Popup light tent or equivalent for DT Food department to take photographs of students offerings!

kennysarmy

kennysarmy

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I've been asked by our DT Food department to investigate the purchase of something fairly portable as they have limited space that could be used to help them with their photographs of the dishes the students make.

They currently only use an iPAD to take the photographs though there is a school dSLR (Canon 70d with the kit lens)

Anyone any suggestions - that would be great.
 
plenty on ebay for around the £40 mark.. i had one thats a pyramid shape ( and can be mounted onto a pole to turn into a softbox. The Daylight bulb was fittedinside of the unit rather than have external lights so it gave very good even light inside..

this is the one here
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Multi...graphy_StudioEquipment_RL&hash=item3ef87aef72

if budget is tight this should do fine, the size inside the "tent" is about 18-24" inches so ideal for small scale stuff ( cakes and things ) .. just be careful they dont melt under the continuous bulb!
 
dean messenger said:
plenty on ebay for around the £40 mark.. i had one thats a pyramid shape ( and can be mounted onto a pole to turn into a softbox. The Daylight bulb was fittedinside of the unit rather than have external lights so it gave very good even light inside..

this is the one here
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Multi...graphy_StudioEquipment_RL&hash=item3ef87aef72

if budget is tight this should do fine, the size inside the "tent" is about 18-24" inches so ideal for small scale stuff ( cakes and things ) .. just be careful they dont melt under the continuous bulb!
Click to expand...

Interesting - not seen one like this with the bulb integrated.

The budget could stretch to £150 I reckon.....
 
for £150 you could easly get a one of those adjustable chairs that have all the clamps on them .. and a set of lights.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Professio...graphy_StudioEquipment_RL&hash=item20ce3bb4a2

but by time you add lights and stands for lights etc your moving out of the potability stage.
only thing with teh "tent" and intergrated light is its worth buying spare bulbs ( ours got knocked off the table and smashed into a million bits and never got round to replacing them ( they are about £15 )



full kit of the table/chair one here with lighting
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160967311041


or another option is

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MK50-PROF...graphy_StudioEquipment_RL&hash=item4617ca272e

not sure if it would be big enough..

one of those odd areas where its either sub £100 or £300+ and upwards with very little in the middle
 
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dean messenger said:
for £150 you could easly get a one of those adjustable chairs that have all the clamps on them .. and a set of lights.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Professio...graphy_StudioEquipment_RL&hash=item20ce3bb4a2

but by time you add lights and stands for lights etc your moving out of the potability stage.
only thing with teh "tent" and intergrated light is its worth buying spare bulbs ( ours got knocked off the table and smashed into a million bits and never got round to replacing them ( they are about £15 )



full kit of the table/chair one here with lighting
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160967311041


or another option is

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MK50-PROF...graphy_StudioEquipment_RL&hash=item4617ca272e

not sure if it would be big enough..

one of those odd areas where its either sub £100 or £300+ and upwards with very little in the middle
Click to expand...
Hmm... Light tents are for selling on fleabay, not for actually using, if you want any kind of creative results you should avoid them like the proverbial.

A small shooting table would be a much better bet, with just a single flash head and a reflector. If you're going to go for a small shooting table then consider our one here, it meets your portability needs because it doesn't require assembly, it just folds up like a folding chair.

The fleabay one with the lights is just junk and you'd throw those lights out after using them once less than ideal for your needs
 
would disagree with your comment that light tents are for selling and not actually using.. the one i linked above was perfect for shooting small still life objects and always gave perfect shadowless light and great results ( up until the bulb broke. ).
I agree that that the pop up tents with the twin external light kits that can be found for around £20-40 on ebay are a waste of time but this unit was great and the fact it doubles up a a good sized softbox too makes it a worthwhile buy for under £40.
 
dean messenger said:
would disagree with your comment that light tents are for selling and not actually using.. the one i linked above was perfect for shooting small still life objects and always gave perfect shadowless light and great results ( up until the bulb broke. ).
I agree that that the pop up tents with the twin external light kits that can be found for around £20-40 on ebay are a waste of time but this unit was great and the fact it doubles up a a good sized softbox too makes it a worthwhile buy for under £40.
Click to expand...
That's OK, we'll agree to disagree.
BTW, shadowless lighting isn't what still life photography is actually about:
 
ok i meant even clean lighting.. however you wish to call it. end of the day for college kids shooting cakes and the like it would be ideal.
ours was used for mintaure clocks, watches, etc but we also shot flowers , fruit and various other objects all with great results, both with the white interior and the included black interior.
also fitteed on lighting tripod and used as a softbox ( the base has two layers so can be diffused ) it worked really well.

