Battery powered DIY (no soldering, please) or fully built LED/CFL ring light/panel/etc... for $100 (or cheaper)

[Lockless]

Can anyone recommend me a tutorial (please, no soldering. I don't want a discussion/debate/argument regarding this. All I can tell you is that I am not comfortable with soldering and I refuse to do so) or a fully built LED/CFL ring light/panel/etc thats battery powered and sold by a manufacturer. I intend to use it for both photo and video.

What I want for $100 (regardless if its DIY or already built and being sold by a manufacturer)

 

-Lemme re-emphasize this, I want it battery powered. Portability is what I need.
-I don't know how high the lumen I need, but I want it to light up as bright as this, or brighter. 

-Can be dimmed down

-The largest size I can accept is 1ft in diagonal measurement (if CFL, most likely 1 foot in diameter [not the bulb, ofcourse], 1 foot in length including the battery, and the housing/enclosure/body [excluding where bulb is] to be no more than 8 inches thick]
-Flicker free (I'm guessing its a given with CFL)
-For CFL, I forgot the term thats called in terms of measuring how white it is and some give off some green 
-For weight, I hope its no more than 3kg.
-Don't worry about considering it to be natively useable with a softbox. I'll take it from there.
-Lemme re-emphasize this too. If its DIY, PLEASE... NO SOLDERING!


Before anyone brings up "why not use flash for photography?" or something similar... I want the flexibility for both photo and video, as well as I need to pack less since I'm having back pains (which I got with NOT dealing with carrying gear) and I've also been strongly recommended by my doctor to not to put 10kg worth of weight on my shoulders and/or back.


Edit: Is solder paste a good alternative? I don't mind using a heatgun, just not a soldering iron.

[ALwin]

I recommend F&V, it is a wonderful ring light though it is above your price range.

http://www.fvlighting.com/store/lighting/led/r300.html

 

Anything 100 or below and it will be something like this.

http://www.amazon.com/NEEWER%C2%AE-Marco-Light-Adapter-Tamron/dp/B0031AQ302

[TheKDub]

You might be able to use something like this: http://www.radioshack.com/radioshack-graphite-filled-conductive-wire-glue/6400146.html to act like solder without having to actually solder stuff, though I've never used it so I don't know how well it works or how easy it is to use...

[Lockless]

I recommend F&V, it is a wonderful ring light though it is above your price range.

http://www.fvlighting.com/store/lighting/led/r300.html

 

Anything 100 or below and it will be something like this.

http://www.amazon.com/NEEWER%C2%AE-Marco-Light-Adapter-Tamron/dp/B0031AQ302

 

I don't mean to be rude, but I'm actually annoyed at recommendations above said budget/s whether its my thread or someone else's.

The second one... is it as bright or brighter than this?

You might be able to use something like this: http://www.radioshack.com/radioshack-graphite-filled-conductive-wire-glue/6400146.html to act like solder without having to actually solder stuff, though I've never used it so I don't know how well it works or how easy it is to use...

That might help... but if someone can totally vouch for this, I'd go for that.

[ALwin]

I don't mean to be rude, but I'm actually annoyed at recommendations above said budget/s whether its my thread or someone else's.

 

Unfortunately there aren't any ring light systems that meets your budget for your requirements, even on ebay.  The F&V is the most compact and lowest cost option, otherwise you will have to go for something like the second link I posted, which is too small to work with large diameter lenses and the brightness is useful only for closeups.  By the way CFL lights will require more power than LED, hence good CLF right lights tend to use AC power or larger portable power packs.

 

Photography, especially advanced photography, is not for the poor.  So I guess the only option you have left is DIY.

1. Buy some white or RGB LED strips, perhaps like those used in PC case mods
2. A backboard or something to mount the LED strips
3. power unit

Here's some stuff to give you an idea of how you can make your own ring light.

https://iso.500px.com/diy-lighting-ring-tutorial/

[Lockless]

Unfortunately there aren't any ring light systems that meets your budget for your requirements, even on ebay.  The F&V is the most compact and lowest cost option, otherwise you will have to go for something like the second link I posted.  By the way CFL lights will require more power than LED, hence good CLF right lights tend to use AC power or larger portable power packs.

