LED light panels for portrait work?

[bradhusick]

Anybody have good experiences with large LED light panels for studio portrait work? I like the flat form factor, easy fast setup and long life. I currently use Westcott compact fluorescents but the LEDs are so much smaller for travel.

Thanks.

 

[bbodine9]

Brad,

Contact Kirk Tuck over at the Visual Science Lab site, he is actually writing a book about using the LED panels that will publish very soon and he is a great guy on top of it. Shoot him an email and I am sure he will respond.

Bruce B.

 

[bbodine9]

Link for the book: http://visualsciencelab.blogspot.com/p/all-about-book-number-five-leds.html

 

[bradhusick]

great resource. thank you.

 

[Vivek]

The thing to watch out for is the color rendering index (CRI). Highest is for sunlight at 100. Anything close to that is ideal.

LEDs with CRI >90 are now available. However, I doubt if any of the slim panels use them. If/when they do, they will be quite pricey. Typically, a single such (unmounted!) high CRI LED costs ~$4/-.

 

[fotografz]

I'm curious as to why?

It seems that if you don't shoot video, how do flat panel LEDs compare to strobes? The amount of light seems puny compared to strobes, and the range of light modifiers seem anemic. Are there beauty dishes, snoots, grids with barn-doors, large softboxes with light eating diffusion options ... even Fresnels with LEDs seem to range in the 500 to 700 watt output ... which is the watt output of many modeling lights in strobe based Fresnels.

Just curious as to what the attraction is? What am I missing?

-Marc

 

[Vivek]

In general, it is the same fascination over flat screen monitors when CRT monitors were the norm.

Just as CRT monitors ruled the roost with color calibration and such only to be taken over by LCD/LED screens, they will get phased out.

I am not sure that day is here already or we have months or a few short years to go before that happens.

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

In my little experience, they're still not ready. I tried some last year and found that they made skin tones cold and greenish. But I agree with Vivek; it's probably only a matter of time.

 

[bradhusick]

I use Westcott compact fluorescent lights (Spiderlites) and find the constant light much easier to work with and much less harsh on the model - no hot modeling lamps, no bright flashes. I use them in softboxes.

I am hoping that LEDs will catch up to these and it's easy to add diffusers. The LED panels are easier to transport.

 

[kdphotography]

I thought these were kinda neat---and might be of interest to you Brad.

http://www.zabolight.com/led_panels

ken

 

[bradhusick]

thanks, ken.