Modelling Light - Looking for recommendations

[nheather]

Hi,

 

Looking for recommendations for a light that will flood my workbench with good quality daylight, ideally without blue light.

 

Searching finds loads, too many to choose one so interested in recommendations.

 

Expecting to pay £150 or more.

[Stef N.]

I'd recommend the Daylight Company lamps. Good quality, long lasting and without the blue you get from some lights. Your price range should get you a good sized one that you need. I have a smaller version of this one and it does enough for me.

 

https://www.jacksonsart.com/daylight-lighting-lumi-task-lamp

[Ade H]

To me, 6000K looks too cold indoors. Even sunny daylight is only 5400K, as any photographer knows.

I use a pair of angle-poise lamps (IKEA Antifoni) with GU10 LEDs of 450lm at 4200K; by testing a few bulbs, I found this value (or up to 5000K) to be right for me to judge colour without the light feeling very unnatural after dark. GU10s are available with different light throws: mine are 39° and they cover my desk very well while providing sufficiently focussed light. The total of 900lm is pretty bright.

For figure painting, I sometimes use an illuminated magnifier from Cambridge Optics.

Nigel, if you're after one light only (perhaps for lack of space) a task lamp clamped/mounted to the desk would be useful to you, though less flexible than the weighted bases of my lamps.

Edited August 29, 2021 by Ade H

[Pete F]

This is what I have. I bought two in the end (about two years ago) and they have proved to be very good situated either side of my work area. You can get various configurations but I just use the desk clamp ones. You can buy stands etc. later if you desire. Your price range would allow you to buy two.

 

https://www.heamar.co.uk/daylight-task-lamps/65603-daylight-lumi-task-lamp-5022737355005.html

 

[-Ian-]

I have the Daylight Co D35000 recommended by Pete F and Stef N, which is a decent lamp.

 

My older lamp a Daylight Co DN1190 is even better though, brighter and a more natural daylight colour IMO, unfortunately it's now been discontinued, hence why I went for the D35000 when I decided on a 2nd lamp earlier this year. If you're lucky enough to find somewhere that still stocks them, that would be the better option.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00XTUCIW6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

To my eyes there is no discernible blue tinge to the D35000 but I can definitely tell the difference between the two when both lamps are lit at either end of my modelling desk, I would describe it as a slightly harsher white rather than blue though.

 

 

Edited August 29, 2021 by -Ian-

[Ade H]

If you guys all use the same kind of overhead work lamp, what other light sources do you use with it? I could never work with a single directional light source: that's how oversights and errors get through.

[Stef N.]

I work next to a large french window, north-east facing, and two normal lights either side. I don't work too early or too late so my light sources are good on the whole, although could be better.

[colin]

7 hours ago, Pete F said:

This is what I have. I bought two in the end (about two years ago) and they have proved to be very good situated either side of my work area. You can get various configurations but I just use the desk clamp ones. You can buy stands etc. later if you desire. Your price range would allow you to buy two.

 

https://www.heamar.co.uk/daylight-task-lamps/65603-daylight-lumi-task-lamp-5022737355005.html

 

Have the same, excellent light, and stays where you adjust it too unlike some others I have had.

Ade H do you think we all sit in a darkend room with just the desk light on, I have other led lights around me to light the room in general 😄

[Ade H]

There's no need to be sarcastic about it. I asked a reasonable question, which you appear to have misread, possibly deliberately for an attempt at humour.

Edited August 29, 2021 by Ade H

[nheather]

13 hours ago, Ade H said:

If you guys all use the same kind of overhead work lamp, what other light sources do you use with it? I could never work with a single directional light source: that's how oversights and errors get through.

In my case I’m just looking for a good light that will flood the workspace rather than be a spotlight.  The primary reason is that I suffer from ageing eyesight (I’m 57) and without really bright light I struggle to see any detail.  I’ve read that from the age of 50 onwards the human retina is only receives a third of the light it got in younger years.

