Powerful AA flashlight for light painting?

[Marsel]

I'm looking for a powerful flashlight to use for light painting during long exposures, preferably with more flood than throw.

As I often work in remote areas with no access to electricity, I prefer to work with AA batteries. I travel with lots of camera gear, so preferably the flashlight should not be large and heavy.

I've heard about the TK-40 and the iTP A6 Polestar.

Any other suggestions will be highly appreciated.

The image below was lit from the right with an H501. For larger subjects, I need a much larger light.

 

[Nyctophiliac]

Marsel, that is a fantastic picture.

I suppose from the star arcs that this was exposed for a long time indeed - twenty minutes? More? I can't find my old school protractor or I'd try to work it out - centering around Polaris (assuming Northern Hemisphere!). The longest night exposures I have taken thus far have been up to about five mins tops, but I tend to be in areas with some ambient lighting - Big City Boy!!

From what you say - The TK40 would seem to be the one - trial and error leads to experience with exposures I find - and this torch seems to have the levels for a bit of variety. The only thing I don't know is if you can liberate the led from the reflector - thus giving you a pure flood like your H501 and consequently a pin sharp shadow line for your pix. I have a Malkoff Mag drop in that uses a P7 die. I have it running on 2 x 18650 cells in a 2D Maglite. The general beam is floody and when you remove the head, it is a wall of light with sharp shadows. Haven't used it yet for night photos but you have inspired me.

Good luck and here's to sleepless nights!

BTW - I assume you know this site - one of my fave's.

http://www.lostamerica.com/index.html

This too:

http://www.michaelbosanko.com/

 

[awid]

I have the A6 and have compared it to the TK40. The TK out throws it by quite a bit, but the A6 strives in the mid range where the TK seems to die. The spill of the A6 is floodier.

PS, how the hell you do that pic?

 

[Colorblinded]

Glad I found this discussion! The main reason I joined this forum (flashlights are cool and all, but...) is at least presently my interest in finding some better painting with light tools.

I've currently got an assortment of things:
two HuntLight FT-01PJ
Fenix LD20 (newer version)
some 2 mil candlepower lead acid hardware store incandescent spotlight
4D Maglite with Malkoff dropin (not the current version, got mine in mid 2008)

The Fenix LD20 seems to do a decent job in terms of color rendition but I haven't tested it extensively yet. The spotlight is great, the huntlights aren't really and the Maglite is quite good too.

Unfortunately the tint doesn't really matter so much as the shape of the lights spectral emission plot and a lot of people just don't seem to care about that. I get that, but it doesn't help me when a lot of LEDs people like will result in some pretty awful looking photos.

The TK40 interests me as a down the road (possibly later spring or summer) purchase but I'm curious how it is in terms of color rendition. It sounds like you are using one Nycto, how do you find it is in those regards?

 

[Nyctophiliac]

No, I haven't got a TK40 yet. It was just the only AA powerhouse I could think of for the OP. I have tried a couple out and they are quite good and very bright indeed. No doubt I will get one when I feel flush.

So far I have used a combination of ambient light, occasional off camera flashgun use, an assortment of torches - an aspherical Mag for fine detail highlighting on distant buildings without washing out the fore/background - a RGB Quark for adding a little floody colour - or floody overall lighting. Really just whatever I have to hand. I always have a variety of light-sources with me.

I'm only really getting started with this hobby - before I got my DSLR last Jan - I hadn't picked up my beloved SLR film cameras for years - victims of the ease of small compact digital cams and phones. To think that once I pursued a career in photography!


BTW - Marsel - in that picture, you have obviously exposed for a long time (Earth's rotation at half a degree per minute - your arcs are roughly 35 degrees therefore you exposed for seventy minutes??? Or is the quivertree pic a combo of two exposures. What I can't work out is why the grasslike vegetation at the bottom of frame is so sharp - did you use flash as well as the Zebra? Or was there not a breath of wind. Any tips for keeping the tripod secure for that long?

 

[CarlR]

Wow - that is an amazing picture.

I have experimented with this a little, just with a mag lite, and it was pretty fun. Even with a digital SLR though it was very time consuming making the image, then running back to the camera, then trying another exposure. Also it was freezing out when I did it so I didn't have much patience. Really makes me appreciate how hard it is.

Does anyone have a link to a resource on how to get started making this kind of picture? I would love to give it another go but would prefer not to kill a lot of time making stupid mistakes (yes I know, the best way to learn...).

Thanks,
Carl

 

[jtradio]

Wow, that is wicked, that image.

Not sure what could be used for when it's that far away (like a tree).

I would say an L2D/LD20.

Maybe 3 or 4 L2Ds?

 

[Archie Cruz]

I've been using the TK40 a lot for photography lately. Not time-lapse or long exposure outdoors. Just studio.
I just wish they'd change the levels switching functionality a bit.