What Is the Difference Between COB and LED?

Lines can be natural light or something you add to your photo settings (i.e. artificial light). In either case, managing the lighting is part of your workflow. For example, studio photographers rely heavily on artificial light, while landscape photographers prefer natural light. Although, there is hardly one way to do this. Even photographers who only shoot outdoors will need artificial light at some point. So don't overlook the value of additional lighting - especially COB lights.

You should also know how to combine a flash system with a continuous light source. Everyone does a different job. Although many photographers insist on using built-in flash, you never know when a COB light will save you time on a photo. In order to get creative and create stunning work, you first need to explore all your options. Here's everything you should know about COB lights and how they can improve your photography.

What is a COB light?

A COB light is a continuous light source. It's an LED light that you can place anywhere and have it illuminate your subject for hours. You can hold it or mount it on a pole, keep it in your studio, or take it with you. the COB light allows you to change the direction and intensity of the light as needed and save the settings for a long time.

Structurally speaking, a COB light is a group of LED chips packed very closely together. You can't see any space between the LED chips because they are so compact. As a result, COB lights produce a uniform and very bright beam of light. Don't worry - you can dim the light intensity and use accessories to soften the light.

What does COB stand for?

COB stands for Chip On Board. It describes the technology behind COB lights and refers to encapsulated LED chips mounted in direct contact with a silicon carbide or sapphire substrate. COB technology provides a high density of LEDs on a small surface (e.g. 342 LEDs on a 10mm x 10mm surface).

What is the difference between COB and LED?

COB lights are a type of LED light. So the real difference is between a COB light and another type of LED light, such as an LED panel. In most cases, LED panels are SMD (surface mount device) LED lights.

In a COB light you will have more diodes and a simpler circuit design, resulting in a compact light. On the other hand, an LED panel has fewer diodes and a more complex circuit design, which looks like a collection of smaller lights. It can also be larger and heavier than a COB light.

Design and appearance are not the only differences. A COB light is more energy efficient and hotter than an SMD light. It can produce more lumens with less energy, producing brighter light (for example, COB lights start at 80 lumens per watt, whereas SMD lights produce 50 to 100 lumens per watt). However, it does not produce coloured light or colour changing effects like LED panels.

You can use the SMD light as a point light source because it illuminates evenly in all directions. However, because it emits a uniform beam of light, COB lights are better suited as a top light to illuminate objects or surfaces from above.

When do I use a COB light?

You can use a COB light any time you need a continuous light source - whether for photography or videography.

It might be used to photograph models for a fashion catalogue or to create family portraits. Or you can use a COB light to illuminate products, still life or food. The bright, even spot of light is also popular with commercial photographers who want to eliminate shadows and produce sharp photos.

Because you can take them with you, COB lights are a good choice for real estate, industrial or architectural photography if you extend your setup with the right batteries. Their extraordinary uniform luminosity fills vast spaces with light and creates a pleasantly fresh atmosphere. Their directionality reveals the tiniest details of surfaces (e.g. ceilings, walls, etc.).

Getian leverages over 15 years of chip-on-board technology experience to provide COB solutions to OEMs and system integrators worldwide. For more information, please write at info@getiangroup.com.