continuous light 'flash'?

David Lyga · Jan 25, 2018

Some subjects are debatable: Are CDs better than LPs? Is film better than digital? Is there a God?

One subject that is without debate is LED flashlights vs the incandescent type. The amount of light and the length of time that its batteries last make this form of manual lighting absolutely amazing, especially if you were reared in the previous age.

My question regards this query: Are flashes getting some competition? Are there any really strong battery operated LED flash lights, lanterns, etc, on the market that have the advantage of providing continuous light for indoor shots? This advantage would provide 'flash sync' for ALL shutter speeds with focal plane shutters and would enable one to envision the way the light falls upon the subject before actually taking the shot.

Another question I have is this: If so that an LED continuous light can be used, what color temperature would this light be and would it remain that way even as the batteries waned? - David Lyga

Fritzthecat · Jan 25, 2018

I don't think you can compare continuous light to strobes. You can replace your incandescent bulbs with LED's, just look at the color temperature and lumen output of the LED "bulb" you want to buy (Mfg's usually put a wattage equivalence with the LED)

FerruB · Jan 25, 2018

I recently had a look into it because I wanted a light source (not flash) for some outdoor work. I found this:

https://www.lumecube.com/
150 lux at 3 m - waterproof and dimmable LED light source

I am still hesitating to get it because is not really cheap (80£) but reviews seems to be good.
Cheers,
Ferru

David Lyga · Jan 25, 2018

Well, maybe I was too hasty, in that LED is great, but not THAT great ... YET. We will see if other reply. But, you have to admit: battery operated continuous 'flash' would be novel and useful. - David Lyga

jim10219 · Jan 25, 2018

Use whatever color temperature you want. Just make sure they're the same for all of the lights (or not if you want the effect). The color temperature of LED's remain pretty consistent, though their output varies as they age and the batteries dim.

LED's definitely have their place. The one downside I see is that they don't output a linear color temperature. They tend to spike and dip across the frequencies, unlike an incandescent bulb, which remains pretty linear throughout. This is further exacerbated by the fact that there is no such thing as a true white LED. What we think of as white LED's are actually either a combination of red, green, and blue LED's or a blue LED with a phosphor additive to give it the appearance of white. But in reality, they aren't white. But due to the RGB cones in our eyes, we may perceive them in that way. In any case, they'll all reflect colors differently than an incandescent bulb. That being said, it's not usually a problem on the camera end of photography. It does become more of an issue for the enlarger end, especially when dealing with multi grade papers.

A problem with the "continuous flash" concept is they generate heat (LED's generate less heat, but they still generate heat, especially really bright ones) and they can be uncomfortable to be in, especially if you're using tons of light directed right at the model's face. That's where the advantage of studio lights come in, with their lower power modeling lights to figure out how the lights going to fall, and their high powered flash, to limit the exposure to such bright lights.

I'm a big fan of LED lights. I generally prefer to build my own arrays, however. That allows me to combine various LED's of different color temperatures to get a more even light.

BrianShaw · Jan 25, 2018

Maybe I'm confused, but the use of the word "flash" doesn't seem appropriate. are you thinking of a small/portable (camera mounted) LED light source to provide continuous light? Or do you really mean an x-synched LED flash?

No matter, in addition to color temp I'd be concerned about coverage and especially the consistency of coverage across the image field.

Fritzthecat · Jan 25, 2018

I bought my son a "Tac light" for his Glock, 800 lumens and has a pulse mode. It illuminates a small area quite brightly, I'd say approx 30 ft diameter beam at 150 yards, we were spotting deer at the edge of the woods in the back yard with it so I know the distance. Up close on pulse just may be what you want for a "flash"

BrianShaw · Jan 25, 2018

Fritzthecat said:
I bought my son a "Tac light" for his Glock, 800 lumens and has a pulse mode. It illuminates a small area quite brightly, I'd say approx 30 ft diameter beam at 150 yards, we were spotting deer at the edge of the woods in the back yard with it so I know the distance. Up close on pulse just may be what you want for a "flash"

What do you think the coverage would be at 10 or 20 feet?

Fritzthecat · Jan 25, 2018

BrianShaw said:
What do you think the coverage would be at 10 or 20 feet?

It has a focusable beam, you would have to experiment with one to see what it is capable of.

baachitraka · Jan 25, 2018

https://www.foto-morgen.de/Studioau...ei-EF-200-LED-Sun-Light-Dauerlicht-5500K.html

benveniste · Jan 25, 2018

David Lyga said:
One subject that is without debate is LED flashlights vs the incandescent type. The amount of light and the length of time that its batteries last make this form of manual lighting absolutely amazing, especially if you were reared in the previous age.

My question regards this query: Are flashes getting some competition? Are there any really strong battery operated LED flash lights, lanterns, etc, on the market that have the advantage of providing continuous light for indoor shots? This advantage would provide 'flash sync' for ALL shutter speeds with focal plane shutters and would enable one to envision the way the light falls upon the subject before actually taking the shot.

