Is there a specialty light for enhancing dash light for interior car shots. It would seem that the light should eminate from the dash. Do I need to build my own LED fixture? Suggestions...Thanks!

Doug,

Not sure but I think compact florescents are commonly used in this application. May need to gel for balance.

I did a shot a few weeks ago in a minivan and, following the recommendations of another member, I used two sets of christmas minilights randomly placed on the dash and powered by a 175W 12v adaptor purshased for 20$ at home depot. It worked like a charm!

The nice thing about the christmas lights is that you can turn each bulb off or on as required so you can balance the light fairly easily. You can use frosted bulbs for a soft light or clear bulbs for a harder light. Beyond that, you can wrap them in any diffuser material you want..

Rob, Jean-Philippe, and Mike:

Thank you so much for your quick answers.

Rob, I'm looking into the florescents....good idea, expensive.

Jean-Phillippe and Mike, the Christmas lights sound wonderful and I already have those lying around. I hope I have less trouble with them in the dash than I do on the tree.

If the decorations work, I'll save some money. I'll let you know how it works out.

Thanks,

Douglas

I went to the hardware store and bought 2 - 12V AA battery powered flouresent lights. They fit in the open glove compartment and on the instrument cluster quite well. They can be a little bright so some diffusion might be needed.

Regards,

David Mesloh

We use the Kino-Flo system and we love them, but they are rather expensive.

www.kinoflo.com/sales_catalog_2004/microflo_system/001_micf/microflo_system.html

I like the X-Mas lights idea though!

RB

I have used the Mini Flos in the past.

Thank to all of you for quick replies and great ideas.

The micro flo is undoubtably the best for this situation. The expense will prevent me thinking about until the use justifies it.

The Christmas tree lights - wonderful, but what a mess.

David Mesloh - Thank you for the DC florescent suggestion. Home Depot indeed had a 13inch that fits perfectfully in the dash. It even comes in 4200K and 3000K with 450 lumens. Radio Shack supplied the gadget to get power from the cigarette lighter so that I can do a hundred takes without worrying about the 8 AA batteries.

I'm in business and thanks to all of you I have learned a lot.

Gratefully,

Douglas

<<<-- Originally posted by Rick Bravo : We use the Kino-Flo system and we love them, but they are rather expensive.

www.kinoflo.com/sales_catalog_2004/microflo_system/001_micf/microflo_system.html

I like the X-Mas lights idea though!

RB -->>>

Yea, they are worth the hassle. You can control them better than the flos because you can control their density. You can unscrew one if you don't want a light in that spot, you can ring a windshield with them if you want a broader light, or tape them to the windshield if you want, and you can bunch them up to get more power. And they are cheap and very reliable. I use the blue masking tape to fasten them to the dash and wherever I need them. If I need a bit more permanence, gaffers tape will do it too.

Of course the best thing of all would be to get a car body and cut it up so you had direct camera access. Put it on a trailer or truck frame and drive it around. Wonder how much a temporary rig like that would cost? $500?

I've used the mini flows too. They are great!

The Xmas lights are a fun work-around. Good idea

Jeff P.

just make sure you take the blinking one out!! he he he!

This one isn't bad for those who want to light inside vehicles:

http://www.ledtronics.com/ds/PLT100/

or this one if you want a panel of lights
http://www.ledtronics.com/ds/gdl002-200/

And they make direct replacements for auto light bulbs tool Look around their Web site.

Good call. Check out LitePanels (www.litepanels.com) and the Kino Mini and Micro-Flos. Both are really cool designs.