I recently posted this in the xl2 watchdog section but was told that it wasnt really in the right place. So here it goes again.

I am also new to this forum so sorry if this could be found anywhere else on here.

Hi. I currently own a canon xl2 and i, along with my other friend, do video for cotillions/birthday parties and such. Our problem is the lack of lighting and I am wondering if anyone on this forum has suggestions for good lighting from $200-300 and if anyone can show me sites where I can get good lighting.

I was looking on B&H photo and unfortunately for me, there are no user reviews on this site. So, it would be great if you guys & gals can help me out.

Thanks, Francis Basco

Hello, Francis. I bought a couple of my lights through www.amvona.com, through their Ebay auctions. I picked up two 1000w softboxes for under $150.00 and they have worked flawlessly for two years now. I'd check Ebay for other stuff as well.

would you mind linking me? i wouldnt know where to look. i searched for it and i dont know if i got the right one. thanks in advance

Hi Francis,

Are you meaning to use lights on camera for run & gun situations? Or something to set up in a studio (or anywhere else for that matter) for interviews and such?

For an on camera light I use a Bescor dimmable 50W light:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/269937-REG/Bescor_MPL645_MPL_645_On_Camera_Dimmer.html

With this battery pack:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/402865-REG/Bescor_CK7ATM_CK_7ATM_On_Camera_Light.html

With a bit of searching in the forums, you'll be able to see which other on-cam lights others have been using.

Good luck,

--JA
www.madjavaproductions.com

I'm looking for "On Camera Lighting". I think what Eric was trying to show me isn't what I'm looking for. I THINK. If I'm wrong, excuse me. And what Jeff just showed me is exactly what I'm looking for.

Sorry, but Jeff, do you mind "schooling" me on the Bescor dimmable 50W light, such as the the life of the battery. And the battery pack and what it contains?

Francis,

We've only used our on-cam Bescor light in a dark (dimly-lit) bar; where we had to follow our client dressed up as peanut!

Lugging around the XL2, with both the on-cam light, an AT897 shotgun, and the batt. pack slung over my shoulder was hard work to say the least. But we had good, pleasing images.

We tried different light settings with the Bescor, and found that "halfway" was the best (as far as not blowing out our subjects); so that setting would be at around 25-30W.

And I think, most people agree that that setting is the most "pleasing".

Thank God we haven't used the on-cam light in other dimly-lit situations.

--JA
www.madjavaproductions.com

Check out the Bescor website, and this link:

http://www.bescor.com/catalog.php?page=15

Hope it helps,

--JA
www.madjavaproductions.com

PS-Would love to visit San Fran again, as I do have relatives in Daly City :)

A REALLY noob question here, but I need a battery pack right?

and in this link

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/402865-REG/Bescor_CK7ATM_CK_7ATM_On_Camera_Light.html

is this just the battery pack?

Yes that's the one I use. The Bescor on-cam light uses an XLR-type plug, that plugs into the batt. pack.

--JA
www.madjavaproductions.com

Far of your budget, but both interresting and educational is the new LED-technology. LED's are predicted to go through the same evolution as transmittors in the last century and processors today - smaller and smaller, better and better, cheeper and cheeper with lower and lower energy need.

http://www.dvcreators.net/images/litepanel_model.jpg

(there's also a nice tutorial inside the link that you might find useful for any type of on-camera lightning)

Hi Francis,


For an on camera light I use a Bescor dimmable 50W light:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/269937-REG/Bescor_MPL645_MPL_645_On_Camera_Dimmer.html

With this battery pack:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/402865-REG/Bescor_CK7ATM_CK_7ATM_On_Camera_Light.html




I also have the Bescor kit and it works great for the situations in which I need to use it. When I bought it, I was really most interested in LED options, but at the time, LEDs were not in my budget, but the Bescor kit was reasonably priced and has done exactly what I needed. I got the kit that came with the daylight balanced filter, barndoors, and a battery. I love the dimmable feature of the light, but I also ended up getting a Lumiquest diffuser that I velcro to the top of the barndoors so it hangs over the front and softens the light very nicely. I have never gotten any complaints of blinding my subjects when filming in a dark room and the light is very pleasing (although with only about a 6 foot throw.)

