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Hmm... a hot topic. :hehe: Anyway, if anyone's interested, I'm trying out regular eco-flourescent lights. Here in Japan, there's three kinds, browny, daylighty, and bluey hued ones. Of course I went the daylighty-hued ones, and the 'shade' setting on the camera makes for easy white balance setting. The tough part is working out where to put them. At the moment, the best positions seem to be, two at the back (to light up the white background), and others variously placed to the sides and forward a bit. Depending on your subject, higher, lower, and perhaps one on top. We're using 100watt lights and a 60watter (useful for shining directly on to the subject if need be, without doing your highlights).

So, that's what this little beginner has found... so far; not satisfied, but getting all right results.

I'm considering getting some relatively low-cost studio lights at some point too...

Well, I quite like the satisfaction of the popping sound and momentary snow-blindness offered by traditional studio strobes, but perhaps that shouldn't be your first consideration when choosing lighting systems :)

I don't have any experience with those fluorecent or LED lightpanels that are marketed as 'perfect for digital', but they look quite temting, particularly if you're short on space.

Does anyone have experience with this kind of gear?

Cost effective at 400pounds? Phew! But they do look handy. I'd be interested in seeing some samples of stuff people have done with these.

A while ago I treated myself to the Interfit CoolLite 5 system. Not pocket-money at £300, but for that you get two 500 Watt (equivalent) heads with reflectors, diffusers, soft-box heads and two air-damped floor stands. Being fluorescent, the lamps are daylight colour temperature and however long you leave them on they never get more than slightly warm. The softboxes are so good that now I often don't bother with my light tent.
When assembled, the lights are not 'mini', but they do fold away into a very small space.
FriendlyDragon

I have been playing with lighting for a few months now. Of the things I have tried, I found two to work outstanding for me. I went to a local hardware store and for 38USD I purchased a work light set. It has a 6 ft. extendable pole with two 500 watt light heads and reflectors. The light was a bit harsh for close up work but a white sheet works perfect as a diffuser. The lights get hot but the guards keep the sheet from getting two hot and being a fire hazard. The second idea and the one which was right under my nose the whole time..... walk in closet with a built in light. I placed a 60 watt light with soft white globe in and went to town. The dimensions of the closet are close about 5 ft by 6 ft, and allow great diffusion of the light across the white walls. The room is big enough to allow models to stand and move naturally, but close enough to give good lighting and no shadows. I'm sure most of us have a closet big enough to shoot in. I added a white sheet to the floor to allow for shooting objects directly on the floor. Wish I had seen that being in the closet in photography is a good thing. lol.

I haven't looked back at this for a while, so a little update is required. I got a light tent, and one 800watt alien bee and umbrella. The two best things were the alien bee (of course) and the backdrop to the light tent. The tent itself hasn't seen much use otherwise. Bouncing the alien bee off of the wall and ceiling has been good enough for my uses (see below). The constant lights? Sometimes, sometimes, I might use them to add to the background

http://www.crestock.com/images/200000-209999/201365-xs.jpg