Here's one way to look at it. At 1 meter, most monolight style LED units (such as the Genaray MonoBright) with a standard reflector illuminate to around 8000 lux, or around EV 11.5. So with an ISO 100 film, you can shoot at f/5.6 and 1/80th to 1/100th of a second. That's usable, but still less light than is available from a flash. Once you want to use a softbox or other modifier, you may find yourself looking for a stop or two. For a modern dSLR this is no problem, select ISO 400 or 800 and move on.

David Lyga said:
Another question I have is this: If so that an LED continuous light can be used, what color temperature would this light be and would it remain that way even as the batteries waned? - David Lyga

LED's are available at different color temperatures, and some units allow you to select the color you want (but at different output levels). In theory, LED's shouldn't change color with voltage, but I don't know if this is true with real life units.

David Lyga · Jan 25, 2018

BrianShaw said:
Maybe I'm confused, but the use of the word "flash" doesn't seem appropriate. are you thinking of a small/portable (camera mounted) LED light source to provide continuous light? Or do you really mean an x-synched LED flash?

No matter, in addition to color temp I'd be concerned about coverage and especially the consistency of coverage across the image field.

Yes portable. Not 'flash' but a facsimile, in that it is HELD like a flash but has continuous light. You have to admit that a continuous and easily portable source of battery light would be ideal.

David Lyga · Jan 25, 2018

baachitraka said:
https://www.foto-morgen.de/Studioau...ei-EF-200-LED-Sun-Light-Dauerlicht-5500K.html

Nice ... until I saw the price. WHY so much!?!? - David Lyga

baachitraka · Jan 25, 2018

me too but there is something available which is usable. Okay with that price I may get a decent studio flashes.

Wallendo · Jan 25, 2018

One point. When low level lights are used with flash, the pupils of the tend to dilate. When higher powered continuous lights are used, the iris tends to constrict.

spijker · Jan 25, 2018

Godox also makes a studio LED light: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1342003-REG/godox_sl200w_5600k_200w_white.html

Chan Tran · Jan 25, 2018

David Lyga said:
Some subjects are debatable: Are CDs better than LPs? Is film better than digital? Is there a God?

One subject that is without debate is LED flashlights vs the incandescent type. The amount of light and the length of time that its batteries last make this form of manual lighting absolutely amazing, especially if you were reared in the previous age.

My question regards this query: Are flashes getting some competition? Are there any really strong battery operated LED flash lights, lanterns, etc, on the market that have the advantage of providing continuous light for indoor shots? This advantage would provide 'flash sync' for ALL shutter speeds with focal plane shutters and would enable one to envision the way the light falls upon the subject before actually taking the shot.

Another question I have is this: If so that an LED continuous light can be used, what color temperature would this light be and would it remain that way even as the batteries waned? - David Lyga

I am thinking of a high power LED something like 50W (real wattage not incandescent equivalent) and use it as a long duration flash. The sync circuit in the camera has to be changed. The camera would turn the LED on before the shutter open and turn it off after the shutter completely closes. The duration of the flash would be around 1/60 of a second for most uses. It's not continuous to save power and avoid overheating but is continuous for the exposure as the exposure time is controlled by the shutter and not flash duration. It would work with focal plane shutter at any speed.

removed account4 · Jan 25, 2018

i have been on the verge of ditching my non-continuous monoblock and battery based "flash" lights for years but just can't seem to do it.
i have some of the orignal lowel "L" lights which are great ( i also have 2 totas and 2 omnis) .. and i was on the verge of
buying a small kit of smith-victor lights which are the best choice for continuous light.
Rob Skeoch, a well known ontario based commerical photographer did a series of
videos on his website on them a handful of years back and he had a lot of good stuff to say about them ....
they might not put out 50,000WS of pulse to do instantaneous wet plate work
and unless you have a generator or a long plug, they might not be a good solution on the run ..
... seeing the light and how it is falling is a lot easier to make photographs then modeling lights and a "flash"...

Kawaiithulhu · Jan 25, 2018

Note that with continuous light, no matter how bright, you're going to lose that "frozen in time" quality you get from a flash's quick pulse.
Not so great for models in motion, cloth on windy days (or in the fan), probably preferable for set pieces.
And you're going to get a bunch of closed down irises in eyes that will make everyone look tweaked up druggies and you'll lose that "irises wide open I'm interested in you" subtle psychological hint.

That being said, now I want a small LED setup for my set pieces

Lee Rust · Jan 25, 2018

I have a small on-camera LED light and it works well as long as the subject isn't too far away. Especially useful for indoor pictures where people might otherwise be startled or blinded by a bright flash. Brightness is adjustable.

For example: https://www.samys.com/c/LED-Shoe-Mount-Lighting/2/751.html

continuous light 'flash'?

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