Have been booked for a wedding in a candlelit Castle. Currently using a Bescor setup with battery belt.

Looked at the litepanels Micro. Seems VERY expensive for something that just doesn't look expensive.

Anybody know.heard of anything new on the Horizon or know of any alternates?

Check out the Sima 20LX 20 LED light - can get a whole array of them for a fraction of the "fancy" pro stuff. Good bang for the buck, last about 45-50 minutes on a charge, so you need to have a couple of backups, but at the price, you can buy a couple - the sweet spot seems to come with putting a pair of them spread a bit apart on dual brackets, so maybe 4-6 units for plenty of cushion. They can benefit from a bit of diffusion, but I think you can rig something up fairly easily with the hot shoe sockets molded in.

Might be worth a look.

Hi Alastair,

I'd say look into getting the light off the camera entirely. Nothing says 'wedding videographer' more, both from the effect you have on your surroundings and the look of the image, than an on-camera light...


Have been booked for a wedding in a candlelit Castle. Currently using a Bescor setup with battery belt.

Looked at the litepanels Micro. Seems VERY expensive for something that just doesn't look expensive.

Anybody know.heard of anything new on the Horizon or know of any alternates?

This one looks a bit DIY

VIDEO LED LIGHT 4 Canon VIXIA HF11 HF100 HG20 HG21 HV30 on eBay, also, Lights Light Meters, Camcorder Accessories, Cameras Photo (end time 02-Jan-09 07:45:40 GMT) (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VIDEO-LED-LIGHT-4-Canon-VIXIA-HF11-HF100-HG20-HG21-HV30_W0QQitemZ220323314265QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCamcorder_Accessories?hash=item220323314265&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1301|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318)

Possibly

Amazon.com: Sima SL-20LX Ultra Bright Video Light (Silver): Camera & Photo (http://www.amazon.com/Sima-SL-20LX-Ultra-Bright-Silver/dp/B000WKW69Q)

Litepanel copy, but not dimmable

LED35 Bescor LED-35 BroadBeam Daylight Balanced On Camera 35 Watt LED Video Light (http://www.adorama.com/BOLED35.html?searchinfo=led%20video%20light&item_no=6)

I'm using the Swit s-2000 light on my EX1, the light requires d-tap so i also got the swit battery for the EX1 as well.
I'm very happy with the light and battery so far.
Tha battery can also be used to power just the light, making it last even longer, while i keep the original sony battery on the camera.

Paul.

I'm using the Swit s-2000 light on my EX1, the light requires d-tap so i also got the swit battery for the EX1 as well.
I'm very happy with the light and battery so far.
Tha battery can also be used to power just the light, making it last even longer, while i keep the original sony battery on the camera.

Paul.

Paul
Cab you please let me know what battery model are you using for the Swit s-2000 light. When you say that the light requires a d-tap what do you mean? What is a d-tap?

Stelios

D-Tap---commonly refered to as a Power Tap by Anton Bauer. The power plug both male and female look like a slightly out of shape "D" so there's only 1 way to insert the power plug into the battery or battery plate.
Some cameras (I know for sure the Sony full size DSR line cams) have a D tap built into the camera for a light.
Don

Paul
Cab you please let me know what battery model are you using for the Swit s-2000 light. When you say that the light requires a d-tap what do you mean? What is a d-tap?

Stelios


The battery isn't designed specifically for the swit light, the battery is designed for the EX1 camera, it just happens that the battery has a D-tap outlet on it, so that can power the light, or any other light which needs power from a D-tap.

I just killed 2 birds with 1 stone, so to speak, i got a light which i needed, and another battery for my camera, which i needed, luckily i found the battery which powers my camera and/or the light, all for £300.

Light here - Swit S-2000 LED toplight with D-tap connector (http://www.videogear.co.uk/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=456)

Battery here SWIT S-8U62 High Capacity Battery - Pro Active (http://www.proav.co.uk/Batteries-&-Camcorder-Power/DV-Batteries/Sony-Camcorder-Batteries/p18569_sc856.aspx)

Paul.

Thanks Don and Paul for your quick response.

Stelios

I got a loan of a litepanel Micro to try yesterday. Initial reaction was the same as most peoples i.e. woah..this costs HOW much and looks like this? REALLY struggling to see where the value is in it.

