Lighting, panel led vs ice light vs flash.

[shaylou]

I really don't enjoy using my flash and saw this
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1017745-REG/manfrotto_mls900ft_spectra_900_ft_led.html
and then I came across a ice light and it got me thinking. I shoot a lot outside and really don't like to use my flash unless I have my soft box attached and that becomes to much to lug around. It would be for outdoors portrait work. Can you tell me the advantages and disadvantages of the 3 systems I have listed. Thanks.

 

[HoppyUK]

Outdoors you need power, way more than any LED-type gives, ie flash. And nice quality light means a larger light source, eg softbox etc, or bounce surface.

Suggest look around for a more portable softbox kind of solution, maybe something like a Rogue Flashbender with diffuser front accessory? Also check Lumiquest.

If you don't enjoy using flash, you're losing out big-time. Get the Speedliter's Handbook by Syl Arena, excellent book

 

[shaylou]

I should of stated that I just need a little fill light for shadows. I mostly use a reflector on a stand but I was thinking one of the light sources close to the subject may work. As far as flash goes, I really do not have anyone to practice on because I live alone. The thing that stood out to me with the led panel was the way you could control the temperature and the brightness separately.

 

[chris malcolm]

I wanted to do the same thing a few years ago. Above is the experimental result. The torch is one of those cheap Chinese lead-acid accumulator high power tungsten halogen things. The bulb is 6V 50watt, which is quite a bright domestic room light, and being tungsten halogen has a smooth colour spectrum of the warm white kind of temperature, good for portraits of palefaces

To adapt it from long focused beam to wide smooth flood I lined the reflector with white paper. That destroys the beam and gives a smooth diffuse output, but the naked bulb is still visible making it still mostly a hard point source. So here I'm firing it through a small translucent white diffuser held in front of the torch glass by long notched sticks held in place by rubber bands.

This demonstration shows it making a brave attempt at being powerful enough to do shadow fill on a sunny day. It's bungeed to a light stand. The depth of shadow unlit by the lamp is shown in the shadow beneth my chin. The top and side of my face show how much the 50W lamp is lifting it. Note how close the lamp is, and consequentially how fast the fall off of light from it with slightly increased distance. It's almost but not quite powerful enough!

My guess is that with today's technology you might be able to do this kind of thing, with enough power, using a modern 50W LED torch. That should give you maybe two more stops of light power. Battery powered 50W LED panels are still rather expensive.

 

[LongLensPhotography]

LEDs are way way less powerful than flash. You are mainly talking wide aperture, higher ISO indoor, or dusk use with most affordable kits. It is inevitable if you shoot video, but for still flash is still the one to go for. By saying flash I do not just mean speedlites. Have a look at Profoto B1 to see what else is out there.

 

[Pookeyhead]

I really don't enjoy using my flash and saw this
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1017745-REG/manfrotto_mls900ft_spectra_900_ft_led.html
and then I came across a ice light and it got me thinking. I shoot a lot outside and really don't like to use my flash unless I have my soft box attached and that becomes to much to lug around. It would be for outdoors portrait work. Can you tell me the advantages and disadvantages of the 3 systems I have listed. Thanks.

The problem with soft light, is it's BIG light. That's what makes light soft. The smaller the light source, the harder the light. That's just physics in action and there's nothing you can do about it. That Manfrotto LED light will be hard. It's only 4" x 6". It will also be very dim in reality. You'll not be able to to balance it with sunlight for example, which you can with a decent flash.


If you can't be bothered carrying a softbox (understandable) then just bounce your flash off a reflector. So long as no direct light is hitting your subject, and it's all being reflected then the size of the light is the size of the reflector. A 1 metre Lastolite becomes a 1 metre softbox, yet folds up to around 10" across and fits in your camera bag

 

[sk66]

LEDs are way way less powerful than flash. You are mainly talking wide aperture, higher ISO indoor, or dusk use with most affordable kits. It is inevitable if you shoot video, but for still flash is still the one to go for.

+1.
That Manfrotto LED is rated at 540 Lumens @ 1 meter... That's about the same as a 50w household incandescent bulb... Ice-Lights are similar (I made a DIY version for ~ $50). It's fairly useless compared to flash.

 

[pingu666]

flash gives you that stop motion, so on average its sharper i would of thought