I ordered these lights at the NAB show. They arrived today.

CM-LBPS900 with 5 LEDs

CM-LBPS1800 with 10 LEDs

A few more photos =)

Taky, I can't find specs or site for these lights. Can you share some info? They look like Sony knock-offs. What batteries do they use? How many watts output? Battery life? Hope you're willing to share some footage soon.

I think the large one with 10 LED light is a Sony knock off. I am not sure about the small one.

I will post some footage later.

Oh, they have models using Panasonic battery or Sony batteries. I bought the one using Sony batteries.

Hi Taky,

how much were they? How do you find the build quality and output?

Thanks

I found the Comer lights build quite solid (definitely not like LP Micro.. plastic-y and flimsy). I put together a video to show the difference

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/photon-management/235277-six-camera-video-lights-shootout.html

Looking up the details on the Comer lights - they are exactly the same as the
Sony HVL-LBP - I'll bet that Comer is the one who manufactures them for Sony
or it could just be a knockoff - but the resemblance is uncanny.

Yeah I believe the light are the same design. But the Sony light only works with geniun sony battery. That's really a rip off.

I read elsewhere on this forum that the SONY light's mount is underdesigned for its weight, increasing the chances it will snap off. Is the Comer light better in this regard?

I also read about some of the shoe mount broke from the Sony unit. So far, I found the Comer light has a very sturdy and solid built. But it shall takes time to find out. Anyway, the lights come with 1 year exchange warranty.

These lights are awesome. I worked in a wedding reception over the weekend. The client only pay for a few wall lights. I used 2 CM1800 lights one on each side. Without those, the event was very dark. People can't see the MC or the married couple face.

You can see the before and after shots below.

Yeah this definetly looks like the spitting image for the sony light. It's either a rebrand sold by the people to who make it to yet another company, or the company that makes it for sony looking to make some direct money. Either way is there a dvinfo sponsor that sells this as well? I'd like to know how much they charge for it, I'd feel safer with a sponsor. And I need would need the ones that take a panasonic battery if I decide to get one.

Those that I'm selling are using Sony batteries. Comer does manufacture models that take Panasonic batteries.

I myself are Canon. I ended up have to get the NP-F970 battery and a charge but they are relatively not expensive.

I found the Comer lights build quite solid (definitely not like LP Micro.. plastic-y and flimsy). I put together a video to show the difference

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/photon-management/235277-six-camera-video-lights-shootout.html

Taky - I tried the same type of shootout you did using 3 lights to decide if the new Litepanels Micro Pro was better than the Sony HVL-BP (same as Comer 1800) or the Litepanels Mini Flood. I did the tests in a completely dark room at 6' and 9' from a corner wall and using a PMW-EX1 camera set at F 1.9, 0 db gain, shutter 1/60, and white balance at 5600K.

The new Litepanels Micro Pro does provide somewhat more light than the Sony (in regular mode) but if you flip the lens on the Sony in place it clearly outperforms the Litepanels Micro Pro (I assume you were using the regular Litepanels Micro in your video). Until I did this test I didn't realize just how anemic the Litepanels Mini Flood was - there was no comparison to the other two (and I am in the process of selling it)

The biggest thing I noted between the Sony and Litepanels Micro Pro was the wide field of light with the Sony - there were no sharp lines demarcating the field of the beam and it filled my entire field of view even at 9-10 feet. If you use the lens with the Sony light the beam field narrows but not that big a difference compared with the Micro Pro. With the Litepanels Micro Pro - while the light output is somewhat higher there is a definite narrower field. The Sony does seem to have a different color temp than the Litepanels - at 5600 K WB - the Sony was much "warmer" - face tones looked better and using the lens it became even warmer.

If one uses the photometric charts from Litepanels as well as those found in the Sony brochure for the HVL-LBP you could be completely mislead - going into this I thought the Litepanels Mini Flood would perform better and that the Litepanels Micro Pro was completely superior to the Sony light - not so! Just a few observations - I will be keeping the Litepanels MicroPro as well as the Sony and selling the other LP Mini.

Hi Barry. do u have a comparison between Litepanels mini Flood 5600k Vs the Sony LBP?

I did a comparison directly between the Sony HVL-LBP and the Litepanels Mini Flood 5600K and the Litepanels produced much less light. The Litepanels also, despite it's shape, produced a narrower beam of light. I then sent the litepanels back to B&H and sold it to their used department. The Comer 1800 produces 2-3 times the light output of the Sony HVL-LBP so by indirect comparison the Comer wins hands down over the Litepanels. The Comer is in a different league (despite the price difference) from the Litepanels from the light output standpoint as well as having a broader beam.

