Sony LED Light for the FX7/V1

[Barry J. Weckesser]

Marshall - that is bad news about the lens - have had it on backorder from BHphotovideo since early Dec. Doesn't look like I will have it for the family ski vacation in early Feb. Any idea where I might look other than BH?

[Ken Ross]

Good info Marshall, thanks

[Rick Miller]

Anyone seen the LED light for sale? Any opinions on how it works?

[Angelo Caruso]

Hello to all,

I've seen different kinds of LED bulbs with different types of connections on Ebay. The bulbs are anywhere from $20.00 - $70.00 depending on what color & type. Why couldn't we replace the bulb that we have in our NRG's & Frezzi's? I plan on buying 1 in the next week or 2 to test it out.

Angelo

[Brett Sherman]

Originally Posted by Khoi Pham

Anybody knows what is the color temperature of this light? is it daylight equivalent or 3200K?

My understanding is that it is daylight balanced (I'm remembering from the Sony V1 promo DVD). I just bought a pair of VidLEDs (one 5600k another 3200k). My feeling is that you need both. Yes you can gel a 5600k, but you are significantly cutting down your light. 3200k is probably the most useful, since that's often when you need more light --when there is no daylight. 5600k is useful for fill in daylight, to give more directionality to lighting when it's cloudy or shady, or in a darkish room with ambient daylight.

Typically I don't like the way on camera lights look. Looks like deer in the headlights too much. I try to move them off camera when I can.

The Sony does seem considerably more powerful than the VidLEDs, which might be nice to have the added power, but I don't think it can quite replace AC lights yet, so I'll still have to run around with those.

[Barry J. Weckesser]

Finally got an email tonight from BHphotovideo- the light is on it's way and will arrive tomorrow - will be able to use it on my Colorado ski trip - will report back how well it works - I already have the Litepanel mini system - both 3200 and 5600 heads. I would agree with the above - I am sorry that I bought the 5600K (a year ago) - use a gel on it most of the time which cuts down the output. Will be able to compare the FX1 and the V1U cameras with both lights (Sony and the Litepanel).

[Stu Holmes]

Originally Posted by Barry J. Weckesser

Finally got an email tonight from BHphotovideo- the light is on it's way and will arrive tomorrow - will be able to use it on my Colorado ski trip - will report back how well it works - I already have the Litepanel mini system - both 3200 and 5600 heads. I would agree with the above - I am sorry that I bought the 5600K (a year ago) - use a gel on it most of the time which cuts down the output. Will be able to compare the FX1 and the V1U cameras with both lights (Sony and the Litepanel).

That would be really great feedback Barry. And you have experience of the Litepanels too so that is another plus. Looking forward to your opinions on it.

[Khoi Pham]

I did some research and indeed it is 5600K, what a drag, most of the time you need lights is when you are indoor, not outdoor, then why would they make a outdoor equivalent? I don't think it would mix very well with indoor light, I wonder how much loss if one would put a indoor gel filter on it, Barry please give us some feed back after your ski trip.
Thanks.

[Barry J. Weckesser]

The video light arrived today while I was on my flight to Colorado so I had it overnighted and should receive it tomorrow. I certainly hope there is a way to shift it to 3200. Using 5600 indoors plays havoc with your white balance - turns everybody's face blue etc. I remember seeing pics of the light with a sort of yellowish glow so maybe there is a way without losing that much light.
Will keep you posted.

[Barry J. Weckesser]

Sorry but posted twice - slow internet connection in my hotel

[Khoi Pham]

Originally Posted by Barry J. Weckesser

The video light arrived today while I was on my flight to Colorado so I had it overnighted and should receive it tomorrow. I certainly hope there is a way to shift it to 3200. Using 5600 indoors plays havoc with your white balance - turns everybody's face blue etc. I remember seeing pics of the light with a sort of yellowish glow so maybe there is a way without losing that much light.
Will keep you posted.

