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LED Strip Lights for Copying Film with DSLR Camera
I'm planning on replacing the fluorescent tubes in the 24"x36" light table I use for copying film negatives and positives with a DSLR camera. High CRI is important and I want to stay in the D50 or 5600k color temperature range. Do you have any recommendations or know of customer experiences for this kind of application? I'd like to do some tests with the FilmGrade and Absolute series, but I don't see a sample kit for the Absolute D50 lights.
Our D50 and 5600K light sources with 95/99 CRI sound like a great fit for your needs. While we do not have any specific case studies that we could point you towards, I'm confident that these specifications will optimize for color fidelity and accuracy in image capture.
You mention that the dimensions of the light table are 24" x 36" - in which case, it may not be feasible to fit our 4-ft T8 LED tube lights in the fixtures unless your light fixtures happen to be 48".
As you mention, our LED strip lights may be a great alternative option. While some additional assembly and wiring will be required, our ABSOLUTE SERIES D50 LED strip lights, or our FilmGrade 5600K LED strip lights could be installed into your current fixture and provide you with a nice improvement in color quality.
We unfortunately do not offer a sample kit for the ABSOLUTE SERIES LED strip lights. We do offer a free returns policy, however, so you may want to take advantage of that to test and compare the two products. All we ask is that you keep the LED strips in tact, including keeping the adhesive liner in place.
When evaluating the options for the Absolute LED series the linear modules 5 pack made the most sense for my application, both from a cost stand point and installation in the light table. The listing for the Absolute module 5 pack says they are individually packaged, but they are all on one board. There’s no way to properly compare the FilmGrade strip and the Absolute modules in the light table without separating the modules. Also there’s no information about how to separate the modules.
What should I do? I feel the Absolute linear module listing on the web site is misleading. From the listing I expected to get 5 separate Absolute modules. That would be easy to compare to the FilmGrade by putting two Absolute modules on each side within the light table and running the FilmGrade strip around the perimeter inside the light table. With the 5 modules on a single board it will be very difficult to get even lighting to compare to the FilmGrade strip.
The 5-pack of the ABSOLUTE SERIES are joined together along the long-edge, and can be separated by bending the modules along the score-line. They can be a bit difficult to separate, and may require a bit of force before they begin to loosen a bit.
The 5-pack modules are eligible for return even after they are separated into individual modules, so please feel free to proceed with the installation for testing. Should there be any need to return the modules, we would be more than happy to accept your return.
Question posted under:
LED strip lightsLED modulesFluorescent replacementsD50 (printing, digitizing)Video & cinematography