For those who might be interested, I used the Comer 1800 for a shoot on Friday, 13 hours. I didn't use it for 13 hours, but most likely 6-8 hours.

This was the first opportunity to see how the light performed in the field, and it performed great. I was standing in as second camera for a wedding at a local hotel, where everything was taking place at. The ceremony was very dark, as were the couple under the huppah.

even though I was using a Sony Z5 camera, I had to sue the light, as the bride came down the staircase, as her and her father would have had no fill light whatsoever, so they really needed some light. Which BTW, I really never use for ceremonies, but only did because of where I was positioned, off to the side of the staircase, and that it was in a hotel not a church.

I used the light with the 3200k only, and it produced a beautiful soft spot as the bride walked down the staircase. Once the couple were under the huppah, I switched the Comer light to use bot 3200k and focus enahced filters. This gave the couple much needed fill light for my camera as well as the other 2 camera being used. Without the Comer light for fill, the image would have been flat and lifeless. I don;t know why venues insist on dark lighting (meaning no), as it doesn't make it more romantic but just darker. the lighting would have been fine, but when couples and under a huppah, they disappear as only the huppah is lit in light not the people inside.

For anyone who is a coordinator out there and might read this, if you have a Jewish service an are sing a huppah, light the huppah as you would, but just try to add some light inside the huppah, or possibly a small fill light (20w max) to light the huppah form the front. This will give the bride and groom enough frontal light so they can be seen.

This was in essence what the Comer light was doing here. As since I was shooting center aisle the light was strong enough to add a fill spot from 20+ feet away.

For the reception, it performed great, and luckily the lights weren't too dim, so I never really had to ran the light at more than 50%, unless I was shooting far away from the subject. But that's not too often as I shot handheld and get in the fray, as that's how I shoot.

I hate being locked down.

Unfortunately, since I was acting a second camera, I don't have footage to post.

But I was very happy with how the light performed.
The only complaint that I have about the light is there is no battery meter on it like the Sony light. So I didn't know how much juice was left on the NP770 batteries I was using. So, as a precaution I swapped out batteries after 5 hours or so.

I put together another footage showing the backlight condition with the Comer 1800 light.

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/photon-management/238157-comer-1800-led-light-backlight-test-more.html#post1164843

I also demo using the condenser lens trick to fill light in zooming in.

Thanks, Michael, that is the kind of evaluation I have been waiting to hear. And as for your comment " I don't know why venues insist on dark lighting (meaning no), as it doesn't make it more romantic but just darker," is right on the mark, and is worth repeating over and over to people who run reception venues.

It happens to me most of the time the venue is so dark because the wedding couple asked for it. Another time it was so dark just because the client refused to pay for additional lighting offered.

is it the hot shoe? or additional power supplier mounter on the camera?

Arthur, the comer light can be powered by NP-F970 or NP-F770 batteries. It also comes with the D-Tap cable and a DC-in jack you can power the light with external batteries.

i just wanted to know where the battery goes.? is it behind the light? or a separate adaptor?

There're two ways to power the light. You can load a battery at the back of the light. Or you can connect the light to an external power source (e.g. Anton Bauer) through the DC-in jack.

You can take a look at this link Comer CM-LBPS1800 On-Camera LED Light (http://lacolorshop.com/products/item.asp?id=cm1800). One of the pictures below show the light with a battery mounted on the back. That was the NP-F970 battery. The NP-F770 battery is smaller and lighter, but still gives 90 minutes usage time at max brightness.

I used the Comer 1800 with the NP-F770. It wasn't burning continuously but lasted all night. I used it a lot. I might add, the light was a God send.

Rob, glad you like the light. I am now also using the F770 battery to power the Comer 1800 light. It sigificantly reduces the overall weight but still give very good usage time.

Hi Taky,

Based on your video demonstration of the Comer lights, I just ordered the 1800 from you. I realized I needed it when I tried to shoot some footage of my cousin and his groomsmen getting ready before his wedding with no light on my Sony HVR-V1U. The house was dimly lit and the footage was AWFUL.

I eagerly await my 1800.

Sherri, yes you will find the light very useful and flexible. It works especially well for weddings. The dimmer helps a lot too. That 4500K color temperature adds a nice touch to the skin tone too.

