Really really cheap ring light
Posted 14/03/2011 - 18:25
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Don't they just clamp around the shaft of your parasol? Wouldn't the hole be too small for a lens?
Tim
AF - Pentax K5, Sigma 10-20/4-5.6, Tamron 17-50/2.8, Sigma 30/1.4, Sigma 70-200/2.8, Tamron 70-300/4-5.6
MF - Vivitar CF 28/2.8, Tamron AD2 90/2.5, MTO 1000/11
Stuff - Metz 58 AF1, Cactus v4, Nikon SB24, Raynox 150, Sigma 1.4x TC, Sigma 2x TC, Kenko 2x macro TC, Redsnapper 283 tripod, iMac 27”, Macbook Pro 17”, iPad, iPhone 3G
Flickr • Fluidr • PPG • Street • Portfolio site
Feel free to edit any of my posted photos! If I post a photo for critique, I want brutal honesty. If you don't like it, please say so and tell me why!
AF - Pentax K5, Sigma 10-20/4-5.6, Tamron 17-50/2.8, Sigma 30/1.4, Sigma 70-200/2.8, Tamron 70-300/4-5.6
MF - Vivitar CF 28/2.8, Tamron AD2 90/2.5, MTO 1000/11
Stuff - Metz 58 AF1, Cactus v4, Nikon SB24, Raynox 150, Sigma 1.4x TC, Sigma 2x TC, Kenko 2x macro TC, Redsnapper 283 tripod, iMac 27”, Macbook Pro 17”, iPad, iPhone 3G
Flickr • Fluidr • PPG • Street • Portfolio site
Feel free to edit any of my posted photos! If I post a photo for critique, I want brutal honesty. If you don't like it, please say so and tell me why!
Posted 14/03/2011 - 19:28
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Yes they do but they snap open to fit around the shaft and in this state will fit around the 18-55mm lens on my K10D.
I accept it's crude but it does provide even lighting on beetles etc without startling them when a flas goes off
I accept it's crude but it does provide even lighting on beetles etc without startling them when a flas goes off
Posted 14/03/2011 - 19:38
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Actaully now bright LEDs are available it would be petty simply to build your own from scratch with as many LEDs + Current limiting resistor, as you like.
You could tape them around the outer edge of a lens hood with gaffa tape
You could tape them around the outer edge of a lens hood with gaffa tape
[i]Bodies: 1x K-5IIs, 2x K-5, Sony TX-5, Nokia 808
Lenses: Pentax DA 10-17mm ED(IF) Fish Eye, Pentax DA 14mm f/2.8, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8, Pentax-A 28mm f/2.8, Sigma 30mm F1.4 EX DC, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.2, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.4, Pentax-FA 50mm f/1.4, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.7, Pentax DA* 50-135mm f/2.8, Sigma 135-400mm APO DG, and more ..
Flash: AF-540FGZ, Vivitar 283
Lenses: Pentax DA 10-17mm ED(IF) Fish Eye, Pentax DA 14mm f/2.8, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8, Pentax-A 28mm f/2.8, Sigma 30mm F1.4 EX DC, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.2, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.4, Pentax-FA 50mm f/1.4, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.7, Pentax DA* 50-135mm f/2.8, Sigma 135-400mm APO DG, and more ..
Flash: AF-540FGZ, Vivitar 283
Posted 14/03/2011 - 20:01
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But they are still nowhere near as powerful as a xenon flash!
The AF160FC is very pricey though (4 LEDs + 2 xenon flash tubes).
The AF160FC is very pricey though (4 LEDs + 2 xenon flash tubes).
Posted 14/03/2011 - 20:32
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I did look at building my own but 12 bright LEDs alone would cost more than I paid. I even thought of canabalising it and rebuilding as per Smeggypants but decided that a "C" shape was probably as good as an "O" and battery compartments were built in.
Posted 14/03/2011 - 21:11
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Tyr wrote:
But they are still nowhere near as powerful as a xenon flash!
The AF160FC is very pricey though (4 LEDs + 2 xenon flash tubes).
but with a K-5 and god high ISO performance ???
But they are still nowhere near as powerful as a xenon flash!
The AF160FC is very pricey though (4 LEDs + 2 xenon flash tubes).
[i]Bodies: 1x K-5IIs, 2x K-5, Sony TX-5, Nokia 808
Lenses: Pentax DA 10-17mm ED(IF) Fish Eye, Pentax DA 14mm f/2.8, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8, Pentax-A 28mm f/2.8, Sigma 30mm F1.4 EX DC, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.2, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.4, Pentax-FA 50mm f/1.4, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.7, Pentax DA* 50-135mm f/2.8, Sigma 135-400mm APO DG, and more ..
Flash: AF-540FGZ, Vivitar 283
Lenses: Pentax DA 10-17mm ED(IF) Fish Eye, Pentax DA 14mm f/2.8, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8, Pentax-A 28mm f/2.8, Sigma 30mm F1.4 EX DC, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.2, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.4, Pentax-FA 50mm f/1.4, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.7, Pentax DA* 50-135mm f/2.8, Sigma 135-400mm APO DG, and more ..
Flash: AF-540FGZ, Vivitar 283
Posted 14/03/2011 - 21:24
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should at least eliminate any low light front focus issues... lol!
Fired many shots. Didn't kill anything.
Posted 14/03/2011 - 22:24
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Smeggypants wrote:
Definately, makes you look all CSI !
Tyr wrote:
But they are still nowhere near as powerful as a xenon flash!
The AF160FC is very pricey though (4 LEDs + 2 xenon flash tubes).
but with a K-5 and god high ISO performance ???But they are still nowhere near as powerful as a xenon flash!