 

Photography, especially advanced photography, is not for the poor. Not sure if you're trying to be a douche here, or just straight up honest.  So I guess the only option you have left is DIY.

1. Buy some white or RGB LED strips, perhaps like those used in PC case mods
2. A backboard or something to mount the LED strips
3. power unit

Will that require soldering?

 

Here's some stuff to give you an idea of how you can make your own ring light.

Thats ridiculously weak.

Thats ridiculous in size.

https://iso.500px.com/diy-lighting-ring-tutorial/

This one might actually help, but I want to know how bright it can go? I take it back, its not portable.

[Lockless]

Anyways, new question (also edited my thread just incase nobody noticed): Is solder paste a good alternative? I don't mind using a heatgun, just not a soldering iron.

[bob345]

if you are looking for a good diy solution, you could go with something like this You would need soldering with these options though though.

 

http://www.amazon.com/100mm-White-LEDs-Angel-Eyes/dp/B008SNLK3W/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1443980265&sr=8-16&keywords=led+ring

 

or a better option would be there high CRI led strips, not cheap at all compared to amazon led strips, but they wont get you that greenish hue when grading footage that cheaper led's do.

http://www.flexfireleds.com/high-cri-93-series-ultrabright-led-strip-light-by-the-foot-natural-white/

 

as for something to purchase, this is likely your best option for under $100 as they claim a  95 or greater CRI rating. Also, it the led ring you want to buy does not have a CRI rating, dont buy it as it likely uses low quality led's

 

http://www.amazon.com/Aputure-Amaran-AHL-HC100-Macro-Camera/dp/B00K1YVGDK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1443980575&sr=8-2&keywords=high+cri+led+ring

[ALwin]

Ring lights are meant to be used no more than a couple of meters distance away from your subject. I only use my ring lights for doing headshot portraits and I stand no more than 1.5 meters away from my subject.

 

If you're looking to get some very bright lights to shine on your scene or subjects from a long distance get some powerful lights and large softboxes/diffusers.

 

And if you don't like soldering, isn't there anyone among your family or friends who can do it for you?

[Lockless]

if you are looking for a good diy solution, you could go with something like this You would need soldering with these options though though.

 

http://www.amazon.com/100mm-White-LEDs-Angel-Eyes/dp/B008SNLK3W/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1443980265&sr=8-16&keywords=led+ring

 

or a better option would be there high CRI led strips, not cheap at all compared to amazon led strips, but they wont get you that greenish hue when grading footage that cheaper led's do.

http://www.flexfireleds.com/high-cri-93-series-ultrabright-led-strip-light-by-the-foot-natural-white/

 

as for something to purchase, this is likely your best option for under $100 as they claim a  95 or greater CRI rating. Also, it the led ring you want to buy does not have a CRI rating, dont buy it as it likely uses low quality led's

 

http://www.amazon.com/Aputure-Amaran-AHL-HC100-Macro-Camera/dp/B00K1YVGDK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1443980575&sr=8-2&keywords=high+cri+led+ring

The first one will potentially or inevitably need soldering, so I'll cross that out.

UNLESS... you or anyone can vouch for soldering paste, then i'd reconsider that

The second one, I'm unsure.

The third one... I'm also unsure about that.

 

Ring lights are meant to be used no more than a couple of meters distance away from your subject. I only use my ring lights for doing headshot portraits and I stand no more than 1.5 meters away from my subject.

 

If you're looking to get some very bright lights to shine on your scene or subjects from a long distance get some powerful lights and large softboxes/diffusers.

Well, thats YOUR personal preference. I've seen photographers use ring lights, flash/LED thats off-camera and use it for things like even hair light. Hell, they even use it for full body shots.

Now, to the both of you:

I don't want to be rude again, but like I said: "LED/CFL ring light/panel/etc" which means I'm not strictly going for rim lights. It doesn't have to be a rim light, it can also be a panel, or something that works similar in function as a spotlight in terms of CFL or even LED.

Just because I linked this video, it doesn't mean I'm strictly after a ring light. I'm just using that as a point of reference on brightness, not for the sake of being a rim light. Hell, I even mentioned if it can go as bright as that or brighter.

