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Led flashlights as a cheap alternative to expensive LED panels/fresnels?

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    Led flashlights as a cheap alternative to expensive LED panels/fresnels?

    I was researching LED fresnel lights as a hard light source option when I came across an article about using LED flashlights for filming. They're quite cheap, give off lots of light, small, strong, and are wireless/battery powered. For

    For example, this one has 6500 lumens, it's only $200, it's the size of a soda can, it's waterproof and wireless (battery operated): http://www.amazon.com/ThruNite-TN36-...ag=reactual-20

    What's not to like here? I mean why spend a fortune on led fresnels when you have these options?
    www.brylmedia.com

    #2
    There is no mention of the CRI and the colour temperature is cool white which may not be the same from light to light. It may not be full spectrum response. These are made for brightness to power ratio as the primary concern whereas lights for cinematography are more concerned with light quality and consistency. The colour temperature may shift at different power settings. That said cheap LEDs are not very good either so it may well be usable(ish).

    It also doesn't say 6500 lumens where. What is it at 1in? 3ft? 6ft? 9ft? 12ft? LED falls off a lot quicker than other light sources.

    As important (perhaps more important IMHO) than the light quality are the light control features that are missing. The Fresnel lens itself for a start which grants greater directionality of the light (resulting is a harder and more controllable source) as well as focus control and barn doors for shaping. Possibly a dimmer.

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      #3
      Originally posted by PeterR View Post
      I was researching LED fresnel lights as a hard light source option when I came across an article about using LED flashlights for filming. They're quite cheap, give off lots of light, small, strong, and are wireless/battery powered. For

      For example, this one has 6500 lumens, it's only $200, it's the size of a soda can, it's waterproof and wireless (battery operated): http://www.amazon.com/ThruNite-TN36-...ag=reactual-20

      What's not to like here? I mean why spend a fortune on led fresnels when you have these options?
      I'm a wee bit frugal, so I don't consider a $200 flashlight "quite cheap". But let's play this game. Key, fill, backlight, background light. That's 4 flashlights for a total of $800. And you are still going to need light stands and some way to mount these flashlights to the stands. In my book that $800 would buy some nice controllable used lighting instruments ready to be mounted to your stands.

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        #4
        $800 would buy some cheap be workable halogen with stands, might only get three lights for that price, but might get 4.

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          #5
          Just being able to illuminate something is not the same as 'lighting' something.

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            #6
            Dude, I'll bet you a cocktail you'll need so much CTO on those you'll be shooting at 1600iso before you know it...

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              #7
              I was searching high lumen and small tactical flashlight. ThruNite TN36 flashlight would be great choice for reviews of bright light activity. It is cheap light also. Old post but helpful for me..
              Last edited by roseawebs; 04-18-2017, 03:37 AM.

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                #8
                They can work as backlights and for special effects. I had a long conversation about this with a friend of mine about the difference between brightness and intensity: they're intense, they're not bright. They're only a few watts - or at most a few tens of watts - each. Those watts tend to come out in a very defined beam, which subjectively looks dazzling, but there's not really much there.

                That's not to say they aren't useful, especally for tabletops and the like. I shot this using mainly flashlights and some (very) cheap LED for the toplight, taking advantage of the coloured LED driver modules for the flashlights. The actual colour quality of white-emitting LED flashlights ranges from terrible to awful via bad and nasty, generally in some sort of shade of cyan, but hey, sometimes that's what you're after.

                People do make high intensity discharge flashlights in the 35-watt range, too.

                P

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                  #9
                  Very nice work Phil. Did you use a lazy susan or a motorized turntable?

                  Originally posted by Phil Rhodes View Post
                  They can work as backlights and for special effects. I had a long conversation about this with a friend of mine about the difference between brightness and intensity: they're intense, they're not bright. They're only a few watts - or at most a few tens of watts - each. Those watts tend to come out in a very defined beam, which subjectively looks dazzling, but there's not really much there.

                  That's not to say they aren't useful, especally for tabletops and the like. I shot this using mainly flashlights and some (very) cheap LED for the toplight, taking advantage of the coloured LED driver modules for the flashlights. The actual colour quality of white-emitting LED flashlights ranges from terrible to awful via bad and nasty, generally in some sort of shade of cyan, but hey, sometimes that's what you're after.

                  People do make high intensity discharge flashlights in the 35-watt range, too.

                  P
                  It's a business first and a creative outlet second.
                  G.A.S. destroys lives. Stop buying gear that doesn't make you money.

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