Flash that will endure over 2000 continuous shots?

[NostraHistoria]

Hi,

I need a flash that will take over 2000 continuous non-stop shots. I take pictures of books for research. I am a grad student in history.

Can someone please tell me the best and cheapest flash I need?

 

[steliosk]

i've heard pretty good words for the nissin mg8000
however you'll need a battery pack for sure.

why not continuous lighting?

 

[Click]

why not continuous lighting?

+1

 

[NostraHistoria]

i've heard pretty good words for the nissin mg8000
however you'll need a battery pack for sure.

why not continuous lighting?

I have tried regular lamps next to books for shots, but they come out worse than with what I can get with a flash. With flash, the pics come out very nice and clear.

Do you have a link to continuous lighting products that you recommend?

 

[NostraHistoria]

Thanks for telling me about the Nissin MG8000. It smokes Canon's 600EX-RT for continuous shooting.

Nissin MG8000 VS Canon 600EX-RT Overheat Test

 

[heptagon]

i've heard pretty good words for the nissin mg8000
however you'll need a battery pack for sure.

why not continuous lighting?

I have tried regular lamps next to books for shots, but they come out worse than with what I can get with a flash. With flash, the pics come out very nice and clear.

Do you have a link to continuous lighting products that you recommend?

You might want to provide extra details on what exactly you do. A static scene should be perfectly sharp using long exposure and any static light.

Except if it's not really static or you do something wrong to generate/catch vibrations with your camera setup...

 

[NostraHistoria]

i've heard pretty good words for the nissin mg8000
however you'll need a battery pack for sure.

why not continuous lighting?

I have tried regular lamps next to books for shots, but they come out worse than with what I can get with a flash. With flash, the pics come out very nice and clear.

Do you have a link to continuous lighting products that you recommend?

You might want to provide extra details on what exactly you do. A static scene should be perfectly sharp using long exposure and any static light.

Except if it's not really static or you do something wrong to generate/catch vibrations with your camera setup...

Every time I take pics of books, I have a lamp on next to it. It is a regular lamp and nothing professional. Then, I use my default flash on the Canon T3i. The pics with the flash come out nice, white, and bright compared to without a flash. It is my preference to have flash, because the flash covers the whole book. A lamp leaves one area with light and then the rest is darker.

Should I just get professional lighting? Well, the problem is that I am going to be taking the pics in Germany. So, it is not feasible.

I think I will just get the Nissin MG8000 with the power pack. Someone in another thread suggested getting my camera an AC adapter. However, it seems the problem is with the flash overheating.

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/lighting-hardware/329332-flash-most-continuous-shots.html

 

[beckstoy]

I'd suggest just making a photo light from stuff you can find at Home Depot and a light stand. Sockets, light stand, ~5000K light bulb (a couple of these in any wattage). These bulbs will provide clean, beautiful white light that look great in any photos.

Then, just put your camera on a tripod and slow the shutter down. Should be great!

 

[docholliday]

Kinoflo - still the best way to do continuous lighting...

But, you can make your own - use a set of shop fluourescent fixtures and replace the "standard" tubes with daylight or full-spectrum tubes. Then, go to a fabric store and get some satin to diffuse it.

 

[Loswr]

If the books are archival material, you might want to check with the owner/curator to see if there are any restrictions on the lighting you'll be allowed to use...

 

[risc32]

I see no reason you should spend a load of money on lighting for photographing books. i recommend a tripod, and a couple lamps with the same bulb. hell, with a tripod you don't even need lights, you could do it in the dark, but i don't recommend that method !

 

[pwp]

Books? I think a tripod may be a better investment. But if you have a flash already, use that and take extra batteries. Better still, if you use rechargables, take your charger, two sets of batteries, use one set while the other is recharging. You'll be able to work all day.

Don't forget to do a custom white balance.

-PW

 

[Pi]

Thanks for telling me about the Nissin MG8000. It smokes Canon's 600EX-RT for continuous shooting.

This video is about continuous shooting at full power. You are likely to be fine with 1/64 or something similar.

 

[funkboy]

Maybe you need an aircraft landing strobe or something .

More seriously, check this out: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/techniques/the_next_chapter_in_photographic_lighting.shtml This LED lighting technology has opened up a load of new possibilities for historical archiving. The inventor of this multispectral LED has commercialized the product here: http://store.imagingetc.com/collections/hardware/products/custom-multi-spectral-led-flash

I have no idea how much these cost... Let us know if you get one!

 

[Orangutan]

I think you need a copy stand or tripod

As Neuro said, for archival books you may not be allowed to use flash, or possibly any external lighting, due to the damage it can do to old pages.

With a tripod or copy stand, you can take extended exposures (1+seconds) in ambient light.

More than gear, you may need to spend an hour or two learning some technique.

• Use a tripod (or copy stand) and remote shutter release to eliminate camera shake
• Use Live View to get proper exposure
• Use a grey card to set white balance

I have photographed books before with this kind of setup (though it was tens of pages, not thousands), and I didn't need external lighting.

 

[deleteme]

If the books are archival material, you might want to check with the owner/curator to see if there are any restrictions on the lighting you'll be allowed to use...

+1 on this point.
If you are going to Germany to photograph books it seems you should be taking some time to research if your permitted to photograph the books and then, if so, do THEY have a copy stand?

I copied a huge number of documents at a university with their Leica Reprovit copy camera. Worked beautifully and cost me nothing.

 

[Rienzphotoz]

I use LED lights (which provide continuous light) to take pics of books from libraries or when my kids borrow difficult to find text books etc ... I use YONGNUO YN-300 II which is a bit big but they have several smaller ones that work really well and they are very cheap ... check here http://www.yongnuostore.com/category/led-lights-other/ ... there are plenty of other brands that work really well including those made by reputable manufacturers such as Manfrotto http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=Manfrotto+led+lights&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search=
http://www.manfrotto.com/led-lights#.UareA-uHTPE

 

[NostraHistoria]

I use LED lights (which provide continuous light) to take pics of books from libraries or when my kids borrow difficult to find text books etc ... I use YONGNUO YN-300 II which is a bit big but they have several smaller ones that work really well and they are very cheap ... check here http://www.yongnuostore.com/category/led-lights-other/ ... there are plenty of other brands that work really well including those made by reputable manufacturers such as Manfrotto http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=Manfrotto+led+lights&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search=
http://www.manfrotto.com/led-lights#.UareA-uHTPE

Thanks. It is a good price. I thought I would have to get the Nissin and pay about $800.

Is its light white and clear? I do not want a yellow light. Can you send a pic of pages from a book to [email protected]?

 

[NostraHistoria]

I am going to be taking pictures of regular books and not any special ones.

 

[wockawocka]

Kino flo continuous lighting and manual white balance is what you want, not a flash.

One misfire and it's pointless.