Need some help selecting a light for wedding receptions for the first dance, speeches. Would like more of a spot light than a complete flood light type light. I currently have a paul c buff light for a flash system (below). Will this work with something like a Lowel Pro-Light? Would I need to order a different bulb? Any suggestions on what I should purchase that is affordable. I'm assuming that a led setup could not match the intensity, or not be a viable option. Anyone have recommendations on what is working for them?


http://www.paulcbuff.com/manuals/vagabondii.pdf

I just bought a pair of Comer 1800's, and even though I haven't used them on a shoot yet, I've been testing them out and am very impressed. They are very powerful LED's, capable of either flood or spotlight, 32 or 56k. I am going to use them on stands, but they are camera-mountable as well.

I have two Comer 1800s on 13ft stands. Wanting to add a 3rd to my collection in the near future. Love the lights and build quality. LEDs in general don't throw light as far as traditional Tungsten Fresnels, but it hasn't presented too much of an issue just yet.

Comer 1800 is LED, has a spot feature, but if you need more powerful the Lowell ID light has a dimmer which you need for sure.

Do a search in this forum for lighting, there are probably hundreds of posts about this subject, some very recent. There are receptions light kits you can buy, and they are mentioned in those other threads.

Personally I would never go back to carrying around bulky batteries, but that's just me. I sold my Lowell ID light years ago and you couldn't pay me to take it back, at least for wedding work.

Just a pair F&V small camera mountable LED dimmable lights. We've actually never used any lights (and still fared fine) until this last wedding, and these small lights turned out perfectly. Super dim reception too outdoors in a garden late at night lighted only by string mood lighting that were more used for decoration.

To compensate, we use large sensor DSLRs (Canon 7D and 60D - yea, I know 5Dii would be even better) and fast prime lenses (50mm f/1.4, 85mm f/1.8, or worst case our zoom 24-70 L f/2.8 and 70-700 L f/2.8 lenses). We also up to the ISO up to 1600 when necessary and de-noise using Magic Bullets Denoiser software.

For receptions I use two Arri 750 Plus tungsten lights and one battery powered 600 LED. I also don't use any DSLR's during the reception anymore I get better images out of my EX1 than I do with DSLR's under the same lighting conditions. When you have lots of light DSLR's can't be beat but in low light the grain & general image quality is some of the worst images I've seen. I deliver Blu-ray at Full HD you can really tell the low quality that DSLR's produce during reception. When filming receptions I'm filming guests and don't want shallow DOF, looks horrible IMO when I try to film a table of guests only to have the first guy in focus and grandma just behind him kinda in focus. We tell brides in advance of our lighting setup, unless they have a professional lighting setup I turn on the Arri's during speeches and the resulting quality is worth it, no grain, beautiful colours - mind you our guests in South Africa are mostly very polite.

LED litepanels miniplus on the camera(s) or on a stand depending on the circumstances. I have a set at 3200K and one at 5600K depending on conditions with filters to meet partway for mixed temperatures. Pretty happy with them. I try to keep the camera somewhat above the action (nice arm work-out) to avoid deer-in-headlights. They're great for off camera detail lighting, too, such as rings-shot when you can set up with a tripod (dslr or video camera).

For receptions I use two Arri 750 Plus tungsten lights and one battery powered 600 LED. I also don't use any DSLR's during the reception anymore I get better images out of my EX1 than I do with DSLR's under the same lighting conditions. When you have lots of light DSLR's can't be beat but in low light the grain & general image quality is some of the worst images I've seen. I deliver Blu-ray at Full HD you can really tell the low quality that DSLR's produce during reception. When filming receptions I'm filming guests and don't want shallow DOF, looks horrible IMO when I try to film a table of guests only to have the first guy in focus and grandma just behind him kinda in focus. We tell brides in advance of our lighting setup, unless they have a professional lighting setup I turn on the Arri's during speeches and the resulting quality is worth it, no grain, beautiful colours - mind you our guests in South Africa are mostly very polite.

Nick, you mention DSLR but you don't mention which lenses you used with them. The lens is what makes a world of difference under low light..not the camera body.

Michael I'm using F2.8 L lenses I couldn't imagine shooting at F1.4 though the DOF would be too much in an environment that requires deep DOF. I film most of the wedding with DSLR's but the reception I bring out the trusty EX1's. The 70-200 2.8 works well on the speaker but for crowds I don't like DOF. EX1 is pretty amazing in low light really surprises me all the time. I know DeNoiser works great but I don't have enough time to process my footage ISO 1600 is not pretty on DSLRs I try to keep ISO as low as possible.

F/2.8 is slow for most receptions for sure. Fast lenses can be stopped down, it is a hassle. My go to lens is a f/2.0, it's perfect for so many things.

EX1 is much easier to use for everything, but a DSLR with a fast lens can destroy an EX1 in low light, but is it worth the added effort? That's what it comes down to, IMO.

This is a password protected video on Vimeo
Pass: dance

Here is some footage I shot with EX1 mostly lighting with a single Z96 LED for fill and in a few shots having my assistant light with the ePhoto 600 LED from behind and moving with me. Jeff like you say how much hassle are you willing to go through?