Allthough there was no reason for me to complain about, because my Sony FX1000 is very light sensitive, but I did follow the recent developments on LED camera lights. They have become available from quite cheap to quite expensive . . .

About half a year ago I passed by an aquaintance of mine, who also has a webshop on video gear. He had a light shining, that almost blinded me. It had 10 LED's and the area it covered was far beyond anything I had seen sofar. He told me that he had that lamp in his program only recently and now he wanted to know how long it would last on an average battery. It was still burning when I left a couple of hours later . . .

Now recently I visited that aquaintance again and he told me, that he received one of those lamps back from a customer, who fed the lamp with a too high Voltage . . . I could have it for free, he said, if I managed to get it working again. It is a Comer CM-LBPS1800. After some investigations I found out, that some tracks on the PCB had molten away completely. In the meantime I found out that Taky not only sells complete Comers, but also repair parts. He sent me a complete back end. When it arrived this morning I could not wait to see, whether I solved the problem. And I did!

Now I got me a $400 lamp for only the price for the repair part!

So I did some testing. Nothing like what I was used to! Not a narrow light channel at all, but almost the whole picture was lightened up!

Taky probably made me the happiest guy around today!

I just got a Comer 900, and am really impressed. The light is much brighter than I anticipated and the build quality is solid. I will likely be testing it this Friday at a wedding. I am very glad to have it before this wedding. I almost went cheap and am glad I didn't.

I must say that I am very pleased with Taky, and his customer service. I emailed him a couple of days ago and told him I needed a light before Thursday. He said that since I had a shoot on Friday, he would test everything before shipping and make sure that everything was in working order. He shipped right away and I got the light today.

I appreciate the personal service. I also ordered some other odds and ends from a large dealer the same day and they were far less than helpful (as usual).

I hate to sound like a cheerleader, but I am impressed.

I'll second Taky's amazing customer service - when I mentioned in a post here that I'd dropped my light and bent one of the barn doors he replied that he had the replacement parts and could send them if I needed them. Before I had a chance to let him know if I did I got a paypal shipping notice and had a pair of new barndoors a couple days later. I'm not sure I've ever had that kind of customer service anywhere else!

As for the light I'm continually impressed. We shot a 48 hour film this past weekend where we were running around a lot and shooting in a variety of existing lighting situations. The Comer 1800 was really useful - we just had one person carrying it around most of the time and they'd get into position and dial in just enough fill to look natural with the existing light.

I received my Comer 900 from Taky yesterday. All I can say is - Wow!

I just did a quick tryout last night with it mounted on my Sony hdr-xr500. I used it on the brightest setting with the diffuser and color filter barn doors flipped out of the way. I couldn't believe how evenly the light spread with no diffuser. My black cat was laying on my black computer tower under my black desk. In total darkness with only the computer monitor for illumination, the camera couldn't lock focus at all. Flipped on the 900 and had a perfect shot of my kitty, who crankily complained about having a bright light disrupting her beauty sleep.

I have a shoot coming up soon that involves going through some local homes that have been gutted due to the Chinese drywall problems we've been having here in Florida. I was worried how I was going to illuminate places like the attics. Looks like I'll be covered!

Also, add me to the list of Taky fans. I also ordered a Comer 1800 for my HVR-V1U last week and the light was DOA. Within an hour of my e-mail to him about the faulty 1800, Taky sent me a pre-paid shipping label to send it back. No hassle. I wish all online vendors had such excellent customer service!

Michael,

I am now starting to use the NP-F770 battery with the Comer light. It's a lot less heavy and still last about 2 to 2.5 hrs. You might want to give it a try.

I have been using the 770 battery for quite sometime.

But the overall size and weight of the light is still a slight problem here and there. Mainly it's the overall size of the light.

Don't get me wrong I love the output of the light, but it doesn't make it any smaller.
This was the biggest complaint by many who used the Sony HVL lights.
Again, just an observation.

I'm actually now using Comer 900 light during the day at weddings that I need to run around and do interviews because of the light weight and size. It doesn't have a dimmer switch so I taped a piece of foam paper on the top diffuser gel. It works very well when doing interviews. Then at night, I switch to 1800 as I don't have to move much in reception (and need more light in receiption too).

Now I'm also using a second 1800 light on a light stand. It gives really good lighting and more dynamic scene as the light is off axis. Very pleasent result. I will post some shots soon.

