on camera light at DVinfo.net

Nicolas Laborie · February 11th, 2010, 06:40 AM

I`m looking to buy an on camera light as wanted to know which one is the best in around £300 or less.

What about the Paglight C6 Lighting Kit or the Litepanels micro?

I`m using a PD150 at the moment and 5D mark II

Any recommendation?

Thank you

N

Gabor Heeres · February 11th, 2010, 03:25 PM

They are pretty heavy but a lot of light for the money. It just fits into your budget and if 300 is your maximum budget the Comer 1800 is probably the best on-camera LED light you can get. It uses the same battery type as your PD150 does.

Comer CM-LED1800 On-Camera LED Light - Proactive

Mark Goodsell · February 11th, 2010, 08:25 PM

Here is a light I have:

Sony HVL-20DW2 Camcorder Video Light for DCRVX2100, FX7 - eBay (item 160403751286 end time Feb-18-10 15:35:52 PST)

Depending on your shooting needs it may, or may not, be powerful enough. I find it powerful enough for the majority of my close-shooting run and gun type quick interview shots. It projects the light out pretty well. What I like about it is it uses the same batteries as the VX/PD/Z5 so you don't have to carry extra [different] batteries or chargers. Especially helpful if you travel much. Also, if you keep your eyes open, you can find for pretty cheap.
Here is another one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Camcorder-Light-...item53df61355b
Good luck.

Nicolas Laborie · February 13th, 2010, 04:27 AM

Comer 1800 seems very impressive....but a bit pricey i must add.

So no one recommend the LPmicro then?

N

Don Bloom · February 13th, 2010, 06:47 AM

Yeah I can. I've had one since it came out. Certainly the lightest weight light I've used and it produces a very nice light at least to my eyes. There are many things I like about it and a few I don't. Here's what I like, lightweight, runs off of 4 AA batteries not the heavy Sony 970, throws a decent light up to about 8 feet even with the diffusion and 1/4 CTO on it, perfect for me for wedding receptions.
Things I'm not happy with, plastic and it CAN break if dropped (mine has a few times, don't ask) and finally the foot broke, rather than spend the insane money to buy that, I use a swivel mount I had lying around and it works even better, the light will only throw up to about 8 feet. Sometimes I wish it had more power but I get over it.
Overall I've been very happy with the light. YMMV!

Nicolas Laborie · February 14th, 2010, 04:47 AM

Thank you guys for the feedback....decisions decisions... i still wonder which one is best for an overall use without breaking the bank...

I like the sound of the litepanels but fear for not having enough power to light during interview...maybe im wrong..

Don Bloom · February 14th, 2010, 06:09 AM

LP does have the MicroPRO which is a 55W light (more than 2X as powerful as the Micro) but it is also around $400 USD.

Nicolas Laborie · February 14th, 2010, 09:50 AM

thank you Don i saw that too but over my budget ... so its between the litepanel because its small and use normal batteries which are easy to find or the corner LED 180 - heavier but more light.....

i never thought it was so difficult to find a light !! N

Gabor Heeres · February 14th, 2010, 04:59 PM

Nicolas,

In your startingpost you also quoted the Pag C6. Although not dimmable (which is a must-have for interviews in my opinion) I'd like to remind you there are two used ones for sales at the community's marketplace on this forum.

Taky Cheung · February 17th, 2010, 11:23 PM

You can also consider the Comer 900 light. It's cheaper but still put out even spread and 900lux output of light. Much better than LP Micro or MicroPro.

If you can't find Comer 900 in the UK, at least get the SWIT S2010. Still a much better light than LP Micro.

Mark Woollard · February 18th, 2010, 12:00 PM

I just bought Dedolight's new on-camera light. It's the DLOBMLSH with a Sony/Panasonic battery holder. It has a single LED that can be dimmed and/or focused from flood to spot.
At 1 metre, it's rated at 3000 lux at the tightest spot setting and 220 lux at the widest flood setting. It's not cheap, but very adaptable and very well built. It comes with two barn doors, flip-down diffuser and flip-down dichroic filter for indoor colour. On the Sony NP-F570 it runs for almost two hours at the brightest setting. I've used it on three indoor interview shoots and love it. I don't do much outdoor interviewing so can't say yet how well it will work in bright sunlight. If you have the budget for it and do mostly indoor work, it's a great light.

