On Video Light Suggestion

My photographer is using the Comer 1800 light on his Canon 5D. It doesn't look too big on it. But for sure it adds weight. He use the NP-F770 and NP-F570 battery. The 770 battery gives 2 hours of run time. but it reduces the size and weight of the setup.
 
i think the 1800 on the hmc40 or a dslr is too unbalanced/heavy/awkward.
some people apparently don't care or don't ever take it off a tripod.
but if i chose to get a hmc40 due to its smaller size, i wouldn't mount an 1800 on top which is about 1/2 the size of the hmc40. i think the 900 is more comparable in size/weight to the other light you got and is proportional in size/weight to your camera.
just something to consider.
 
Looks like I will either stick with my Luxmen LEDPro X6 or get the Comer 900 then... darnit.

I think Comer should really consider putting an actual dimmer dial on their 900 model. That could very well make it the ULTIMATE on-cam LED lighting product.

Most of my on-cam lighting work is either done with tripod or Monopod and I might consider one of those HALO rings that everybody seems to be wanting to sell their mothers for.
 
Heh, okay but seriously... how well does the HALO rig work? How would it benefit my video shooting capacity, in say, a guest panel shoot, interview, or masquerade shoot?
 
it works very well.
better than without any support at all and more versatile and less cumbersome than a shoulder rig. if you do a lot of handheld shooting, the halo is a necessary tool (or the Multirig Pro from dvtec).
 
Hi I thought I would bring up an old thread rather then start a new one.

Though the sales people at the stores might be bias in trying to get me to buy the most expensive stuff, I do believe that on camera flood light is far far more powerful than ANY on-cam LED can possibly do. So much so that you would need either a diffuser or a mini softbox to soften your light up.

I have a pretty good LED on camera light now... pretty good for LED anyways. I have some potential night club gigs coming... they don't pay well but I want to do a good job anyways so I'm not sure if it is worth my $ investing in a mini fill Frezzi.... actually I don't mind paying for the light, I just don't like paying for the battery system. Which brings me to another point:

Are these Anton Bauer batteries compatible with other camera accessories, like the steadicam monitor? I believe they are but then how long do they last? I can't seem to get a straight answer from the sales people and I'm not yielding useful info that can help me making a purchase decision on these Frezzis and AB batteries...

Thanks
 
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chromeboy007 said:
Hi I thought I would bring up an old thread rather then start a new one.

Though the sales people at the stores might be bias in trying to get me to buy the most expensive stuff, I do believe that on camera flood light is far far more powerful than ANY on-cam LED can possibly do. So much so that you would need either a diffuser or a mini softbox to soften your light up.

I have a pretty good LED on camera light now... pretty good for LED anyways. I have some potential night club gigs coming... they don't pay well but I want to do a good job anyways so I'm not sure if it is worth my $ investing in a mini fill Frezzi.... actually I don't mind paying for the light, I just don't like paying for the battery system. Which brings me to another point:

Are these Anton Bauer batteries compatible with other camera accessories, like the steadicam monitor? I believe they are but then how long do they last? I can't seem to get a straight answer from the sales people and I'm not yielding useful info that can help me making a purchase decision on these Frezzis and AB batteries...

Thanks
Click to expand...

Chromeboy:

I have a few comments on your observations:

  • You are totally correct that the tungsten bulb based products like the mini fill have far more "power" than any on-camera LED product, including the Zylight. With the power you do get heat and energy consumption, but both are totally manageable.
  • Very few people understand how light is measured and compared, so dont bother getting into any technical discussions on here about LED vs tungsten, it's useless.
  • AB batteries have wide compatability, it all depends on the connector. The Frezzi has several different connector types, get the one that matches the monitor on the Frezzi.
  • The AB and B&H in-house brand of batteries have an amazing amount of run-time. Someting low wattage like the monitor would run for several shoots most likely.
  • Only get a dimmable Frezzi, they are bright.
As an example of how far off peoples knowlege of lighting is, probably most if not all laymen believe the "whiter" higher K automotive headlight bulbs produce longer nighttime visibility. I.E. the Silverstar bulb. Of course this is incorrect. In using general common sense, how would a tungsten bulb with the same power consumption (watts) and thermal performance (to prevent melting the housing) be brighter when it is tinted a shade of blue? Consumer Reports also tested 5 Silverstarish bulbs in multiple vehicles way back in January 2006 and found they reduced visibility when you actually measure the visibility distances. Other knowledgeable people have also found this http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/blue/good/good.html
 
