Good travel kit

A

alaskacameradude

Veteran
I'm headed out on a travel shoot soon. I already have my camera,
audio and sticks figured out, but the hardest thing is lighting. I have
a DV Creator 55 kit with dimmers for every light, but it weighs about
45lbs by itself. I will be traveling to a remote area and walking
with gear for a couple miles (no rental cars and I have to get from airport
to shoot location.) My camera, lenses, and audio will
fit in a backpack and my carbon fiber sticks have a nice case, but I
don't think the heavy light kit will work. So I'm looking at getting
something small and light, that will do well for interviews/talking heads.
I'll have to do 3 or 4 interviews per day and would like something that
would work nicely for that. So many choices out there, but I have not
ventured into the LED world yet. Any ideas of what might work for me?
 
Just been through a similar thing with lights myself. In my case I needed a kit that could run on batteries, was cool (not like tungsten or halogen) and was easy to transport. I went for this
https://www.rotolight.com/product/neo-3-light-kit/

Only arrived thursday and only got as far as unpacking and powering up to check they were working so I can't give a detailed report yet.

With this kit allegedly gives 3&1/2 hours on 6 *AA batteries (18 for a full kit) I am sure with solar charger you could make a working remote set up.
BTW as optional extras are barn doors and soft boxes. (they will fit in the box)

BTW Where are you travelling? this may have a bearing.
 
jagraphics said:
Just been through a similar thing with lights myself. In my case I needed a kit that could run on batteries, was cool (not like tungsten or halogen) and was easy to transport. I went for this
https://www.rotolight.com/product/neo-3-light-kit/

Only arrived thursday and only got as far as unpacking and powering up to check they were working so I can't give a detailed report yet.

With this kit allegedly gives 3&1/2 hours on 6 *AA batteries (18 for a full kit) I am sure with solar charger you could make a working remote set up.
BTW as optional extras are barn doors and soft boxes. (they will fit in the box)

BTW Where are you travelling? this may have a bearing.
Click to expand...

That set up looks pretty decent. I am traveling to Aleutian Islands and other rural Alaska
locations. Small plane flying (you are fairly limited in the amount of baggage you can bring)
and in many places, there is limited transportations (3 or 4 wheel ATV's if I'm lucky) so I need
to be able to carry everything fairly easily by myself.
 
Liam Hall said:
Apurture LS1 is a no brainer for travel shooting. I used one in combo with a CameTV Boltzen 55 on this OMB production:

https://vimeo.com/209651992

PASSWORD: teacher
Click to expand...



Great for travel in general, but I think the OP is talking about featherweight travel.

The LS-1 is 6.7 pounds.

The BrightCast flexible LED panels are less than half the weight and take up far less room in a kit. They roll up into a cylinder shape and can be stored in a tube-

kamerar-brightcast-v15-variable-15-flexible-led-light-panel.jpg

22-02-20161456136760daylight-flex-light-3.jpg



These things are pretty damn bright and the ultimate travel light. You could roll up the light and store it in a cargo pant pocket. Combined with a D-Fuse collapsible soft box they make for a very small travel light package-

81KpLZGbE6L._SX425_.jpg
 
JPNola said:
Great for travel in general, but I think the OP is talking about featherweight travel.

The LS-1 is 6.7 pounds.

The BrightCast flexible LED panels are less than half the weight and take up far less room in a kit. They roll up into a cylinder shape and can be stored in a tube-

View attachment 122210

View attachment 122216



These things are pretty damn bright and the ultimate travel light. You could roll up the light and store it in a cargo pant pocket. Combined with a D-Fuse collapsible soft box they make for a very small travel light package-

View attachment 122217
Click to expand...

I am taking two of these to South America this week for a doc I am shooting, with the D-Fuse but also a 42" diffusion disc as the D-Fuse is a little small as a flattering, soft key. It's acceptable but I feel it works better as a fill source with a larger key. Gives a nice mix of soft source with just a touch of hard edged on it. FWIW, these lights, sans power supply, weigh 39oz each. Power supply and cable is a few more ounces but overall, on the lighter side. The tube shown above is not what you get from Brightcast anymore, they now come in a flat, pretty nice nylon case that has little loops to hold all of the cables and power supply. Not a bad case but I am just stuffing the lights into my Sachtler Dr. 3 bag with the power supplies in my one checked piece of baggage. When you are flying and must go light, I am now leaving cases behind and even my Cinebags CB-25 that I have dragged all over the world. The hot tip are a big backpack combined with piles of the Domke 19" neoprene wraps. Saves space and weight. Read this great article from our very own SlavikB, he has it all figured out, I think his packing and gear strategy here is top notch for a super light, small documentary filmmaking kit, season to taste for your own gear and needs. I just went from four cases and a backpack, with a Rock & Roller Micro to two cases and a backpack, no Rock & Roller needed. I shed over 100lbs off of my travel doc kit. Genius! http://alaskavideoshooter.com/documentary-filmmaking-kit-for-budget-air-travel/

Here is a picture with the new case they are shipping in

Brightcast.jpg
 
puredrifting said:
Liam:

Kudos on your filmmaking and storytelling skills, this is outstanding, very inspirational work. Nicely done! Like everything about it. Camera used? Sony? I love my LS 1Ss too.
Click to expand...