It is true that the battery does get really freakin' heavy after a while and can be awkward to carry unless you effectively plan how you carry it. As it is also a lead acid battery, it is important to manage the charges properly between uses to keep it performing optimally charge to charge.

I now work mostly in well-lit light controlled studio environments so I don't use this kit as often as I used to when I bought it, so I haven't yet found the jutification to move up to a nice LED kit, but eventually I may need to and I suppose prices will come down more by then. Until tha time, the Bescor kits are very effective and economical.

-Jon

Thanks for the reply Jon. Looks like I am very close to buying the Bescor MPL-645 and the Bescor CK-7ATM on camera lighting kit.

I have a questions for you though. Do you have the same exact kit listed above?
Is that Lumiquest diffuser compatible with any barndoor since you used velcro? (probably newbest question #2 of all time). Oh and can you show me which one you have (direct link if possible)?

I'm pretty much new to all this, but this forum will help me alot.

Thanks for the reply Jon. Looks like I am very close to buying the Bescor MPL-645 and the Bescor CK-7ATM on camera lighting kit.

I have a questions for you though. Do you have the same exact kit listed above?
Is that Lumiquest diffuser compatible with any barndoor since you used velcro? (probably newbest question #2 of all time). Oh and can you show me which one you have (direct link if possible)?



Hi Francis,
No, it is not the same kit as linked above. The kit posted earlier is likely an errant one. It was intended to show just the battery, but the one listed was part of a different kit that includes a smaller, lower-wattage light. (although one that conveniently has a self attached diffuser and barndoor feature and for a cheaper price - but not likely comparable in terms of output compared to the MPL-645.)

The kit I have is:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/304492-REG/Bescor_AK7ATM_AK7ATM_Dimmer_Light_and.html

The price (at $264 US) is still about what I paid a couple years ago and I think I threw in a couple extra bulbs into the order 'cuz they're cheap, but I think I'm still using the same bulb the kit shipped with.

As for adding a diffuser, I looked around and threw a few questions into these forums. I was curious about soft boxes, etc., and got some good info. My concern was putting something too close to the light, or covering it with a larger softbox unit, because the light is pretty compact and gets pretty hot, so I didn't want to get the wrong type of material too close to the heat source and melt it or worse. A lot of softboxes I saw were intended for flash bulbs as opposed to continuous lighting and I didn't want to light one on fire in the middle of a wedding reception.

In the end I just found a cheap plastic Lumiquest diffuser in a local camera shop while looking for something else, and on a lark I decided to give it a try. This is what I found:

http://www.ritzcamera.com/product/535130165.htm

and you can probably find them at most camera shops. Its actually intended to attach to still SLR camera outfits but works for me as a quick and cheap functional solution.

What I ended up doing was attaching a small piece of velcro to the top barn door and positioned it properly so that when the diffuser hangs in front of the light it extends down to the bottom barn door, though I don't bother to attach it at the bottom. It may seem a little sloppy, but it is heavy enough to not flap around and holds the diffuse far enough from the light to not get hot and 'melty' - and it only takes about 2 seconds to slap it onto the velcro.

Works for me and avoids blinding my subjects.

-Jon

Ok ok. I am SO sorry for the questions. Would you recommend I get the kit you have Jon? It does come with everything I need right & asked about right? The light itself, battery pack, charger, and barn doors.

Can I also ask you another question?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/402865-REG/Bescor_CK7ATM_CK_7ATM_On_Camera_Light.html

The thing about this link is that I see a carrying case. Is there a reason why they don't show the case and what it contains? It's really confusing me.

B&H Photo is causing me alot of troubles in my research. Lol

Francis, don't take offense, but I'm laughing right now...partly at my self.

