model lamp for night time macro question

[Kraig C]

I have considered some LED modeling lamps, for night time macro's, but they don't provide enough light to double as a flashlight, so I've got a couple computer accessories with CCFL tubes and a rechargeable deepcycle 12 volt hip pack for the ccfl inverter but does anyone know if the inverter and or ccfl computer accessories will cause interference with a digicam or ettl opperation?

[Jim M]

How about a flashlight? Or use LEDs as modeling lamps and carry a flashlight.

[lakiluno]

if you mean radio inteference, then almost certainly not.

[1000arms]

http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/item/LED-127/340500/ULTRABRIGHT_WHITE_LED,_5MM_15_DEG_.html

Try a few of those.

[Kraig C]

Hi, I have a bunch of those LED's that I'm gonna try for a light bar on my bicycle, but they don't put out good enough light for a modeling lamp/flashlight.. I'm sure a few of them would do it, but haven't had time to work on it, they need resistors and a 3volt battery pack.. I've used a handheld flashlight before, dificult to hold the camera and flashlight though, tried to fit a smaller led flashlight on my flash diffuser so it points down where I can see everything through the lens but it was too heavy for the flash head, flash head kept moving on it's pivot.. flashlight wouldn't mount easy enough to the flash bracket in a way that it pointed at the subject either..

I have tried the speedlight modeling lamp and it's nice through the diffuser but I need double duty flashlight/modeling lamp, so the speedlight modeling lamp option's not gonna work. I don't like using it either cause I feel like it's bad for the flash.

Anyway, I rigged up a 12volt power tool battery pack on my flash bracket and mounted a round ccfl computer accessory lamp to the front of the flash difuser, makes a nice model lamp/flashlight for night time macro, the ccfl says it draws 5mAv, and the power pack is from one of those cordless drills, so it should last a while, makes a nice flashlight too.. ccfl's are light enough to mount on the difuser without pulling the flash head down/sideways, made out of white glass, and mounted in clear plastic, so it doesn't block the flash exposure.. Puts out much better light than a few led's too!

I'm looking at ways to mount the round lamp to the front of the lens, maybe glue it to one of those removable rubber hoods or something that will clip on the barrel of the lens.. I'm just a little worried about the flourescent inverter noise..

[1000arms]

Good luck. Are you aware that LEDs have viewing angles and light outputs that vary depending on the construction? Sounds like you are thinking things through.

[Kraig C]

yeah; got a bag of led's, even turned the lens down to smaller diameter on a makeshift lathe and sanded the ends with fine sandpaper to provide something that looks about like a light stick for difused illumination, but they are small, and combersome to solder onto a board, and the white light output is really low compared to ccfl..

[1000arms]

yeah; got a bag of led's, even turned the lens down to smaller diameter on a makeshift lathe and sanded the ends with fine sandpaper to provide something that looks about like a light stick for difused illumination, but they are small, and combersome to solder onto a board, and the white light output is really low compared to ccfl.. Some LEDs throw out a lot more light, and in one direction, than others. Diffusion gels for theatre work well, and the sample books are often free, whcih may be large enough for a bank of LEDs.