High camera speeds require much more light than
normal photography. Each time the camera speed doubles, the necessary amount
of light doubles. The intensity or brightness of a given flood or spot light
is specified by the lighting equipment manufacturer and the lumen is the
standard unit of measure.
Note that that wattage rating of a given light
fixture relates only to electrical power consumption and is not a measure of
light performance or intensity. For example; there are many different light
fixtures that use 1,000-watt lamps and these can vary in efficiency by 100% or
more depending upon reflector type & beam spread.
The subject to be photographed will generally
determine which light fixture is best suited for that job. Select the fixture
that places most of the light on the subject and avoid spill light outside the
area of interest. This will assure maximum efficiency with the least amount of
electrical power.
Adhering to this advice will:
1. Reduce the quantity of lights to illuminate
the subject.
2. Reduce power consumption.
3. Reduce the ambient temperature that is
increased by the lights.
4. Lower the cost of lights and electrical
power.
The following are typical off-the-shelf lights
that are suitable to illuminate large and small areas for high-speed
applications. New generation LED floodlight and stroboscopes are included.
Strobes require a pulse from a camera to synchronize light pulses to flash
once for each image frame.
ProCan III Short:
Uses PAR-64 sealed beam 1,000 watt tungsten-halogen
lamps with four interchangeable beam angles from very narrow spot to
wide-flood. Available with 120 VAC or 230 volt
lamps.
Source Four PAR: A
new generation tungsten-halogen fixture using a 575 watt lamp and an
innovative reflector design with interchangeable lenses
for very-narrow spot to wide-flood beam angles. Produces
about 90% illumination level of the PAR-64 at 60% power
consumption. Available with 120 or 230/240 volt lamps.
Pallite VIII: A
ring light using eight (8) ELH 300 watt tungsten-halogen projection lamps at 120
VAC. Designed for high-intensity close up applications. Can be mounted with the camera lens in the center of the
ring for shadow less lighting in a confined area. Supplied with dual cooling fans.
Mini-Cool: Small
fixture using one 300 watt ELH tungsten-halogen 120 volt lamp.
Designed for lighting small areas in inaccessible locations. Flexible
mounting and other accessories are available.
LED Flood
& Strobe Lights: produce
high brightness and are designed to illuminate small areas of a few
square-feet or less. Benefits include: 1) High efficiency with virtually no
heat in the beam. 2) White LED's produce nominal 5200°K daylight color
temperature. 3) Red and other LED colors are useful for monochrome imagery
in biological and related applications. 4) Ruggedized for Hi-g shock &
vibration environments. 5) Strobe frequencies up to 5000 Hz. 6) No IR or UV
radiation in the beam. 7) Very low EMl. 8} Small size and low power
consumption. 9) Operates on AC or DC power.