Anyway...I have to admit that I ended up REALLY liking it. VERY lightweight and it made a world of difference in lowlight situations throughout the day. Was fantastic just being able to reach up and adjust the dimmer to get my exposure right...BLISS!

It is £280 here in the UK and I just cannot get my head around it being anywhere near good value. My day job is in engineering and plastics moulding so I KNOW this isn't expensive to make.

If they dropped the price and went for volume, this would become the light of choice amongst us guys.

Any other budget dimmable solutions around?

Alistair, have you looked at the swit s-2000 ?
I use it mostly for weddings, at the night do etc.
It throws a wide enough light for the EX1 lens, there's no dark spots on the edges, it very light, and bright.
I paid £195 for it.

Paul.

I have been looking at getting this:

Zylight - Intelligent LED Lighting (http://www.zylight.com)

Who tried LED lights with FX1000/Z5? I wonder if the angle is wide enough to cover the whole frame if fully zoomed out.

I have been looking at getting this:

Zylight - Intelligent LED Lighting (http://www.zylight.com)

What battery solutions are there for using with cameras without D tap connector?

What battery solutions are there for using with cameras without D tap connector?

There is a battery that they sell to power it

Zylight - Intelligent LED Lighting (http://www.zylight.com/servlet/Detail?no=17)

Lightpanel V Bike Light By Alastair Brown On ExposureRoom (http://exposureroom.com/members/abrown.aspx/assets/2acd4341cef84f189f6b4a75f7990a84/)

I got a loan of a Lightpanel to try and although I was REALLY impressed by it's performance, light weight and the ability to dim.

What I just couldn't get my head around was how the cost of constructing it added up.

You can get a supposed led video light on ebay which turns out to be no more than a bike lamp that costs $10.

Watch the video and you will see that the lightpanel far outperforms the bike light.

All that said....I will probably end up getting a Litepanel, but it is going to break my heart paying the price they are charging.

Apologies for the shaky footage, it was late, and I had to return the Litepanel so it was done in a serious hurry.

I know I mentioned it early in the thread, but a pair of Sima LX20's mounted outboard on the included brackets would cost a fraction, and are not bad for the low price - there's a thread on them in the lighting section, unfortunately mistitled "sigma" instead of SIMA...

The eBay "bike lights" and "Camping lights" and their ilk are worthless for the blue frosty glow they emit, and it has VERY short throw, maybe effective to 5 feet or so, and then drops off too much to be of use.

The Simas apparently are using a better grade of LED, and at around $40 each, you can buy a few. They seem to match my diffused Sony HVL-20 type lights albeit a bit cooler color temp.

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/photon-management/142902-sigma-sl-20lx-video-light.html

This is the thread I think Dave is referring to.

Yep, that's the one - probably help if I got the model # right, too! I picked up a few of these, and for far less than one of the "pro" LED lights, for the size and weight, I'm impressed, and put two on outboard bracket mounts, and they give fairly decent coverage with minimal hotspot, unlike about any other light I've tried.

I see videoguys are doing a deal for a three pack at $99. Just about to phone and see how much that equates to once shipping is added for the uk. And then Her Majesty gets her cut with import tax/duty/customs fees etc etc etc. Gawd Bless er!

Guys, He is doing a shoot in a candle lit castle... color temp is going to be 2800 degrees K. And oyu are suggesting LED that put out 5600 degree K.

Think about what the background of each shot will look like...

My suggestion is get a light that outputs 3200 degree k and a dimmer...

I use a Vidled on my EX3. Built in battery that last way long enough and throws out more than enough light.
VIDLED On Camera LED Video Lights (http://www.vidled.com)

Guys, He is doing a shoot in a candle lit castle... color temp is going to be 2800 degrees K. And oyu are suggesting LED that put out 5600 degree K.

Think about what the background of each shot will look like...

My suggestion is get a light that outputs 3200 degree k and a dimmer...

Scott many people in the wedding industry don't have a slightest idea of what you are talking about, and if you are trying to explain to them, they will look at you like you are from another planet or something, this is why others always look down at wedding videographer.

I'm quite aware of the differences in light temperature, thank you.

This is going to be a tough shoot any way you slice it. Unless you want a giant bar of candles mounted across the top of the camera, you're not going to be matching the "ambience". Although MAYBE my diffused Sony Halogens might have been closer...

Mixed light temperatures are pretty much par for wedding videos, mixes of daylight and who knows what "indoor" lighting that may be flourescent, incandecent, tungsten, or candles... maybe all of the above.

