Looking for a good portable light
 

I need a portable LED light for my EX3. I have found one and now I can't remember where I saw it on the web.
It has to have a diffusion filter. A dimmer would be nice and so would a plug to my Anton Bauer gold mount so I could run it off my camera battery.
I have a cheapo LED light now but it is too spotted and drops off quickly on the sides.
I am looking for somethng that will give a soft light and not too spotted. I have a couple of Anton Bauer porta lights but they are getting old and the bulbs keep slipping out.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

do an ebay search with "hdv z96"

I run it of a D-tap from a swit battery and the coverage is great, no spotty tunnel effect.

And it's cheap!

Yes I see it...looks pretty good.
Where did you get the d-tap plug, I don't see it listed as an accessory. I suppose I could buy D-tap plug separately.

I just got my Sola light from my dealer, it was a demo and it is so good I told him I am not returning it and he laughed.

It is fantastic LED, 30w at full power equal to 300w tungsten.

And it is a fresnel, my favorite type of light.

The build is really rugged, and it will make a great on cam or stand light. It comes with a bunch of gels and a D-tap plug.

This is the best most versatile light I have ever seen. Don't take my word for it get a demo.

I just got one of these Poteka VL-126 for 59.00 on Amazon. It gives great light, comes with 3 filters, has a dimmer, and can use sony batteries or AA. It's a bit big, and the mount is flimsy, but for tripod jobs this is great. A lot of bang for your buck.


Opteka VL-126 Ultra High Power 126 LED Digital Camera / Camcorder Video Light

Do you have a link for it? All I seem to be turning up is underwater lights.

Jim if you want an LED with an AB power tap and one that has some guts to it you might look at the Bescor LED150PT. It's equal to 150watts, has a power tap and is dimmable. I know a couple of guys that use it and really like it. Especially if you're doing news style interviews outside. 150watts can come in real handy for that.
They also have a 70W that you can get a power tap cable for.

Here you go:

Litepanels | Award Winning LED Lighting for Video, Still Photo & Motion Picture Production

Olof, It's about the same price range as the Lowel Blender. Have you used a Blender to compare with the Sola?

Thanks for all the input, you have given me some great choices.

I have not tried the Blender. I am sure it is a fine light.

I like the Sola for its ruggedness and the fact that it is a fresnel (optically focusable).

Dedo LEDzilla - LED and Fresnel with Diffusion & Barndoors...
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/624594-REG/Dedolight_DLOBML_Ledzilla_Mini_LED_Daylight.html
Here is a good review and link to a video showing it in action with a Canon XF305. http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/photon-m...ht-review.html

This review sold me on it as I am ordering it tomorrow and powering it with their D-tap cable.

Olof,

I am so glad I found someone who has the SolaENG 3. How would you compare it to an Arri Fresnel 300w tungsten. I was looking at the Sola for backlights in place of Arri fresnels in order to reduce heat in the studio.

For on-camera, how do you power it and how much run time can you get and with which camera?

Any chance you could put it on the rear shoe of your EX3, snap a picture and post it here for me? I wonder if a shotgun mic would get in the way and make a shadow.

Does it come with Barndoors or are they extra? Does it come with a Diffusion filter?

That's how I got it, I think from Hawk Woods.

just made a cable with 2.5mm power connector and I was set to go!

This thread reminds me of a joke the grips loved to say on the features I used to work on:
Cheap, Fast, and Good. Pick any two!

Steve, when setting it up on my EX1R or EX3 In use the front shoe otherwise you will get shading if you dont put it on a long arm.

It is equivalent to a 250w fresnel but it is daylight. The exact specs are in the link I gave you.

It draws 30w at max power, so a 90wh battery should give you 2-3 hrs. It works great with my IDX and Swit batteries. You have to do the calculations for other batts, batteries also have max w ratings.

Sola comes with difuser and 3200K filters and barndoors.

I will snap a photo when I get a chance.

I asked my local Abel Cine to ship one in so I can compare the output to an Arri 300w. However, I just added up the cost of an Arri 300 with barndoors, filter frame, bulb, full single scrim and filter pack (incl. diffusion paper & color filters). The total cost for 2 300's & extras is $996. Compare that to the $1100 for 2 SolaENG's and the Sola's look pretty darn good. Too bad I didn't make this comparison yesterday because I just ordered 2 Arri 300's today.

Hmmmmm....I can power the Sola's from Swit batteries....2 of the Sola's and my Dedo LEDzilla would be a great little field kit. I think I might need to change my order.

Olof,

On a side note, do you use Swit or Switronix batteries? I just ordered 2 Swit 88whr batteries and I was wondering how reliable they are compared to IDX. I also ordered the Swit 2 channel charger.

My most portable no AC field light kit is 2 8x12 LED panels and the Sola, all runs on IDX V-mount batteries.

And fits with stands in a small bag. Some Tough Rolex and a couple reflectors/scrims and some gels.

All of it less than 20LBS.

Times are a changing...

Olof,

that looks like a great little light that could be used on camera or in other situations as an eye light or small accent light. Can I ask how much it cost you?

-Garrett

I payed $499.00 from my local dealer here in NH. AccessAVNH.com. Kevin is a really nice guy and very knowledgeable. He helps me out a lot by loaning me equipment so I can develop rigs for different cameras.

Seeing as how no one has mentioned it I am very happy with the Comer 1800 on my EX1. Yes it comes with two D-Tap leads (one short, one long) which is great if you use any of the 3rd party batteries which have a D-Tap socket.

I second that, Bob!

I think that is what I am going to get. Impressed with their specs and price.

