What is a good small spot light

Kbarredo · Jun 8, 2011

So I've been thinking. One day I'll do a shoot where the main light won't be a ceiling light. I know you guys like all strobe lights but if all u use is strobe you will be in the pitch black until you take a pic. What I mean is I need a continuous light source that will act as a main light in a room with no ambient light. What is a good spot light for one person shoots. Nothing too large my limit is 300$

analog.universe · Jun 8, 2011

Honesty, I just use a regular small 40 watt lamp or two, to prevent the room from being dark, and to provide enough light to focus. When the strobes fire, they are so much brighter that I can never detect the presence of any other light source in my photos. Without the strobes in that lighting, I'd need 1/50, f/2.0, ISO 3200 or something, but I take the shots at 1/250, f/5.6 - f/11, ISO 100-400. That's like what, 8 or 10 stops difference?

Big Mike · Jun 8, 2011

You don't have to work in the dark when using only strobes. For one thing, studio strobes have modeling lights (continuous bulbs)...and for another thing, when using flash/strobes, you can often use the shutter speed to knock down the ambient exposure so that only the flash exposure shows up in the photo.

For what you are looking for, check out video lights. On Camera Video Lights

Dao · Jun 8, 2011

You can perform some test yourself. Set the aperture at f/8 and shutter at 1/160 and see how the ambient light looks in your photo. If the photo is all black, then don't worry about the ambient light.

Also, some of the lighting equipment has a build-in modeling light. (2 bulbs, one is a flash tube, the other one is .. well modeling lamp)

Edit: Man! .. I need to type faster than Bigmike

Kbarredo · Jun 8, 2011

Sorry guys all I have is 1 sb900 so no modeling light.

Dao · Jun 8, 2011

I believe the SB-900 do have modeling light, but not continuous. (maybe you have not gone through the whole manual yet)

Do a test tonight inside your room , set your camera to f/8 - f/11 and shutter speed to 1/160 - 1/250 (no flash) and see what the photos looks like with just the ambient.