Hi Guys

I gave up on tungsten and halogen lights a long time ago...for the speeches where the speakers here mainly stand at a lectern, I use a 70 x50cm softbox with 4 x 50W CFL's inside (they are 5500K)

Otherwise it just an on-cam LED light which usually is more than enough for the other events without sacrificing shutter speed and the end results are pretty much noise free. My Panasonics only have 1/4" chips compared to the EX series 1/2" so I usually need a little more light to get a decent image. Some guests do make comments about the LED light but none ever make a fuss about it. What I have found is that if you ask the venue staff to turn up the house lights just a little during events it helps a lot!!!

In a venue that's as black as midnight any lighting will appear to guests as "blinding" as their eyes go from total darkness to bright light...with the venue lights lifted just a bit, an LED light doesn't appear to the guests as over-bright!

Nice video too Nick!!! Where are you based??? I used to be in Durban!

Chris

Looks great Nicholas.

I use 2x650 arri fresnel tungsteens, and if it's really large and really dark hall I also bounce from the ceiling narrow opened 700 lowell flood, I think I will add another arri, but I want to replace barn doors with the snoots

The Comer 1800's were worth their weight in gold at the reception I was at this past weekend! It's the first time I used them on a shoot, and they were a godsend. If I wouldn't have had these, I would have been out of luck. I posted a couple quick examples for illustration (they're straight out of the camera, no correction at all). The lighting that you see on the dance floor is provided by my 2 Comer's -- otherwise, it's pitch dark!

Password: comer

This is a password protected video on Vimeo

Corey, are your Comer's on or off camera.
I also ahve the Comer 1800's as well, and they are a great light.

However with that said, because of the 1800's size we have recently moved to using Z96 LED lights on our NX5U2. The reason for this is because we're also using off camera lighting in the form of CooLight LED256 lights. We place a pair on opposite sides of the dance floor, raised about 12 feet high. this seems to add some nice depth of field to the dance floor, an we now only use on camera lighting for fill lighting when needed.

BTW, the LED256 lights run on battery power (Sony NP970 batteries), and have been modified slightly so I can also power the lights on/off via remote control.

Corey, are your Comer's on or off camera.
I also ahve the Comer 1800's as well, and they are a great light.

They are off-camera. I use 2 of them on opposite sides of the dance floor. These ones were only about 8 feet up since the ceiling was so low. I quit using on-camera lights, for the most part.

Check out my video =) There're 4 comer lights used. One of each of the two cameras. Then 2 on light stand.

Wedding Open Dance Floor on Vimeo

Michael, what type of remote control are you using to turn your lights on/off? i'm curious. thanks in advance.

Chris, we use a remote control from Receptionlight.
The Wireless Wedding Reception Video Light - HOME (http://receptionlight.com/)

I built my receptionlights myself and originally started with a pair of tungsten lights, but have moved to LED lights due to the lower power consumption.

Here's the breakdown of the kit.
(2) Coolights LED256 LED lights (CL-LED256 256 LED Spot - Cool Lights USA (http://www.coollights.biz/clled256-spot-p-126.html))
(2) ReceptionLight Remote Controls (The Wireless Wedding Reception Video Light - HOME (http://receptionlight.com/))
(2) Dolgin V-Doubler (vDOUBLER (http://www.dolgin.net/VDoubler.htm))

The setup is the V-Doubler holds (2) Sony NP-970 batteries (which can power the LED256 for over 5 hours). The V-Doubler is placed in the LED256 bag and hung on the lightstand. A miniplug to XLR cable is used and is connected from the V-Doubler to the ReceptionLight remote control. The ReceptionLight remote control is plugged into the LED256 via XLR connections.

Even though the LED256 has the ability to be powered via AC or DC power, and takes Sony batteries on the light itself. In order for the remote control to work, the remote control must be placed between the power source and the light. So I wasn't able to modify the light to work with the remote control, so I figured on using the V-Doubler to work as a power source. it works great.

I used to use large battery belts for power, but carrying 40 lbs. n batteries was a strain. So this solution works out great, as I can carry 4 Sony batteries in each LED256 bag, and I have both LED256 bags and the remote controls and V-Doublers in 1 large Kata bag.

Su for each event I bring (1) rolling suitcase, which holds all cameras/accessories and audio gear, (1) Kata bag with light kits, and a large bag to carry light stands, mic stand, and tripods.

I use Litepanels Micros on camera and I usually set up one or two Lowell i-Lights if the DJ fails to provide lighting (which happens far too often). I shoot with 7D's and, at the reception, almost exclusively use a 50mm 1.4 and a 24mm 1.4. Even with my supplemental light, I typically end up shooting wide open (or damn close to it). Here's some reception footage that I shot using two Lightpanel Micros and a single Lowell i-Light. The space was HUGE and, when the sun went down, it became VERY dark. DSLR's and fast lenses have saved my life.

Muhannad + Nadia / part five on Vimeo