puredrifting
Major Contributor
I bought the Nanguang RGB88 (now discontinued) largely based upon Andrew's video. It's been a decent little cheap light. Not nearly as versatile as the Luxli Cello but a lot less money too.
Light package various brands recommendations
- Thread starter M.R.
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rob norton
Veteran
Andrew is awesome. When most people are watching Ozark you can tune into his YT for a 45 minute deep dive of LED lighting menus!
As well as expensive equipment he owns several lower priced options (low priced in production world, not YT studio world). But just because a pro Gaffer owns some cheaper equipment doesn't mean it's the right approach everytime.
One major reason Andrew is able to maximise budget alternatives is buying more than one of each light, which travel in the large van. This means if a light goes down on set, he likely has multiple replacements ready to go. Compare this with a OMB going cheap on their single, main workhorse key light. If it goes down the production value takes a major hit.
Also, there's obvioulsy a sweet spot where good value and costing less vs. the cheapest products available are two different things.
From the OP's list, here's my quick breakdown:
- There won't be much difference between nearly all of the monolights, small panels and ring lights in this price bracket. If you're on the fence, it won't likely matter what you choose.
- These brands are great to refer to for specialty lights e.g. godox flexible lights or Nanlite's compac series.
Standouts:
- Useful size/shape - https://smithvictor.com/product/acies32/
- Could be handy as out of focus background blobs (not cheap) - https://smithvictor.com/product/orbit360-pro-led-kits/
- Bowens sphere diffuser - https://www.protog.com.au/jinbei-50cm-soft-ball-diffuser-with-bowens-mount/JBSOFTBALL50
- Ledgo Alta and Nanlite Pavolite look like pretty good tubes but are approaching Astera prices (in Australia), but with zero name recognition and nowhere near as much functionality - https://www.protog.com.au/ledgo-120w-alta-tube-rgb-4-foot-led-light/LGALTA120C
- This shouldn't exist - https://www.protog.com.au/ledgo-150-4-panel-barn-doors/LG1504BD
Trvia: In one of the 'Tiger King' episodes, Doc "Bhagavan" Antle used a GVM (Great Video Maker!?) panel to light a video where he filmed a Chimpanzee's birthday party.
For my needs, I'd go with a single Forza 500 vs. 20 lights that look like they fell out of a cereal box. If I was to go ultra cheap I'd just dive deep into the DIY/hardware side of things, where value is further maximised. You hear all kinds of stories of cobbled together light bulbs on Roger Deakins' sets. Charles P has shared some DIY projects (can't remember the set ups). My point is the dirt cheap LED options are still by and large, a distraction, gimmick, and money down the toilet.
As well as expensive equipment he owns several lower priced options (low priced in production world, not YT studio world). But just because a pro Gaffer owns some cheaper equipment doesn't mean it's the right approach everytime.
One major reason Andrew is able to maximise budget alternatives is buying more than one of each light, which travel in the large van. This means if a light goes down on set, he likely has multiple replacements ready to go. Compare this with a OMB going cheap on their single, main workhorse key light. If it goes down the production value takes a major hit.
Also, there's obvioulsy a sweet spot where good value and costing less vs. the cheapest products available are two different things.
From the OP's list, here's my quick breakdown:
- There won't be much difference between nearly all of the monolights, small panels and ring lights in this price bracket. If you're on the fence, it won't likely matter what you choose.
- These brands are great to refer to for specialty lights e.g. godox flexible lights or Nanlite's compac series.
Standouts:
- Useful size/shape - https://smithvictor.com/product/acies32/
- Could be handy as out of focus background blobs (not cheap) - https://smithvictor.com/product/orbit360-pro-led-kits/
- Bowens sphere diffuser - https://www.protog.com.au/jinbei-50cm-soft-ball-diffuser-with-bowens-mount/JBSOFTBALL50
- Ledgo Alta and Nanlite Pavolite look like pretty good tubes but are approaching Astera prices (in Australia), but with zero name recognition and nowhere near as much functionality - https://www.protog.com.au/ledgo-120w-alta-tube-rgb-4-foot-led-light/LGALTA120C
- This shouldn't exist - https://www.protog.com.au/ledgo-150-4-panel-barn-doors/LG1504BD
Trvia: In one of the 'Tiger King' episodes, Doc "Bhagavan" Antle used a GVM (Great Video Maker!?) panel to light a video where he filmed a Chimpanzee's birthday party.
