# What type lights and how much watt power is needed for light box (tent)?



## no1texan

I am making a light box/tent out of 20 x 30" white foam boards. The dimensions are:
Height 30&#8221;
Width 20&#8221;
Depth 20&#8221;

On each side the openings are 9&#8221; wide and 18&#8221; tall covered withwhite muslin fabric. 
The opening on top about 12 x 12&#8221; also covered with white muslinfabric.

At the moment for lighting I am using *Philips 23-Watt(100-Watt) Energy Saver Compact Fluorescent Warm White (3500K) Light Bulb (E*) fromHome Depot in a 60 watt desk lamp with a flexible neck. Does not appear to be puttingout much **inside the box.*

What kind of lighting should I be using for this size box/tent? 

Most of my objects will not be this tall, mostly12&#8221; and under. But I have one item that is 24&#8221; tall therefore I made the box 30&#8221;tall.

Should I cover the front with the muslin fabric with just enough room for my camera?

*Camera*: Canon PowerShot A40


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## iolair

If you're photographing stationary objects and have your camera on a tripod, in a sense the amount of light available doesn't matter, because it doesn't matter how long it takes the camera to take the exposure.

For comfortable hand-holding I've previously used 5 x 100 W flourescent bulbs which was definitely enough. (but that was through a homemade softbox, not into a light tent)

You're only using a single light?  Where are you positioning it?


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## tirediron

You're going to want at least three lights, not so much for the "quantity" of illumination, but rather for the quality or eveness of it.  The normal use for a light tent is to provide soft, even lighting for small product photography, and one light just isn't going to cut it.


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## no1texan

I am using 3 of the *Philips 23-Watt(100-Watt) Energy Saver Compact Fluorescent Warm White (3500K) Light Bulb (E*) 60 watt desk lamp with a flexible neck. There will be one lamp on each side where there is a cut out covered with white muslin fabric and one on the top with another opening. The box is almost finished and has all the sides. I placed the lamps on the sides and I could see that the box is filled with a soft even light with no shadows. For a novice it look pretty good. 

I am using a Canon PowerShot A40 and wondering if I should use Automatic or Manual and set the speed differently. I really don't know anything about it and will have to find an article on the internet that talks me through it. I will just take several pictures from each and see which is the best.

I am using a tripod.*


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## tirediron

Auto should be fine for this.


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## keith foster

Auto will do the job since you are using constant lights.  I bet you'll need a tripod though because the shutter speeds are going to be down to 1/30.  Unless you are a VERY steady holder you are doing to introduce motion blur from the slight movements you will make in that time.
i am a very unsteady holder and try not to hand hold under 1/100 or 1/80 for sure.


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