LED light strips for macro light box

[Kashim]

I'm looking for an LED light strip I could use for a 2'x2'x2' or 3'x3'x3' light box. These light strips are all over Amazon and eBay, varying wildly in price and quality. They are usually sold in 5m strips that have 300 LEDs on them.

The most common ones I see are SMD 3528 (6-8 lumens per chip), SMD 5050 (16-22 lumens per chip), and SMD 5630 (45-50 lumens per chip). This is info I found on this page. I'm not sure how accurate the info is, but it looks like SMD 5630 chips are the way to go. Is that a fair assumption or are there better options?

The really cheap strips don't even list their CRI rating at all. The ones claiming CRI 80+ are a bit more expensive, CRI 90 even more expensive, and CRI 95+ being the most expensive. I'm looking to get something rated CRI 90 or higher, but I'm wondering if going to CRI 95 (or higher) is worth the extra cost.

Finally, color temperature also varies greatly among these strips. They're usually between 2800K and 6500K. Some don't list color temperature at all, but use phrases like "natural white", "pure white", "cool white", "daylight white", etc. Would 5600K be the safest way to go since it's closest to daylight color? Any suggestions on what color temperature I should go for would be greatly appreciated.

[Harald]

Hi there Kashim,
The more light the better, gives you faster exposure times.
5600K is a good color temp and with CRI of 90-95 you should get some great images.
Its better to spend some more money the first time, than save on a cheaper solution and not be happy. Then you have to buy the more expensive one later..

Just some thoughts from Norway