yes it has its cons of course.. limitation in size of items being shot and the bulbs being always on lighting can get hot and also are quite fragile.
But then using a light table or chair you have the same restrictions on object size but more flexibility with lighting.

just think unless youve tried and used one ya cant really knock em and tar them with the same brush as alot of the cube style ones that i wouldnt touch either on fleabay,

i certainly didnt expect much when i got mine and was pleasantly surpised at the build quality and how much space was actually inside , and the added softbox option was a real bonus ( you would be hard pushed to find just a softbox alone for the price ).
 
Continuous light in an enclosed space for food photography, can't think of a worse idea, it is called heat, reduces working time with many edible products

Going to have to agree with Garry as what is it that gives shape an texture? Simples, shadows, so why would you want to eliminate them all?

I do not need to use it to know that it is a poor option and I have nowhere near the experience Garry has with such subjects

Mike
 
and i did indeed state about heat with food products. but no reason to dismiss the item as rubbish just because its on ebay.
hence why i added other alternatives such as the light chair.
Not all still life objects require shadows.. in fact many items require 100% shadow free shot. jewelry for example. or the above mentioned watches and miniature clocks. though only add on to those was shooting them on a white gloss acrylic surface to give reflections.

end of the day its just some ideas of what options there are that dont involve spending hundreds of pounds as alot of places like schools and colleges have pretty limited budgets for these kinds of things
 
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dean messenger said:
and i did indeed state about heat with food products. but no reason to dismiss the item as rubbish just because its on ebay.
Click to expand...


It's not because it's on eBay that they're saying they're useless it's because those tents will produce mediocre results, the only advantage I can see them offering is they prevent reflections with no effort but they're forcing you into shooting in an all or nothing approach as the only control you're left with is choosing which sides you want to illuminate.

Which probably has its place but beyond saving time I'm uncertain where that is.
 
Garry Edwards said:
Hmm... Light tents are for selling on fleabay, not for actually using, if you want any kind of creative results you should avoid them like the proverbial.

A small shooting table would be a much better bet, with just a single flash head and a reflector. If you're going to go for a small shooting table then consider our one here, it meets your portability needs because it doesn't require assembly, it just folds up like a folding chair.

The fleabay one with the lights is just junk and you'd throw those lights out after using them once less than ideal for your needs
Click to expand...

Garry,
If we went for that collapsible table is there a low heat output continuous light source that you could recommend as I really don't want to go down the route of flashguns dSLR's etc.

Although the images are taken by the teachers and technicians they may be using iPAD's and compact cameras.....
 
kennysarmy said:
Garry,
If we went for that collapsible table is there a low heat output continuous light source that you could recommend as I really don't want to go down the route of flashguns dSLR's etc.

Although the images are taken by the teachers and technicians they may be using iPAD's and compact cameras.....
Click to expand...
Yes. Cheapest would be the QuadLite, with 4 powerful fluorescent lamps. The softbox isn't quite fixed into position, it's removable and an umbrella can be substituted, but that's about it.
Best would be the LED 1000, roughly the same output but has an S-fit accessory mount, just like a flash head, so can be used with any modifier.

Neither of them produce any real heat, and the LED 1000 produces hardly any at all.

My usual qualifier (whenever I remember) - similar products are also available from other sources.
 
I'd say the table is a better bet too as if you use something that is material/cloth and spill on it then it's no use until washed (and may be stained) whereas acrylic can be wiped down in seconds.
 
Garry Edwards said:
Yes. Cheapest would be the QuadLite, with 4 powerful fluorescent lamps. The softbox isn't quite fixed into position, it's removable and an umbrella can be substituted, but that's about it.
Best would be the LED 1000, roughly the same output but has an S-fit accessory mount, just like a flash head, so can be used with any modifier.

Neither of them produce any real heat, and the LED 1000 produces hardly any at all.

My usual qualifier (whenever I remember) - similar products are also available from other sources.
Click to expand...

The QuadLite looks a good bet.

This page:
http://www.lencarta.com/studio-lighting-shopfront/product-shot-solutions/product-shooting-table

shows a stand/boom arm - I presume they would all be extra and not included with the QuadLite?
 
Yes, stands etc are extra. The QuadLite consists of the light fitting, softbox and lamps
 
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