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Thread: LED grow light panels for continuous lighting?

  1. #1
    jp's Avatar
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    LED grow light panels for continuous lighting?

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/370526616178

    Been wondering if anyone has used these grow light panels for continuous lighting for photo? I'm only doing B&W film, so color quality isn't critical. I suppose I might be able to use a WB card with digital, but that's not a deal breaker.

    They look like 12x12 picture frames with 225 LEDs; 13w is pretty bright for LED use.

    I'm thinking if I assembled a grid of these, it'd be a nice window shape or thin softbox.

    Am I out of my mind or is this a good idea? I've searched a bit, but it seems most people are interested in growing plants, not taking lighting photos.

  2. #2
    Big Negs Rock!
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    Re: LED grow light panels for continuous lighting?

    LED light sources are used all of the time in motion picture production. The thing to think about here is how much of the light is UV and how much is usable for your capture medium.
    Mark Woods

    Large Format B&W
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    www.markwoods.com

  3. #3

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    Re: LED grow light panels for continuous lighting?

    There are many LED panels available at B&H http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._Standard.html

    but they are much more expensive than the ebay example.

  4. #4

    Re: LED grow light panels for continuous lighting?

    It's a novel idea but 13 watts equals only about 60 watts from a standard bulb. If your shooting portraits and want to keep you shutter speeds reasonably short I don't think Led's are going to do it. You can use a flash with a modeling light or pop your flash setup with a digital camera for a preview. Another idea is some high power bulbs pointed into an umbrella. I use 200 watt bulbs in Home Depot clamp reflectors pointed into umbrellas for video work on occasion. My aperture is pretty wide and the DOF is pretty thin but it can work.

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    Re: LED grow light panels for continuous lighting?

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Woods View Post
    LED light sources are used all of the time in motion picture production. The thing to think about here is how much of the light is UV and how much is usable for your capture medium.
    White LEDs emanate much less UV than incandescent bulbs - for practical purposes zero. Their diode emission is narrow band deep blue (fluorescence converting that to some kind of white). But unless you need UV for some special purpose, that difference is negligible, intense deep blue has pretty much the same visible effect on film and sensors as near UV (including day-glo fluorescence) - and to make matters worse, UV filters will have little or no effect on it!

    "Grow lights" (of whatever technology) have bigger problems than UV - they are designed to emit no green or yellow (as these are reflected by foliage rather than used in photosynthesis). On LED grow lights, the spectrum will be the original blue superimposed with a red fluorescent band - I'd expect them to deliver results similar to using strong magenta or lilac filters...

  6. #6
    jp's Avatar
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    Re: LED grow light panels for continuous lighting?

    Thanks for the comments so far. One can buy UV or red+blue grow lights, or plain white ones like linked. I agree 60w equivalent isn't a ton of light but you don't get a ton of LED light for $33. I was thinking 6-12 of them in an array might make some "north window" style light for shooting soft focus lenses wide open.

    I've already got white lightning flashes with modeling lights and umbrellas, for bigger distance or power needs, etc... Lots of the old lenses don't have any sync at all.

    My only current continuous light is a $7 aluminum flood light bowl with a light socket in the middle like you'd use to keep baby chickens warm or for a construction work clamp light. Works OK close for flip videos, etc....

  7. #7

    Re: LED grow light panels for continuous lighting?

    Well it's always fun to futz around and make things and experiment. Of course I would use it as a grow light for my tomato starts. If you do wind up making one let us know your procedure and the led's you used. Overall I'd probably just use a 150 watt Chromalux daylight lamp in a beauty dish thru a window pane, but there's lot's of ways to skin a cat.

  8. #8
    Drew Wiley
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    Re: LED grow light panels for continuous lighting?

    "Grow light" panels? Are you sure this isn't for "medicinal" photography?????

  9. #9

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    Re: LED grow light panels for continuous lighting?

    Quote Originally Posted by Drew Wiley View Post
    "Grow light" panels? Are you sure this isn't for "medicinal" photography?????
    As in growing plants one doesn't want the neighbors or law enforcement authorities to see? (there isn't a 'whistling' smiley here?)

  10. #10

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    Re: LED grow light panels for continuous lighting?

    Quote Originally Posted by Sevo View Post
    White LEDs emanate much less UV than incandescent bulbs - for practical purposes zero. Their diode emission is narrow band deep blue (fluorescence converting that to some kind of white).

    "Grow lights" (of whatever technology) have bigger problems than UV - they are designed to emit no green or yellow (as these are reflected by foliage rather than used in photosynthesis). On LED grow lights, the spectrum will be the original blue superimposed with a red fluorescent band - I'd expect them to deliver results similar to using strong magenta or lilac filters...
    Hmm, this might be useful with blue-sensitive x-ray film?

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