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Thread: Recommendation on lightbox for viewing transparencies?

  1. #1

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    Recommendation on lightbox for viewing transparencies?

    Can anyone recommend an affordable lightbox for viewing slides?

    There is a bunch of LED stuff on eBay that is quite cheap? It's labeled as tracing box, or dental Xray box etc... Not sure about evenness and color temp on these???


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  2. #2
    Vince Donovan
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    Re: Recommendation on lightbox for viewing transparencies?

    As an alt-lightbox, I got one of these and made a box for it:
    http://www.homedepot.com/p/Commercia...9-HD/206040712

    The light seems quite even. It says the color temp is 4000k, but I don't know how accurate that is. It's dimmable, which I like.

  3. #3

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    Re: Recommendation on lightbox for viewing transparencies?

    There are a few things that are important for a light box for photography, especially for viewing and judging color slides.
    1: Kelvin temperature, 5000K.
    2: Color Rendition Index (CRI) must be 95+
    3: evenness from edge to edge no corner to corner.
    4: out put in lumens. It takes too much light to judge a X-ray as compared to a slide. It takes too little light to do a tracing then to judge proper highlight to shadow ratios in a negative or transparency.

    Buy a proper photographic illumination. Or don't waste your money.

  4. #4
    http://www.spiritsofsilver.com tgtaylor's Avatar
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    Re: Recommendation on lightbox for viewing transparencies?

    About 15 years ago I bought one of these that had the 5000K bulbs:
    https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...C&Q=&A=details

    It's still working.

    Thomas

  5. #5
    Thalmees's Avatar
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    Re: Recommendation on lightbox for viewing transparencies?

    Hello,
    Photos attached are of Porta-Trace 11X18 light panel.
    Second one is unmanipulated, to show luminance difference, both light boxes are on.
    In reality, you will not going to see that magnitude of difference. You may see lesser difference.
    The upper part, is of a Kaiser fluorescent tube light box.
    Yes, maybe lighter weight, but it's condensed in the thin panel. Still more portable than classical light box.
    I'm using my old Kaiser light box for judging my negatives because its hanged vertical on the wall of my darkroom(fixed) and it did not break.
    The panel IMO is enough to examin films specially if you unify your viewing to the panels only.
    .
    Click image for larger version. 

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    .
    Hope this useful.

    The generosity of spirit in this forum is great, its warmly appreciated.
    ------------------------------

  6. #6

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    Re: Recommendation on lightbox for viewing transparencies?

    You will find good info in this tracing light box comparison table (color temperature, max brightness, etc).

    Most lightboxes have color temperatue of > 6500K. If you really need a color temperature of 5000K for viewing transparencies, you should pick the Zecti A4. Its color temperature is adjustable from 3200 to 5600K. It also have adjustable brightness. Plus, it's really cheap

    If money is not a problem, then you can go for an Artograph Light pad pro: https://www.artograph.com/lightpadpro/
    Probably the best lightbox around, and it has color temperature adjustable from 3000K-6200K,
    Last edited by Aelthen; 5-Aug-2022 at 01:04.

  7. #7

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    Re: Recommendation on lightbox for viewing transparencies?

    I bought a large used lightbox off Ebay. It came in an oversized box full of shipping peanuts. The shipping peanuts alone were worth at least half what I paid for the lightbox including shipping.

  8. #8
    Tin Can's Avatar
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    Re: Recommendation on lightbox for viewing transparencies?

    Cheapest, I just bought was this amazing light. Hard to beat $25 delivered. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    It's not perfect, it does have a gradient. I made it into a wall hanging to show off one positive print 8X10 X-Ray. Works fine, very thin and light. Low voltage USB power, Mitsubishi plastic.

    But look at CL and eBay. I bought 2- 48" Acculight wall mount boxes for $20 locally. Great for 14X17 and 14 X 36" X-Ray. Or a hundred slides.

    No box I have seen is perfect in color temp or evenness. I have 6 light boxes.

  9. #9

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    Re: Recommendation on lightbox for viewing transparencies?

    In the meantime, if you have a tablet like an iPad, open a blank memo page. Adjust the brightness and you have a makeshift, highly portable light table.

    At home I use a 48” GraphicLight with color-corrected fluorescent bulbs to accurately judge color and exposure.
    Dallas Texas HABS / HAER / HALS Photography
    Photographer/Author Marfa Flights: Aerial Views of Big Bend Country (Texas A&M University Press)
    Petroleum Oil Pics

  10. #10

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    Re: Recommendation on lightbox for viewing transparencies?

    Quote Originally Posted by pchaplo View Post
    In the meantime, if you have a tablet like an iPad, open a blank memo page. Adjust the brightness and you have a makeshift, highly portable light table.

    At home I use a 48” GraphicLight with color-corrected fluorescent bulbs to accurately judge color and exposure.
    Color corrected tubes do not mean that you have a light box with the proper color output. You need a properly corrected light box. That means that the interior reflecting surfaces, the tubes, the acrylic or glass plate are all properly designed to give you correct daylight color temperature at around 5400k with a CRI of 95 or better.
    You will not get that from inexpensive boxes or with art store or graphic arts boxes or with medical/dental boxes.
    In addition the brightness of the box must be limited to give good details in shadow areas and not burn out the highlight areas.
    Lastly, to properly view multiple slides or negatives the box can not have hot spots and must deliver even levels of light over the entire viewing area.

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