Non-Flickering LED Light bulbs for high speed swing video Testing 2025 by Pathfindr

[pathfindr]

Non-Flickering LED Light bulbs for high speed swing video Testing 2025 by Pathfindr

I have tested many LED light bulbs for recording high speed swing video and wanted to share my test results.

Summary

Out of many light bulbs I have tested, only the 3 below are non-flickering when recording high speed golf swing video.
Many light bulbs are advertised as non-flickering. What they mean it’s non-flickering to human eyes but not necessarily non-flickering to high speed cameras when recording in high frame rate like higher than 100 fps.


Good – no flickering when recording high speed golf swing video

1) PHILIPS LED 100W A19 4-Pack Selectable White Multi-CCT 1500 Lumen (14W = 100W) Dimmable Flicker-Free Light Bulbs

Amazon Link = https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CW3P8ZJD

Comments: 1500 Lumen. Uses 14W.

2) PHILIPS LED 65W BR30 6-Pack Selectable White Multi-CCT 650 Lumen (7.2 = 65W) Dimmable Frosted Flicker-Free Light Bulbs

Amazon Link = https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CW3NJ569

Comments: Only 650 Lumen.


3) Home Depot EcoSmart 150-Watt Equivalent A21 Dimmable LED Light Bulb 6-CCT

Home Depot Link = https://www.homedepot.com/p/EcoSmart...-ESM/333168748

Comments: 2605 Lumens. Uses 25W power. I also tested the 200-Watt version but the 200 Watt version has flickers.

4) Satco 33W PAR38 3000K High Lumen LED from BulbAmerica.com

This is what I have been using in my golf simulator setup, as recommended by Gungho Golf back in 2021. However, this light bulb is no longer available. https://gunghogolf.com/articles/indo...video-lighting

[FullRight28]

pathfindr, appreciate you sharing your test results. Any chance you could comment on what bulbs you tested that weren't good? I bought the #1-Philips A19. They throw light everywhere, so the lux at the hitting area doesn't seem all that high and would take a lot of them to make the hitting area bright. They will light up the whole room at that point. I bought some PLT-13307 PAR38 40deg beam bulbs. I think that style is going to be the way to go, but I'm going to have to buy various ones to find ones that don't flicker. Or see if the online store support has flicker information that isn't shown on websites and spec sheets. I don't have everything setup at the moment to take swings and see the performance of the bulbs, so don't know if the PLT is ok or not. The Optix cameras are unusable/untestable without everything setup as far as I can tell and according to their support.

[Ronsc1985]

Chances are if you just use non dimmable bulbs you will be O.K.

The way the LED bubs become dimmable is by switching them on and off to change their duty cycle at a frequency your eye can't detect.

In my case I have fluorescent replacement LED bulbs which are by design non dimmable. My cameras which can record at 240 fps do so with no flickering

[barwick11]

I've got these and have no problem with flicker. They need to be wired to a DC power source, which is super cheap and easy to do.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PNZWF29

I've got I think 8 of these hooked up shining right on me. It feels like I'm standing on the beach on the sunniest day of the year (by brightness, not by heat).

[GolfPig]

I've got these and have no problem with flicker. They need to be wired to a DC power source, which is super cheap and easy to do.

I've got I think 8 of these hooked up shining right on me. It feels like I'm standing on the beach on the sunniest day of the year (by brightness, not by heat).

I've been down the same road. I tried numerous truck light bars/DC panels and learned all about LED drivers and AC/DC converters. Even though they were all extremely bright, unfortunately every one flickered while filming golf swings. For those of you still looking for standalone lights, I'd suggest buying LED panels or spotlights meant for professional photography/videography. These are listed on most sites under Studio Lighting, Studio Video Lighting, Studio LED Lights, etc. It would be rare to find one that isn't flicker-free. I'd recommend the panels I have (Ledgo LG-900SC) but they don't make them anymore.

[I hate Golf]

These work well and are relatively narrow beam to avoid washing out the projection screen. They come in three different temps.

Atletehut E26 35w Par30 LED Bulb (100 WATT Equivalent) 4000K 3650lm 25 Degree Indoor Spotlight