I tried for the longest time to figure out what you meant about the 'carrying case'. I know the kit doesn't include one, but I still went through the entire package as well as its listed features and accessories trying to figure out what you meant.

Then, it came to me.

What you are looking at with that link is the lead acid battery. The actual battery unit comes pre-packed in its own nylon carry pouch, and it is intended to stay inside it. It has a shoulder strap connected to it and the 'cigarette lighter' plug on the side of it is what connects into the charger, so you never have to remove the battery from this pouch.

Also, it is really pretty heavy despite its small size. Its pretty much a bag of lead.

Finally, please don't feel bad asking these questions. That's what these forums are here for... But still,...I got a little chuckle out of that one. That was awesome.

-Jon

BTW: This kit doesn't include a carry pouch.

Ok ok. I am SO sorry for the questions. Would you recommend I get the kit you have Jon? It does come with everything I need right & asked about right? The light itself, battery pack, charger, and barn doors.



I forgot to answer that one.

If you are on a budget in the way that I was when I bought my kit, ($200 - $300) then I think this one really fits the bill. There are some other kits out there that offer similar feature sets and are made by reputable vendors. ( The Frezzi Mini Fill units are rather popular although more costly.) But for the price and what you get (the light, barndoors, Battery & Charger) I think the $264 for the Bescor kit it is definately money well spent.

And it has an onboard dimmer, which is really a great convenience.

Now as for the battery, it is a lead acid battery, and its use will bring a tradeoff.

Its really heavy, and with this particular unit, you can probably expect to get between 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours of 'lit time' depending upon how much your pulling out of your dimmer. In my case, if I was only using it for the shots I needed during a lengthy wedding reception, and kept it off for when it was not needed for a shot, I never had any problem making it last through the whole event.

However, for a battery that heavy, you would still want to get more time out of it. That's the tradeoff. Its a more ecnomical solution, but carrying it around requires some expense of effort.

For longer use time as well as something easier to carry, some users prefer to move up to their lead acid battery belt packs. These are designed to wear around your waist like a belt and have 3 or 4 batteries attached to the belt itself, so you get more running 'lit' time.

That is also a more expensive option, which may lead you to start considering the next step up.

LED oncamera lights were out of my range when I was shopping for them, but they are really cool...literally.

They cost more on the outset, but are very light (not heavy), light evenly, run cool, they are long lasting and are not as much of an energy drain so you get long run times. Like I said, you will be spending more money on the outset, (usually more than twice as much than on an older style economy set like the Bescor that I use, but if you think you'll be looking for that type of option within the next year or so anyway, then certainly consider checking them out.

Guy Cochran from the DVEstore (one of our wonderful site sponsors) has some really nice units, that I do not have, but have long considered buying when the budget and needs arise in unison once again.

http://dvcreators.net/litepanels

They have some demo video on the site as well.

But once again, if your solid within your $200 - $300 range and can deal with the heft of the lead acid battery, than my personal experience leads me to believe that the Bescor kit is a really solid choice.

-Jon

How much does the battery actually weigh? (if you haven't weighed it, that's fine) An estimate would be fine.

Lol and I don't mind the laughing, even if it's at me. I expected it.

Oh and I'd like to thank you and the others for the effort you put into your posts. You have really helped me out.

How much does the battery actually weigh? (if you haven't weighed it, that's fine) An estimate would be fine.

Lol and I don't mind the laughing, even if it's at me. I expected it.

Oh and I'd like to thank you and the others for the effort you put into your posts. You have really helped me out.

No worries man. The specs on that battery list it as 5.5 pounds. Doesn't sound like much, but being that it is not spread out over a wide balance, it feels pretty solid, and after an hour or so, that 5.5 pounds starts to make itself felt.

-Jon

Thank you very much

How much does the battery actually weigh? (if you haven't weighed it, that's fine) An estimate would be fine.

Bescor MM-7NC Starved Electrolyte (Lead Acid) Battery weighs 5.5 lbs.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/135333-REG/