Flats - which electric luminescent light box should I buy?

[Martin-Devon]

Hi there, it's time I got serious about taking proper and reproducible dark flats for my imaging work. So far I've been using a computer monitor screen with mixed results, so I want to step up a level now and get a proper electric luminescent light box for the job. I know there are several around, but I'd like to hear feedback & recommendations on what folks think are the best quality ones out there at the moment - I'm not looking necessarily for the cheapest, it's the performance that's important. I'll be using the light box for flats with my 4" refractor & Atik 460EX CCD.

FLO were supposedly going to bring out a UK sourced high quality light box this summer/autumn, but so far it's not materialized, so I need to look elsewhere now.

Thanks for any feedback you can give.

Martin

[swag72]

Based ok the fact that I seem to have been waiting ages for FLO to sell a light panel, I have decided to make my own.

An A5 EL panel from Earlsmann and 3 bits of opal 3mm acrylic from Ebay. Came to a grand total of £45.

Will be getting the bits on Sunday and putting them together. Carol (Carastro) has done similar and it will work a treat.

[jnc71106]

gerd neumann panels are very good. when i bought mine it cost around £50 i think

[Cath]

Don't you mean 'light' flats rather than ''dark' flats? .. I'm no expert here so I'm just asking

[Martin-Devon]

Cath, you're correct - I should have written light flats

[Freddie]

Another vote here for a GN panel.

[Gina]

I have been using a white T shirt and daylight which seems to work. Would an EL panel be better? I've heard you have to be careful that they produce a full spectrum of light rather than just a few emission lines that look white to the eye.

[AllanJ]

Martin - I have got a Gerd Neuman. I can bring it along to NLO next Friday (23rd) to let you have a look.

Allan

[ollypenrice]

We use GNs here. They work. You have to be careful with the cables but otherwise no complaints. I can't get workable results with T shirts, I have to say. I don't know why but I alwys get a gredient. My first EL was a generic thing from a French outlet and it pegged out in its infancy. I figured I'd get more comeback from Herr Neumann so went with him.

Olly

[Martin-Devon]

Thanks for the feedback from everybody - I've now placed an order for the GN light box and two foils (to dim the intensity if needed) from Germany. It should arrive next week, my only slight concern is how to rig up the transformer and inverter connections. It required a mains 240V AC --> 12V AC transformer to be provided by yourself, then this plugs into an inverter that they supply with the light box - they've told me this has a "bannana" style connection which is commonly used in Germany, just hope my transformer plugs in OK, otherwise it's a trip down to Maplins to see what they can sort out!