what do you think about this LED light for on the spot interviews.

http://www.simaproducts.com/products/product_detail.php?product_id=614


heres the manual
http://www.simaproducts.com/support/files/SL-20LX_video_light_user_manual.pdf

We have bought several of these for the consumer-level cameras we issue to photographers and reporters, bought for $29.95 to $39.95 depending if they were on sale (Videoguys.com) and imho they are a great bang for the buck. They do use a rechargable battery and when it poops out, you are stuck until you can charge it...would prefer aa batteries you could change out...but it does the job in a spot news or quick interview situation and, let's face it for simi-trained people using pool equipment, it's expendable if something bad happens...that's the news business...decent light but has a fairly narrow beam. For the $$ it's a steal I think.
//Battle Vaughan/miamiherald.com video team

Thread moved from Open DV to Photon Management.

Thread title changed from "What do you think" to "Sigma SL-20LX Video Light"

Please avoid ambiguous thread titles... thanks in advance,

I'm thinking of buying a few of them.

I'm curious if they are at all useful during wedding reception, dancing. I can't imagine they are powerful enough for that, but who knows. They do look like a steal for the money, no doubt.

I run a sony 10/20 and wonder how they compare.

anyone have both?

I don't have the sony light, and haven't yet used my 20xl... but I'd seriously consider stocking up on these. If one isn't bright enough, try three!

They lock together (each has 3 cold-shoes on it). Granted the whole shoe system is a little fragile-looking. But it's $35ea. Stick 3 in your camera bag for a hundred bucks!

They are amazingly light at 2.5 oz.

But I do think that they probably have their greatest use as camera-in-your-face bad on-camera lighting at distances of perhaps 3-6'. Or, carry some ND so you can dial it in as a fill light or eye light. Not sure how much they're going to provide 12'+ away from a dancing couple.

They run 45 minutes plus on a charge, then are down for hours. Handy little things, it looks like.

I've had one of these little guys for about a year.... does work pretty good, but a bit on the green side. I taped on a square of Rosco Cinegel Tough 1/2 MinusGreen and it's in the ballpark.

by the way.... thread title has a typo.... it's SIMA not SIGMA....

Terrific bang for the buck. Can also be used as kickers or background accents. High recommend. Buy at least two...

I've been using one of these and I really like it. It's just so incredibly convenient and inexpensive. You could put together 10 of these into one large portable soft source for the price of one litepanel micro. Obviously color temperature can be an issue but generaly ive found it works fine. I did a test once and thought it came around 4000k and have a slight green tint, but i could be wrong. I've used it uncorrected plenty of times after that test and the images seemed surprisingly fine. They are very bright and a little harsh so some diffusion would be recommended but not always necessary. Overall for simplicity and price they are pretty amazing.

Anyone using the light care to post some screen grabs?

The auto interior scenes were lit using the Sima unit under discussion in this video (from the contests section on this site):

The Dead of Winter on Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com/2685836)

Due to the inconsistency, it's hard to tell where the light was used and where it wasn't.

I was hoping for examples of subjects lit at night or in dark places to see the quality of the light (not the unit) itself.

That's pretty funny "it's hard to tell where the light was used and where it wasn't" What a great compliment. Considering it was used in daylight and you were to see beyond into the "outside" I'd say it's pretty effective. When you take into account the really small size, it runs continous for about 45 minutes and costs about 40 bucks. . . .Mmmmm
If I sold these $500.00 leds, I think I'd be nervous. I bought the smaller one also but it's a little lightweight.

Jay.... I know what you are asking.... and I don't have those clips to show you. I will say this... anecdotally... that when used within about 5 feet of folks it is so bright they do not enjoy looking directly into the light or even close to the axis of the light.. Trust me, these little suckers have impressive light output..

I have put two together and think they do a fine job up to about 12 feet or so. I have been told elsewhere that adding the second makes a big difference, but the third seems to be diminishing returns. I only own two so cannot confirm that observation, but accept it.

I'm anxious to use these where they provide background fill or kicker light. I think they will shine there as well.

Are they a substitute for other lights? No, but they are an inexpensive addition to one's lighting arsenal and can fill in those little niches where other lights either cannot go, or just don't work. For the price, you cannot beat em. Youcan buy em for $35 each delivered to your door.

Chris, I use the Sony 10/20 lights with a stoffen diffuser. Do you (or anyone else) know of a diffuser that can be used with these? I'd like to have a way to soften them for interviews, etc.

My attaction to them is how little weight they bring. In addition, my Sony lights use those humongous Sony batteries, and to be able to free up my Sony batteries would be so great.

Jeff.... I am sure they could be made to work with either some form of DIY diffuser or a commercial one, but cannot offer any personal experience down that road.

I taped on a square of Rosco Cinegel Tough 1/2 MinusGreen and it's in the ballpark.

I just ordered 3 of these lights this week and a few gel sheets. The 1/2 minus green, a 1/4 minus green and a ND-gel. I hear they where bright ;)
I was actually looking for a LPmicro, but this is a really good deal. A shame i couldn't find them in europe, now i have to pay a lot for shipping. They should arrive in a few days.

