Led panel or generator or battery + inverter???

Doug_EX

Doug_EX

Well-known member
Hi,

I want a solution to light my subject outdoors...not in very bright conditions of course. It would be mostly when shooting in cloudy condition (for a fill light), end of the day or even indoors when I don't have access to 120v.

My current lights are :
1 1000w softbox
2 Arri fresnels 650
1 Arri Fresnel 150
2 divas 400

I think I have 3 options...

1. Buy a Honda gas generator (EU2000i)

2. Buy a marine battery an inverter (2-3000w)

3. Buy some battery powered led panels

The option no 3 would the most expensive because I don't own a battery brick system (V-lock/AB). Also, I am a one man band and my lights dont get used that often...I do alot of editing so my lights are often laying in my shop. So, buying new lights that will not be used that often seems to be not that good of an investment.

The gas generator could also be use at home when we're out of electricity but will be the loudest system when shooting video. Anyone tried a marine battery and inverter?

Thanks!
 
2000 watts isn't very much looking at your lighting, two lights would be the practical limit. So a few of the smaller invertor style generators, or a bigger thing like 4kw or even 6kw might be a better choice.

One thing thing to look for is peak rating vs. continuous rating on generators. Most of the small ones are peak rated, so at 2kw peak you might only have 1.5kw cont.
 
I won't be using all of my lights at the same time. A 2000w (1600w continuous) generator would be enough for my needs.
 
Generator is the easiest and most versatile solution here. Marine batteries are a pain, require recharging that takes hours, and are very heavy. What if your shoot runs longer than you thought and your only source of power dies? You can't just fill it up with your gas tank like you could the generator.

I wouldn't worry about noise either. You might have to get about 200-300' of extension cable, but those 2000's are pretty quiet.
 
The modern inverter generators are quiet and light weight. Multiple generators make sense, what if one dies? You might look at renting them when needed and pass the cost back through the production costs.
 
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