If you can get a decently powerful light without killing the "ambience", you can establish at least a reasonably consistent area of light in which to work your close ups, and adjust in post. I had good luck using the Sima light as a fill in just such a mixed light environment - and it made getting a good natural color in post a LOT easier as faces were something close to a healthy tone to start with. Sure it's not perfect, but FACES looked good and with some CC the rest of the frame looked pretty decent too.

Oh, and you can always gel the LEDs to adjust the color a bit... if you actually read the thread referenced, you'd see that's been discussed...

check this out...

EventDV.net: In the Field: Switronix TorchLED TL-50 (http://www.eventdv.net/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=52444)

a giant bar of candles mounted across the top of the camera

Brilliant! Why didn't I think of that!!!!!! ;-) You conjured up an image that has me chuckling.

The Switronix seems to perform well.

Suddenly reminded me of this one from years ago. Perhaps i should dust it down!

Hello, special friends.

I could use an on camera light of some sort, and decided around $300 is my limit, based on how often I'll use it, etc.

The TorchLED and the VidLED look like viable options. Does anyone know which is brighter at a given distance? (I saw that specs that on the CoolLED (brightest) of the VidLEDs is 124 lux at 6ft, but I never learned lux/footcandles/etc. so I'm a little lost as to how that translates).

I will absolutely be putting a sliver of CTO over whichever I get (if I go LED), because I did a wedding reception with a super craptacular LED bought last minute, and the mixed temps looked terrible. . .I balance for the light, backgrounds look awful, I balance for backgrounds, looks like I'm shooting a party with the undead. So, yes, color correction on the light for me!

By the way, I will be using possibly the most low-light-unfriendly camera ever, the Canon XL2. With the 16x manual lens, if that makes any difference in the light loss. I will probably go up to 6 or 12 db of gain as needed or (God forbid) 18 in emergencies.

I'm quite aware of the differences in light temperature, thank you.

This is going to be a tough shoot any way you slice it. Unless you want a giant bar of candles mounted across the top of the camera, you're not going to be matching the "ambience". Although MAYBE my diffused Sony Halogens might have been closer...

Mixed light temperatures are pretty much par for wedding videos, mixes of daylight and who knows what "indoor" lighting that may be flourescent, incandecent, tungsten, or candles... maybe all of the above.

If you can get a decently powerful light without killing the "ambience", you can establish at least a reasonably consistent area of light in which to work your close ups, and adjust in post. I had good luck using the Sima light as a fill in just such a mixed light environment - and it made getting a good natural color in post a LOT easier as faces were something close to a healthy tone to start with. Sure it's not perfect, but FACES looked good and with some CC the rest of the frame looked pretty decent too.

Oh, and you can always gel the LEDs to adjust the color a bit... if you actually read the thread referenced, you'd see that's been discussed...

Ok so I went back and read every reply to the original post, I did not see you said anything about a gel, if you are going to suggest a 5600k light for indoor with candle light, you should have said to put a gel on it, but if you do there will be no output left on those Sima light, if using a 5600k for indoor, you need something much more powerfull to compensate for loss light output due to the gel or an LED that can switch temp like the Zylight, then you wouldn't have to do any CC at all.

Ok so I went back and read every reply to the original post, I did not see you said anything about a gel, if you are going to suggest a 5600k light for indoor with candle light, you should have said to put a gel on it, but if you do there will be no output left on those Sima light, if using a 5600k for indoor, you need something much more powerfull to compensate for loss light output due to the gel or an LED that can switch temp like the Zylight, then you wouldn't have to do any CC at all.

Gels are mentioned on THE OTHER THREAD I referenced, I presumed the OP would be experienced enough to know to put a proper lampshade on the bare bulb <wink>, I had forgotten that pic, gave me a good healthy chuckle!

I'd still recommend the Sony 10/20W halogens with diffusion (will be significantly warmer), and they work pretty well though they can get heavy with batteries and used in pairs... but you're back in the $300+ range for a kit, and there's the heat/weight factor.

The Simas are light, cheap, and put out a surprising amount of light when used in pairs. You probably should WB to adjust or plan on some post CC, but for the $, they are a steal in the "on camera" light department. FAR superior to the "blue freeze" consumer LED's in color, and I've found them to keep a workable skin tone when used as a fill (consumer LEDs are great for Smurf weddings though! Really bring out that healthy blue skin color!).