 

I get what you are saying about shadows but that is the least of my problems at the moment - my modelling skills probably aren’t that good for that to be a factor.  Believe me, I make more mistakes through not being able to see the part I’m holding than from any adverse shadows.

 

My ideal would be a single high level lamp that bathes the work area and is not in my way, rather than a spotlight that focusses on the work but is in the way.

 

This one caught my eye, anyone tried it?

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daylight-Company-Slimline-Table-Lamp/dp/B07S4MR18C/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=u6TnX&pf_rd_p=7da34691-fdd2-4c5f-8b6d-169e92629be0&pf_rd_r=FF9KTCK87WTWBH68QXDD&pd_rd_r=eb6273cf-a0f8-4b07-995a-eecfb0d47766&pd_rd_wg=jSOSQ&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_d
 

My other concern is colour temperature.  I received a flyer from a company called SeriousReaders, which is predominantly for armchair side lamps for reading books - they are very expensive but describe all the issues I experience - the thing I note is that they have a colour temperature of 4000K whereas the cheaper ones, including those by the daylight company have a colour temperature of 6000K - wonder if the 6000K has too much blue light which is apparently bad for the eyes.

 

Cheers,

 

Nigel

[-Ian-]

23 hours ago, Ade H said:

If you guys all use the same kind of overhead work lamp, what other light sources do you use with it? I could never work with a single directional light source: that's how oversights and errors get through.

These type of lights are far better in that regard than the anglepoise type lamps I used to use, providing a much better spread of light. Having said that one of the reasons I have two is so I can light my work area from 2 directions if need be but most of the time I just work with one, the DN1190 is above my main modelling area while the D35000 is mainly used to illuminate my spraybooth.

[nheather]

What do you think between these two, both by the Daylight Company

 

D35600 Luminos

https://daylightcompany.com/luminos-task-lamp/

 

D35500 Lumi
https://daylightcompany.com/lumi-task-lamp/

 

I like the Luminos but you can have two Lumi for just a little more than the price of one Luminos

 

Cheers,

 

Nigel

[Pete F]

21 minutes ago, nheather said:

D35500 Lumi

Costs slightly less in the link I gave above (unless there's a difference in the postage charges that I haven't looked at).

 

Personally I wouldn't be without two lamps now. They allow complete control of where the light falls and allow you to remove shadows with ease.

 

As for which of the two is better I suspect It is down to the the dimmability of the Luminos. However I have found the D35500 Lumi very well made and always stays where you put it - I haven't missed not having a dimming function - there are two brightness settings but mine are usually full on. The lamp itself isn't serviceable but not sure that matters given the projected lifetime.

 

So in summary (IMHO) for modelling, two non-dimmable lamps are better than one dimmable one, if other factors are the same and the total cost is the same.

[Mike]

On 29/08/2021 at 09:04, Stef N. said:

I'd recommend the Daylight Company lamps. Good quality, long lasting and without the blue you get from some lights. Your price range should get you a good sized one that you need. I have a smaller version of this one and it does enough for me.

 

https://www.jacksonsart.com/daylight-lighting-lumi-task-lamp

I've got this one, and it's AWESOME It also stays level as you move it up and down, which is rather cool. That's an excellent price too

[Stef N.]

43 minutes ago, Mike said:

I've got this one, and it's AWESOME It also stays level as you move it up and down, which is rather cool. That's an excellent price too

Funnily enough I managed to persuade myself that I needed an upgrade, as my other one is a bit battered, and it arrived today. Just need to set it up now.

[Mike]

15 minutes ago, Stef N. said:

as my other one is a bit battered

What have you been doing to it?   Mine's a few years old now, and still looks like I just slid it out of the box

[Stef N.]