For my needs, I'd go with a single Forza 500 vs. 20 lights that look like they fell out of a cereal box. If I was to go ultra cheap I'd just dive deep into the DIY/hardware side of things, where value is further maximised. You hear all kinds of stories of cobbled together light bulbs on Roger Deakins' sets. Charles P has shared some DIY projects (can't remember the set ups). My point is the dirt cheap LED options are still by and large, a distraction, gimmick, and money down the toilet.
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Run&Gun
Veteran
I'll have to check out his channel. I like Luke Seerveld's stuff.
Lotsa good points.
And if something costs almost as much as Astera, go ahead and buy Astera. I just wish their current stuff would had been around like 10-15 years ago. Lord, life would have been so much easier.
To give perhaps a bit of an extreme analogy:
This is like buying a Blackmagic Design camera vs some random kickstarter camera.
Sure, sometimes the Blackmagic has its issues now and then, but they're still a much safer bet than some random camera you haven't heard of. And Blackmagic still gives you really really good performance for your pennies!
And if you ignore all those randoms (as sometimes a random kickstarter camera is amazing, such as Digital Bolex, usually they're not), then you don't need to waste hundreds of hours researching them if they're legit worthwhile or not, and you can focus your research on a more narrow range of avenues to investigate such as: original URSA Mini vs Mini Pro G2 vs Pocket 6K??
Thus the case for sticking to say Aputure, Dracast, Came-TV, or Godox plus a few others (which is still a very broad range of options!! You could easily lose hundreds of hours just investigating those brands), and just ignore the random no names brands you haven't even heard of.
To carry on my camera/lighting analogy....
While buying an ARRI branded light, is like.... well, buying an ARRI camera! ha
morgan_moore
Major Contributor
THe trouble is Im not sure you know what you are getting with some of the 'name brands' I was on a set given a small Litepanel to do some fill. I was tightening it onto a baby pin and just shattered it as I attempted to tightening it down.
A cheap brand of 1/3 the price one could have at least had two spares on set for the same money.
I think especially Vitec one can be just buying rebranded rubbish. There are very few proper brands left. Arri and Sound Devices come to mind.
morgan_moore
Major Contributor
On the subject of tightening down.. I much recommend Neewer panels in the bargain department.
I have these simple litle panels (hair and feature light not keylight)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Neewer-Dim...d=1587139636&sprefix=neewer+li,aps,153&sr=8-4
The yokes are exceptionally well constructed.
S
I have these simple litle panels (hair and feature light not keylight)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Neewer-Dim...d=1587139636&sprefix=neewer+li,aps,153&sr=8-4
The yokes are exceptionally well constructed.
S
Throwing another name in there that I shouldn't have forgotten... Intellytech. Colorado-based, very responsive the one time I had an issue with a light (embarassingly my fault, but they didn't make me feel like too much of an ass), and... good lord, read the output specs on a Light Cannon Bi-Color Pro 2. I've used some of their light cloth fixtures and own a Light Canon F165 (perfect presentation lifter light). Sturdy... a PA once dropped the F-165 from about 5 feet. Barn doors dented, and an inner attachment came unplugged (fixed in a matter of moments after the job). Good light quality at an unstupid price.
Bern Caughey
Veteran
Andrew ditched all his 1.2K HMI Fresnels, & smaller, for four Forza 500 LEDs with Fresnel Lens modifiers. Says the Forza is actually brighter.
In case anyone’s interested B&H has a 25% off sale on the Forza 500, & 300.