Thanks. And yes Sony FS7 and the crappy A6500 for thr timelapses at the end.

JPNola said:
Great for travel in general, but I think the OP is talking about featherweight travel.

The LS-1 is 6.7 pounds.

The BrightCast flexible LED panels are less than half the weight and take up far less room in a kit. They roll up into a cylinder shape and can be stored in a tube-
Click to expand...

I looked at another version of flexible LEDs but ultimately wasn't happy with the quality of light. Do these render decent colour?

BTW I always thought the refer light was the ultimate, shove down your pants, travel light. Someone should make one with a single source LED. Now that would be a thing...
 
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I have my Aladdin 2xBiFlex 50 kit inside a small bag when I need to travel light. They weight next to nothing so stands can be really small also. And these lights gives great colour and easy of use.
 
Osslund said:
I have my Aladdin 2xBiFlex 50 kit inside a small bag when I need to travel light. They weight next to nothing so stands can be really small also. And these lights gives great colour and easy of use.
Click to expand...

The Aladdin's are significantly more pricey. Maybe what you are paying for with that additional cost is this-

LiteMat LED's are something I am seeing used on feature films, by even the most scrupulous gaffers. So, apparently, the color output of the LiteMats is up to snuff. As someone said of the LiteMat's on another forum- "LiteGear is really the new standard". If I am not mistaken, Aladdin LED's are the same as LiteMat LED's. So with the more pricey Aladdins you are getting exceptional color quality.

I don't know how the Aladdins compare to the BrightCast as far as color quality. To my eye the BrightCasts, in daylight mode, seemed to have a nice output. No green-spike or Kino-Diva magenta.

As noted by PureD in another thread, U.S. buyers can go to the Kamerar website and use the "make an offer" function to purchase the BrightCasts. The website lists the price of a single unit at $499. Whereas an Aladdin 1x1 kit has a list price of $1,395.00.

The BrightCasts do not require a mounting frame as do the Aladdins. The support is built into the panel itself. For someone on a tight budget who isn't as concerned with color quality as a gaffer on a bigger budget might be, I think it is a no-brainer as far as BrightCasts vs Aladdins.

I want to thank Slavik Boyechko ( 'Alaskavideoshooter' ) of Alaska Public Media for the useful and highly detailed information he made available regarding a travel kit. The presentation is very well done. Everything is laid out in detail, illustrated, and explained. He gives away all his secrets willingly and generously. It's pretty much the "How To" for anyone looking to assemble a super-light production travel kit.

Here is a link to that page for anyone who missed it:

http://alaskavideoshooter.com/documentary-filmmaking-kit-for-budget-air-travel/


I could behave been misinformed as to there being a connection between the products from Kamerar / Aladdin & LiteGear / Litemat. A gaffer on a film was the person who claimed that they are essentially the same product. That is, they are both using the same LED's from the same supplier.
 
You pay once for the great Aladdin quality and then your done. I've never seen better colours from LEDs than what comes out of the Aladdin panels. Just nice light without any odd stuff going on. Certainly better than Astra panels which I also often use. The only downside is they can't be dimmed to lower than 20% but I've never experienced that to be a problem during these last of 18 months of ownership.

As far as colour accuracy Aladdin panels are on top of the top panels. Then they are very easy to assembly with or without softbox and all cables locks securely.
 
How many watts does the Brightcast 1x1' draw? Looked around the web, & could not find the answer, which gives me a bit of pause. Aladdin's Bi-Flex1 (1x1') draws 50W.

Aladdin Bi-Flex1's case looks significantly shorter than Brightcast's, but don't know the depth of either.

I love my Bi-Flex2 (1x2') & many a Gaffer have been impressed by them too, with several going on to purchase their own, but I'd like to add a couple of 1x1' panels. Of all the flexible panels Aladdin has the best accessories, & I'd likely choose the Bi-Flex1 over the Brightcast just so I could add a Aladdin China Ball.

