I need a recommendation for a light for my V1

I really like my IDX X3 Led light, and I'm using it on the V1 because i already had it, because otherwise I guess I'd get the new Sony HVL-LBP Led Light, because there's no need for battery adapters like the bebob coco dvl...

Hi there

A PAG C6 with a 35watt bulb is pretty good...I use this with my Z1..

Cheers
Gareth

Hi there

A PAG C6 with a 35watt bulb is pretty good...I use this with my Z1..

Cheers
Gareth
I love my PAG C6 also.
I just wish that PAG would develop a C6 type light that can take Sony type camera batteries, and eliminate the need for larger brick style battereies.

Hi
What about this: Sony HVL-LBP (HVLLBP) LED on-camera light? Anyone tried this light? I would like to use it for my FX7 camera?

Stelios

Hi
What about this: Sony HVL-LBP (HVLLBP) LED on-camera light? Anyone tried this light? I would like to use it for my FX7 camera?

I'm curious about this as well. I would think that LEDs would help you get a lot more life out of your batteries, and as an added bonus, they wouldn't get so darn hot. Then again, LEDs might not be able to produce enough light all on their own.

I use the bescor Light and battery pack 50 & 100 watt
works great for wedding receptions.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/208038-REG/Bescor_KLK65SLM_KLK_65SLM_Light_and_Battery.html

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=89473

I put some sample shots of the light in above thread.

I really love this light for reception work, as it gives you the choice of three different lenses for different jobs, diffuse, normal or spot.

Cheers Vaughan

I just got the SONY light this week. It's big and is quite heavy, especially if you use a Sony 970 battery on it. I think it'll work well, though haven't tested it in a working type shoot yet. I might add that even at full power, it'll need to be turned all the way up in a very dark room with the V1. I only wish it wasn't color balanced for daylight, as most of all my LED light use would be interior and with other tungsten lights.

I would think this would make a nice 'eye light" for exterior stand-ups as well. To be honest, even inside with tungsten lights, it mixes pretty well, even though it's a much "bluer" looking light. To my eyes, the color warms up a bit when you dim it down.

The ability to dim it is great, it doesn't get too hot and the 970 battery should last a long time. (There are 4 green LEDs on the side by the dimmer knob that show how much life is left in the batt.), a nice touch!

Overall I'm very pleased with it.

Paul, in the pictures I saw there was a cable coming out from the back of the light. Can you tell us what is that for? When you say heavy, how heavy is that? I mean does it affect the way you shoot with the camera? How much did you pay by the way?

Stelios

Stelios, you have 2 options with this lamp: either put a battery on it (and it's then where it's really heavy), or use an adaptor with the cable you mention. Then you can fix the battery elsewhere (like on the bracket in the rear of the camera, to balance it better).

Stelios,

Piotr beat me to it. The extended cable is an option you have to move the battery away from the light. Thus making the front of the cam less heavy. How heavy is it depends on how you mount the battery. I tried to use my smaller NP-F570 battery but it won't work on the light! It won't mount to it. I also mount my wireless receivers to the camera so with the light AND wireless receivers, it can be fatiguing for extended handheld shots. I also have a MIGHTY WONDERCAM shoulder support and if I mount the extra stuff to the back part of that it helps the balance considerably.

I paid $475 US for it. I think it lists for $499.

One other plus I should mention is the coverage is very even when you don't have the "intensifier" screen down. I like the non-blocked light the best. (All flip downs out) with the V1 it gives you the brightest most even light. If you lower the diffuser screen, it looks even smoother, almost like shooting with a Chimera, nice soft shadows, but it cuts the light level some. The third drop down option is a "focuser" which gives a strong spotlight effect. This one looks like the on-cam lights of old, with a noticeable hot spot in the middle of the frame. The other two project light beyond the edges of the 16x9 frame, this one is more like a 4x3 hotspot in the middle. I guess if you need to zoom in, this is the one to use.

I had my wife point it at me, it's REALLY bright to have in your face! I think if possible, having someone hold it up and off to the side 3/4 would be perfect. That way it's not RIGHT in someones face and it'll look much better on the subject.

Thanks for the info guys.
At the moment I have the Sony HVL-20DW2 light http://www.abtelectronics.com/product/4399.html
I suppose this new one will be much better.

Stelios

Using that Sony light indoor without a 3200K is wrong, does not mix well, you will need to set your camera to outdoor white balance or auto so that your subject will have the proper white balance, but then the background will be way too red or oversatured, I don't recommend using a 5600K light indoor without a 3200K filter.

Using that Sony light indoor without a 3200K is wrong, does not mix well, you will need to set your camera to outdoor white balance or auto so that your subject will have the proper white balance, but then the background will be way too red or oversatured, I don't recommend using a 5600K light indoor without a 3200K filter.
What Lee or Rosco filter number will correct the 5600 light to 3200 (or thereabouts)?

If you want to spend a little bit more money get either the Z50 or the new Z90 from Zylight. These LED lights let you switch color temperature at the push of a button. On the Z90 you can also emulate just about any gel number as well.

I really like my IDX X3 Led light, and I'm using it on the V1 because i already had it, because otherwise I guess I'd get the new Sony HVL-LBP Led Light, because there's no need for battery adapters like the bebob coco dvl...

I've got the same light, and I would love to use it on my XH-A1, but what power source are you using? I have a d-tap, but no way to connect to my IDX batteries. Care to share?

I've got the same light, and I would love to use it on my XH-A1, but what power source are you using? I have a d-tap, but no way to connect to my IDX batteries. Care to share?