The Comer 900 light now comes with a carrying case. There is also a Comer 900 Starter Kit (http://lacolorshop.com/products/item.asp?id=cm900kit) that comes with a charger and battery.

I wish this light (or any LED) accepts Canon 5D2 batteries. That camera has been around for almost a year and despite the popularity I still don't see any battery plates. I would like to suggest that to the manufacturer but I can't find a website or any info. This also makes me wary because what happens if it needs repair? Where do you send it back to?

The Comer 900 light now comes with a carrying case. There is also a Comer 900 Starter Kit (http://lacolorshop.com/products/item.asp?id=cm900kit) that comes with a charger and battery.
Taky, the only reason that I wouldn't consider the Comer900 is that it doesn't have a dimmer and uses a 2 switch light output control.

I swore a long time ago that I would never purchase a light without a dimmer again. As I like to be able to vary the light output from my lights so evenly, which a dimmer provides.

If Comer made the 900 with a dimmer, I would probably buy it in a second. Maybe you could suggest this to them.

Michael, yes I agreed with you. It's a bummer the Comer 900 light doesn't have a dimmer. I already suggested to them. =)

I put together a video with the 900 light and with the trick that I did. It works well for me even without the dimmer. Comer CM-LBPS900 LED Light | L.A. Color Blog (http://lacolorshop.com/blog/view.asp?id=34)

Michael, yes I agreed with you. It's a bummer the Comer 900 light doesn't have a dimmer. I already suggested to them. =)

I put together a video with the 900 light and with the trick that I did. It works well for me even without the dimmer. Comer CM-LBPS900 LED Light | L.A. Color Blog (http://lacolorshop.com/blog/view.asp?id=34)
Yeah I saw this video and while it's a good and creative idea, it doesn't solve my need and preference for a dimmer.

Thanks though. As I said I am on the lookout for a good small form factor self powered LED light, and the Comer900 almost fit the bill. The leader right now for small form factor and self powered is the Switronix Torchled LED light. And while I do like the small form factor and output (about 30-40 watts) with dimmer. The only thing that I'm so so on with it is that while it's self powered with it's own battery, it isn't the fastest to swap out to a new battery if needed.

So I guess the search continues.

In the meantime I will continue to use, and use a lot, my Comer 1800 lights. I am trying to see if I can find a way to wire the Comer 1800's to take a remote control so I can power them on and off while mounted on light stands. If I can find a way, then I will definitely be adding several more Comer 1800's (I currently have 2) to my arsenal.

As I currently use 2 NRG Varalux light on light stands that are controlled with remote controls. But the only pain in the butt, is that I power them with two large Bescor Battery belts (18 lbs. ea.), that are a royal pain to take on shoots.

Having the ability to use the Comer 1800's remotely on light stands and only need small

Anyone out there know how to make remotes for the Sony HVL-LBP/Comer 1800 LED lights?

The Comer 1800 comes with a couple of lead wires to hook up to an external battery of some type, maybe someone can tell me what kind of battery those lead wires are meant to work with. Seems hooking up a remote control would just be a matter to splicing the receiver into one of the wires to the external battery.

Comer 1800 comes with 2 D-Tap cable to connect with external battery pack like anton bauer. Having control on/off remotely would be sweet.

I just shot a 6 hour event in a hall with a Comer LBPS900 and it worked great.

The 900 is the smaller version of the 1800 and it has a switch for only 2 brightness settings. I only had to use the low light setting with diffusion as that was enough to help balance my exposure when I needed more light.

Everyone talks about the 1800 for good reason. But if you wanted a smaller lighter version of it, with enough power to light up a dark room, then I highly recommend the 900.

This is the wedding I did earlier this year that I use the Comer 1800 lights for the first time. As you can see from the photos, the room is very dark with only several uplights around.
http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/1145889-post12.html

This is their wedding highlights video
LA Color - Wedding Photography and Videography serving Great Los Angeles Areas (http://lacolor.com/video/highlights/?id=FrancesTony)

It is a very extreme situation. During the ceremony, it backlight pretty bad. Half way through, it's night time. If I don't have the lights with me, the event won't be the same. Check out this Vimeo video. I turned off the light pointing at the live band. It's really dark.

Using Comer CM-LBPS1800 LED Light On Stage on Vimeo

Got mine today and Im really impressed with it. Cant wait to use it today at a wedding.