Doesn't the Comer have the odd 4500K color temperature that throws a little blue wash indoors and a little amber wash outdoors because it matches neither? I recall seeing some indoor wedding reception footage here on DVInfo that looked simply wretched because of it.

Yes, it is 4500K - but I have no problem with it. For outdoors it's OK as is; for typical indoors situations it has the amber filter ready (and the light is strong enough for the filter to not cause too much a light loss).

BTW, apart from LAColorShop in the US, you can order the Comer lights from MxM Express.

Don't buy from this guy
 

(Greenlife-style) on Ebay sells the HDV Z96 but won't give you any support if it is faulty. I want to use it exclusively with AA batteries but you cannot open the battery door unless you force it open. I guess I will have to carry around a pair of pliers on every shoot.

Second z96 that I bought also came with a very tight fitting battery door. I usually run the light of a d-tap from a 14.4v battery but I wanted an option to pop in AA's at any time so I just threaded one small piece of wire tie through the small holes under the tabs in the external battery mount. It's easy to open now, no pliers needed.

It will loosen after a while and be easier to open.

In situations where I want true daylight. I just slip a piece of 1/4 CTB gel behind the focusing attachment. That get's it pretty close to 6500K. As others have said it has the CTO built in to get it down to 3200K. That being said, these days I'm usually dealing with a mixture of color temperatures from fluorescents and windows. There are very few true tungsten fixtures left anywhere as they have been replaced almost completely with fluorescent bulbs. Those bulbs color temperature can range between 3200K and 5500K depending on the type of bulb, so 4500K is a good happy medium.

Olaf,

I just received one of the 2 SolaENG lights and I was wondering if you use AC power. If so, what part do you use? I can't seem to find any AC adapter for it.

Also, what adapter is good for mounting it onto a light stand (normal 5/8")?

Thanks

Any 12v power supply will work. I have an old NRG with a 4 pin XLR out, I just made an 4 pin to D-tap cable.

But most of the time I just use my IDX plate D-tap out. I actually have one mounted on a light stand cross bar, nice because I can use it real low or directly over head.

Also I have a bunch of light stands with 1/4" -20 threaded ends as well as 5/8' ends. There are lots of clamp systems available. I like the "magic" clamp, clamps to anything ( think that is what it is called).

What size batteries do you use and how long do they power a SolaENG?

Magic clamps are great and have been a staple to many for a while. Manfrotto also has smaller ones called Nanoclamps - less well known but in some applications more useful than Magic clamps. B&H has them and should be available at most local pro photography outfits.

I wish my stands had 1/4" - 20 threaded holes in them. They are difficult to find now.

Solas draw 35w at full power (just what I seem to remember). Less at lower power settings. So it is easy to figure how long a batt will last.

I mostly use IDX batts with a 110w/h rating, so at full power I should get about 3 hrs, maybe a little less, be conservative.

A 60wh like the big Sony EX batt or a Swit 62 should give an hour and a half anyway at full power.

The only real way to find out is to try your battery at the power setting you use the light at the setting you want and time it. You get a feeling for it after a while. Also batts these days usually have LED indicators to show power left, they are not all that accurate but you get feel for them too after a while.

I just found this AC to D-tap power adapter - this should work, correct?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/554537-REG/Frezzolini_95111_FPS_50PT_Compact_Power_Supply.html
FYI, to anyone coming across this thread looking for the SolaENG 3, I compared it next to an Arri 300w fresnel and the Sola outputs roughly 240w. Also, I just noticed that Litepanels now has Lux ratings for the Sola 3 and Sola 6 on their website.

I'm headed into a rugged environment with run and gun inside and outside and so need to change color temp fast. I can't tell for sure how the gels mount. From the brochure, they have a tab as if there's a slot in the light.


Are the gels for indoor color temp stiff enough to go between pocket and camera with little fuss?
Will the gels stay put thru normal movements?
Is the light end of the coiled power cord secure?

1) I haven't used them yet, but they seem rather thin and flimsy.

2) na

3) the power cord is hardwired.

In my opinion, the gels are really like plexiglass squares with handles, quite rugged.
They clip on by bending in the corners snap in, quite rugged.
As Kalle points out the cable is hard wired very rugged.

OK a little T&C but I like this light and it is rugged.

PS. I have no affiliation with Light panels and I don't sell them, this is just my opinion.

You can easily make your own filters for it too. Just tape a gel to a plexiglass piece of plastic frosty or clear cut it to the right shape and it will plop in.

Is there a slot or holder on the fixture for the gel?

If need seriously rugged and don't mind weight and spending money then the Zylight Z90 is as good as it gets. Push button switching between daylight and tungsten plus you can dial in any CT, down to something that'll match candlelight.

If you want cheap, the Z96 is very cheap, the gels affix via magnets and really stay on well. If you want more light and are willing to spend a bit more the Comer 1800 is pretty flexible and quite rugged and the tugnsten gell cannot get lost.

Yes, the battery compartment is a little stiff to open when new, no you don't need pliers to open it, just grab the rail for the Sony battery and pull after releasing the latch. I've resold around 30 of them down here I bought as a group buy and no one has had a problem. One local even modded his so it'd accept the Sony L series batteries that he had lying around and they work just as well with those. I'm going to order some parts to make up D Tap leads for the Z96.

I had actually settled on the Lowel Blender light which is about half the price of the Zylight. The Blender also lets you dim and blend to get the CT needed without gels. Except for the geling, The Sola looks nice.

Well, after getting my 2nd SolaENG today, I don't know if these are made well. They have a small fan in them, which seems dumb as they are meant for on-camera, and this unit's fan is already bad and making a loud sound. My first unit seems ok but its fan is still noticeable and could never be placed near a microphone.

Olof, what has your experience been?