I had considered the Varizoom 2010 but have not seen one in person. It lacks the ability to vary the focus (spot/flood).

Rob Morse · February 19th, 2010, 09:35 PM

I second Taky's post.

Robert Welch · March 10th, 2010, 09:36 PM

We are looking for something with a little more output than the Sony HVL-20DW2 lights we have. I think the Comer looks like a good way to go, but I can't tell if the 900 is more powerful than the Sony's or if we should go with the 1800. Anyone know how the output of the two Comer lights compares to the Sony? The Sony is rated in watts and the Comer in LUX, how does that translate so you can compare light output?

Thanks,
Robert

Taky Cheung · March 10th, 2010, 09:53 PM

LED uses different technology than traditional tungsten light. So the way to measure the brightness is different. Here's something you can take a look at. For example, for the SWIT S-2010 light

VideoGear.co.uk - Swit S-2010 LED toplight for use with Swit battery adapters

It said, it's 550lux at 1 meter equivalent to 40-Watt light bulb. So, if that's the case, you can imagine the light output of the Comer 1800 is 1800lux at 1 meter. Now take a look at these videos I put together. That S-2010 isn't much brigher than than Canon VL-10 (10-watt).

YouTube - 6 On-Camera Video Lights Shootout - Test #1 Small Room
YouTube - 6 On-Camera Video Lights Shootout - Test #2 Medium Size Room

More things to concern, most LED lights are not diffused. So you will need to add the diffuser to spread even the light output. Otherwise, you will get a hot spot in the middle. Then the 5600K color temperature makes it not suitable to be used indoor. You will have to add a warming filter to lower the color temp. Adding more filter in front of the light will just lower the brightness even more.

The way the Comer light designs, it is by default diffused. If you want a spot light, flip up the condenser which will "condense" the light into a spot light. Makes it even brighter. It is 4500K color temp which makes it ready to be used indoor and outdoor. If you want complete indoor color temp, just flip down the orange filter on top.

Another neat trick I found out is the "Condenser Lens Trick". It makes zooming in dark completely useful. Check out this blog entry

Comer Lights Condenser Trick | L.A. Color Blog

Robert Welch · March 11th, 2010, 08:34 AM

Thanks Taky,

That was very helpful, especially your video of the light test, nicely done. Judging by that--and realizing this isn't a definitive test--it would suggest to me that the Comer 900 might produce a similar amount of light to the Sony 20-watt lights we have, although with a wider spread. I went ahead and ordered the Comer 1800, which looks like it will give me the wider spread and probably more light output over all.

We used to use Bescor halogen lights with external batteries, that was a hassle. It's really great that the newer technologies in batteries and LED lights gives us more flexibility and options than we used to have.

Robert

PS. I did get one of the cheap ~$100 Bescor LED lights a couple months ago, which is supposed to equal a 35watt light output. Because of that rating, I assumed it would be more powerful than our 20-watt Sony lights, but was disappointed when I received it to find at best it was a close match in light output, but when you put the 3200K filter on it (which was pretty much necessary to match the rooms we are shooting in) it lost about 1/2 stop of light when measured with my light meter. It's also a rather flimsy light, not worth the money, IMO. I hope the Comer proves to be what we are looking for.

February 11th, 2010, 08:25 PM	#3
Mark Goodsell Major Player Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: WI Posts: 367	Here is a light I have: Sony HVL-20DW2 Camcorder Video Light for DCRVX2100, FX7 - eBay (item 160403751286 end time Feb-18-10 15:35:52 PST) Depending on your shooting needs it may, or may not, be powerful enough. I find it powerful enough for the majority of my close-shooting run and gun type quick interview shots. It projects the light out pretty well. What I like about it is it uses the same batteries as the VX/PD/Z5 so you don't have to carry extra [different] batteries or chargers. Especially helpful if you travel much. Also, if you keep your eyes open, you can find for pretty cheap. Here is another one: http://cgi.ebay.com/Camcorder-Light-...item53df61355b Good luck. __________________ Mark Goodsell Last edited by Mark Goodsell; February 11th, 2010 at 09:13 PM.