I'm not bothered by the additional costs as these will be billed appropriately. My Bi-Flex2(s) paid for themselves in a few weeks, & been pure gravy ever since. The other Panels that intrigue me are the LiteMats, but I won't be buying in until they improve the cable connections.
 
puredrifting said:
I am taking two of these to South America this week for a doc I am shooting, with the D-Fuse but also a 42" diffusion disc as the D-Fuse is a little small as a flattering, soft key. It's acceptable but I feel it works better as a fill source with a larger key. Gives a nice mix of soft source with just a touch of hard edged on it. FWIW, these lights, sans power supply, weigh 39oz each. Power supply and cable is a few more ounces but overall, on the lighter side. The tube shown above is not what you get from Brightcast anymore, they now come in a flat, pretty nice nylon case that has little loops to hold all of the cables and power supply. Not a bad case but I am just stuffing the lights into my Sachtler Dr. 3 bag with the power supplies in my one checked piece of baggage. When you are flying and must go light, I am now leaving cases behind and even my Cinebags CB-25 that I have dragged all over the world. The hot tip are a big backpack combined with piles of the Domke 19" neoprene wraps. Saves space and weight. Read this great article from our very own SlavikB, he has it all figured out, I think his packing and gear strategy here is top notch for a super light, small documentary filmmaking kit, season to taste for your own gear and needs. I just went from four cases and a backpack, with a Rock & Roller Micro to two cases and a backpack, no Rock & Roller needed. I shed over 100lbs off of my travel doc kit. Genius! http://alaskavideoshooter.com/documentary-filmmaking-kit-for-budget-air-travel/

Here is a picture with the new case they are shipping in

View attachment 122218
Click to expand...

Slavik's posts on Alaska Video Shooter and Gear Dads were also a huge inspiration for me when I was building out my kit. The combination of Domke wraps, F-945 pouches, and Porta Brace stuff sacks is not only a great way to pack, but it's also become an essential part of organizing my gear so that I can mix and match parts of my kit for different use cases. I really took the idea of three bags (backpack, overhead carry on, and checked bag) to heart for my own kit and thanks to Slavik's posts I was able to make it happen. I've traveled with it by train on several shoots now, and I'll be testing it for air travel for the first time down to Texas next week!
 
Bern Caughey said:
How many watts does the Brightcast 1x1' draw? Looked around the web, & could not find the answer, which gives me a bit of pause.
Click to expand...

According to my paperwork and looking at the power supply, 59 watts. I used the pair to light an 8x8 green screen with no issues last weekend. To my eye, they look about as bright as a 300 to 400 watt tungsten fresnel, but that's an estimate. I believe the SMDs are much brighter than the 5mm LED bulbs as there not that many on the panel (256, I think?) yet it seems pretty bright.
 
craftyphotons said:
I really took the idea of three bags (backpack, overhead carry on, and checked bag) ..... and I'll be testing it for air travel for the first time down to Texas next week!
Click to expand...

Down Under we get ONE overhead bag (up to 7kgs and a size restriction), possibly one shoulder style bag for a laptop and everything else gets checked.

JPNola said:
I want to thank Slavik Boyechko ( 'Alaskavideoshooter' ) of Alaska Public Media for the useful and highly detailed information he made available regarding a travel kit.
Click to expand...
+1 that is a great article
 
Let's get back on track here. The OP was looking for an LED that is great for travel. And I took it from his post that he was meaning adventure travel / doc shooting:

"I will be traveling to a remote area and walking
with gear for a couple miles "

Super lightweight kit, lights that store very compactly, lights that could get wet in the rain, lights that don't break the bank. Lights that could be stuffed in a backpack if needed.

That's the Brightcasts, imo. They can be operated off the small "dv" size camera batteries. High light output for their size and weight.

Add in that the OP can get a complete Brightcast kit with travel case for $500 if not less...it's a no-brainer.

Alladins, LiteMats...was what the other one someone mentioned? Oh yes, Quasar Science. Lovely lights, all. Very high-end. I plan on getting some LiteMats myself. But probably not what the OP needs.
 
JPNola said:
Let's get back on track here. The OP was looking for an LED that is great for travel. And I took it from his post that he was meaning adventure travel / doc shooting:
Click to expand...

The OP also said he was filming in the exact same type of locations featured in the video I posted earlier in the thread. If he is, and he has similar temperatures to those I faced in the arctic, there's a decent chance those Brightcast LEDs will fail, particularly if they are just stuffed in a pocket while being transported. Personally, I think the OP should arrange a lift from the airport, forget walking with kit and choose a lighting set-up that is more robust and has more punch as it can get very bright with old that snow and a low sun up north.
 
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