Choosing Between Strobe and LED Lighting for Ecommerce Photography: Find the Best Fit for Your Studio.
In ecommerce model and product photography, the debate between Strobe and LED lighting is gaining momentum. Choosing the right lighting is crucial for high-volume studios to meet goals efficiently. If you're deciding between LED and strobe lighting for ecommerce, this post will guide you.
Product Detail Page (PDP) photography is the current engine of ecommerce studio's operations, and attention to detail and consistent execution are key factors for time to online success. Studio teams need confidence in the ability to achieve highly controlled outcomes for every SKU shot.
In this blog post, we'll delve into the differences between Strobe and LED lights, focusing on process efficiency, a cornerstone of Studio Workflow's practice.
As there is no one size fits all answer, each brand and content creation studio will experience differing requirements, but its a great topic for debate so lets jump in.
Please note - Just a heads-up, we're not affiliated with any of the brands we mention in this article, and we don't earn or track from the links we've included. We're sharing this info because we believe it can make your content creation process more efficient and high-quality. That's our only agenda—helping you excel in your work.
Why Strobe Lighting is Still the Industry Standard for ecommerce
For years, strobe lights have been the industry standard for PDP model photography in ecommerce studios. Brands like Profoto, Elinchrom and Broncolor provide equipment with super reliable output, making it perfect for mid to high volume studios. In the studio Strobe is normally found in the form of a high output generator pack with plug in heads, or for studios on a smaller budget, monobloc / monolight self contained heads. Chosen for their intense consistent light output, unshifting accurate colour balance, and capabilities for freezing movement on rapid posing. Fast recycle times mean fewer missed shots, lower model fatigue and easier automated post production output.
The flexibility of strobes is further enhanced by a wide range of modifiers used to craft brand story lighting styles. Strobe light penetration offers rich fabric detail at time of capture and a RAW file that can accept a fair amount of Post production.
If using a generator pack such as the Profoto Pro11 the power output is so efficient that high-coverage lighting can be achieved with a minimal number of heads.
The brands mentioned above have good data on the overall lifespan of kit, and with correct use fairly low service and minimal down times. The packs are incredibly reliable, from years of real world user testing. Profoto for example, is the default Strobe pack for rental houses, and the Pro packs are industry workhorses. An added significant bonus is that in-house teams and freelancers alike are well-versed in the use of main brand strobe packs.
“But the question remains: is strobe’s reign still secure and can LED challenge the current situation.”
The Rise of LED Technology Outside of Ecommerce
In recent years, LED technology has evolved to a level that it can compete with strobe lights for PDP model photography when equivalent factors are taken into account. The early days of LED equipment suffered from a lack of Lumen/LUX output and there was a general feeling that colour consistency wasn't great, especially at the mid and lower pricepoints. But one of the bonuses of a huge boom in recent years of content creation, has been the investment in r+d for LED tech.
Arri has continually added to its great range, especially the Skypanels and Orbiter, but one of the real surprise successes is the steady growth of newcomer Aputure both with its soft panel lights and its hard monolights such as the LS1200D which also allows ‘Bowens’ fit modifiers.
One of the considerations with LED, especially the lower volume brands, is the availabilty of units, the service options and the Grip options. Whilst Arri has an entire ecosystem and vast industry support (from film-making) there are still some unknown elements with supply and support of LED brands in the lower price bracket. Build quality, although improving, is not as robust overall as the higher end units that are designed with rental style use in mind.
If you need a deep dive into LED, then we will be coming back to this topic in the future, as we have put Aputure through extensive client testing.
CAPEX COSTS OF LED lighting vs strobe lighting For e-commerce
Lets look quickly at comparison cost though and it becomes very clear where LED can really make an impact the Nova P600 (a flat panel full colour spectrum light) is around €2200 and the Skypanel which is the closest equivalent is €6000. Lets compare this to a Profoto Pro11 which retails at €18500 plus €3000 per head. For the price of 1 x Pro11 pack a studio could purchase at least 8 Aputure Nova P600's. 8 units would be overkill on a Model PDP set but is used for comparison.