Gaffer & Gear 84 Forza 500 Fresnel
https://youtu.be/34-VlTbHEnE
morgan_moore
Major Contributor
You have to watch that video very carefuly - to some extent the video made me not trust him.
He say 4 times they are brighter.. then says at the end they are not brighter!
He say the forzas are brighter (than a 12.k) until you bounce them from a ceiling.. which makes me beleive they may be more spottable and therefore get more lux on a small set but in actuallity on a larger set the forzas are not brighter than a 1.2k
He contradicts himself and shows a limit to his knowledge.
Im not knocking the forzas though as Im not into HMI ownership as they buzz have colour shift etc.
(Id prefer let a gaffer worry about all of that if I do bigger shoots)
Run&Gun
Veteran
Yep, which is why I mentioned that pretty much anything from any brand can fail. Vitec/Litepanels Astra's are a good example. But I don't know if it's necessarily a case of them just rebranding cheap stuff as much as just poor design/engineering choices. But again, nothing is 100% bulletproof. I've seen lots knobs get damaged over the years by people thinking they need to crank down on it like they're putting a lugnut back on a wheel on an 18-wheeler and I've lost count the number of times it's been a group effort to remove a lens from an ENG camera, because someone cranked the mount ring down like they were closing the hatch on a submarine. I've even seen times it took Channel Locks to loosen the mount. Completely unnecessary. You're a big boy, Sam, you need to take it easy on the gear... ; ) Lo.l All that being said, I don't like the knobs on most of Litepanels modern stuff.
Regarding buying multiple copies of less expensive gear. I've heard that argument for years. "It only costs 25% or 50% so I can buy 2 to 4 times as many and have spares". True, but at some point, you're going to run out of room for the "spares"(although in most cases, you should have some spares, just in-case, anyway).
The long and the short of it is, it's all a balancing act and we have LOTS of choices. You have to weigh out cost, performance, reliability, support, your needs and your clients needs.
Run&Gun
Veteran
I like Intellytech, as well. I have three of their lights. Two bi-color 2'x2' Litecloth's and their 3'x4.5' Mega Litecloth. The light quality is great, but they're not built to be "rental units". You defiantly don't want the old surly union guy or first day utility/grip/pa handling them. Lol. Of course if they were built like Arri's, they'd be priced like Arri's.
morgan_moore
Major Contributor
I Vitec has a history of stuff being designed by frustrated cam ops who made thier own products (smallHD litepanesl wooden camera) to bean counting engineers - my 'lite panel' I crushed I was not tightening it like one needs to tighten a tractor wheel
IN terms of , in fact, buying any product, (lights cams grip) we all need to know our personal game.. as you say - weight cost performance reliability.
Im considering maybe 3 150 lights or 1 300 light.. about the same cost.
Clearly (?) 6 60 lights would be too much of a fungle.. or would they?
3 150s is probably brighter than a single 300 and gives some failure redundacncy, and the ability to light maybe down a corridor or two rooms for a Movi move - in exchange for taking longer to rig and probably not creating a good 'faux sun'. 3 lights also take more room in the van and take 3x longer to rig. Only experience of my shoots can say if one 300 or 3 150s is a better solution. And my answer may not be the same as others
rob norton
Veteran
That's some pretty agressive pricing. I imagine they're bracing for the arrival of the aputure 600d.
Forza 500 vs. Aputure 600d will be interesting. Give us the Forza 1000!
Lot's of replies!
I read them diagonally, I'll read them more in depth later.
I found an interesting review on the GVM 80W.
For those who were interested in this fixture as it offers so much Watt for the money. It seems to have overheating problems when running on max brightness, turning itself off after 10 to 15 mins. Shown in the video link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DkkFPKSKZU
I'm not too much a fan of panels, unless they're like an Arri Skypanel or such.
But that Lupo Smartpanel does seem very sexy with a very attractive price. I'll probably try one.
It would have been even better if there was a 5600K only option.
I read them diagonally, I'll read them more in depth later.
I found an interesting review on the GVM 80W.
