My Opinion On My New 32-bead LED Lamp

Should I get the 16-bead, 32-bead, 36-bead, 49-bead or the 64-bead LED lamp for my still-life and wildlife macro photography? Will the lighting be adequate? There's only one way to find out - just go out (or online), buy one, test it out and see how it performs. And that was exactly what I did last week. Shown in the picture above is the lamp that I bought - a 32-bead rechargeable LED lamp from Lazada Malaysia. It arrived last Friday, 6 days after placing my order. Not too bad, considering that the item was shipped overseas from Hong Kong, China. The price: about US$10 (including shipping charges) which is quite reasonable since I didn't want to spend too much on something that I know nothing of.

My Opinion

So did it meet my needs? Well, not exactly.

It looks very bright when powered on. It looks very bright too when used in a completely dark room. But I feel like illumination is insufficient under normal daylight condition. Rather dim, in my opinion for photography. I have to hold the lamp about 3" to 4" away from the subject in order to get sufficient illumination. More suitable for background or secondary lighting, I think. As a source for primary light ... I don't think so.

As for wildlife photography, I wouldn't recommend it. Under the tree canopy, the light from the lamp is barely noticeable.

Have a look at these 2 photographs and see what I mean. The LED lamp is held in my left hand, about 3" away from the subject. The camera is in my right hand, set to manual mode. No flash from my camera was used. And neither did I post process these 2 pictures, except from some resizing.

ISO 200, F5, Shutter speed 1/125th

ISO 400, F5, Shutter speed 1/125th

If I move the lamp further away or if I were to diffuse the light with a piece of white paper, the illumination of the subject will get dimmer, obviously.

A tripod would definitely help if one wants a lower ISO and/or shutter speed. Unfortunately, I do not own one.

What's Next For Me?

For still-life I think I'll get two desk lamps instead. A 10W (or more) LED bulb with a E27 connector should be sufficient -just copying from what I have seen on some Youtube videos.

I'm not too sure about wildlife photography though. Maybe a 160-bead LED lamp will do. But is it sufficient to illuminate a critter at a foot or two away under the trees? I don't know. I don't have the budget at the moment. Maybe I'll wait a couple of months and see if the price will drop before getting one. Or maybe, I'll just keep a lookout for a Lazada's flash sale (something that they have everyday) and get it at a discount. You'll never know.