Jay.... I know what you are asking.... and I don't have those clips to show you.

My previous post was clumsily worded, my apologies!

Thanks for understanding, Chris, and thanks for the explanation.

... But it's $35ea. Stick 3 in your camera bag for a hundred bucks!

Not any more... they're now apparently quoting $79 !!!!

So, either their production costs have gone up to double what they were or they're raking in a hefty profit!

I found them on ebay and amazon for $34, at b and h for $49 one minute ago.

Got mine from eBay as well. Even with postage to the UK they're still a bargain. Listed as Sima and not Sigma as the title of this thread uses.

I got two lights from VideGuys for $29 each. They work great for 15 minutes and then the intensity of the light comes down a good bit. Is that normal with these lights?

I DO know that as the battery voltage drops, the light output WILL change. What I do not know is whether a LED's lumen output is linear to voltage or not, but I have not observed a sudden drop, but have observed a gradual one. I find that the rechargeables have a definite rebound effect, so turn them off between takes... even one showing some dimunition in light output will recover enough for a brief spell at full brightness if given 5 minutes to recover... but to answer you directly, I am not sure I have left them on full long enough to oberve your situation. I'll have to try it.

Thanks Chris for the info..

Mine arrived from the US. It comes with a 110v charger rather than a 240v/110v version. Luckily it's 5v and I had a compatible UK version in my box of bits.

Nice little light, for the money it's hard to beat.

Mine arrived too, yesterday. I also didn't think about the US-charger, so i had to spend some money for an adapter. So, after 4 hours charging i turned the first one on facing my eye's... Man that hurt :)
Luckily the gels had arrived too, i didn't have the time for testing, but i think the 1/4 minus green gel is almost perfect too remove the very slight green tint.

I like the fact that the lights weights almost nothing. Any 4xAA or accu light will be really heavy compared to this one.

I got two lights from VideGuys for $29 each. They work great for 15 minutes and then the intensity of the light comes down a good bit. Is that normal with these lights?

How did you get them for $29 each, as videoguys has the Sima light for sale for $39.95 each?

How did you get them for $29 each, as videoguys has the Sima light for sale for $39.95 each?

Oddly, I have bought these lights from VideoGuys three times and everytime the item page says $39.95 and when I put them in the basket the checkout page goes to $29.95. Maybe they're on sale or it's a mistake, but they honor the price.

Nice little lights, we issue them with video kits the reporters take and bought some for the Canon S5is cameras that some others use. They are a little spotty, but some frost acetate and a little tape improves the quality of the light somewhat, although for quick interviews in dark places nobody bothers... I just wish they took interchangable batteries..../Battle Vaughan /miamiherald.com video team

I got two lights from VideGuys for $29 each. They work great for 15 minutes and then the intensity of the light comes down a good bit. Is that normal with these lights?

I ran a test to see how long these lasted, just turn on and run, I didn't notice a drop off over the 45-50 minute run time, but then again I wasn't watching for it... looked about the same to me the whole time. Great little lights for the $, I paid around $35 @, shipped from an eBay seller. I've been fiddling around with a diffuser, as they are bright enough that it's probably a good idea to make it easier on the subjects's eyes.

You could buy ten of these for less money than one commercially available leds. The only drawback that I can see is that you can't run them on the power supply. I imagine a little investigation and a switch could remedy that.

How did you get them for $29 each, as videoguys has the Sima light for sale for $39.95 each?

That's what happened for me too. At the checkout it showed up as $29

Gee... I have to wonder if this thread has created a small run on these lights? I can just see the sellers wondering "what the heck" with orders flowing in...

I wouldn't be at all surprised! I'm tempted to get at least one more. Even with postage to the UK and the useless 110v charger they are still a fraction of the price of anything similar and perfectly suitable for run and gun stuff.

I wish I'd bought a few when I was in Vegas earlier this year :(

Testing cheap Sima SL-20LX led lights on Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com/3191458)

Not a real test, but i charged them, put them on top of 2 camcorders and hit record.

Thanks, Hubert! That was just what I was looking for--shows exactly how they "look".

No, it wasn't rocket science, but it doesn't need to be.

These lights have been great sellers for us. I have one and I love it. We've got them on the website for $34.95 each.

Videoguys - Sima Products -Hitch USB-101 $99.95, Sima VS-HD31 3x1 HDMI Switcher $199.95 (http://www.videoguys.com/sima.htm) (I know buy now price says $39.95 but they add to cart at $34.95)

DO you think it makes sense for us to offer a 3 pack of them for $99.95?

Gary

These lights have been great sellers for us. I have one and I love it. We've got them on the website for $34.95 each.

Videoguys - Sima Products -Hitch USB-101 $99.95, Sima VS-HD31 3x1 HDMI Switcher $199.95 (http://www.videoguys.com/sima.htm) (I know buy now price says $39.95 but they add to cart at $34.95)

DO you think it makes sense for us to offer a 3 pack of them for $99.95?

Gary

They seem to work well in pairs, so 4 or 6 packs would be nice (I've got 6 floating around), 3 for $100 would be a nice deal.

