LEDs in WorkLights now at DVinfo.net

Patrick King · July 26th, 2005, 09:09 PM

The price of video LED lights like LitePanel has got to drop soon. They are starting to make LED Worklights now. Look at these.

And if its good enough for NASCAR...

Noel Fleck · July 30th, 2005, 10:02 AM

Patrick, great find, I hate paying through the nose just cause manufactures can get away with it. Even if color temp is off and assuming a fairly uniform color across the LED's, the right combo of gels can always get you close to perfect if not exactly on the money.

Noel

Mike Demers · August 3rd, 2005, 03:26 PM

I can't speak to it's quality, but Overstock is selling a 20 LED lantern for $16 ("marked down" from $75). It runs on 4.5V DC (3 D-Cells).

As long as the LEDs aren't total junk, this seems to have serious hacking potential...

::md

Stephen Finton · August 5th, 2005, 07:36 AM

Use a fader to attenuate the voltage to them. The whole reason for using LED is because they do not flicker, even when you have a fader on them. It'd be nice to have a programmable fader that can flash the LEDs at intervals, too, in case you need to give a scene an industrial lighting feel. Not strobing but a nice soft throbbing of light. Am I just being strange?

Glenn Chan · August 5th, 2005, 12:30 PM

Hey Stephen,
What about an array of LEDs that mimics the light from a fire?

(Seriously though, that would be cool.)

Stephen Finton · August 5th, 2005, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glenn Chan

Hey Stephen,
What about an array of LEDs that mimics the light from a fire?

(Seriously though, that would be cool.)

If you can do it with an LED SIGN, why not simulate it by using the light from it. Exactly. A programmable dimmer. And possibly multicolored LEDs. I think they only go as far as 3-color but I may be wrong.

You could even do an undulating random effect to give the illusion someone is driving at night. They could have the light move over them and flash like they are passing buildings and stoplights and whatnot.

Scott Anderson · August 5th, 2005, 04:33 PM

If you are doing a process shoot for a car, you could even capture left, right and front camera views while capturing the rear plate on location, then on stage use large LED screens to illuminate the talent inside the car. With the rear plate and the LED screens sychronized, you could insure that the illumination on the talent matches what's going on in the plate.

Is such a thing already being done? It would make too much sense not to. The only two issues I can think of is that the base level of illumination would have to be pretty low, as the LED screens are not capable of outputting as much light as lighting instruments, and that the separate red, green and blue LEDs can end up casting multiple shadows. Maybe a slight diffusion would eliminate that problem. Speaking of diffusion, it seems that another problem would be the diffuse nature of the screens - no direct beams of light coming into the car.

I guess if you wanted a soft, diffuse look it might work out. It would have the benefit of allowing very complex lighting and color shifts throughout the shot, without having to fake it all with a complex rig. What do you all think?

Patrick King · August 7th, 2005, 03:09 PM

Here is the ultimate cheap version of LED-like lighting. This will bring back memories: Low Cost Throw-back Lites

Stephen Finton · August 11th, 2005, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrick King

Here is the ultimate cheap version of LED-like lighting. This will bring back memories: Low Cost Throw-back Lites

Yeah but aren't those a choking hazard? I smell a lawsuit from the families of lighting technicians with oral fixations.

July 26th, 2005, 09:09 PM	#1
Patrick King Major Player Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Enterprise, AL Posts: 857	LEDs in WorkLights now The price of video LED lights like LitePanel has got to drop soon. They are starting to make LED Worklights now. Look at these. And if its good enough for NASCAR... __________________ Fear No Weevil!

August 7th, 2005, 03:09 PM	#8
Patrick King Major Player Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Enterprise, AL Posts: 857	Here is the ultimate cheap version of LED-like lighting. This will bring back memories: Low Cost Throw-back Lites __________________ Fear No Weevil!

July 30th, 2005, 10:02 AM	#2
Noel Fleck New Boot Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 10	Patrick, great find, I hate paying through the nose just cause manufactures can get away with it. Even if color temp is off and assuming a fairly uniform color across the LED's, the right combo of gels can always get you close to perfect if not exactly on the money. Noel

August 3rd, 2005, 03:26 PM	#3
Mike Demers Tourist Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: seattle, wa Posts: 1	I can't speak to it's quality, but Overstock is selling a 20 LED lantern for $16 ("marked down" from $75). It runs on 4.5V DC (3 D-Cells). As long as the LEDs aren't total junk, this seems to have serious hacking potential... ::md

August 5th, 2005, 07:36 AM	#4
Stephen Finton Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 344	Use a fader to attenuate the voltage to them. The whole reason for using LED is because they do not flicker, even when you have a fader on them. It'd be nice to have a programmable fader that can flash the LEDs at intervals, too, in case you need to give a scene an industrial lighting feel. Not strobing but a nice soft throbbing of light. Am I just being strange?

August 5th, 2005, 12:30 PM	#5
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	Hey Stephen, What about an array of LEDs that mimics the light from a fire? (Seriously though, that would be cool.)

August 5th, 2005, 04:33 PM	#7
Scott Anderson Major Player Join Date: May 2003 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 327	If you are doing a process shoot for a car, you could even capture left, right and front camera views while capturing the rear plate on location, then on stage use large LED screens to illuminate the talent inside the car. With the rear plate and the LED screens sychronized, you could insure that the illumination on the talent matches what's going on in the plate. Is such a thing already being done? It would make too much sense not to. The only two issues I can think of is that the base level of illumination would have to be pretty low, as the LED screens are not capable of outputting as much light as lighting instruments, and that the separate red, green and blue LEDs can end up casting multiple shadows. Maybe a slight diffusion would eliminate that problem. Speaking of diffusion, it seems that another problem would be the diffuse nature of the screens - no direct beams of light coming into the car. I guess if you wanted a soft, diffuse look it might work out. It would have the benefit of allowing very complex lighting and color shifts throughout the shot, without having to fake it all with a complex rig. What do you all think?