[WWI] About natural lamps RE: Added:SAML S.2

[Crawford Neil]

> I was tempted at Telford by one of 
>these natural light lamps a vendor has been selling there for ages, and

>which Neil Crawford shelled out for in 2004. He's very pleased with it,
but 
>I'm still dithering because the price is fairly mighty.
>Paul T. 


It wasn't terrbily expensive at the time, no more than a luxury kit. I
was rather
over-refreshed after the list meeting so for once my thinking wasn't
quite rational
things like price and how do I get this thing home didn't occur to
me....
Luckily, because it was one of my best purchases ever. In an instant it
solved
all problems I had with lamps all over the place and shadows. I have
kept one standard
 table lamp, so I have the natural lamp on the left paralell to the
model, and the
small lamp to the right and in front of the model, together with two
60watt bulbs in 
the ceiling I think it's as close to perfection as you can get. I think
I get a little
shadow, but soft and where I want it, I've a feeling that a little
shadow is a good 
thing? The magnifying glass in the lamp is convenient on the rare
occasions I need it,
usually reading glasses are enough. For photgraphy I find that putting
the natural 
light 25cm (or about a foot) above the model, turning up the iso to
1600, camera on
tripod, 1/5 sek exposure gives f32 on our 100macro lens, which is about
the same as I
can do outdoors. Outdoors has one advantage, I can use iso400, but wind
and Swedish
darkness mean that it isn't always posible. Being able to do photography
on the work
bench is immensely useful. Paul is right that I'm very pleased, and
wrong in dithering!
/Neil