February 13th, 2010, 06:47 AM	#5
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	Yeah I can. I've had one since it came out. Certainly the lightest weight light I've used and it produces a very nice light at least to my eyes. There are many things I like about it and a few I don't. Here's what I like, lightweight, runs off of 4 AA batteries not the heavy Sony 970, throws a decent light up to about 8 feet even with the diffusion and 1/4 CTO on it, perfect for me for wedding receptions. Things I'm not happy with, plastic and it CAN break if dropped (mine has a few times, don't ask) and finally the foot broke, rather than spend the insane money to buy that, I use a swivel mount I had lying around and it works even better, the light will only throw up to about 8 feet. Sometimes I wish it had more power but I get over it. Overall I've been very happy with the light. YMMV! __________________ What do I know? I'm just a video-O-grafer. Don

February 14th, 2010, 06:09 AM	#7
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	LP does have the MicroPRO which is a 55W light (more than 2X as powerful as the Micro) but it is also around $400 USD. __________________ What do I know? I'm just a video-O-grafer. Don

February 17th, 2010, 11:23 PM	#10
Taky Cheung Inner Circle Join Date: May 2007 Location: Los Angeles, USA Posts: 2,114	You can also consider the Comer 900 light. It's cheaper but still put out even spread and 900lux output of light. Much better than LP Micro or MicroPro. If you can't find Comer 900 in the UK, at least get the SWIT S2010. Still a much better light than LP Micro. __________________ LA Color Pros Blog RODE Authorized Reseller . Comer LED Camera Lights . TakyBox HTML5 Menu Generator

February 18th, 2010, 12:00 PM	#11
Mark Woollard Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Mississauga, Ontario Posts: 54	LED light with dimmer and focus I just bought Dedolight's new on-camera light. It's the DLOBMLSH with a Sony/Panasonic battery holder. It has a single LED that can be dimmed and/or focused from flood to spot. At 1 metre, it's rated at 3000 lux at the tightest spot setting and 220 lux at the widest flood setting. It's not cheap, but very adaptable and very well built. It comes with two barn doors, flip-down diffuser and flip-down dichroic filter for indoor colour. On the Sony NP-F570 it runs for almost two hours at the brightest setting. I've used it on three indoor interview shoots and love it. I don't do much outdoor interviewing so can't say yet how well it will work in bright sunlight. If you have the budget for it and do mostly indoor work, it's a great light. I had considered the Varizoom 2010 but have not seen one in person. It lacks the ability to vary the focus (spot/flood). __________________ Mark Woollard

February 11th, 2010, 06:40 AM	#1
Nicolas Laborie Tourist Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: London Posts: 4	on camera light I`m looking to buy an on camera light as wanted to know which one is the best in around £300 or less. What about the Paglight C6 Lighting Kit or the Litepanels micro? I`m using a PD150 at the moment and 5D mark II Any recommendation? Thank you N

February 11th, 2010, 03:25 PM	#2
Gabor Heeres Major Player Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Eindhoven, The Netherlands Posts: 322	They are pretty heavy but a lot of light for the money. It just fits into your budget and if 300 is your maximum budget the Comer 1800 is probably the best on-camera LED light you can get. It uses the same battery type as your PD150 does. Comer CM-LED1800 On-Camera LED Light - Proactive

February 13th, 2010, 04:27 AM	#4
Nicolas Laborie Tourist Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: London Posts: 4	Comer 1800 seems very impressive....but a bit pricey i must add. So no one recommend the LPmicro then? N

February 14th, 2010, 04:47 AM	#6
Nicolas Laborie Tourist Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: London Posts: 4	Thank you guys for the feedback....decisions decisions... i still wonder which one is best for an overall use without breaking the bank... I like the sound of the litepanels but fear for not having enough power to light during interview...maybe im wrong..

