On Camera LED lights

DigitalBard

DigitalBard

Well-known member
Any recommendations for On Camera LED lights?

I am looking at the Z96 light recommended by the CheeseyCam site. I think I'd prefer something dimmable, but I'm seeing 76 and 128 LED lights for under $40 shipped (non dimmable, though).
 
just got 2 Z96s....they are THE best LED lights for the $!!!
they are dimmable.
for me, the 3 best features are:
1. very soft/diffuse/even spread, no hotspots!
2. bright enough to fill shadows even in daylight.
3. small size, flat shape fits easily in any bag and on any camera.

oh, and they're only $100 each!!!
AND they're stackable.
AND they can take AA or Sony batteries.
AND the diffusion and 3200k gels are super easy to put on.

i can't recommend these highly enough!

my one and only complaint is that the cover to the AA battery compartment is a pain to remove.

don't waste your money on other lights. i threw $300 down the drain buying a LP Micro. that thing wasn't bright at all and made an ugly hotspot that was unusable. when i throw a Z96 on my camera and pan, i can't tell that i've got a light on. it just looks like the scene is naturally brighter! trust me, you want something bright that is also very soft and diffuse.

get one now, you won't be sorry. =)
 
Hi ! Where did you get them at 100 bucks ? I have looked everywhere and they seem like around 300. The ones I am looking at are the HDV-Z96, are they the same units ? Also with both diffusion and CC gel, how far can they light up a subject in a very dark room? Thanks
 
price has gone up a little:
http://lacolorshop.com/products/item.asp?id=z96

i'm amazed to see these sold elsewhere for 3X as much!
buy directly from Taky at lacolorshop. he's very helpful (and on these forums) and will ship your item quickly.

in a dark room, they'll light up the entire room.
but if you're looking for a spotlight to use on a narrow target from far away, you should stick with tungsten or halogen lights.

these have enough umpf to raise shadows and bring up the general light levels so you can avoid bumping the iso past 400. or you can go wild with them and turn them all the way up and make a dark room suddenly completely and unnaturally bright!

my main priority is to keep the lighting natural. to work with what is available 'naturally' and just subtly boost it so that i get a clean and viewable image. these lights do that. other LEDs spot too much and as you pan your camera the audience can tell you have a spotlight on your camera. whereas with the z96s, the fill is so wide and diffuse that it just looks like the whole scene is lit as you pan.

i hope the price doesn't go up, i'd like to pick up a couple more in the near future!
 
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