Litepanel VS ePhoto test photos at DVinfo.net

John Carrithers · August 9th, 2011, 10:43 AM

Hello,

I happen to have a Litepanel spot and flood and an ePhoto 1200 BiColor LED in my studio today so I shot some tests. The stills were taken with my 5D MKII, shutter 1/50, f/2.8, ISO160. I did two sets of tests. 1 had all three lights at 5600 lights at full power (in the case of the ephoto light it was full power for that color, meaning half of the 1200 bulbs were lit). For this test the color temp on the 5D was set to the daylight preset. The 2nd test had all three lights set to tungsten-for the litepanels I had the full CTO in the filter slot and the ephoto light had the color dialed to tungsten and had the other half of the 1200 bulbs lit.

Results...I'll let you decide. According to ePhotos description the bulbs in the 1200 are spot. To me they look somewhere in between.

JC

Tom Morrow · August 14th, 2011, 01:46 AM

I see that mousing over the photos shows the filename which identifies which is which.

Thanks for providing this very useful comparison. It confirms my impression that ephotoinc makes lights about as good as litepanels for much less money.

Like most LED footage, these strike me as just a bit sickly in color. The ephoto ones a bit green while the litepanels a bit magenta. But overall very usable so long as you don't obsess on fidelity.

Pete Bauer · August 14th, 2011, 06:24 AM

John, what white balance / color temp settings did you use on the camera? Just curious since Auto WB might give different results than a fixed color temp.

John Carrithers · August 14th, 2011, 07:16 AM

I had the color temp set to the daylight preset on the 1st set and tungsten on the second. I never use atw unless I'm in a very odd color temp I can't figure out by dialing it in.

Regarding the green, I realized after posting that there was a protective film over the barn doors and body of the ephoto light the I didn't take off yet. This film had a green tint. Sorry, they were fresh out of the box.

JC

Nicholas de Kock · August 14th, 2011, 07:27 AM

Thanks for the pics. The best test I find to see the quality of LEDs is with skin tones, likewise when you compare a tungsten bulb with LED light it's amazing to see how much more quality tungsten light has over LED's when comparing skin tones.

John Carrithers · August 14th, 2011, 11:31 AM

Lately I've been using a Diva400 with the flozier as a key for people. Depending on the environment I've used either daylight or tungsten bulbs. I've been trying out the LED lights as a return or to bring up backgrounds. What tungsten lights are you using?

Nicholas de Kock · August 15th, 2011, 02:29 PM

I've currently got the Arri 750 Plus lights, I use LED's all the time because I can battery power them but a friend & I did a test comparing tungsten to LED the other day and just by looking at the quality of the color in skin tones I was amazing how lacking LEDs really are.

David Aronson · August 20th, 2011, 02:33 PM

I actually like the ePhoto better than the Light panels based on these pictures. It looks to have a nice beam spread and be a little bit brighter. It also looks a lot more even. Also, the Light Panels look very minus green, although that can easily be fixed in camera or in post.

August 9th, 2011, 10:43 AM	#1
John Carrithers Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Houston, TX United States Posts: 39	Litepanel VS ePhoto test photos Hello, I happen to have a Litepanel spot and flood and an ePhoto 1200 BiColor LED in my studio today so I shot some tests. The stills were taken with my 5D MKII, shutter 1/50, f/2.8, ISO160. I did two sets of tests. 1 had all three lights at 5600 lights at full power (in the case of the ephoto light it was full power for that color, meaning half of the 1200 bulbs were lit). For this test the color temp on the 5D was set to the daylight preset. The 2nd test had all three lights set to tungsten-for the litepanels I had the full CTO in the filter slot and the ephoto light had the color dialed to tungsten and had the other half of the 1200 bulbs lit. Results...I'll let you decide. According to ePhotos description the bulbs in the 1200 are spot. To me they look somewhere in between. JC Attached Thumbnails

August 14th, 2011, 01:46 AM	#2
Tom Morrow Major Player Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 416	Re: Litepanel VS ePhoto test photos I see that mousing over the photos shows the filename which identifies which is which. Thanks for providing this very useful comparison. It confirms my impression that ephotoinc makes lights about as good as litepanels for much less money. Like most LED footage, these strike me as just a bit sickly in color. The ephoto ones a bit green while the litepanels a bit magenta. But overall very usable so long as you don't obsess on fidelity.

August 14th, 2011, 06:24 AM	#3
Pete Bauer Wrangler Join Date: May 2003 Location: Eagle River, AK Posts: 4,100	Re: Litepanel VS ePhoto test photos John, what white balance / color temp settings did you use on the camera? Just curious since Auto WB might give different results than a fixed color temp. __________________ Pete Bauer The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. Albert Einstein Trying to solve a DV mystery? You may find the answer behind the SEARCH function ... or be able to join a discussion already in progress!

August 14th, 2011, 07:16 AM	#4
John Carrithers Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Houston, TX United States Posts: 39	Re: Litepanel VS ePhoto test photos I had the color temp set to the daylight preset on the 1st set and tungsten on the second. I never use atw unless I'm in a very odd color temp I can't figure out by dialing it in. Regarding the green, I realized after posting that there was a protective film over the barn doors and body of the ephoto light the I didn't take off yet. This film had a green tint. Sorry, they were fresh out of the box. JC

August 14th, 2011, 07:27 AM	#5
Nicholas de Kock Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: KLD, South Africa Posts: 983	Re: Litepanel VS ePhoto test photos Thanks for the pics. The best test I find to see the quality of LEDs is with skin tones, likewise when you compare a tungsten bulb with LED light it's amazing to see how much more quality tungsten light has over LED's when comparing skin tones.

August 14th, 2011, 11:31 AM	#6
John Carrithers Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Houston, TX United States Posts: 39	Re: Litepanel VS ePhoto test photos Lately I've been using a Diva400 with the flozier as a key for people. Depending on the environment I've used either daylight or tungsten bulbs. I've been trying out the LED lights as a return or to bring up backgrounds. What tungsten lights are you using?

August 15th, 2011, 02:29 PM	#7
Nicholas de Kock Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: KLD, South Africa Posts: 983	Re: Litepanel VS ePhoto test photos I've currently got the Arri 750 Plus lights, I use LED's all the time because I can battery power them but a friend & I did a test comparing tungsten to LED the other day and just by looking at the quality of the color in skin tones I was amazing how lacking LEDs really are.

August 20th, 2011, 02:33 PM	#8
David Aronson Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Arlington VA Posts: 84	Re: Litepanel VS ePhoto test photos I actually like the ePhoto better than the Light panels based on these pictures. It looks to have a nice beam spread and be a little bit brighter. It also looks a lot more even. Also, the Light Panels look very minus green, although that can easily be fixed in camera or in post.