Edited October 4, 2015 by Lockless

[ALwin]

snip

 

So you just want a very bright powerful light?  Doesn't matter if it is a ring light or not?

 

These should be within your budget and be very bright, to a certain distance.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1074071-REG/ledgo_lgb150_9w_led_on_camera_light.html

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1148831-REG/axrtec_axr_c_b12d_12_led_on_camera.html

 

 

You can also use lights like these, unfortunately most of them do not use portable power like AA batteries or camera battery packs.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?atclk=Technology_Tungsten&ci=2026&N=3907816526+4138044043&mxp=100

 

 

 

PS: If I use my ring lights, I use them to shoot a portrait with my lens through the center of the ring, to capture that ring glow in the eyes.  Otherwise any other type of light or even a light modifier as a beauty dish works.

[bob345]

-snip-

Any diy option will require soldering, not relly any way to get around that, but since you are not restricted to ring lights, there are a few more options i could recommend. One more question though, are you looking for more of a spot light or a flood light?

[Lockless]

So you just want a very bright powerful light?  Doesn't matter if it is a ring light or not?

Yes... well not very powerful, just as bright or brighter than the one I linked. The brighter, the better. If its dimmable, it'd be fantastic. Plus, it better be battery powered and portable (reffer to the "What I want for $100" part of my thread.

[ALwin]

Yes... well not very powerful, just as bright or brighter than the one I linked. The brighter, the better. If its dimmable, it'd be fantastic. Plus, it better be battery powered and portable (reffer to the "What I want for $100" part of my thread.

 

I just edited my previous reply, giving you some more options.  I have no idea exactly how bright the lights in the video you linked are, but the ones I just linked to are adjustable and work off AA or camera battery packs (usually Sony or Canon type batteries).

 

I have a couple of these for my on camera use, but as I mostly shoot interviews I am not shining light on my subject from the back of a long room.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1114778-REG/aputure_amaran_al_h160_160_bulb_on_camera.html

[Lockless]

Any diy option will require soldering, not relly any way to get around that, but since you are not restricted to ring lights, there are a few more options i could recommend. One more question though, are you looking for more of a spot light or a flood light?

Well, one thing I'd like to ask is if soldering paste (plus a heatgun or whatever it is thats used with soldering paste) is a good alternative to using a soldering iron?

Well, I'm looking for something that works like how this works, but in the size of 1ft in diagonal measurement (no larger than that) and can be battery powered.

[Lockless]

So you just want a very bright powerful light?  Doesn't matter if it is a ring light or not?

 

These should be within your budget and be very bright, to a certain distance.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1074071-REG/ledgo_lgb150_9w_led_on_camera_light.html

 

This one interests me a lot. I must ask, though, how bright can it go? 

[ALwin]

Well, one thing I'd like to ask is if soldering paste (plus a heatgun or whatever it is thats used with soldering paste) is a good alternative to using a soldering iron?

Well, I'm looking for something that works like how this works, but in the size of 1ft in diagonal measurement (no larger than that) and can be battery powered.

 

The risk of using a heat gun on electronic components is that while trying to melt the soldering past to form the bond you may inadvertently cause something else to heat up and melt.

[Lockless]

The risk of using a heat gun on electronic components is that while trying to melt the soldering past to form the bond you may inadvertently cause something else to heat up and melt.

What about the usage of kapton tape like how its showed in this video?

[bob345]

Well, one thing I'd like to ask is if soldering paste (plus a heatgun or whatever it is thats used with soldering paste) is a good alternative to using a soldering iron?

Well, I'm looking for something that works like how this works, but in the size of 1ft in diagonal measurement (no larger than that) and can be battery powered.

Solder paste is only really good for surface mount components or copper pipes depending on the kind of solder past you are talking about. You really do need a soldering iron to do any diy option properly. is the problem that you dont have a soldering iron? because you can get them for quite cheap between 10-15 usd really.

[bob345]

I just edited my previous reply, giving you some more options.  I have no idea exactly how bright the lights in the video you linked are, but the ones I just linked to are adjustable and work off AA or camera battery packs (usually Sony or Canon type batteries).

