LED lighting?

[briloop]

Just wondering what anyone's opinion is on LED lighting. I would like to do more inside/studio photography. I have one softbox and one flash unit. I've done a little bit of research on LED lighting.

It appears to me that LED lighting has a few advantages over traditional flashes and strobes: lighter, more portable, using less power.

Is it the future?

Thanks

 

[Petrochemist]

The light produced by LEDs tends to be concentrated at specific wavelengths (in a similar way to flourescent lights) which can apparently cause colours to be problematical with some brands.

Having said that they're my prefered way to light the house though the switch over is fairly gradual. I've not noticed any white balance issues when photographing things lit by 'white' LEDS.

 

[0dBm]

LED lighting is seeing more usage in place of the traditional incandescent and fluorescent sources. I don't see any reason not to find its presence in other applications. It has a short way to go because technological advancements are moving so much faster than when the lightbulb was invented.

 

[inkista]

They could be, but the tech has a ways to go yet in terms of power output, cost, and color. I think the use of LED lighting is definitely growing, particularly for product/macro photography, and for switch-hitters who do both stills and videos. The main advantage, to me, with LEDs is that it's a continuous light source. No modeling lights needed.

Highly recommend this TOP post if you want more information on using LED panels instead of strobes:

http://theonlinephotographer.typepa...4/led-lighting-for-photography-kirk-tuck.html

 

[marcsitkin]

Check out Kirk Tuck, http://visualsciencelab.blogspot.com/. He has a book out on this

 

[Ulfric M Douglas]

It has a long way to go to equal other light sources in terms of giving pleasant skin tones, in my opinion.
That includes work by 'experts' already mentioned. (insert smiley for irony)

 

[speedandstyle]

They are the future! Not just for photo/video lights but for all lighting. They have a ways to go before they fully replace traditional lighting for photo/video.

Color temp is a big problem although the higher priced units seem to have countered this one{but you pay for it!}. Another problem is they are no where near as bright. If you are replacing a 100W incandescent, that can be done with LED. However if you are looking for a 650W replacement forget it, at least for the time being. And a 10K, well that may never be possible.

One thing to watch out for is the cheap LED lights - they suck! There are many Chinese companies making clones of good lights but they use inferior parts. If they work the color will be too blue or too yellow and they often fail. Trust me I learned this one the hard way. Stick with a respected brand!

 

[BillW]

I know that mirrorless is hybrid, and we can shoot stills and video with ease.

Lighting for both is easy with LED lights, BUT they can be VERY bright for people shots.
In fact, I find LEDs harsh on the eyes.

I'm still using flash for now, generally using a CTO gel for indoor situations to balance flash with ambient, if necessary.