How Technological Advancements in Cameras Impact Lighting Choices - The Evolution of ISO
The Evolution of ISO has been a crucial factor in the discussion around LED lighting solutions. Ecommerce studios traditionally capped their ISO settings at around 400-640 for On-Model photography stills. LED LUX outputs in early days of the tech weren’t super high and normally needed a higher in-camera iso for equivalent image. But a boosted ISO uploaded and tested for compression comparison could be seen to be more noticeable noisy or crushed on the histogram. However, improvements in camera sensor quality and image processing capabilities have paved the way for higher ISOs to be used without sacrificing image integrity. This advancement has removed one of the barriers to adopting LED lighting, removing the challenges in producing 'clean' files at the same time as the overall sustainable LUX output of LED has increased.
Modifiers and Light Quality - Differences and Considerations in Light Modifiers Between LED lighting vs strobe lighting
Whilst LED tech tends to concentrate more on soft light panels and true hard light monoblocks. The range of modifiers is not as specialised as with Strobe units. LED lights in real world use lean more into the concept of being layered and flagged (for video/movie). Whilst this should not be an obstacle; it just means that more testing time will need to go into the initial ecommerce lighting design on-set with LED.
Also, overall light penetration onto fabrics can be less with LED. At the early stages of design on-set a powerful LED head can produce good detail in shadow areas, but it may look hot in others requiring additional solutions such as use of bounce and negative fill, or extra heads for layered light.
It's a more intricate setup compared to the immediate ease of a Pro Pack with a Key and Fill light and two soft box modifiers.
Arguably it takes more skillful knowledge of LED to craft an equivalent lighting style. Another aspect to consider, in the set design, and layout, is the variable of ambient light interference. Unlike in a strobe set where the flash sync eliminates the effect of ambient light, using LED lighting at higher ISO levels requires careful control of additional light sources or set-to-set interference to prevent image pollution.
The Dual Role of LED in Today's Studios - Balancing the Needs of PDP Photography and Video Content
With strobe lighting the long-standing choice for PDP model photography in ecommerce studios, there is a noticeable shift toward LED options so what is driving this change? A significant factor is the surging demand for integrated video content along with PDP stills.
Brands have developed various strategies to currently meet this need: some relocate models from a stills set to a dedicated video set before moving to the next SKU, others alternate between video and stills cameras and lighting on the existing set, and some add video on a subsequent shoot or end of day. Few of these approaches seem sustainable if demand for video grows.
A unified LED lighting setup for both stills and video emerges as the most effective. This streamlined approach is the least disruptive and ensures optimal colour consistency between content whilst eliminating the necessity of changing setups or camera bodies.
Whether your focus is on time-to-market or the specific type of video—be it catwalk, 360-degree, or mood videos—the growth of video indicates that LED lighting solutions will become increasingly popular in ecommerce studios.
Shooting for ‘Social’ Media- Choosing LED for Diverse Content Types
The Multi-faceted Role of LED Lighting will be crucial to gaining more traction as the lines between PDP and other content continue to blur. As ecommerce studios evolve, the task of shooting both Product Detail Page content and social media content will become intertwined. Whether it's executed by in-house teams or external content creators utilising the same studio spaces, LED lighting stands as a natural fit for this multi-faceted content creation. Its easy to see, to understand and to work with.
Overall LED's ease of use and adaptability allows for a seamless transition between different types of shoots and creator skillsets. LED is crucial for shooting video content in a consistent style, a common requirement for social media. The colour consistency and reduced set-up times (programmable presets) offered by LED lighting solutions make it a versatile choice, facilitating a more streamlined operation.
“consider the electrical demand Strobe Generator packs place on the building’s infrastructure”
Electrical Considerations for Your Studio - the Impact on Infrastructure and Operating Costs
When moving into a new studio space, one key factor to consider is the electrical demand that Strobe Sets and especially Generator packs place on the building's infrastructure. Content studios with multiple PDP sets, shooting at high volume, may require a costly electrical upgrade to manage the load. This can require additional grid support, landlord discussions and install times. Unlikely outlier events need to be considered such as triggering multiple packs at once, so internal rings or circuits per floor or studio need to balance against this risk.
