Light tent vs. light table

[Dirk Brand]

Hi Guys, I need some advice! I got a job to shoot a catalogue for a cosmetic company here. I need to buy a light tent of light table but I dont know which one to get. I am thinking of the following combination:

http://www.kphoto.com.tw/front/bin/p...Category=59378

Plus this one:

http://www.kphoto.com.tw/front/bin/p...Category=59416



Or should I invest in a light tent like this one for example:


http://www.kphoto.com.tw/front/bin/p...Category=59416

Which of these two will be best and why? Thanks a million for your advice!

[Irene McCullagh]

Hi Guys, I need some advice! I got a job to shoot a catalogue for a cosmetic company here. I need to buy a light tent of light table but I dont know which one to get. I am thinking of the following combination:

http://www.kphoto.com.tw/front/bin/p...Category=59378

Plus this one:

http://www.kphoto.com.tw/front/bin/p...Category=59416



Or should I invest in a light tent like this one for example:


http://www.kphoto.com.tw/front/bin/p...Category=59416

Which of these two will be best and why? Thanks a million for your advice!

This one http://www.kphoto.com.tw/front/bin/p...Category=59416 looks cool and versatile. I'd say that would suit you perfectly.

I've done some fragrance bottles on a set up similar to the first one you posted, which worked well - also if you get the one from the link I quoted, you could always improvise a light tens if you absolutely need one, but I think this would suit you very well

[Deezil]

Wow ... those are pretty damn cool (much better looking than my pvc pipe and tshirt material diy jobbie!!!)

Will have to start looking for something similar locally!

[janosa]

If you have to get one of those two, definately the table with the extra bit. I have used a similar table and it works ok. Should suffice just fine.

The reason I suggest the table rather than the tent is it offers much more control over lighting, and thus final look of the image. Light tents are great for certain applications, but are not as versatile. The table with the accesory will give you much the same look as a tent, but with more options.

I do have one or two gripes with tables like that:

Firstly, they are a bit of an odd hight. Too low to put on the ground and a little too high to put on a table. Not a major issue, but an annoyance all the same.

The second is a that working directly on the perspex can sometimes be problematic when it comes to lighting. If you light the perspex to get a solid white, it will inevitably influence the bottom of the subject. Not always a good thing. Thus, working directly on the perpex can limit how precisely you can control the final look of the image.

If you have the time, have a look at the Elinchrom cataloue ( you can download it from their site). Check in the back, you'll find a Manfrotto Light table. It has a glass plate suspended above the perspex so that you can light the subject and perspex seperately (the ideal setup) as well as precisely light the subject from below.

If you use a little ingenuity and that calalogue picture as guidance you can cobble together something very similar out of that basic light table and a couple of other items.

Deezil, Falcon Eyes produce a table identical to that one for not too much money. They are distributed in South Africa by Bernard Agencies.

[Forgiss - Sean Nel]

Janosa said everything I wanted to say. For control, go for the table with a secondary glass level

[Deezil]

Thanx Janosa ... will have a look!

[James Mitchell]

You can easily improvise and make a light tent out of a cardboard box and some fabric or tracing paper in the sides. However, the mini infinity curve is not as easy to contrive, so that would be my first purchase. I took the time to make a small light tent and the results were actually very good, and that was without decent lights as well. See this image.

You definitely want to be very careful about accidental reflections in the glass, so a black backdrop behind the shooter and dark clothes as well may be called for to absorb stray light and make the job of controlling all the light sources a little easier.

[Dirk Brand]

Wow, thanks for the great response guys! I really appreciate your advice, I'm getting the light table and the cover that you put over the table. Thanks for the tips as well, I'll ask them if they have something like that.

[Dirk Brand]

I got my light table yesterday, here is a pic. Now the learning starts!

[Wikus Visser]

Enjoy Dirk. I'm lekker jealous. Please show us some of the results!

[Dirk Brand]

Thanks Wikus, I will!

[Texasbelle]

This was a good discussion about the tents http://www.outdoorphoto.co.za/forum/...ght=light+tent
No doubt one can arrange diffuser's over a table which I reckon would give great flexibility.
Nice thing is that this is still life's and strobe's are not essential.

[Dirk Brand]

This was a good discussion about the tents http://www.outdoorphoto.co.za/forum/...ght=light+tent
No doubt one can arrange diffuser's over a table which I reckon would give great flexibility.
Nice thing is that this is still life's and strobe's are not essential.

Thanks a million for the link!

[Del]

Hi Dirk,

Did you import you Walimex Diffuser curving Plate or is there a plase in S.A that stock it.

Tx