Sure thing. Plenty of suitable Li-Ion batteries available from:

http://www.batteryspace.com/

The Z50 is rated to run from 9 to 20V so any of the 14.8V batteries would be OK.
I'm currently trialling this battery:
http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2939

I'll be mounting it inside a custom made aluminium box for safety that'll use 3M mushroom fastening (similar to Velcro but much stronger) to attach it to a bracket that'll fit any camera or else can be fitted to a shoulder strap, bum bag etc.

However if you're not comfortable working with a soldering iron etc find someone who is. Li-Ion batteries are potentially dangerous things to work with. Just ask Sony, Dell or Apple.

What Lee or Rosco filter number will correct the 5600 light to 3200 (or thereabouts)?

I don't know about those brand but what you need is a CTO filter, Gam #1546
http://www.gamonline.com/index.php

Shooting indoors in the daytime, probably more than 50% of shoots, the windows are far brighter than the practicals. So in these common situations, a sunlight balanced light might be better.

t's say that you're doing an interview indoors with window light streaming in and you just want to bring up the light on the subject's face with the on-camera light because you don't have time, crew or fixtures to do otherwise. Chances are the solar light will balance to the overall light in the room pretty well, again to reiterate if its daytime and window light is coming in.

And if you are using your own lights, why buy them balanced to match the practicals? I bought all daylight balanced lights so that I never have a problem with matching window light, and as for the practicals read on.

Obviously if shooting at night indoors, you can either let the practicals be your light source, or light the scene with your own lights. I find that practicals, while usually not bright enough to fully light the scene, are themselves very hot if in the frame. So put some CTB around them to bring down their output and they will also match your solar spectrum fixtures (and again if daytime your window light).

Of course for me if I'm shooting indoors I want to plug in a big light or three, so the on-camera light is more about run and gun outdoor shooting where successfully matching to a hodgepodge of ambient sources is unlikely.

You might have 4000K HID lights, which are now very common and are pretty nice, or those hideous sodium fixtures that have a CRI of 30 or so. Not a lot of tungsten incandescent street or other exterior lights anymore because they are way too expensive to operate. Anyway, you probably don't need to worry about them, just white balance to the mix of your own light and the ambient sources.

Fact is that tungsten lights are also on the verge of being phased out for interior business and home lighting because they're gross energy hogs. There is even talk of making them illegal in California.

Of course, the first wave of the compact fluorescent lights that ware replacing them had a tungstenish color temp. But the newer and better ones are often a much higher color temperature, very close to 5600K video lights and are marketed as "full spectrum." I changed all the lights in my home and studio to solar compact fluorescents for economic and health reasons.

Sony was probably right to configure their light the way they did. Watt for watt, it's a lot easier to get some effect from a "bare" 5600K light outdoors than it is a 3200K light with blue gels. Indoors, the ambient light is always much, much weaker than outdoor sunlight, so a 5600K light with orange gels has a far smaller hill to climb.

Tip

Another thing that hasn't been mentioned here is that the Sony HVL-LBP Led
light is fully dimmable too, making it easy to match it in for run and gun situations.

Cheers Vaughan

Using that Sony light indoor without a 3200K is wrong, does not mix well, you will need to set your camera to outdoor white balance or auto so that your subject will have the proper white balance, but then the background will be way too red or oversatured, I don't recommend using a 5600K light indoor without a 3200K filter.

i have one, and i have not experienced problems with the white balance. i am surprised to read this. i suppose it makes some sense in theory, but in actual use, the Canon XH A1 that i use it with has no problem with accurately white balancing. also, the A1 allows you to dial up temperature, so i'm sure you could adjust to taste, if you had a white balance problem. but the colors seem pretty true to me...certainly there is no overabunce of red. maybe a bit of over saturation but nothing i haven't been able to color-correct with relative ease. it's a nice light. it's fairly heavy, but i find it balances pretty evenly with the addition of the battery.

you can frequently pick up cheap extra batteries for it here, when sellers sell off their sony gear.

i have used mine in confined spaces and in really fast conditions with poor indoor lighting, and i have no complaints at all....

I've got the same light, and I would love to use it on my XH-A1, but what power source are you using? I have a d-tap, but no way to connect to my IDX batteries. Care to share?

Hi!
I'm using this adapter:
http://www.bebob.de/international/coco-I-dvl_converter_eng.html
It allows me to use the same battery for the light and the camera, at the same time. This adapter is for Sony batteries only, and probably won't fit your Canon. Maybe if you ask the question in the XH-A1 forum, someone might help you.
Is there any particular reason why you'd want to connect the light to your IDX batteries?

Unfortunately the Zylights draw 30W at full brightness so the BeBob adaptor will not run them. However if you're using IDX V mount batteries then the IDX A-E2DT Camera Adapter with 2-pin Power Tap should solve your problem.

i have one, and i have not experienced problems with the white balance. i am surprised to read this. i suppose it makes some sense in theory, but in actual use, the Canon XH A1 that i use it with has no problem with accurately white balancing. also, the A1 allows you to dial up temperature, so i'm sure you could adjust to taste, if you had a white balance problem. but the colors seem pretty true to me...certainly there is no overabunce of red. maybe a bit of over saturation but nothing i haven't been able to color-correct with relative ease. it's a nice light. it's fairly heavy, but i find it balances pretty evenly with the addition of the battery.

you can frequently pick up cheap extra batteries for it here, when sellers sell off their sony gear.

i have used mine in confined spaces and in really fast conditions with poor indoor lighting, and i have no complaints at all....

I have the A1 too, sure there is no problem with white balance on the subject, my point is that the background will not be correct, the auto or manual white balance can only adjust to 1 temperature, if you mix temperature which is in this case, no camera can get it right.