light output, but it is fairly usable for still photography if you can get the light within 5 or 6 feet of your subject. An advantage is that it is a large source, not a point. Makes it fun to play with, at the very least.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

You must still have plenty of light to focus with ....

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

Yep, since the lens has an F2.8 aperture

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Always nice to focus at taking aperture - if possible .....

Bipod

Continuous lights have many advantages over flash, but unfortunately, white LEDs do not
product continuous-spectrum light. Moreover, there is tremendous variation in the quality
of the light produced by different white LEDs.

White LEDs work similarly to fluorescent tubes: the light you see is emitted by a
combination of phosphors. Therefore, they have a similar range of color reproduction
quality to floursecent lights: from terrible to pretty good.

The difference is the source of the light: a low-pressure mercury vapor lamp vs. a UV LED.

Any RGB triangle will give you "white" -- but the light can be made up of three very
narrow bands. Any substance that does not reflect light from those bands will appear
black.

Check the Color Reproduction Index (CRI) for the to get an idea of how much of the visible
specturm is present. Sunlight or incandescent light is continous spectrum: CRI of 100.

Under a sodium vapor streetlight--which has negative CRI!--there are only two colors:
yellow and black. There's no "fix-it-in-PhotoSlop" for that!

A new index, the Extended CRI, is an even better measure. But even a light with an ECRI of 99
can make a bad photo if you get unlucky and one of the colors in your subject happens to fall
into the narrow band(s) that are missing from the light.

This helps to explain why for 180 years photographers relied on sunlight, flash powder,
photo floods and xenon flash -- all continuous spectrum. With any light that is not continuous
spectrum -- no matter how good or how long you've been using it-- you can never be sure that
the next subject you photograph won't contain a color that is missing from the light.

LED lighting was first tried in TV studios, where hot liights are a big problem.
Unfortunately, it was a disaster. Dozens of TV studios put them in, then tore them out.
LED lighting was not yet ready prime time!

Technology is extremely good at providing inferior substitutes: a replacement that is cheap,
convenient and almost as good as what it replaces. From plastic lens to TV Dinners
to LED lights. such "innovations" are always greeted with great enthusiam followed shortly
by equally great disappointment and rejection. The truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Bipod

P.S.

LEDs have definitely improved, but it's hard to say what happens next. The economics of production
dictate that seminconductors have to be mass-market products. Demand for LEDs is very sensitive
to price. The electronics industry and home lighing demand is huge, photographic lighting demand is
comparitively small. And most consumers don't know what color reproduction is, let alone care about it.

When is the last time a corporation that makes light-emitting diodes asked you, the photographer,
for your opinion on anything? You aren't their customer, you aren't a major end-user of LEDs,
the light you bought probably has $5 worth of LEDs in it (at wholesale prices). They'll make what
they make, you'll have to decide whether or not it meets your needs.

Technology supply chains often mean that producers and end-users might as well be on different planets.