Constant vs Flash lighting

[Rick50]

So I'm thinking I want to go to constant lighting for in home studio. It has some advantages. One is a constant view of shadowing and specular highlights. The other is lens focusing. I get a bit tired of switching to live view, adjusting my shutter speed so I can see and then refocusing every time something moves.

I know about Kino Flo's but they require a lottery win to get started. Then I thought maybe the Westcott Fluorescent TD6 system. Then I discovered the DIY approach of making your own strip lights with store bought led or fluorescent shop lights. This led to maybe I just buy LED strips and make my own. So I download a data sheet and stamped right on page one "Do not look directly at LED with unshielded eyes or damage to retina may occur".

So I don't need a cheap solution so that I can blind people.

There are several studies on this and I'll read more but I'm now unsure about the Home Depot approach. I did find that Kino Flow lights are safety coated. Whatever that means.

Any thoughts?

 

[480sparky]

Perhaps you have forgotten many monolights have modeling lights built into them so you can preview the lighting just like you do when you're pumping 25,000 watts of pure heat-producing/subject-melting constant lighting. Focus, compose, adjust aperture (no need to mess with shutter speed, just use the highest synch speed and start shooting).

 

[Derrel]

Speedotron Brown Line flash heads use 100 Watt quartz bulbs in the MW3u, and 150 Watt quartz in the M11 head, as standard bulbs. Most Black Line heads use 250-Watt quartz. With them, and 7, 11.5 inch, 16,and 20-inch reflectors and grids and mylar diffusers, it is a flash and a continuous light setup. Brown Line is looooooow cost on eBay.

You need light shaping tools. Reflectors, grids, barn doors, umbrellas, boxes. Why not consider getting both in the same, exact fit?

 

[Derrel]

Let's say this: with Speedotron Black Line flashes with their 250-Watt quartz lamps, surrounded by the flashtube and the Pyrex tube protector, there is plenty of light on-set for focusing. And the hot quartz lamps are not directly exposed: on the Brown stuff, the lamps are exposed and can touch fabrics directly if you are careless.

 

[Rick50]

Perhaps you have forgotten many monolights have modeling lights built into them so you can preview the lighting just like you do when you're pumping 25,000 watts of pure heat-producing/subject-melting constant lighting. Focus, compose, adjust aperture (no need to mess with shutter speed, just use the highest synch speed and start shooting).

Thanks Sparky, no I haven't forgotten but I must say I haven't played enough. I have to start using the viewfinder more. I've been setting up with live view and then turning it off and viewing the subject directly. What I did do is place a small 55 watt, 5500 degree, fluorescent light with reflector next to me to help provide light for setup as well as reduce the pupil size in the model. This helped with Ann but her eyes are so dark they don't show. This shows up as a small speck if I zoom into her eyes but otherwise does not effect exposure.

 

[Rick50]

Let's say this: with Speedotron Black Line flashes with their 250-Watt quartz lamps, surrounded by the flashtube and the Pyrex tube protector, there is plenty of light on-set for focusing. And the hot quartz lamps are not directly exposed: on the Brown stuff, the lamps are exposed and can touch fabrics directly if you are careless.

Good info. I'll now dig more into this. I have the two Paul C Buff B800's and they do have modeling lights. I was considering an Einstein unit from Buff as they have a better light power range and hopefully don't produce the red tint that the B800's have. Since I shoot RAW the tint is removable in post. If I go Speedotron it's start all over.

 

[Derrel]

I was surprised to hear how you're working with 55 Watt's worth of fluorescent light, and not just the modeling lights and what they put out. I think I understand better now.

That being said, I have modeling lights that are 1x25 Watt incandescent; 3x25 Watt incandescents, 1x100 quartz; 1x150 quarz; 1x250 Watt quartz. Different flash heads, very different amounts of light for focusing and seeing and mood. The low power modeling lights always lead to more missed focus shots, refusal to focus right with macro lenses or slow lenses like f4~5.6 zooms or kit lenses. The 250 and 150-Watt lamps make shooting go much easier, with all types of gear.
I leave modeling lamps on at all times during a shoot. I'm not generally going to shoot with continuos, but I have occasionally, but I dislike the 1/25 to 1/6 second shutter times that typically forces me into using.

 

[Dubois Photography Group]

Rick,
Check out the DigiBees by Paul Buff. They are the best of both worlds, offering a super bright LED modeling light and strobe power. Plus they're dirt cheap. To my eye, the modeling light looks to be equivalent to about a 250 or 300 watt halogen. Under the right circumstances, it could be used for video. And, if you're using wider apertures, could be used for still photography as well. Plus it has strobe. I hope that helps.