Flash for building interiors for RC

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For inhabited domestic interiors, clearly depends on taking many photos, often or mainly close range e.g. 1.5m because of obstructions in the room, plus even closer shots for details and occlusions. All super-sharp, noise free and well lit in order to get anything out of often flat smooth surfaces (but strangely, super-small pixel size on the wall seems not so important).

Systematic overlap, small steps both horizontally along the wall and vertically up and down it, transition-angled shots to bridge 90o wall/ceiling/floor junctions, likewise transition-distance shots.

Low ISO100, 200 max, and small f11, f8 max for DoF - means long exposures hence tripod and remote tethered camera control. Lots of photos, careful tripod moves and adjustments - much too much, too slow. And available daylight is too directional, makes shadows.

It’s got to be hand-held, to get any speed up. That means strong, shadowless flash.

Has anyone else got this sorted?

What kind of flash kit? On the camera or on stand(s)? Umbrellas or diffusers? Max light-source width relaitive to distance, is the aim, often can’t rely on reflection off walls, ceiling etc. Is TTL a vital time saver or is manual setting actually more effective?

How powerful, or in fact are 2x flashes advisable, for light spread? Alternatively, what about something like https://neilvn.com/tangents/images/flash/no-bounce/portable-umbrella_bracket.jpg ? (tho it wd get in the way at corners of the room, ceiling line etc).

Usual advice for flash for attractive interiors or characterful faces doesn’t help much, when the technical need is for even, strong light from all directions with minimal set-up per shot.

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You got to take many pictures with many different angles. If you use flashes on tripod it will be your problem. You must change positions of two tripods with flashes every 3-5 minutes. It is a hard workflow.

Only powerfull mobile flashlight will help you. In absolutely dark cave I using oncamera ring flashlight. Same device with differnent names:
Grifon WISTRO AR-400
Godox Witstro AR400
Flashpoint RF-400 Ring Li-On 400ws Ringflash

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Thanks for experienced advice.

You reckon 2 flash/tripod rigs not 1? Is that essential for more diffuse multi-direction light, or just so that more is lit so can take more photos before having to move the tripod(s)?

That ring-flash is awesome - is it about power, so hand-held is possible in any size interior - or about larger-size (not point) source? that source size is really enough, being much less size than an umbrella or big diffuser?

Is ring-flash what makes on-camera flash feasible?

You don’t mean to use it in continuous video-light mode?

Hoping to find my way to what exactly is important for RC in interiors.

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Maybe it’s enough to use one rig with umbrella. Depends on size of room. You must capture in RAW and then correct shadows in Lightroom\Capture One. 

This oncamera ring flash gives you freedom. You don’t think about position of your tripod with flash, don’t think about your shadow from this flash. You can change power of flash depending on environment lights so you can captore in any size of room. This ringflash is what you need. You can use it not only fixed with camera. You can take ringflash to one hand, camera to another hand and point ringflash up for example to make diffuse light.

But you can capture without flash at all. Just tripod…

The problem of interier reconstructions is 1) shining\reflective objects 2) windows 3) complex thin objects like curtains, clothes, glasses on table.

To understand right techprocess you can read this: https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Destinations/Advanced_Indoors_Photogrammetry

 

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Interesting thread!

I am also considering to upgrade to some ring-shaped lightsource.

Although I was rather leaning towards a constant light as opposed to a flash, simply because I wouldn’t need to go through the process of finding the right settings all the time. With a constant light, I can pretty much anticipate the result. The only reason I’m still hesitating is because I am not certain if those ringlights will provide enough illumination so that it is sufficient in a dark-ish room at 2-3m distance, ideally without a tripod (wishful thinkig?). What I am looking at provides 2-5k lumen (depending on size) which equals 150 to 400w halogen lamps and that whould be enough for 250 to 600 lux at 3m distance, 500 is a normal office environement.

Did anybody use such a ringlight for photography before?

 

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I using it almost on every project last 3 years. And 2 projects was in fully dark big cave. Without this ringflash I can’t do such projects.

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Do you use the ring flash as a flash, or on constant?

Not expert about flash, but doesn’t TTL (if you have it) automatically adjust flash output for each shot?

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I use it like flash always. Static LED lights have different color temperature and it’s hard to correct it. I don’t change settings of flash often, maybe 2-3 times per scene capturing. 

With Sony a7RM2 I connected ringflash with cabel and use it oncamera or in hand.

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With TTL (like auto-exposure for flash) or manual light output?

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There is no TTL in AR-400 ringflash. 

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Hm, I was assuming TTL wd be important.

I’d like to understand - AFAIK the aim is to have light coming from several directions, or at least from a single large light source, for best chance of illuminating any given shaded ‘hole’ and to cancel strong shadows. That’s why I thought an umbrella as source, or even two.

So the ring flash - not a point source, but from 2 3 or 4m range it’s not far off that - must look pretty concentrated, seen from the target area. Or is something else happening? Not thinking to rely on reflection from walls, floor, ceiling.

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5 m range for this flash is not a problem. A taking a picture mostly at 1\128 1\64 exposure of flash, if I change it to 1 i will blind)) If you use static light you will get shadows. If you use mobile light you will get texture mixed from different pictures and shadowed parts on one picture will mixed with illuminated part from another picture. Finally you will get uniformly illuminated texture.

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Aha - that is good thinking. In that case, what is the benefit of ring flash vs a single-source flash? Is it about (slight) dispersal/diffusion or is it about raw power, from so many bulbs? Thanks for the answers - it’s getting clearer.

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For me it’s about power. I capture many objects in absolute darkness.

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Hi Aleksandr,

thanks a lot for sharing all this. I must admit that the flash you use looks much better than everything I have seen so far (which is not too much, I must admit). But especially in terms of cost-benefit ratio it seems like ther can’t be much better.

What kind of lens are you using? I guess more than 50° which is what I gathered the flash has - from what you said I hear that darker areas on the margins will be equalized by other shots.

Also, did you ever need to replace the bulb? Because some similar flashes had replacement bulbs for about 75 €, which I find quite something. Not a problem if it needs replacing after 100.000 flashes, but very different if it only lasts like 2000 or so.

Finally, how hot does the surface of the flash get with continuous shooting? I am thinking about using some sort of plastic foil (for polarizing) - I guess it would be too hot for that though…

So you never used a special continuous ringlight that I described? There has been some developement and a few of them seem to be comparatively powerful…

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And about TTL. If it isn’t on board, I figure one has to shoot with all manual settings, right?

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Yes, all manual. Camera and flash.

 

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Cheers!

And what kind of exposures and iso are you using?

I suppose a tripod is neccessary in absolute darkness, right?

Any idea about the temperature of the diffuser glass?

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And what kind of exposures and iso are you using?
ISO100
Exposure 1/125…1/250
Aperture 4…8 - depending on first test. I making series of test shots with all aperture steps of my lens. Then select best results and use only this setting of aperture. For my lenses best result from 4 till 8 aperture steps.

I suppose a tripod is neccessary in absolute darkness, right?
No, I don’t use tripod.

Any idea about the temperature of the diffuser glass?
Don’t understand whats you about.

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That’s really interesting.
I think what Götz means is how ‚hot‘ the flash get while continuesly shooting -