Who has experience with LED-based nail dryers (for UV-curing nail gels and nail polishes) as soft light source for macros?

[Kai]

While looking for soft UV light for indoor macros, I came across LED-based nail dryers (for UV-curing nail gels and nail polishes).

But there are hundreds of products. Some look very promising (365 and 405 nm LEDs combined).
There should be no LEDs in the rear area so that a (e.g. black) background can be attached there. The bottom has to be open so that you can hold the whole thing over smaller objects from above. Overall, I would expect a relatively soft illumination from it.

Does anyone of you have experience with that?
 

My current UV lamp for disco purposes is not ideal. It has a too small, flat light field and only 365 nm LEDs:
https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B08L76BGGM

[nfoto]

Perhaps I ought to be familiar with such nail products, unfortunately, I am not. Ordinary nail polish has to do.  Maybe Andrea can provide new insights?

 

However, using the common NEMO torches or similar, you can get very soft illumination. The softest of all is by using Lieberkühn mirrors, but then the setup tends to be quite elaborate, in particular if combined with a studio flash.

[Kai]

4 hours ago, nfoto said:

Perhaps I ought to be familiar with such nail products, unfortunately, I am not. Ordinary nail polish has to do.  Maybe Andrea can provide new insights?

 

However, using the common NEMO torches or similar, you can get very soft illumination. The softest of all is by using Lieberkühn mirrors, but then the setup tends to be quite elaborate, in particular if combined with a studio flash.

 

;)

Lieberkühn and flashlights, fixed with utility clamps and stands are somehow quite complex.
I was hoping a nail hardener could make it simpler and easier.
And you might get a combination of longer and shorter wavelengths (if that would be an advantage). 

 

[nfoto]

Sometimes there is no simple solution. There are always contrasting interests to balance against each other. However, if real soft and diffuse lighting is the main objective, one can get that by several methods, but detail resolution will suffer even in UV.

[Kai]

That's probably true ... :)