For macro and close-up photography, electronic flash has always been the choice of illumination for most photographers, especially when working in low ambient light. With the advances in lighting however, LED lights provide an alternative source of illumination with certain advantages not found with electronic flash.
When using electronic flash, reflections from various surfaces is difficult to predict and unless used with light modifiers, the cast shadows are strong and usually undesirable. Very often, the photo indicates that a harsh source of light has been used. LED lights, though not a replacement for electronic flash (as it does not have the power or the action-stopping property of electronic flash) can often come in very handy and are also easier to use.
The Manfrotto Lykos LED Light – Bicolor, is one such light that photographers doing macro and close-up work will appreciate. It is light in weight and offers enough illumination at close distances. The 48 LEDs are surface mounted and the light includes a dimmer to control the output. The colour temperature can be controlled (manually or using Bluetooth) between 3000 and 5600 degrees Kelvin (3000 K represents the colour of light from a 100W household bulb; 5600K is equivalent to Daylight colour). A Lykos LED softbox (optional) can be used to further ‘soften’ the light.
The light can be powered using the supplied AC adapter or using a Li-ion L-type battery (not suppled with the kit). The light is Bluetooth ready and is compatible with Manfrotto’s Digital Director.
We checked the light output at full power. At ISO 400, at a distance of 12-inches from the light, the center of illumination gave an exposure reading of f/16 at a shutter speed of 1/60 sec. Four and a half inches away from the center, the measured illumination was between f/11.2 to 11.5 at the same shutter speed of 1/60 sec. Considering that most latest cameras offer a usable ISO up to 3200, this LED light can be an alternative source of illumination for macro and closeup work. It could also be used to fillin the shadows on portraits taken at reasonably close distances. |SP
For further details, please contact:
West & North India: Sainath Shetty +918451041073
s.shetty@ecreativeindia.com
South & East India: Shivani Sandilya+919840246441
shivani@srishtidigilife.co.in