The need for electrical upgrades are reduced with LED solutions implemented on set. This can result in huge savings on studio build-out, not to mention the long-term operating costs. LEDs also consume less power over time, adding another layer of cost-effectiveness to operating budget. However, it's worth noting that while a single generator pack such as a Pro11 delivers a high potential light output, you might need 3-6 LED heads to achieve the same quality light effect.
The Challenge of Transitioning Overcoming Compatibility and Ecosystem Barriers
Some challenges that studios might face would include compatibility with previous equipment, its a big ask to jump from one system to another. Of course a brand new studio could look very closely at launching fully with LED but established studios should look to how they can begin to integrate LED lighting in certain content types. Another challenge can occur when a studio aims to exactly match the lighting style of a strobe designed set with LED, it is often easier to work from a desired outcome but apply a different approach to crafting the LED solution.
“LED has been built from the viewpoint of a digital user - its the GenZ of the lighting world”
What are some of the Additional benefits of LED systems?
It could be said that LED has been built from the viewpoint of a digital user, so many of its interfaces and support systems are very easy to use. Presets and programmed options are a natural fit and easily controlled by apps. With the more advanced LED units full colour spectrum outcomes are introducing the ability to switch easily into versatile brand story and elevated pdp content.
The biggest gain is the ability to allow seamless flow between Video and Stills content production.
LED also do not generate large amounts of heat, this is significant in PDP studios that shoot video content, where temperature control and HVAC solutions are important to success.
Some Models also provide feedback that an LED set is less fatigue inducing than a full day in a strobe set, though this will depend slightly on the direct set-up of the lighting.
But the biggest factor is both the purchasing cost, and the replacement cost of LED which sit considerably lower than many strobe based systems.
So where does the future point, will the switch to LED occur in the next few years?
In our experience, LED technology is at an exciting stage, boasting compelling cost-efficiency and high-quality outcomes. The recent leaps in lumen output and colour consistency have been incredibly effective.
We recently had the opportunity to design a multi-faceted studio for a client that was entirely LED based. This space accommodated not only product photography but also an array of video and still content needs. Admittedly, perfecting the product photography setup took additional fine-tuning and introduced a more meticulous approach to post-production. However, the client aimed to expand into product video, making LED the preferred choice. Furthermore, the LED setup allowed for seamless consistency between the product photography studio and the main content studio.
On the training front, LED technology proved to be less demanding. Onboarding photographers for LED-based product photography was noticeably quicker than if we had opted for the more complex strobe lighting systems, which usually entail a steeper initial learning curve especially in Product Photography.
In Summary - LED lighting vs strobe lighting For e-commerce
The debate between Strobe and LED lighting for PDP model photography is far from settled, but what's clear is that both technologies have unique advantages and constraints. As ecommerce and content creation studios continue to evolve, adapting to new formats like integrated video and social media, the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of LED lighting are increasingly appealing. Yet, the high output and specialized modifiers available for Strobe make it a formidable choice for many studios.
The key takeaway? Understand your specific needs, consider the long-term, and be prepared to invest in trials and testing to arrive at the most optimal solution for your operation. But right now our perfect mix for a mid to high volume studio would be one that allows for some well crafted lighting design from LED and utilising the workhouse and super efficient Pro Packs for the go to Model sets. Video content will keep growing in relevance and teams need time to understand how to get the best from LED before its mass adoption.
Ready to make an informed decision about your studio's lighting setup? Or perhaps you're planning to overhaul your current studio to meet the ever-changing demands of ecommerce and social media content. Studio Workflow is here to help you navigate these complexities. With our expertise in Process Flow and spatial design, we'll work closely with you to identify the best lighting solutions tailored to your unique requirements.
Ready to optimise your studio's lighting setup? Contact us today to schedule a consultation and take the first step towards enhancing your content creation process.