The idea is this light will help aim the umbrella for the real photography flash when it goes off. So the light will be both reflected in the umbrella and diffused by the fabric. So a bright light is needed. Since its an experiment, budget is an issue, about $20. I would prefer AA batteries since I already have lots of rechargables for photography, but I am a bit flexible. A flood seems better and a bright white light 5000k would be ok too. So here is my list in order of priority.
Lumen, maybe 300? Of course more is great.
Around $20
Flood over spot
AA batteries preferred by ok with other if cost is ok
Design, like a straight tube, it would be easier to attach to the umbrella shaft verses a larger reflector end
5000k light would be nice, but not super important
The Watson Warson X65 comes to mind.
With holder you can use AA cells.
Zoomie so if you want you can change the flood / intensity / width of the beam
Has build in nut to attach it to a tripod, can be very useful for you.
Decent quality.
And this makes my 888th post, better run to random.org now.
Take a Convoy S5 (the smallest of the S series) for $13.80, replace the reflector with a 60° TIR optic (I realize that’s a 5-pack, but it’s hard to find these in singles) for $1.61. The optic perfects the Cree beam & this one makes a nice flood for any use within loud-talking distance.
You’ll need to inform yourself as to the proper care and handling of LiIons, but “with great power comes great responsibility.” I take all mine from “dead” laptop packs, but that takes a higher level of commitment than some are willing to invest. We can’t escape the hysterical hype even here, but there is some excellent information to be had (link is to one good example, keep searching for more), if you keep a level head. My cost, $0.00, you choose. A reasonably-well-reviewed “boughten” version is here, but I can’t recommend what I’ve never seen. $4.61 each.
A decent USB charger for 18650s can be had for $4.87, and it both charges via USB and provides USB power to your (e.g.) cellphone, etc.
So how does this fit into your $20 budget?
Convoy S5: $13.80
Beam-shaping Optic: $1.61 (technically $0.32, but I can’t find them individually)
Charger: $4.87
Batteries if purchased outright: $4.61
Total: $23.60 each… 18% over budget isn’t good engineering, but it works for me. (Full disclosure, I built mine from parts, so it cost a lot less, but this is what I ended up with) It also makes a wonderful fill light when you need it.
As a side note, for your goals it seems like a “mule” configuration would be an option. This should reduce output losses but isn’t very suitable for general flashlight use. Similar to Dimbo The Blinky’s suggestion I think that this should be achievable with a “Convoy S2+”: just disassemble, remove the reflector, and re-assemble. That would be an 18650 (li-ion) configuration and it might require a small spacer for the battery due to the extra 10-15mm of battery tube gained when removing the reflector.
Moving on to AA stuff… for the output level you want to maintain (>300lumens) I think your budget and form factor are both making things tricky. I don’t see 1xAA maintaining 300 lumens - maybe 100 lumens would be more realistic. 4xAA in a cylinder form factor is very expensive (>$40). By busting your budget a bit you could pick up the Starry Light SA-22 for maybe $30 shipped(?), but it doesn’t meet your form factor requirements.
If AA is definitely the rule, what about an AA video light? Those should be available to use higher AA counts and hopefully produce a decent amount of light.
IMO 300 lumens into an umbrella isn’t a lot, but it depends on the situation of course.
EDIT: failing all of the above, another potential option would be something like two Hugsby XP-12 units (OrionLight - Hugsby XP-12 Review) attached to the umbrella. 2xAA is better able to maintain constant output across the discharge of your AA’s and two XP-12’s should get you in the ballpark of 200 lumens total. While I haven’t used Hugsby lights myself I understand that they have good output (as long as it’s a genuine Hugsby unit and not an imitation).
Thanks for the very detailed responses! I was not expecting just 1AA battery type light to do this. I was expecting a multi AA unit. I have over 50 AA rechargeable batteries for photography. Flashes eat them up! And a cheap tip to store batteries, use a large caliber rifle bullet/cartridge storage box. like $3 for storing 20 or 50 bullet/batteries in a box.
