dione961

So I have no shoot-able daylight now - weeks on end of rain, snow, howling wind plus 4 hours of sun above the horizon!!) so I plan to set up & shoot a whole range of small things in many different ways, indoors. But, we are house sitting a dark Alaskan cabin so I can't change the (dismal) interior lighting and cannot go buy 110v lights or bulky photographic equipment as we will only be in the cabin until April then it's back to sea to keep sailing around the Alaskan coast to BC.

I need a USB re-chargeable portable light so I can use it when we get back onto the boat & charge it off my PC (which hooks to the boat's 12v system). It needs to be off-tripod, preferably variable intensity, and, sorry to say it, reasonably priced!! Thanks for any thoughts!

SpyderJan Loc: New Smyrna Beach. FL

Without any more specific us for the light, I recetly bought this on Amazon. For my use it was perfect. It is worth a look.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0741BSG3R/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Led flashlights make interesting light sources. The better ones have an even beam and multiple brightness.

If you don't already have one, try a Fenix E12. It uses a single AA, rechargeable or disposable. It will probably never leave your pocket!

There are also rechargeable "work lights" that are cheap, easy to find and incredibly bright. I got one with a DeWalt brand last year at Costco for about $20.

Bill_de Loc: US

https://www.google.com/search?q=cube+light+for+photography&oq=cube+light+for&aqs=chrome.0.0j69i57j0l8.10860j1j4&sourceid=silk&ie=UTF-8

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User ID

`

My circumstance is different, but I did encounter
concerns that I had not anticipated when I first
got the idea to get LED lights. So I share them in
case it is helpful to you:

1. Some lights are daylight only, no filter or extra
LED included to blend with interior ambient light.

2. Be sure to check the angle of coverage as many
lights are only about 45 degrees.

3. I chose to avoid built-in batteries and make sure
that the light runs on an interchangeable battery of
a COMMONLY AVAILABLE model ... usually Sony or
Panasonic video camera batteries.

As to USB charging, that did not concern me. But
why would you not have an inverter onboard so as
to have some 115AC when you need it ? USB is a
rather feeble power supply ...


.

G Brown Loc: Sunny Bognor Regis West Sussex UK

To warm up light make a 'baffle' with brown kitchen parchment.

dione961

Great ideas - thanks to all. We do have an inverter but it's 240v because we're Aussies - sailed the boat from OZ to AK - & our power equipment is either 12v or 240v!!

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Everything I've bought in the last decade with a charger or power brick does not care if it is 240 or 120.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

How about:

http://www.protomachines.com/product-p/led8-kit.htm?fbclid=IwAR0U4HJ6f0s0LZ1OdQAvm2GM4ob0KUdZrHvbA7Fhh1VWyPFzNm-ZZPR6Huk

jdubu Loc: San Jose, CA

I have one of these for supplementing table photography lighting. USB rechargeable, dimmable, with barn doors. Good little light.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1153715-REG/ikan_iled_ms_micro_spot_on_camera_light.html

User ID

No problem there. It's simply a common household
supply. Surely whatever I can buy in N. America is
also available to other civilizations in a version that
uses your mains voltage. IOW, If I had bought my
same rechargeable interchangeable battery power
LED panels in most any other part of the world, a
240V charger would have been included.

So .... sail on, and fair winds to ya !


`

Bipod

I'm running this laptop right now from a 125 VAC inverter that is powered by a
bank of five 12 VDC marine deep-cycle batteries. The battery bank is charged
during the day by solar panels. I also have a wind generator.

To get lights bright enough for photography that will last long enough to
get though an evening's shooting, you'll need pretty big batteries (e.g.,
four 'D' cells or eight 'AA' cells minimum). Don't even consider a
rechargable device that takes special batteries.

USB has limited current. It wouldn't charge big batteries in a reasonable
length of time. And all batteries require some sort of charge controller.
The better your battery charger, the more cycles you'll get out of
rechargable batteries before you have to throw them away. Some
battery chemistries require a more sophisticated charger than others.

LEDs are very efficient, but most very poor color rendering capability
(low CRI). This has nothing to do with color temperature, it's about
the ability to reproduce particular spectral hues.

I have an LED light made by Sunpak for photography, and it's not great.
Small, easy to use, bright, looks white--but doesn't reproduce colors well.
(But it's fine for shooting B&W.)

So I'd recommend tungsten-halogen flashlight bulbs instead of LEDs.

As with any point source, you're going to need to bounce it off something
or pass it though a really large diffuser. A white umbrella works either way.

Could you get by with flash instead?

John N Loc: HP14 3QF Stokenchurch, UK

I would look in the local auto store. I've just started to do a little still life (on the cheap) and sourced 3x 'AA' powered L.E.D. strip lights on revolving magnetic bases (£12.00 a pop over here) and I've been quite impressed with them. If you want more light try a D.I.Y. store where you might get a 10w or 20w rechargeable USB work light. Both, if kept charged, make suitable emergency light should the light go. Small items can be placed in a home made softbox of an old sheet stretched over a frame made from a kids construction toy or click fit plumbing items.

I won't post links unless you specifically request them as I'm sure most U.K. suppliers would baulk at an Alaskan a delivery address. But I'm pretty sure the attached pic. will give you some idea.

(Download)

pjeffers

Might have a look at lumecube...

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

There is a new, improved LumeCube. It is called the LumeCube Air.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5U06g51ED4