 

I have a couple of these for my on camera use, but as I mostly shoot interviews I am not shining light on my subject from the back of a long room.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1114778-REG/aputure_amaran_al_h160_160_bulb_on_camera.html

that actually seems like a good option as they are decently priced and have a good CRI rating. ^^^^ that is probably your best bet.

[1823alex]

This one interests me a lot. I must ask, though, how bright can it go? 

Please read the specs page next time. But as the specs tab on the link shows, 1,170 lumens and 9 watts. We can't tell if it is brighter than the one diy video you keep linking because we don't know the actual lumens output, so it's entirely impossible unless we had the exact same thing the guys in the video has and measure how many lumens his is compared to the B&H one.

Exact specs from the specs page:

Lamp Type LED Color Temperature 5600K CRI 95 Wattage 9 W Lumens 1170 Lumens Illumination Strength 1 Meter: 2030 lux 

2 Meters: 500 lux 

3 Meters: 250 lux 

4 Meters: 150 lux 

5 Meters: 80 lux Mount Type Shoe Mount Power Source 100-240 VAC input (adapter available separately) 

Rechargeable and AA Battery plates Rechargeable Battery Type Panasonic CGR-D series 

Sony NP-FH, NP-FM, NP-F series Power Consumption 7.2 - 12 VDC Dimensions (L x W x H) 5.6 x 1.7 x 3.7" / 14.2 x 4.4 x 9.5 cm Weight 0.5 lb / 200 g

 

I'd reccommend you scour eBay for about an hour to see if you can find something, or buy the B&H one mentioned.

[ALwin]

This one interests me a lot. I must ask, though, how bright can it go? 

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1114778-REG/aputure_amaran_al_h160_160_bulb_on_camera.html

 

Something like this as an example, which I own a few and they can be connected together to form a larger panel, can be bright enough to shine on a subject who is located about 3-5 meters away from the camera.  I wouldn't use it to light something beyond 5 meters.

 

Keep in mind that the number of LEDs is not always a good indicator of brightness, some video lights use fewer but larger and brighter LEDs.

 

According to the specs on B&H, my Aputure 160s which cost half the price of the Ledgo 150s are brighter.

Nevermind, the Ledgo are brighter.  Was reading the distance symbols incorrectly.

 

Aputure

2,860 lux @ 1.6' (0.5 m)

750 lux @ 3.3' (1 m)

210 lux @ 6.6' (2 m)

 

Ledgo

1 Meter: 2030 lux

2 Meters: 500 lux

3 Meters: 250 lux

4 Meters: 150 lux

5 Meters: 80 lux

[ALwin]

that actually seems like a good option as they are decently priced and have a good CRI rating. ^^^^ that is probably your best bet.

 

And what I like about those Aputures is that you can connect them to make a larger panel, of course it becomes heavier.  There are notches on each side (top, left, right, bottom) where you can use an included connector piece.  It also comes with a diffuser and a warming filter.  And you can either use 6x AA batteries or Sony NP type batteries.

[Lockless]

Solder paste is only really good for surface mount components or copper pipes depending on the kind of solder past you are talking about. You really do need a soldering iron to do any diy option properly. is the problem that you dont have a soldering iron? because you can get them for quite cheap between 10-15 usd really.

My problem is that I am not comfortable with soldering and I have no one to turn to in terms of soldering. Carpenters and mechanics (that are reasonably nearby my area) refuse to do the job since they think its not worth the effort, even if I asked how much they'd charge for it. And yes, I have done some soldering, and I keep repeating the same mistakes and end up botching everything that requires soldering. I don't want to go to the discussion of "why not practice?" kind of thing as I prefer it done without using a soldering iron. I'm not gonna solder again.

 

that actually seems like a good option as they are decently priced and have a good CRI rating. ^^^^ that is probably your best bet.

How bright can it go? I've checked out YouTube about it, but a good guess in comparison to the ring light video I showed would help out alot.

[ALwin]

snip

 

Here's a video I did a few years ago using the Aputure 160s. The lights were dimmed to about 50% and placed about 1 meter away from the person.  But videos are not a good way to compare brightness of different lights.