If you white balance it indoor with the light on or put your camera on outdoor preset then your subject should looks right, but the background will be very saturated, but please let us know if you could change it to indoor, thanks again.

[Marshall Levy]

Originally Posted by Angelo Caruso

Hello to all,

I've seen different kinds of LED bulbs with different types of connections on Ebay. The bulbs are anywhere from $20.00 - $70.00 depending on what color & type. Why couldn't we replace the bulb that we have in our NRG's & Frezzi's? I plan on buying 1 in the next week or 2 to test it out.

Angelo

If you literally stick an LED bulb in the place of a halogen, or other for that matter, you can have some seriously bad, adverse affects - trust me. Aside from dabbling in electrical engineering years ago, one of my main projects was actually creating LED-based diodes. The way that they require power is much different from anything else, with limiters, transisitors, etc. If you were to simply replace the bulb, you would most likely blow out the LED within seconds and depending on the power from the light (NRG/Frezzi...) you can then have internal damage.

For event work, LED lights won't cut it as the dropoff is about 4-6 feet, whether it's the VidLED's, ZyLight, LitePanels....you name it, I've tested it. The Sony light is intriguing, but it's not that different in terms of throw distance. You will be much better off with a halogen-based light for HDV cameras.

[Stu Holmes]

Originally Posted by Marshall Levy

For event work, LED lights won't cut it as the dropoff is about 4-6 feet, whether it's the VidLED's, ZyLight, LitePanels....you name it, I've tested it. The Sony light is intriguing, but it's not that different in terms of throw distance. You will be much better off with a halogen-based light for HDV cameras.

this is valuable information Marshall - thanks for posting this up. have you used the Frezzi Microfill? The disappointment to me with a light like the Frezzi is, I think, that the standard battery it comes with is NiCad which is ancient tech and rather annoying that they don't supply with a NiMH battery instead. can you confirm whether Frezzi still ship lights like Microfill with a Nicad battery please??

[Barry J. Weckesser]

I would agree that LED lights - at least by current technology, do not take the place of other more powerful systems but for those of us who want fill light in dimly lit situations with closeups between 3-6 feet they do have a role - plus the convenience of a self contained battery system. I have used the Litepanels mini-floods for over a year now and have been generally happy - I first started off with the 5600K flood and had to use a gel for indoor use which cuts down the output. I recently purchased a 3200K flood and it does have better light output and doesn't wrec havoc with the white balance. Today I tested the new Sony light and was pleasantly surprised - I did a test (very non-scientific - I am not a videographer - just an obsessed hobbyist) of shooting video in a relatively dimly lit room 5 feet away from my kids using natural looking skintone as a measure - I alternately used the Sony HVL-LBP and the Litepanels 3200K and 5600K - turned the camera on and off between each test and was using auto white balance. Then played around with the outdoor setting for white balance (with the two 5600K lights) using the wheel to obtain a minus reading for the outdoor white balance.

Some observations on the Sony light:

1. The output seems to be better than the 5600K litepanel.

2. The color temp (both lights rated the same in the literature) does seem to be different. The Litepanel light gives a definite bluish tint to skintones while the Sony is almost accetable as is - just a little tweaking of the white balance is necessary.

3. The Sony light seems to have a broader projection and more even distribution of light than the Litepanel mini-flood.

4. There is a condenser lens on the Sony which effectively markedly increases the light output and transforms it into a spot. It also has a diffuser for softening the light.

5. I also like the battery level indicator and the fact that the light can be powered by the same batteries as the V1U camera. They claim that it will last for 2 hours on full brightness with the NPF-770 battery - you don't have to use the monster 970 battery with it.

Bottom line, I wish this light was available when I purchased the second Litepanel head. At least by my initial observations it seems to be a very well made unit.

[Khoi Pham]

Thanks for the info Barry, with the Sony, I know that your subject skintone is almost correct but what is the background looks like indoor? I assume the Sony does not come with a 3200K filter?