February 14th, 2010, 09:50 AM	#8
Nicolas Laborie Tourist Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: London Posts: 4	thank you Don i saw that too but over my budget ... so its between the litepanel because its small and use normal batteries which are easy to find or the corner LED 180 - heavier but more light..... i never thought it was so difficult to find a light !! N

February 14th, 2010, 04:59 PM	#9
Gabor Heeres Major Player Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Eindhoven, The Netherlands Posts: 322	Nicolas, In your startingpost you also quoted the Pag C6. Although not dimmable (which is a must-have for interviews in my opinion) I'd like to remind you there are two used ones for sales at the community's marketplace on this forum.

February 19th, 2010, 09:35 PM	#12
Rob Morse Major Player Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 427	I second Taky's post.

March 10th, 2010, 09:36 PM	#13
Robert Welch Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Mandeville, LA Posts: 40	We are looking for something with a little more output than the Sony HVL-20DW2 lights we have. I think the Comer looks like a good way to go, but I can't tell if the 900 is more powerful than the Sony's or if we should go with the 1800. Anyone know how the output of the two Comer lights compares to the Sony? The Sony is rated in watts and the Comer in LUX, how does that translate so you can compare light output? Thanks, Robert

March 10th, 2010, 09:53 PM	#14
Taky Cheung Inner Circle Join Date: May 2007 Location: Los Angeles, USA Posts: 2,114	LED uses different technology than traditional tungsten light. So the way to measure the brightness is different. Here's something you can take a look at. For example, for the SWIT S-2010 light VideoGear.co.uk - Swit S-2010 LED toplight for use with Swit battery adapters It said, it's 550lux at 1 meter equivalent to 40-Watt light bulb. So, if that's the case, you can imagine the light output of the Comer 1800 is 1800lux at 1 meter. Now take a look at these videos I put together. That S-2010 isn't much brigher than than Canon VL-10 (10-watt). YouTube - 6 On-Camera Video Lights Shootout - Test #1 Small Room YouTube - 6 On-Camera Video Lights Shootout - Test #2 Medium Size Room More things to concern, most LED lights are not diffused. So you will need to add the diffuser to spread even the light output. Otherwise, you will get a hot spot in the middle. Then the 5600K color temperature makes it not suitable to be used indoor. You will have to add a warming filter to lower the color temp. Adding more filter in front of the light will just lower the brightness even more. The way the Comer light designs, it is by default diffused. If you want a spot light, flip up the condenser which will "condense" the light into a spot light. Makes it even brighter. It is 4500K color temp which makes it ready to be used indoor and outdoor. If you want complete indoor color temp, just flip down the orange filter on top. Another neat trick I found out is the "Condenser Lens Trick". It makes zooming in dark completely useful. Check out this blog entry Comer Lights Condenser Trick \| L.A. Color Blog __________________ LA Color Pros Blog RODE Authorized Reseller . Comer LED Camera Lights . TakyBox HTML5 Menu Generator

March 11th, 2010, 08:34 AM	#15
Robert Welch Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Mandeville, LA Posts: 40	Thanks Taky, That was very helpful, especially your video of the light test, nicely done. Judging by that--and realizing this isn't a definitive test--it would suggest to me that the Comer 900 might produce a similar amount of light to the Sony 20-watt lights we have, although with a wider spread. I went ahead and ordered the Comer 1800, which looks like it will give me the wider spread and probably more light output over all. We used to use Bescor halogen lights with external batteries, that was a hassle. It's really great that the newer technologies in batteries and LED lights gives us more flexibility and options than we used to have. Robert PS. I did get one of the cheap ~$100 Bescor LED lights a couple months ago, which is supposed to equal a 35watt light output. Because of that rating, I assumed it would be more powerful than our 20-watt Sony lights, but was disappointed when I received it to find at best it was a close match in light output, but when you put the 3200K filter on it (which was pretty much necessary to match the rooms we are shooting in) it lost about 1/2 stop of light when measured with my light meter. It's also a rather flimsy light, not worth the money, IMO. I hope the Comer proves to be what we are looking for.