The AF160FC is very pricey though (4 LEDs + 2 xenon flash tubes).
Posted 14/03/2011 - 22:37
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As suggested above, my experience in tinkering with electronics and LEDs is that the gadget probably already exist cheaper and better than you can buy the components and make it yourself. It wasn't always so.
Things I used to make and now you get cheaper and better.
LED bike lights, 12v to 18.5V laptop chargers, radios that fit in a matchbox, LED strobes, 12V to 18V nicad chargers, solar shunt regulator, SLA charger, 12v to 4.5 split rail battery replacement PSU, led shelf lights
Mostly they are now cheaper than the cost of components.
Also once you've built it, it looks home made and its at least twice as big as the bought one. And you never fully trust it to work.
Things I used to make and now you get cheaper and better.
LED bike lights, 12v to 18.5V laptop chargers, radios that fit in a matchbox, LED strobes, 12V to 18V nicad chargers, solar shunt regulator, SLA charger, 12v to 4.5 split rail battery replacement PSU, led shelf lights
Mostly they are now cheaper than the cost of components.
Also once you've built it, it looks home made and its at least twice as big as the bought one. And you never fully trust it to work.
Lurking is shirking.!
Posted 14/03/2011 - 22:42
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Frogherder wrote:
Yes they do but they snap open to fit around the shaft and in this state will fit around the 18-55mm lens on my K10D.
I accept it's crude but it does provide even lighting on beetles etc without startling them when a flas goes off
I am very curious as to how this looks like on your camera.
Yes they do but they snap open to fit around the shaft and in this state will fit around the 18-55mm lens on my K10D.
I accept it's crude but it does provide even lighting on beetles etc without startling them when a flas goes off
Posted 14/03/2011 - 23:28
Link
It looks "curious", crude even. I don't think beetles, frogs in my garden, or I, really care what it looks like as its not too likely to be seen in public.
I started the topic stating that it was really cheap and to be honest that's about all it has going for it, but it does provide a cold light which doesn't appear to frighten the subject.
Come to think of it Don has suggested another use- I'm also passionate about misericords but hate to disturb the ambiance with 'un-necessary' flashes simply to enable focusing in the darker areas. Might even get away with a long(er) exposure if I use this light rather than a flash
My apologies, the source is Poundworld
I started the topic stating that it was really cheap and to be honest that's about all it has going for it, but it does provide a cold light which doesn't appear to frighten the subject.
Come to think of it Don has suggested another use- I'm also passionate about misericords but hate to disturb the ambiance with 'un-necessary' flashes simply to enable focusing in the darker areas. Might even get away with a long(er) exposure if I use this light rather than a flash
My apologies, the source is Poundworld
Posted 15/03/2011 - 08:37
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Smeggypants wrote:
Yes, well the K10Ds don't have that Tyr wrote:
But they are still nowhere near as powerful as a xenon flash!
The AF160FC is very pricey though (4 LEDs + 2 xenon flash tubes).
but with a K-5 and god high ISO performance ???But they are still nowhere near as powerful as a xenon flash!
The AF160FC is very pricey though (4 LEDs + 2 xenon flash tubes).
Got to wait to see if all the issues withe the K-5 are resolved otherwise I'll be waiting for the K-3.
Posted 15/03/2011 - 09:01
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... there are some numbers around relating to just how much light a flash puts out in terms of candelas and therefore lumens. It's an *awful lot*. I calculated I'd need 200 XP-Gs running at well over 4A each (work out the power requirement!) for 1/100s to get close to a GN63 flash.
There are several nice links out there, including one from Kodak talking about foot-candles and their relationshop to aperture sizes and another one from a guy who measured the output of an EF500 in terms of speed of output at different settings (1/2, 1/4 etc). I can't find the links right now, which is annoying, but I'll go have a look later when I have the urge.
Bottom line? normal LEDs aren't much use except for really, really close work and even then, the colours aren't the best.
Bret
There are several nice links out there, including one from Kodak talking about foot-candles and their relationshop to aperture sizes and another one from a guy who measured the output of an EF500 in terms of speed of output at different settings (1/2, 1/4 etc). I can't find the links right now, which is annoying, but I'll go have a look later when I have the urge.
Bottom line? normal LEDs aren't much use except for really, really close work and even then, the colours aren't the best.
Bret
my pics: link
my kit: K3, K5, K-01, DA 18-55, D-FA50 macro, Siggy 30/1.4, 100-300/f4, 70-200/2.8, Samsung 12-24/f4, Tamron 17-50, and lots of other bits.
my kit: K3, K5, K-01, DA 18-55, D-FA50 macro, Siggy 30/1.4, 100-300/f4, 70-200/2.8, Samsung 12-24/f4, Tamron 17-50, and lots of other bits.
Posted 15/03/2011 - 17:39
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I did a short test last night (in otherwise total darkness) using just the LEDs as illumination.
I set my camera to ISO400 & F8, both camera and LEDs at a distance of 1 metre from a surface
Against a dark surface (sapelle faced door) the shutter speed was 1sec
Against a light surface (magnolia painted wall) the shutter speed was 1/6sec
As expected the GN is abysmally low compared with even a low end flash
I set my camera to ISO400 & F8, both camera and LEDs at a distance of 1 metre from a surface
Against a dark surface (sapelle faced door) the shutter speed was 1sec
Against a light surface (magnolia painted wall) the shutter speed was 1/6sec
As expected the GN is abysmally low compared with even a low end flash
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1776 posts
17 years
Burton upon Trent
Pop into Poundland (gardening section) and get a 12 LED parasol light.
It takes 4 AA batteries which last for days.
Now that is cheapskate photography but I did see similar (with 12 green LEDs - why green?) at In Focus which cost a lot lot more
Bernard