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Using LED lights in a Lightbox


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I have a 24x24 light box.  I was hunting through Amazon for a 16x16 softbox and noticed a lot of the light boxes are now coming with built in LED lights.

 

Anyone ever added LED's to a light box they already had?  It is something I am considering as space is tight for me and I could avoid extra lights.  I figure why order something else if I can convert either the one I already have or a new soft box.

 

This is for product shooting.

 

Jill

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I've been using a couple of LED spots for over a year for table top work.  All my cut outs uploaded since June last year are done with them and I predominently do cut outs.

 

I'm using Luceco GU10 5W  (50W equiv.) 4000K natural white on the box, but actually nearer 4200K-4300K to get the right colour balance post processing.  I have them in small retractable leg tri-pod spot light units.  I've actually uploaded images of GU10s -  See G85FHG.  Bought them from screwfix for less than £10 a box of four and I already had the housings from a light tent kit. 

 

Biggest advantage I find is very little heat.  Halogens get too hot for close up work, can affect the subject, are also short lived and expensive.  Before halogens I used two slaves and a master flash, but setting these up and test shooting to get them in the right position and the right output was a pain and then there's the constant battery charging to keep them running.

 

I've found the LEDs far less hassle than any other lighting set up I've used and if I change anything at all it will be to get extra units.  Results are always consistent and predictable.

 

Most of the time I don't bother with the light tent (you only really need the tent for reflective subjects) and just position the lights for best results, sometimes with a "make shift" diffuser.  I just sit the subject on a white backsheet curved up at the back and move the lights around until it looks right through the camera.

 

I make sure there are no other light sources other than room lights which are also LED.  Mixed light sources can make colour balance a problem.

 

Hope that helps with your decision.

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1 hour ago, fotoDogue said:

Here's an interesting comparison of florescent vs LED lightboxes. Apparently some types of LED are better than others.

 

Fluorescent vs. LED Lamps in Backlit Lightboxes

 

The video is about flat lightboxes for seeing through paper (I have one of those as well). I was meaning the light tent.

 

I was considering buying the strings and lining the inside of the box with the LEDs.   I don't know if they are bright enough though.  Just an idea.

 

Jill

 

 

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24 minutes ago, Mark Collinson said:

I've been using a couple of LED spots for over a year for table top work.  All my cut outs uploaded since June last year are done with them and I predominently do cut outs.

 

I'm using Luceco GU10 5W  (50W equiv.) 4000K natural white on the box, but actually nearer 4200K-4300K to get the right colour balance post processing.  I have them in small retractable leg tri-pod spot light units.  I've actually uploaded images of GU10s -  See G85FHG.  Bought them from screwfix for less than £10 a box of four and I already had the housings from a light tent kit. 

 

Biggest advantage I find is very little heat.  Halogens get too hot for close up work, can affect the subject, are also short lived and expensive.  Before halogens I used two slaves and a master flash, but setting these up and test shooting to get them in the right position and the right output was a pain and then there's the constant battery charging to keep them running.

 

I've found the LEDs far less hassle than any other lighting set up I've used and if I change anything at all it will be to get extra units.  Results are always consistent and predictable.

 

Most of the time I don't bother with the light tent (you only really need the tent for reflective subjects) and just position the lights for best results, sometimes with a "make shift" diffuser.  I just sit the subject on a white backsheet curved up at the back and move the lights around until it looks right through the camera.

 

I make sure there are no other light sources other than room lights which are also LED.  Mixed light sources can make colour balance a problem.

 

Hope that helps with your decision.

 

Excellent cut-outs Mark.  Not sure how you managed the Triumph Bonneville on your table top though ;);)

 

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Thanks John.

Off topic, but I just happened to park by the Bonneville in a car park in Selby.  Just an opportunity shot.

You don't see many classic British bikes about these days, and although I'm no biker nor an expert on bikes, it did catch my eye. 

It sold a while back with quite a cluttered background and I thought it might be more saleable as a cut out.

I spent a good few hours removing the background and re-uploading.  It's been zoomed recently but so far no sale reported.

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Mark, you might want to add "sun dog" to your keywords of the ice crystal circle around the sun images. If you do a search, do "sun dog" or you'll get a wealth of dogs frisking in the sun. :D

i have a shot or two of a sun dog myself. Not as nice as yours.

Betty

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2 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

 

I already have the big lights.  I am just curious as to whether lining a light tent with leds would be a good idea.

 

Jill

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11 hours ago, Jill Morgan said:

 

I already have the big lights.  I am just curious as to whether lining a light tent with leds would be a good idea.

 

Jill

 

Lining the inside of the tent with LEDs would/could cause bright spots on  the subject therefore defeating the idea of diffuse light through the tent material.;)

 

Allan

 

 

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1 hour ago, Allan Bell said:

 

Lining the inside of the tent with LEDs would/could cause bright spots on  the subject therefore defeating the idea of diffuse light through the tent material.;)

 

Allan

 

 

 

this is one of the factors that I wondered about when I saw so many light tents on Amazon that come with LED's inside the tent.  Reviews were mixed, but most bad reviews were about the sturdiness of the box.  Didn't see any complaints about the lighting effects.

 

Jill

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1 hour ago, Allan Bell said:

 

Lining the inside of the tent with LEDs would/could cause bright spots on  the subject therefore defeating the idea of diffuse light through the tent material.;)

 

Allan

 

 

+1. It's a complete misapprehension of the function of the tent to put the light source inside it. The reviewers obviously don't know the difference.

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