Recommendations for Lightbox with Built-in Lighting?

[MMP]

I'm looking for a portable lightbox setup. I have external lighting, but I'd like to find something that includes it's own built-in LED lighting for the sake of portability and simplicity. Something between 20-30 inches. My main concern is that there is really no standard measurement to judge the brightness of the lights. One company may list 300 LEDs with 5,000 lumens and the next company lists something wild like 90 LEDs with 5,000,000 lumens.

I suppose I could do a bit of trial and error and take advantage of Amazon's generous return policy, but does anyone have experience with a particular brand or model?

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

Hi Marco. You need people from the studio portrait threads, like @ImageMaker, @KenChengPhotography and @DanielScott to come to your rescue! Tagging them here might get their attention.

There's also this thread that @Wilt started, back in November but it hasn't seen much traffic.

 

[KenChengPhotography]

I wish I could help but I only use strobes (or natural light), sorry

 

[DanielScott]

Honestly I'm not familiar with the term lightbox, so I wouldn't be very helpful here. I hope you find what you're looking for.

 

[Archibald]

I'm looking for a portable lightbox setup. I have external lighting, but I'd like to find something that includes it's own built-in LED lighting for the sake of portability and simplicity. Something between 20-30 inches. My main concern is that there is really no standard measurement to judge the brightness of the lights. One company may list 300 LEDs with 5,000 lumens and the next company lists something wild like 90 LEDs with 5,000,000 lumens.

I suppose I could do a bit of trial and error and take advantage of Amazon's generous return policy, but does anyone have experience with a particular brand or model?

They make big LED ceiling panels that might help.

Amazon.com

I thought about getting some for my basement studio to serve as fake windows (but haven't done that yet).

A couple of years ago I bought a "Light board for tracing, A4 size" which runs off USB-C. I wanted it as a replacement for a bulky light box that I got rid of. The new light box works great but I haven't used it much.

 

[Capn Jack]

Hi Marco. You need people from the studio portrait threads, like @ImageMaker, @KenChengPhotography and @DanielScott to come to your rescue! Tagging them here might get their attention.

These three guys are good- they have current information about modern equipment. @Archibald also gives good advice.

 

[Wilt]

Sadly with LED illumination equipment, obfuscation on the topic of photographic intensity is the watchword!

 

[Capn Jack]

Sadly with LED illumination equipment, obfuscation on the topic of photographic intensity is the watchword!

Not really. It just works through a different mechanism. LED vs a xenon flash.

 

[ImageMaker]

LEDs I see as ambient light. I prefer flash which controls ambient light. An advantage of LED is you can see the effect before the shot. A disadvantage is power. I use a lot, so flash suits me better than LED lighting. Sorry to be of little help with this.

 

[DavidWatts]

I made my own some years back thanks to a DIY Lightbox thread at the old POTN forum. It uses 5 white plasticized foam boards that attach together in a cube-shape with just stationary clips that clip onto painter's tape tabs at the board's corners. There are large window cutouts on the left and right sides for the lighting, which are external but adjacent to each side. To even out any hotspots, these "windows" have parchment paper over them. All together, sans the lighting, it weighs about one pound, and costs under $12. It all breaks down in seconds and fits into a large artist's folio ($ optional). The lights are the only expensive addition. One can add a rolled sheet of any paper color for the "infinite" background effect. You can use small magnets to hold down the rolled paper to the back and bottom boards.

 

[Mr Chodes]

You will get an answer at one of these links.
The first term you are likely to learn is CRI.

Candle Power Flashlight Forum

The largest flashlight community forum. Flashlight reviews flash light classifieds, LED, headlamps, modifications & more.

www.candlepowerforums.com

BudgetLightForum.com

Where Frugal meets with Flashlight!

budgetlightforum.com

 

[Capn Jack]

LEDs I see as ambient light. I prefer flash which controls ambient light. An advantage of LED is you can see the effect before the shot. A disadvantage is power. I use a lot, so flash suits me better than LED lighting. Sorry to be of little help with this.

What do you think of something like these?

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1570287-REG/godox_fv200_high_speed_sync.html/?ap=y&ap=y&smp=y&smp=y&lsft=BI%3A6879&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlNi7ppu9hgMVajXUAR33ogSHEAQYAiABEgL5y_D_BwE

LF308-Product-GODOX Photo Equipment Co.,Ltd.

Founded in 1993 as a high-tech manufacturing facility specializing in lighting and audio equipment, Godox has now become a lighting equipment expert and innovator of gears for photographers, videographers, filmmakers and more. Driven by the mission of offering great lighting and audio solutions...

www.godox.com

 

[ImageMaker]

What do you think of something like these?

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1570287-REG/godox_fv200_high_speed_sync.html/?ap=y&ap=y&smp=y&smp=y&lsft=BI%3A6879&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlNi7ppu9hgMVajXUAR33ogSHEAQYAiABEgL5y_D_BwE

LF308-Product-GODOX Photo Equipment Co.,Ltd.

Founded in 1993 as a high-tech manufacturing facility specializing in lighting and audio equipment, Godox has now become a lighting equipment expert and innovator of gears for photographers, videographers, filmmakers and more. Driven by the mission of offering great lighting and audio solutions...

www.godox.com

Not sure of these. The strobe side does not appear very powerful. Possibly 200ws.

My lowest power strobes are 600ws. My main strobes are 1,000ws. I have a couple 1,100 battery powered packs. They are all Elinchrom units. Some 25 years old. All working perfectly.

 

[Capn Jack]

Not sure of these. The strobe side does not appear very powerful. Possibly 200ws.

My lowest power strobes are 600ws. My main strobes are 1,000ws. I have a couple 1,100 battery powered packs. They are all Elinchrom units. Some 25 years old. All working perfectly.

Thanks!
I just grabbed the first examples off a search window. I saw a couple of examples of 1000ws, but those seem to be hybrid LED and strobe flash. A very quick search seems to have 600ws for a high number for LED only. I ask because the MARCOM department where I work uses LED panels for product lighting and for video.