I will check out your suggestions. And just to be clear, this is not to use for actual photography. You click on the flashlight, it is inside tied to the shaft pointing inwards, reflecting back out of the umbrella. I would use its light to aim the umbrella and when you shoot the pic the real flash goes off. The flash does the work, as its light is much much brighter, but you cannot aim an umbrella with it. You need a constant light source, like a flashlight. The concept is called a modeling light. Larger AC powered photo flashes use them but not battery ones. A modeling light is a big difference when photographers compare the flashes. The AC flash units are bigger, brighter, more $ but not portable.
This is just an experiment. please keep the suggestions coming!
+1 on this!
I think a Convoy S-series (S6, S2, or others) would be ideal. Pretty floody to start with, even more so if you removed the reflector or replaced the reflector with a wide-angle lens. I would suggest a good-quality 18650 (Li-Ion battery) light would be far brighter and more versatile than any tube-style AA light. Adding decent batteries charger would put you a little over budget, but maybe the added versatility could help you rationalize some of that? Heck, you could probably use these for supplemental shoot lighting in a pinch! If you don’t already have an appropriate clamp to connect the light to your umbrella setup, I know there are bike handlebar adapters that might work - no links handy, but that might start a search in the right direction.
The Fasttech links above should be fine; I’ve ordered from them a few times without issue. But a preferred, reliable vendor on this site is known as Simon - here are links to his store. (Still shipping from China, so it might take a few weeks, but you know what you’re getting.) Convoy S5 Convoy S2+ (select 3B tint for ~5000K. Number of 7135 chips will determine max brightness and runtime: 7135 x 6 = brighter, 7135 x 3 = lasts longer per battery charge) Lens for wider angle
For batteries & a charger, I’d recommend shopping from a very reputable dealer within the US. Cheap/faulty batteries or chargers can literally cause fires, so it’s not worth saving a few bucks to buy questionable quality stuff. I’d also stick with protected cells (built-in circuitry to prevent over-charge & over-discharge, both of which can be very bad.)
Richard at Mountain Electronics is a very well-respected vendor: Protected 18650’s (or email him for possible alternatives?) Simple inexpensive charger
Richard also carries Convoy S-series lights, but the few styles I checked showed the 3B tint were out of stock. Again, might be worth emailing him, especially if you’d like to get this setup sooner than Chinese slow-boat shipping would allow. mtnelectronics stuff typically shows up in less than week.
The activation force of the cheap switches in most of these flashlights will strain whatever you use to get it “tied to the shaft”, along the shear line where grip is tenuous.
A Remote Pressure Switch might be handy, whichever “Ersatz Modeling Light” you use. You’ll probably have to disassemble the tailcaps & just switch out the guts (e.g. as if you put one of these in a C8 on a rifle), but you’ll gain the ability to move around & turn the light on & off to double-check your aim.
(Please note: Not shilling, not afflink-ing, just grabbing the first accessible example Google gave.)
thanks, since you are all fans of the convoy, I am considering it. Can you give a very basic explanation of the different S series? 5, 2+ , 3, 8? Is it just size?
S2, S5, S6, & S8 are practically the same but S2 has a slightly bigger battery tube AFAIK. All have the same reflector that is deeper, throwier reflector than S2+ & S3.
S7 is Stainless Steel. Heavy and same throwier reflector
S4 is similar beam as S2 but a different reflector because of its exterior design.
FWIW I was wrong about being able to use the S2+ in a mule configuration. It’s possible, but would require a spacer etc due to the internal threads in the head not going far enough. Everything else the other folks mentioned is still valid.
Heck, you could probably use these for supplemental shoot lighting in a pinch! If you don’t already have an appropriate clamp to connect the light to your umbrella setup, I know there are bike handlebar adapters that might work - no links handy, but that might start a search in the right direction.