I had it securely attached to a solid lump of a painters easel. Unfortunately the easel wasn't that secure (heat loosened the bolts I think?!) and it collapsed breaking the outer shell. It still works thanks to the miracle of gaffer tape and it is safely attached to a table now. Just looks a bit worse for wear.😳😀

[sardaukar]

I bought one of these recently, very happy with it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B084T3LXJB/ref=syn_sd_onsite_mobileweb_191?ie=UTF8&adId=20068864446207&qualifier=1631548460&id=1580914870849663&widget=sd_onsite_mobileweb&spPl=1&psc=1

 

Donno, if they are better than the daylight company ones.

[nheather]

I got a Daylight Company Lumi in the end.  I was going to buy two because I thought I had found a place doing a really good sale price and didn’t want to miss out.  But it turned out that the advertised prices did not include VAT which pushed them up to the normal prices you could get elsewhere.  So decided to buy them one at a time, see how I get on with one to start with.

 

Cheers,

 

Nigel

[One 48]

Giving this thread a bump after reading it, am in same boat myself now, old articulated long lamp has expired, about £75 ish budget.

Not a large desktop area I have, but an elongated strip light would be nice, as was my last one. Ability to clamp to my desk for low footprint too.

Just wondering if there is anything to add to the option mentioned already here.

I gather LED is the way to go too now?

Thanks.

[Seahawk]

Went for the Daylight Company D35500 Lumi based on this thread and have seldom considered money better spent.  Simply transformational: floods my desk with light and is infinitely adjustable.  Haven't found any need for a second one yet.   Comes with desk clamp though you can pay (quite a lot) extra for a desk base.  The best price I could find on line was from a supplier called Heamar, who were very business-like, quick  and efficient.  Looks as if you can still get it from them for less than £75 delivered.

Edited August 16, 2022 by Seahawk

[DrumBum]

greetings all,

 

When I returned to madelling at the start of Covid I set up my workbench with what I thought was a snazzy bright LED light however now that I am working a lot with old US Navy planes in white and light gull grey I am noticing it very difficult when air brushing to discern contrast. 

 

The grey looks almost the same as white.

 

I am wondering if it is because the temperature of LED's is too high?

 

Does anybody else notice this issue with age and is there a fix? 

 

cheers for now

 

 

[Casey]

3 hours ago, DrumBum said:

I am wondering if it is because the temperature of LED's is too high?

No. It is just how (cheap) LED's work. Color temperature has nothing to do with it, sadly.

 

LED lights are monochromatic, commercial bright white LED's are in fact monochromatic blue, covered with yellow phosphorous pigment (or pigments) that converts part of this blue color into different color ranges.

 

Humans evolved in sunlight, which is a black body radiation of temperature 5,777K, with absorption lines from photosphere, which is further filtered down by atmosphere. It is not that easy to replicate this kind of light artificially in non-incandesent way, and most cheap light sources don't even bother.

 

Here is example light spectrum of a typical white LED:

 

The high peak is the real LED color, the other part of spectrum is the phosphor emission. The colors missing are reds and to less extent - blue greens.

 

 

Here is the daylight spectrum in comparison:

 

 

Your color perception is dependant on the illuminant - if you use cheap white LED's you will not be able to distinguish a lot of color nuances, which makes some colors really hard to distinguish. Gull grey has a small but noticeable red undertone which will be largely gone under poor led light.

 

Since this phenomenon is known, non-heat light sources have parameter called CRI - Color Rendering Index. It describes how well the artificial light allows you to distinguish colors.

 

CRI is an index that goes from 0 to 100 (100 means it gives you same color perception as daylight. Values over 100 dont exist). Most LEDs have this index around 80. 90 is considered quite good in everyday LED lights.

 

What I would suggest is to look for a light source with good CRI. But there is a catch - companies in some countries found out that people try to get better light quality and happily added claims they routinely have 95 or 99 (I even saw 120CRI which is as realistic as as 20000mAh capacity in 20 cents AA battery) on cheap mass produced phosphor coated leds.

 

Bottom line: look for reputable light bulb vendors, they do have more real values there. Look for high CRI index, or try old fashioned incandesent light which has spectrum more like black body radiation even if it is warmer.

 

Edited January 19, 2023 by Casey