Lightweight Travel LED kit

[HunterAK]

I have a possible gig coming up that will require a lot of air travel and remote locations. I need to be able to haul everything myself without multiple trips. I will be traveling with a 1510 pelican (BMPCC4k, A7rii, Lenses, Audio, etc.) a small backpack (Computer, media, clothes, moza strapped to the outside etc.). What I am looking for is something I can check that can hold lights, stands, tripod, and reflector. I own two 1x2 flex panels that I can shove in there without much worry about any damage to them. I was looking at some other small units. Was going to get a couple 2' quasar tubes, but don't want to deal with having to find ac power and dealing with external dimmers. I don't like quasar battery powered versions with the single button interface. I was looking at the yongnou yn360 wand style lights. I've never actually shot with them just messed with one. They seem pretty bright and quick to adjust. Or any other portable lighting solutions that can help augment what I own. I was looking at putting it in one of the roller cases made for stands and strobes. Or if there are any other suggestions for a case that can survive and offer protection for the gear.

Thanks!

[ozmorphasis]

I have a possible gig coming up that will require a lot of air travel and remote locations. I need to be able to haul everything myself without multiple trips. I will be traveling with a 1510 pelican (BMPCC4k, A7rii, Lenses, Audio, etc.) a small backpack (Computer, media, clothes, moza strapped to the outside etc.). What I am looking for is something I can check that can hold lights, stands, tripod, and reflector. I own two 1x2 flex panels that I can shove in there without much worry about any damage to them. I was looking at some other small units. Was going to get a couple 2' quasar tubes, but don't want to deal with having to find ac power and dealing with external dimmers. I don't like quasar battery powered versions with the single button interface. I was looking at the yongnou yn360 wand style lights. I've never actually shot with them just messed with one. They seem pretty bright and quick to adjust. Or any other portable lighting solutions that can help augment what I own. I was looking at putting it in one of the roller cases made for stands and strobes. Or if there are any other suggestions for a case that can survive and offer protection for the gear.

Thanks!

What is it that you are trying to light with the additional fixture(s)?

Are your two 1x2 flex panels enough for your key needs? If so, are you looking for BG accents and/or edge/hair lights?

I was doing a ton of travel gigs for a client for a few months and I settled on the following for the combination of power, soft key source, battery options, and portability:

1. Litecloth LC-160 for key (lose the case and all of the components fit very nicely in my checked bag). Bicolor, V-mount option, 2x2 soft source, remote controlled for OMB.
2. Kinotehnik Practilite 903 for hair/edge (bicolor, v mount option, focusable fresnel to keep light from spilling onto lens, can be controlled from phone app)
3. A couple of small bicolor fixtures that power off of NP batteries (in the end settled on Aputure F7's). Mostly used these to shape the background a bit for indoor shots.
4. Sometimes brought a brightcast style light as well (also bicolor, also v mount ready)

I usually didn't need to run off of batteries, but still went ahead and did so for the practilite and the Aputures to keep the setup clean.

[Bern Caughey]

Kinotehnik Practilite 903? Was that just a typo? Love the Practilite 602, & been hoping for a more powerful version.

[HunterAK]

Forgot to mention single person interview setups. The mats are bright, two of them to edge out a S2 litemat 4 when I've had them side by side. However, they aren't quite as nice of a source, set up as a 2x2 source with a homemade coroplast softbox it is a nice soft source, but the softbox is a bit bulky. The 602 looks nice, pretty bright for the size. How does it feel for a key especially going through a layer of diffusion? I feel like I would be wanting a bit more punch to try and key, but it could work as a rim light, especially with that bicolor range.

[Bern Caughey]

Through diffusion, or inside a small Softbox, the 602 becomes too dim to be an effective Key.

My basic travel kit is a pair of bi-color Aladdin 1x2’, & a 602 fresnel. These travel in a plastic Samsonite spinner with four MERF stands, & various accessories. If I need additional G&E, which is more often than not, the kit usually stays home, & we rent locally.

[HunterAK]

Through diffusion, or inside a small Softbox, the 602 becomes too dim to be an effective Key.

My basic travel kit is a pair of bi-color Aladdin 1x2’, & a 602 fresnel. These travel in a plastic Samsonite spinner with four MERF stands, & various accessories. If I need additional G&E, which is more often than not, the kit usually stays home, & we rent locally.

That's what I figured with the 602. I have a few 150 watt led fresnels that I might have to look at packing also for some of the more important interviews since renting locally is not an option. Those aladdins are nice units, flex lights in general are great for portable shooting. It looks like the Aladdin panel has a better power setup than the falcon eyes also. I have the fositan or traver panels depending on where you buy them. They render pretty well, but I prefer to use a slightly more accurate key and the fositan panels for an edge, ambient, or to augment practicals. Maybe another flex panel would be the best bet, something along the lines of an Aladdin or dracast.