chromeboy007 said:
Thanks Jeff.

Is this a good deal?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/570576-REG/Frezzolini_FRMFIC12PK1_Mini_Fill_Dimmer_Kit.html
Click to expand...

It seems like more than I paid, but that was a long time ago and mine came with a different battery setup.

A 100 watt one will have major power. If you get it, take a look at the other bulbs available. You can get different wattages and beam patterns.

I also use the 4-pin XLR rather than that connector so the connector wont lose contact when I do something dumb, but you need to match the monitor.

The adjustable micro-fill is also a lower cost option to look at. I have one and it is usually my preferred light over the mini. But Im not shooting in a nightclub.
 
I dont know anything about your LED lights specs.

Here is the Micro-Fills specs with a 35 watt FTH bulb:

Lamps
[FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]Item No.[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]Model No.[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]Watts[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]Volts[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]Kelvin[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]Life (hrs)[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]fc@5'[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]Beam Sp.[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]Bulb Type[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]97011[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]FTH[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]35[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]12-14[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]3200K[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]2000[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]103[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]30deg flood[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]Tung.[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]97012[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]FTD[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]20[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]12-14[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]3200K[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]2000[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]52[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]30deg flood[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]Tung.[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]97105[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]FAB-10[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]10[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]12-14[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]5600K[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]1000[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]40[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]25deg flood[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]HMI[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]97111*[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]FAB-15[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]15[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]12-14[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]5600K[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]525[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]160[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]25deg flood[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]HMI[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]
All lamps measured with clear glass except FAB-10 and FAB-15 All Lamps supplied with diffused glass for soft professional output.
*Note FAB-15 for new MRAX2 Dimmer Micro HMI only.​
[/FONT]

Energy Used35 Watts

Volts12

Bulb ShapeMR-11

BaseGZ4

Beam Spread30°

Class and FilamentC-8

Diameter (in)1.390

Length (in)1.380

Average Rated Life (hr)2,000

Light Output1300 Candle Power

Color Temperature (Kelvin)
thermo_slider.png

3,200K

GE #FTH

The Luminous Intensity of a source is the number of lumens or rays it emits. Luminous intensity, candlepower, is expressed in units of candles or candelas. Candles are really a measure of lumens per steradian, which is a cone shaped sector of the total space around the light source. Think of candlepower as a measure of the number of rays emanating from the source.

Footcandles are the measure of how many rays fall on a 1 foot square card. Lux is the measure of how many rays fall on a one meter square card, and phots use a tiny card 1 centimeter square. These three units; lux, phot, and footcandle; all measure exactly the same thing: illumination, but at different scales.


Check to see if your current light has any specifications you can evaluate.
 
Alright, I went ahead and looked up the Microbeam 128 specs:
746 lux at 3 feet
218 lux at 6 feet

Alright, the table in the post above is not readable, but the Mini-Fill with the 35watt FTH published specs are 103 footcandles at 5 feet.

One footcandles is 10.764 lux.

103 footcandles X 10.764 lux/footcandle = 1,108.7 lux

The Mini-Fill is more than 30% brighter at 5 feet than the Microbeam is at 3 feet.

Tungsten has much more capacity for illumination than LED, especially as distances are greater due to the nature of a tungsten bulb producing more light rays (candlepower) due to the open filament.
 
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