Looking for good on-camera light for under $2000

T

tommyd

New member
I have an HVX200 and shoot interviews at clubs, outdoors, red carpet events, studios, etc...Quick work with little set-up time. I need a good light that runs off battery power - no XLR, camera battery or the heavy belt pack. Also, since most shoots are at night, I need it to be tungsten balanced, but also need quick way to balance for daylight (probably gels).

I've been borrowing a Litepanels 25w (about $1K or so) and I like it, except it seems to dim on its own, particularly when the battery is low. I don't know if this indicates a problem (it has been used a lot) or is indicative of the quality of the light.

Also, I don't know much about comprable lights from Frezzolini, PAG, Bescor, etc...

Any tips or recommendations would be much appreciated.

:dankk2:
 
Also, forgot...1 thing I hate about the Litepanels is no on/off switch. Also, I keep thinking I will lose that small connector cable.
 
zylight z90 . coolest thing going. dialable kelvin,dimmer,every color of the rainbow, set them up remote control. size of a drink box. wow . i have 2 .
 
second vote for the z90 - so cool I've got two! Does everything the litepanel will do and more. The adjustable color temp is awesome. Changing colors is pretty cool too. Havent found a good reason to use the remote function, but it does work perfectly. Great for on camera and have even used them for interviews as key and kicker when there is no power available. Only bad thing I can say is they get really hot. Those heatsinks arent for show...
 
jetaddiction@mac.com said:
zylight z90 . coolest thing going. dialable kelvin,dimmer,every color of the rainbow, set them up remote control. size of a drink box. wow . i have 2 .
Click to expand...


But what is the power source for the z90? It looks like a super cool light and I love the switchable temp/color function, but is it practical for shooting interviews? I mean after 20 minutes, is it so hot that you can't touch w/out gloves? And is there a rechargeable battery b/c it looked to me like it was either camera battery or the belt? Thanks for the advice.
 
Uses whatever 12v power source you have, no internal batteries. 12v tekkeon, anton bauer, v-lock, 12v belt... I have an AB plate on the back of my rails and a zylight to dtap cable going into a splitter that also powers my monitor. The back where the controls are never gets too hot to touch. The head of the light where all of the fins are gets pretty darn hot. Not as hot as a tungsten light but hotter than I generally like to grab. Probably only a minor burn :) Still very adjustable though by grabbing the back end and moving it around.
 
never gets so hot you can,t pick them up. cools down quick. any cheep 12v works great. powerfull little things. nice even spread of light .
 
I second (or third) the vote for a Zylight Z-90. You can get 2 for the price you mentioned ( within a few bucks). I just finished a week long industrial shoot, and mine was invaluable for the changing color temps.
From side lighting small parts, to keying a standup interview, they are hard to beat....
I do find that they can be slightly underpowered for an interview session, unless they are just out of frame line, but this depends on your set up and location.
Good luck...
 
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