I'd say look into getting the light off the camera entirely. Nothing says 'wedding videographer' more, both from the effect you have on your surroundings and the look of the image, than an on-camera light...

Joel, are you talking about the big lights that you setup for the dance floor? What kind of lights are those? And do you use an on-camera light for shooting when you are away from the dance floor?

Oh, and I second the Switronix Torchled... the 35w version holds up much better with a warming filter over it, but it's more expensive. A good friend uses one and I want to get one soon.

I have a Litepanel Micro, and it works well for me with no gels and a PD170, but throw a 3200 gel over it and my pd170 struggle sometimes, let alone any 1/3 HD camera. I hate the color difference without the gel though. I use it mostly for broll shots where I'm close enough, and my Sony 10/20 diffused for everything else.

Dan

Just found this which looks to be new.

Digital Video LED Supplement Jacklight/light for camera on eBay, also, Continuous Lighting, Lighting Studio Equipment, Cameras Photo (end time 13-Mar-09 05:04:55 GMT) (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Digital-Video-LED-Supplement-Jacklight-light-for-camera_W0QQitemZ170308792122QQcmdZViewItemQQptZContinuous_Lighting?hash=item170308792122&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1683%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318)

That looks neat, with the articulating arm. . .

Will it work in the US? Any technical specs on it (battery life, lux, etc.?)

$300 for an India made import (probably farmed out to China...) sounds a bit steep - there was a much nicer looking light that someone mentioned in the lighting section - looked like it was in the UK as well...

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/photon-management/145195-microbeam-led-camera-light.html

Frankly that light in the eBay listing looked pretty harsh blue and very hotspot prone... neither things I'd want to spend $300 to get, I think there are better options for not much more. I know there's a big "Bollywood" farm industry of various copied camera gear that ends up on eBay, but the quality seems to run from barely usable to "OK" from those I've seen reviewing the various gear... I'd be a bit cautious.

Dave,

Thanks for posting that link... that light looks awesome.. and from a real company no less.. I would love to use it as off camera light as well.. seems like it should be bright enough for run and gun lighting situations..

Cheers,
Scott

Okay, so I was looking at the microbeam compared to the Torch LED 50. . according to the specs on those companies own sites, the microbeam is more than twice as bright at equivalent distance

Microbeam = 686 lux @ 3ft
Torch LED 50 = 280 lux @ 1m

According to a (hopefully accurate) lux to f stops conversion chart I found, the microbeam will yield a camera with with a 320 ASA rating (.e.g. XL2) a 1.4 at 9 ft (prompterpeople site says 85 lux @ 9 ft). This is of course with the color temp uncorrected.

$300 for an India made import (probably farmed out to China...) sounds a bit steep - there was a much nicer looking light that someone mentioned in the lighting section - looked like it was in the UK as well...

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/photon-management/145195-microbeam-led-camera-light.html

Frankly that light in the eBay listing looked pretty harsh blue and very hotspot prone... neither things I'd want to spend $300 to get, I think there are better options for not much more. I know there's a big "Bollywood" farm industry of various copied camera gear that ends up on eBay, but the quality seems to run from barely usable to "OK" from those I've seen reviewing the various gear... I'd be a bit cautious.

I would agree from their own promo shots it does look to have a pretty strong hot spot. LAck of dimmer is a stumbling block as well. If they drop all the extras and put a dimmer on that would be a better bet in my book.

MicroBeam LED light (http://www.prompterpeople.co.uk/microbeam.php)

Another Option lifted from this thread

On Camera Lighting - The Digital Video Information Network (http://www.dvinfo.net//conf/showthread.php?t=145411)

I should have a Microbeam heading my way in a week or two.

Thanks to Dave especially for steering me through this all. Hopefully this thread will be of use to everyone else in helping them decide what suits their needs/budget/purpose.

Whoa, buddy. I'm the microbeam guy around here. Trying to steal my thunder? What, next you're gonna be short, pale, bald, look like Paul Simon too? :-)

Whoa, buddy. I'm the microbeam guy around here. Trying to steal my thunder? What, next you're gonna be short, pale, bald, look like Paul Simon too? :-)

Hmmmm

Short-Nope
Pale-Check
Bald-Check
Paul Simon - Weirdly when whats left of my hair gets long my wife starts singing Art Garfunkel songs to me, so maybe we should start a combo?

Sounds good. I must warn you though, I sing everything like Axl Rose.