Over on the S forum we were discussing how to use the SF58 flash best. One member mentioned the value to using gels to adjust the light’s color temperature to match the ambient light in the scene. There is new LED technology under development that includes a color meter to measure the ambient light and then automatically set the color temperature of the LEDs to match, without reducing the light level. This would be pretty handy indoors and out. Not on the market yet, but watch the progress here:
http://riftlabs.com/category/blog/Since it is continuous light, one could also visually judge the effect of the light as one adjusted strength and color. Issue remains to be seen if the power comes even close to what a strobe can add, but for fill light off camera, it would be handy.
JackJack,
This is pretty neat tech. I’d be very curious to see how much power output they are able to get. Looks like the unit uses and array of about 112 LEDs. I seriously doubt they can even match the light output of an on-camera strobe, let alone a portable power pack, but I won’t dismiss something I’ve never seen or used.
While continuous lighting certainly has some advantages, it also has one major drawback (besides power). Strobes have extremely short durations, some as short as 1/12,000 sec. Essentially, if your strobe is illuminating 90% or more of your scene, this is your effective shutter speed, not your camera’s sync speed. The ability to freeze action gives the effect of extreme sharpness and clarity.
All that said, I think the idea of a light that automagically changes the color temperature on the fly to match ambient conditions is pretty cool. Of course, this has way more use in HD-DSLR video than in still photography, where a camera operator must often follow actors through changing lighting conditions. Hence why they are building the array to an aspect ratio of 16:9.
David
David Farkas
Red Dot Forum
Leica Store MiamiJack,
I agree with David, this is cool technology, matching the ambient color temperature. But the output of the unit is nowhere near the amount needed to overcome daylight.The reason to use a colored gel to warm the cold strobe light is to give a natural appearence to the fill. Adding a warming gel enhances the skin tones and also gives the illusion of a natural, logical source for the fill, a lamp. You can try an experiment with and without the gel in a fill situation and judge for yourself what looks better. If you have a local theatrical lighting store or camera store selling light gear, you can pick up a swatch book of colored gels for about $5 and try all the different combinations. The sample swatches are about the same size as the front of the flash.
No it won’t overpower the sun, but shadow fill might work. For me, I would use it indoors in low light. I’m very slowly working on a bar project where I need fill light at the temperature of candle light. At that point, I put away my flash and my umbrella strobes. I bought a cheap LED for this purpose, but even with it’s filter and power adjustment, it was tough to match the temperature of the candels. This is a M project not S.
Additionally, so many M users hate to mess with flash, a less powerful continous light source might be easier for them to adopt.JackDo you really want to add a light from your camera that may affect the mood?
No, and I have discovered that if a light source is off camera, it is rarely changes the mood.
JackHard to imagine that the professional drinking patrons of some of those establishments (especially here in Wisconsin) would lose their focus even if commander Zim and a legion of space invaders showed up for a round.
Kurt
This is some pretty interesting technology and I hope it continues in development. I’ve been
following such developments on many fronts, but this design seems to be the most sophisticated in terms of control.While it is true that any continuous lighting resource usually pales in comparison to strobes or speed-lights, there conceivably is a place for this type of light even with still photography … but it will depend greatly on the size of the unit and power source combined.
If you tend to shoot available light, such a unit could be of great value as a supplement rather than as the key light …and extend the range of ambient use of any camera it is mounted on.
Benefits would include easier/faster AF with a S2 which suffers greatly in low light, or manual focus assist … and assistance in bringing the dynamic range of the scene with-in or closer to that of the camera … especially when employing a higher ISO.
Supplemental lighting of any kind, even on-camera, doesn’t necessarily have to destroy the mood created by the ambient lighting … one need only to be aware of the ambient direction and use the supplemental unit to assist evening out the dynamic range somewhat.
-Marc
Jack MacD;126 wrote: Over on the S forum we were discussing how to use the SF58 flash best. One member mentioned the value to using gels to adjust the light’s color temperature to match the ambient light in the scene. And this scene is forteendots There is new LED technology under development that includes a color meter to measure the ambient light and then automatically set the color temperature of the LEDs to match, without reducing the light level. This would be pretty handy indoors and out. Not on the market yet, but watch the progress here:
http://riftlabs.com/category/blog/Since it is continuous light, one could also visually judge the effect of the light as one adjusted strength and color. Issue remains to be seen if the power comes even close to what a strobe can add, but for fill light off camera, it would be handy.
very handy. I could never manage to do that. I guess my travelling movment is too fast
Has anyone tried Litepanel’s Incas or Solas (or any LED equivalent fresnels)? I’ve been wondering about the power output. We’re about to make an investment in lighting and are figuring that LED is the way to go if the technology is there yet.
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