Re: Bi-Color vs 5600K LED Lights

E

ectobuilder

Veteran
Re: Bi-Color vs 5600K LED Lights

For studio work and on-location work, is it practical to invest in Bi-Color LED Lights? Or is it better to just purchase 5600K balanced LED lights?

I feel like the Bi-Color offers flexibility but you lose half the light output because half of the LED's are dedicated to either the outdoor balanced white or the indoor balanced white.

What do you think?

Also how much wattage can a single AC outlet output without tripping the fuse?
 
I had 5600k LED panels but never felt they were a good light source so I switched to bi-colour panels. These are much better so even with less output they are better and more versatile.
 
Also, I forgot to ask what kind of clamp do you use to hang an LED light (i.e. 500 or 1000 LED Light) from a truss overhead?
 
editman said:
I had 5600k LED panels but never felt they were a good light source so I switched to bi-colour panels. These are much better so even with less output they are better and more versatile.
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Another question: Three 500 LED lights seems the same price as a single 1200 LED Light, would you therefore go with 3 x 500 or 1 x 1200?

What do you think is sufficient to flood a 10ft x 20ft backdrop (10ft vertically and the rest is on the floor).
 
To sufficiently flood a 10 X 20 area requires a few other elements in the equation to calculate. Namely the distance from the led panels to the backdrop ( considering it is aimed squarely at the backdrop from tripod(s) ) and if mounted on the ceiling looking down at the backdrop at an angle, would cause unevenness of illumination from top to bottom of the backdrop. Also " sufficient flood" means different values to different users, While a direct reflected reading from a white surface backdrop may seem bright enough, it really may not be adequate for most subjects. Distance from light source to subject may really be the deciding factor in determining the luminosity needed rather than to the backdrop. As a very rough number off the top of my head, a distance of 12 feet from led source to average person ( and also depending on ASA on the camera) would require a minimum value of 400 to 600 lux on the subject. 3 of the 500 led units ( I need the specs on those to calculate more accurately ) at a distance of 12 feet from the subject , may need to output each around 3300 lux at 3 FT or around 10000 lux at 3ft. ( all 3 combined) in order to arrive at a figure of 600 lux at 12 eet. ( light drops intensity/luminosity 4X LESS to each doubling of distance, inverse square law.) So assuming a 12 foot distance . those 3 panels may have to be each equivalent to a 200 watt halo. for a total of 600 watts halo. equiv.
Consider that specs on leds are generally overrated.
 
If most of your work are shooting outdoor during the day, then a 5600K light would be a great choice. Otherwise, I would prefer bi-color for flexibility.
 
ectobuilder said:
Also how much wattage can a single AC outlet output without tripping the fuse?
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To answer this part of the question:

A good rule of thumb is to multiple the amps available on the circuit (generally 15amps or 20amps) by 100 (for the voltage; which is actually 120, but by using 100, it provides you a safety margin). That will give you an estimate as to how many watts you can put on a circuit before the breaker trips. Generally speaking (i.e. as long as the building is up to code wiring) you could theoretically load one single outlet on a 15amp circuit with 15 amps and be fine. The wiring in the wall should not be a choking point for the electrical system, the breaker is supposed to be. If you are shooting in a really old building that may not be up to code I would try and spread out the power as much as possible and give yourself nice safety margins.

I hope that answered your question.

(Also, to hit that amount with LEDs would require a TON of LED panels. For example, the proposed 1200 LED from Coollights says it will draw about 200w, but produce an output akin to a 2K tungsten lamp. If you have 1500w of LEDs, it would be quite bright indeed)
 
JPM Photography said:
To answer this part of the question:

A good rule of thumb is to multiple the amps available on the circuit (generally 15amps or 20amps) by 100 (for the voltage; which is actually 120, but by using 100, it provides you a safety margin). That will give you an estimate as to how many watts you can put on a circuit before the breaker trips. Generally speaking (i.e. as long as the building is up to code wiring) you could theoretically load one single outlet on a 15amp circuit with 15 amps and be fine. The wiring in the wall should not be a choking point for the electrical system, the breaker is supposed to be. If you are shooting in a really old building that may not be up to code I would try and spread out the power as much as possible and give yourself nice safety margins.
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Also that outlet is probably part of a circuit that might have outlets in other locations, so make sure there is nothing else on that breaker. I was once popping a 20 amp breaker with only a 15 amp load until I discovered there was a Soda machine on the same circuit in another location and when its compressor kicked on, pop.
 
mcgeedigital said:
I have 2 of the coollights 1200 led bicolor LEDs and they are fantastic.
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I know that full power on all lights will produce light at 6000k but can you dial-in a light temperature accurately (e.g. 5600k exactly)? Based on the operating manual, it seems like it's just a guess based on the blue and/or yellow dimmer.

Thanks.
 
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