For those who were interested in this fixture as it offers so much Watt for the money. It seems to have overheating problems when running on max brightness, turning itself off after 10 to 15 mins. Shown in the video link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DkkFPKSKZU
I'm not too much a fan of panels, unless they're like an Arri Skypanel or such.
But that Lupo Smartpanel does seem very sexy with a very attractive price. I'll probably try one.
It would have been even better if there was a 5600K only option.
morgan_moore
Major Contributor
if there was a 5600K only option
I own acouple of original lupo panels. I was all up for buying white only to get max brightess.
Well duo colour lupos are as bright as white only - I actually checked that with a camera before buying the duo colour versions.
They make them such that the fan/driver could not drive all the light souces on full.
I own acouple of original lupo panels. I was all up for buying white only to get max brightess.
Well duo colour lupos are as bright as white only - I actually checked that with a camera before buying the duo colour versions.
They make them such that the fan/driver could not drive all the light souces on full.
Run&Gun
Veteran
I don’t see myself buying anymore ‘5600k only’ LED’s(only if they introduce true HMI replacements). Part of the beauty of bi-color LED’s is being able to work in any color ambient light- easily. And now with RGB/RGBW/RGBWW/RGBAW fixtures, creative avenues have gotten wider and quicker and easier to get on. Going back in my mind over my light purchases over the last ~two or three years, only four were 5600k only: a set of Nila Boxers and a set of Ice Light 2’s. Both of which have sat WAY more than they have worked. I don’t regret the Ice Lights, even though I wish they were bi-color, but honestly the Boxers were a waste of money. Everything else I’ve bought in the same time period is either bi-color or RGBAW/RGBWW/RGBW.
Second for Intellytech. I have three F-165 bi-color Fresnels, and a 3-head kit of their daylight Pocket Cannon lights. Tons of output. I'm really eyeing one of the new Light Cannon Pro units, which are powerful enough to pull some outdoor duties.
And their customer support cannot be beat.
We used the LightCloth LC-160 on a feature a couple years ago and it also has a very nice, bright, smooth output. Made a good splash of moonlight spilling into a fire-lit log cabin.
For me, this really depends on which light and intended use. The downside to most bi-color LEDs is that you get only half the maximum output at either end, and only get 100% output in the middle. Daylight-only maximizes the power, and I can always gel if I need to move toward tungsten. The RGBW, etc., are interesting, and open up the door for tons of effects without having a roll of party gels on hand. I tend to work on a base daylight temp, though, and only rarely nowadays use tungsten even though my F-165 Light Cannons are bi-color. Though, the Light Cannons use a COB design which they say maintains fairly consistent output throughout the spectrum, but still I find daylight more workable.
I would be careful using RGB lights it can produce wacky colors.
On the daylight only, I think it's down to preference and how quick you have to be...
Most important reason for me preferring 5600k only is output power.
I didn't know that.
Thanks for the info Morgan!
A bit off topic, but has anyone any experience with Cinelight? (https://cinelight.com/)
More specifically their light stands and grip.
It seems well made at attractive prices. There aren't many reviews though, but all seem positive.
They are based in EU which is a good thing for me regarding shipping.
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Run&Gun
Veteran
You're absolutely right. And why I mentioned true HMI replacements. Outside during the day is usually the only time I need "all the power I can get", and right now LED's still fall a little short, regardless of 5600K only, so my HMI's still see the lions share of the action in those situations(although I do augment with LED's).
RGBW, etc. lights have brought color back, like in the 90's. Now you have pretty much every single gel that Lee and Rosco make, available at the 'push of a button' in an app, at least with certain brands. And of course you can also dial in anything you like.
Run&Gun
Veteran
Yep. If memory serves me, early Arri's were RGB, not RGBW(not sure if they still are or not, I use Gemini's not SkyPanels. The Gemini's have better white light rendition). All of mine are either RGBW or RGBAW/WW, with the exception of the Hives, but they're using five or seven different colors of emitters.