Stationary scene - what kind of lightbulbs?

light · Mar 18, 2014

Hello,

I'm considering recording some videos for Youtube, however my current desklamp is far from perfect - when it's pointed directly at me I look like I'm glowing and my camera still doesn't record at full frame rate. I have phone camera (though high quality one), by the way, and my lamp is a tube fluorescent desk lamp.

So what kind of a lamp should I buy so that I would be able to record videos while not looking like I'm glowing and so that the camera would actually record as if it was daylight - at full framerate? Note that I'm quite poor, so I can't afford something fancy.

I've what these compact luminescent lamps (I've another desk lamp that's for incandescent bulbs) - 6500K, 470lm, 15w OR 8w (specs are the same, not sure what's the difference), and I'm quite worried that 470lm would not be enough to emit enough light to illuminate me properly. Also there's plenty of Halogen bulbs, but they're only 2700K or so.

Feel free to ask any questions,
Thank you.

Will Vincent · Mar 18, 2014

Get yourself a couple 500watt halogen work lights and maybe a 250watt.. use those to set up a basic three point lighting setup, and you should be fine.. Beyond that, it's probably camera settings you need to worry about.

knightly · Mar 20, 2014

A good chunk of the glow may be too high a contrast in your shot. Do you have a screen shot for us to look at and analyze?

wheatgrinder · Mar 20, 2014

glow = greasy smudges on the camera optics? In the old days they would do this on purpose to make those glamour soft shots in old B&W movies..

light · Mar 21, 2014

Apologies for the late reply, I was ill. I'm still not fully recovered, but now I'm able to use a computer at least.

Will Vincent said:
Get yourself a couple 500watt halogen work lights and maybe a 250watt.. use those to set up a basic three point lighting setup, and you should be fine.. Beyond that, it's probably camera settings you need to worry about.

That would be way too costly, as I'd also need to buy a few lamps that would take those lightbulbs, which is the costly part. Is there anything cheaper I could go for?

knightly said:
A good chunk of the glow may be too high a contrast in your shot. Do you have a screen shot for us to look at and analyze?

I can't make the screenshot right now as I'm not home, I'm not fully recovered yet. However I'm Caucasian/white and behind me there's a dark brown wall, so imagine a medium halogen tube light shining right at me and my skin reflecting the light, while the closet would be absorbing it - which kind of makes me look like I'm glowing.

wheatgrinder said:
glow = greasy smudges on the camera optics? In the old days they would do this on purpose to make those glamour soft shots in old B&W movies..

No, my camera is clean. I keep my stuff clean. Although it was interesting to find that out.

knightly · Mar 21, 2014

What kind of camera? Without seeing the setup/shot, there's nothing more than guesses at the fix.

Cracker Funk · Mar 21, 2014

I like Will's advice. Head to your local hardware store and pick up some construction lights. Bounce them off your walls and ceilings, saturate the shit out of the entire room.

light · Mar 22, 2014

knightly said:
What kind of camera? Without seeing the setup/shot, there's nothing more than guesses at the fix.

It's a tablet - Nexus 7. The camera is good when properly illuminated/in daylight, but otherwise the FPS drops and artifacts appear.

knightly · Mar 23, 2014

Shoot in the day time, near an open window. Put a large white sheet hanging on the other side of you to bounce the light back at you.

Will Vincent · Mar 23, 2014

light said:
That would be way too costly, as I'd also need to buy a few lamps that would take those lightbulbs, which is the costly part.

I could buy that setup right now, today, for under $50 -- fixtures and bulbs, maybe even a spare bulb or two.

In otherwords, these:

are FAR more affordable than these:

To your way of thinking, what amount is not too costly?

baoliun · Mar 23, 2014

Couple of household florescents or a simple wagon light - several light sockets with ordinary light bulbs (25w,50w,100w w.e) either covered with diffusion or left bare open (could also get frosted bulbs). You don't really need much nowadays especially for close shots.