[ozmorphasis]

Kinotehnik Practilite 903? Was that just a typo? Love the Practilite 602, & been hoping for a more powerful version.

Wow, sorry for the brain fart Bern. Typing quickly on small devices! Indeed it's just a 602. I also love the fixture!

[ozmorphasis]

Forgot to mention single person interview setups. The mats are bright, two of them to edge out a S2 litemat 4 when I've had them side by side. However, they aren't quite as nice of a source, set up as a 2x2 source with a homemade coroplast softbox it is a nice soft source, but the softbox is a bit bulky. The 602 looks nice, pretty bright for the size. How does it feel for a key especially going through a layer of diffusion? I feel like I would be wanting a bit more punch to try and key, but it could work as a rim light, especially with that bicolor range.

I use the 602 as either a hair/rim light, or when running around for indoor b-roll, I'll throw it in a backpack with a merf stand and a V-mount in case I need to augment lighting in quick office or home b-roll situations. The beauty of the light is all of the features and the quality of the light, not it's raw power so like Bern said, definitely not a key light. I always have the barn doors with it and some diffusion paper in case I need to soften a bit, but still not for key.

[Guest]

I’ve not read anything, but going to throw my vote to an Aputure 120d or 300d, not both, just one, a light brick, and a couple light mattes.


The aputures are great as high output swiss army knife lights.

The brick is a get out of jail free card.

The light mattes can go anywhere in any space.

They all pack into a small backpack.

After that a quasar or something might be a nice addition. The only issue is that they are offten 2ft and don’t fit into travel packs easily.

[QuickHitRecord]

Reviving an old thread, 2.5 years and a lot of developments in tech later. I have a new client that I expect will have me on the road quite a bit this coming year. I think it will be both indoor and outdoor (i.e. no power) interviews and b-roll during both the day and night, so bicolor lights with batteries are a must. The b-roll will be more documentary style and I probably won't get to set any lights.

Up until 2017 or so I used to do travel shoots almost monthly and my go-to kit was a pair of two Aputure Lightstorm LS1s in a laptop case, Lowel Rifa light stands and my tripod in a longer rolling case, a Pelican 1510 for my camera, and a backpack for my clothes. Occasionally, a 24in slider in a hard tripod tube too. I hated life every time I had to make multiple trips to get everything into an airport shuttle. Long concourse walks were also tough. And I don't think anyone was happy about the baggage fees.

This client isn't going to expect a slider, so that can go be left out. But it would be nice to have some long-rather-than-wide bicolor LEDs that could slip into the case with my stands (the lights in their own hard-shelled enclosure). I'm contemplating some of the newer Falcon Eyes lights, but they don't seem as easy to roll up as the last generation. And the last generation seemed to be a lot more prone to failure. Also looking at some of those MERF stands (I wish I'd known about them back when I was traveling regularly). My speed-boosted C70 and Sigma Art primes mean that I can get away with less punch than I did four years ago.

What else is out there that would be worth a look?

[Run&Gun]

What about a couple of battery powered tubes, similar to Astera Titans? Seems like there are some lower cost options out there, now. I’ve traveled with Westcott Ice Light II’s for down ‘n dirty stuff, but they’re not bi-color. The Intellytech stuff packs down pretty small, too, and it is battery powerable.

[QuickHitRecord]

I've been looking at tubes. Somehow I've made it all the way to 2021 having never used them. The problem that I see is that they mostly have internal lithium, which makes them impossible to check as baggage. The only option that shows up on B&H is a kit from Came-TV, which run on NP-F batteries: https://www.came-tv.com/products/bol...t-4-lights-kit

Seems a bit fiddly with plenty of breakable parts.

After I posted the question, I watched this Caleb Pike video:

And I think he may have figured out an issue that I've been trying to solve for years. Using gravity to provide the structure of the softbox, you can save on a lot of bulk and weight. I was inspired and went looking for this light and $279 was a little hard to swallow for what is essentially a round-shaped version of my knock off Westcott flex lights (I think they cost me around $100). Then I looked on AliExpress and found the same lights for $85! Shipping is steep at $45 but after applying coupons I was able to order one for $120, shipped: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32964699057.html

The same company also makes a 150W version, which I am also interested in. But I can't find a space light that will fit it.

That, plus the Aperture space light and an airline-acceptable v-mount battery puts me at around $270. That's really quite remarkable. Definitely worth an experiment.

[Liam Hall]

Half my carry-on these days is batteries and it's an absolute pain if on a solo mission. Frankly, rather than looking at new lights, these days I look at ways to take light away and shape what's left.