Anyone try these LED lights?
- Thread starter Giallogreg
- Start date
Doesn't look densely enough packed, you will probably have very spotty light. Not sure if it puts out enough as well. Additionally, apparently cheap LED's have a strong green cast, there is no dimmer, nor barndoors and other forms of support. Seems kinda homemade if you ask me...
Try Coollights instead.
Try Coollights instead.
Barry_Green
Moderator
Coollights' LED600 color rendition index (CRI) is only about 80 to 85, so if you're concerned about CRI, how does that automatically make it a better choice?
I mean, as yoclay said, there's no case or barn doors or dimmer, so those are valid reasons, but the CRI on the Cool Lights LED is nothing to brag about, it's really low; hence why they include sheets of MinusGreen to give you the tools try to correct for it.
I mean, as yoclay said, there's no case or barn doors or dimmer, so those are valid reasons, but the CRI on the Cool Lights LED is nothing to brag about, it's really low; hence why they include sheets of MinusGreen to give you the tools try to correct for it.
tflak
Veteran
Barry, do you mean to say one can only "try" to correct via MinuGreen, which implies that may not be possible?
Of course, in addition to using MinusGreen (which reduces the amount of light) a custom white balance can correct things if the light isn’t too complex or mixed with multiple sources.
All of the LED lights have a green problem, and if you read Andrew's article he goes into it in depth. My problem with those lights is a) who makes them? b) what are the individual specs because 3k lumens is dick c) how are they being driven? I'm building three 6 light LED fixtures that will give me 3240 lumens and can be placed on a dash, sun visor or bookshelf. Its stunning the amount of light they put out at night, at 100 ISO for my 5d 
Oh yeah that's with a dimmer running off a HVX battery or any I choose up to 24v! Have you seen the Gekko Kicklite 106's? What a joke at $4600 for four lights! Ignorance is expensive. Us video guys are way behind other groups who are big and I mean BIG into LED's. I've been enLightened. So if you can't build and you want an honest and quality deal, I'd go with Cool Lights...stand up guy awesome products and customer service.
Oh yeah that's with a dimmer running off a HVX battery or any I choose up to 24v! Have you seen the Gekko Kicklite 106's? What a joke at $4600 for four lights! Ignorance is expensive. Us video guys are way behind other groups who are big and I mean BIG into LED's. I've been enLightened. So if you can't build and you want an honest and quality deal, I'd go with Cool Lights...stand up guy awesome products and customer service.
Cool Lights
DVXuser Sponsor
Thanks for the kind words cinebuddy!
Using minus green is a well known strategy for any light that's lower in CRI. Nothing new about that. It does raise the CRI, it is working well for our customers, and it counteracts the green and gives much better results. We're about the only ones I know of that actually admit the issue and facilitate its correction by supplying what's necessary to do it. In addition, there are plenty that use without filters, me included.
Go back to flo tubes which is a very common source available in many different CRIs. In reality, there is no difference between a high CRI flo tube and a lower CRI tube that has minus green on the outside. The higher CRI flo tube is higher CRI precisely because they added magenta to the phosphor to counteract the green and make it a higher CRI tube. Filter on the inside or filter on the outside, you pick... In addition, between the two, and assuming being driven by the same ballast, the lower CRI tube will win out in lumen output hands down. Why? Filter on the inside or filter on the outside, its still a filter and you've taken out the "oomph" from the light by filtering out the green. So of course you lose light when you filter.
On the DIY panel in question by the OP, I would say it should be a good DIY option but you've still got to make a fixture and adapt it to a stand--sounds easy on paper till you work on it for a while.
My beef with that particular panel is it uses 1W LEDs which in and of itself is fine but no visible heat sinking. 1W LEDs really need heat sinks to keep them alive and well for a long period of time. Plus, its really worrisome seeing that driver circuitry on the outer part of the panel like that. They should have put in on the underside so its not visible.
Using minus green is a well known strategy for any light that's lower in CRI. Nothing new about that. It does raise the CRI, it is working well for our customers, and it counteracts the green and gives much better results. We're about the only ones I know of that actually admit the issue and facilitate its correction by supplying what's necessary to do it. In addition, there are plenty that use without filters, me included.
Go back to flo tubes which is a very common source available in many different CRIs. In reality, there is no difference between a high CRI flo tube and a lower CRI tube that has minus green on the outside. The higher CRI flo tube is higher CRI precisely because they added magenta to the phosphor to counteract the green and make it a higher CRI tube. Filter on the inside or filter on the outside, you pick... In addition, between the two, and assuming being driven by the same ballast, the lower CRI tube will win out in lumen output hands down. Why? Filter on the inside or filter on the outside, its still a filter and you've taken out the "oomph" from the light by filtering out the green. So of course you lose light when you filter.
On the DIY panel in question by the OP, I would say it should be a good DIY option but you've still got to make a fixture and adapt it to a stand--sounds easy on paper till you work on it for a while.
My beef with that particular panel is it uses 1W LEDs which in and of itself is fine but no visible heat sinking. 1W LEDs really need heat sinks to keep them alive and well for a long period of time. Plus, its really worrisome seeing that driver circuitry on the outer part of the panel like that. They should have put in on the underside so its not visible.
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We've been blown away by the success of our Sima SL-20X LED lights. They are cheap - $35 each, 3 pack for $99.95. Pro's using the highest end gear are reporting they can't live without 'em. They are not for every situation, but they come in handy and get the job done so often, it's become a must have item in the camera bag or van.
Gary
Gary
Sorry Barry What I meant was the makers of the panel didn't indicate the CRI.
Then, because of the reasons you pointed out, the Coolights LED600 was to me a better choice but not because of it's CRI Value.
You got it sir! It's the truth and I can wait until your big boy LED comes out...i'm squirreling away cash for that one!
miamivideo
Well-known member
Try Dot Line dv-60 , it have much more output than the litepanel Micro:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/650628-REG/Dot_Line_DL_DV60_DL_DV60_Video_DSLR.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/650628-REG/Dot_Line_DL_DV60_DL_DV60_Video_DSLR.html
filmat11
Well-known member
After searching Sima's website, these lights have a color temp of 4500 kelvin. No mention of CRI however.
Giallogreg
Active member
Wow, great find! I just ordered one, how is the CRI? Does it have green/magenta shift?
Chris Ficek
Member
I'm a little late to the game in commenting on these panels due to the many other fine responses but my first reaction would be that they would generate a pile of mixed shadows due to the large led spacing. Search out the term 'single shadow rendering' and see how wide spaced LED's just have a pile of issues in this area.
Sima-I just used one in a club for a super bowl party. It's light weight. It puts out just enough light for an interview. I warmed it up to tungsten with some 1/4 CTO. On wider shots I put my camera at 12 db and it filled in nicely without that overpowering sun gun look. It's suppose to only work for an hour so I turned it off between shots and it lasted the whole night.