Tabletop Lighting Kit recommendations?

[FallsCity]

Hello --

I am looking for recommendations for one of those tabletop lighting kits (non-professional)..I have heard them called a variety of things...soft box, tent, cube. It doesn't have to be anything really big or fancy. Something similar to below.



I have several smaller objects I would like to photograph and it would be great for eliminating shadows and having control of the backdrop.


Thanks!

[ElCapitanoAwesomo]

my suggestion is to make your own! its very simple! get a box the size you want, draw out a border 1 inch from the edge on 3 sides, and cut them out. then get some butcher paper. get a long piece to make a seemless back and tape it or hot glue it the the top flap only. i dont suggest connecting it to the bottom, personally. then take some more butcher paper and cover up the two sides, leaving one open directly across from the backdrop. you can get two desk lamps on either side or a flash if you own one. i've tried flashlights, even high power LEDs, but they just dont spread that much light. ikea lamps work well and are dirt cheap!

[zona5101]

Adi has a good idea to start with a DIY lightbox...you can google DIY lightbox or DIY light tent and find a few how to videos.
If you are looking for a commercially made one, check out photoflex.com

[Michael_2010]

I got a couple of clamp lights and some fluorescent bulbs from HomeDepot. Then I got some poster board in a variety of colors from WalMart to use for backdrops. Works pretty well on the cheap. Better to have a dark room and cut off any incandescent lights while shooting.

Also, you can gently bend the poster board, without creasing it, into sort of a lazy "L" shape to give you the seamless look seen in many table top shots.

[FallsCity]

Thanks for the suggestions! Looks like there are quite a few tutorials on YouTube. One advantage to buying one might be that they usually will fold up nicely as storage space is an issue for me.

[Michael_2010]

I did get this thing from Cowboy Studio for about 35 bucks. It is very portable and easy to store. The small LED lights that came with it don't amount to much and they get pretty hot to the touch after a while. A gooseneck desk lamp for 7 bucks with a 5200k fluorescent bulb puts out a heck of a lot more light and you can work with it for hours without it getting too hot to handle. You can easily soften and diffuse the light with a white pillowcase or any other fabric you have around your house.

[ddr]

after making two (one broke already haha) i gotta say, from reading countless tutorials, the best DIY setups involve using large panels that you can hold with ... some sort of holder. like the ones we use on a lab bench that have clamps and such. it provides far greater flexibility than a tent, and you will not be restricted as to where you put your lights.

check this out.

if you can find the right setup using a tent, it's also great and no hassles. it's when you need to change the setup/style when you run into problems.