I couldn't take it anymore. I found 4 very tiny screws in each corner of the back of the light. Upon removal, the frame and diffusion filter remove very easily allowing you to put color correction filters, more diffusion or leave it with out the original diffuser. The leds have a silver reflector with allignment holes as a back reflector. The battery is a flat 3.7 battery.
it all goes back together simply. If I can find room for a small switch, I think I can run it from an external supply.

I wondered how long it would be before we started re-engineering these little marvels. Keep us posted.

i just might purchase, i like the A1 demonstration

The PDF on the website mentions 4500k for the color temp.

If an AC or separate DC hack could be made, these could be used for a hair light on a boom.

Tim... While not exactly easy to find... some years ago I found a cold shoe mount and it can/could/might be adapted to thread onto a boom pole... Or you could adapt the threads to mount into the 1/4 threaded hole in the bottom of the shoe on the light itself... so it is a pretty versatile system mounting wise.

If you planned to use this as a hair light, I'd probably want to make a simple little paper or foamboard snoot for it, but you are right... kickers, hairlights, background lights, mini fill lights etc... these litttle lights are perfect for many applications.

Thanks Chris.

Actually, I was speaking to the current, AC or DC since these lights only run on a rechargeable battery.

The 45 min runtime would be quite short for longer shoots and would not work.

If they could be modified to use external batteries or AC power they would be more useful.

I just got one of these lights and it is going to be my "fanny pack" light. It weighs nothing and is quite bright all things considered. It actually may be brighter than I like for an on-camera light so I'll probably get some diffusion as well as some 1/2 minus green. Of course, some 1/2 CTO and 1/2 CTB are probably a good idea to match daylight or tungsten.

With the use of some adapters like these:

Testrite | LSA-10 Light Stand Adapter | LSA10 | B&H Photo Video (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/53824-REG/Testrite_LSA10_LSA_10_Light_Stand_Adapter.html)

Smith-Victor | Adapter 1/4-20 to Standard Shoe | 701955 | B&H (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/250400-REG/Smith_Victor_701955_Adapter_1_4_20_to_Standard.html)

This light could be put atop light stands for use as quick interview lights. A tilt adapter would obviously be better but I had found these for some other LED lights I made that have their own swivel head.

P.S. Why can't the title of this thread be changed so people can find the light we are discussing?

Tim.... yes the runtime is an issue....no question - and I cannot wait for the DIY hack fixes for AC power adapters, or external DC for that matter. Meanwhile, if you had several of these in your arsenal, (and they are so cheap several are not THAT bad an investment - for this and other purposes) you could just keep swapping them out during a shoot. As an interview hairlight, 2 for swapping would probably handle 99% of the interviews you might be likely to do on a location where an AC powered Lowel Prolight (my hairlight), for example, might not work.

Chris

ps. I plan to do some interviews in Montana's backcountry this summer and plan to take half a dozen or more of these along for ALL my lighting needs (ok with a couple reflectors). I know I will be improvising snoots and barn doors, etc...

Good Point on buying a couple and swapping.

So what's the verdict here? Are 3 or 4 of these hacked together more appealing than/as effective as the LPMicro? It sounds like you have to correct the light on these, and the Micro has dimming capabilities and comes ready to apply filters...

Just wondering.

Thanks

WjR

Now... as big a fan as I am for these little "bite sized" marvels....they are NOT, in my mind anyway... even linked together into a panel of 6, 9 or 12... a competitor to the LED display sized lights. Think of them as a unique niche light.... a fill, a kicker, etc. Can you substitute them for a LED panel in a crunch? Yes, probably, but they won't give you the same kind of results I am sure. Use them singly or in pairs....and appropriately, and you will have a lot of fun and improve your cinemagraphic results. But... an LED panel substitute? ... uh huh. I don't think so.

In other words if you have a situation that might benefit from a LED panel light, and have the time to use it, and it won't be in the way - time wise or size wise, you WILL be better off using it.

Run and gun? and niche uses? Perfect.

My projected use this summer of a few of these for interviews in Montana's backcountry was based as much on weight and price than anything.

Hope this helps dispel yours and anyone else's thoughts that this was/is/could be, better than, say, Richard Andrewski's LED panels. It isn't, plain and simple. But it is a great little bite sized addition.

Me ? I think a couple belong in any videographer's tool kit.

Chris

ps. In other words if you were looking at LED panels, do not let this thread slow you down.
pps. If I were going to buy an LED panel, I'd seriously consider Richard's LED 600's.

With the use of some adapters like these:
Testrite | LSA-10 Light Stand Adapter | LSA10 | B&H Photo Video (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/53824-REG/Testrite_LSA10_LSA_10_Light_Stand_Adapter.html)
Smith-Victor | Adapter 1/4-20 to Standard Shoe | 701955 | B&H (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/250400-REG/Smith_Victor_701955_Adapter_1_4_20_to_Standard.html)

This light could be put atop light stands for use as quick interview lights.
No need for the adapter, the light's mount is threaded already?

Chris do you have one of these lights?
Gary

Yes I have two, plus some of the IR ones as well.