Recommend me a LED Fresnel

G

ggrantly

Veteran
I'm gradually updating my LED kit. I got some Dracast 500 series appx 1x1 series panels on sale recently. I'd like to compliment them with a couple of Fresnels in the output 750-1000w of tungstens. I primarily want daylight temp, but if was bi-color, that would be a bonus. I want quality (we all would) but I won't pay thousands per fixture either. Lets say something UNDER $1500 max. More under is better always better, but no cheap junk build quality.

TIA
Grant
 
That would require an LED on the order of 200-250W, which doesn't really exist in your price range, at least at any quality.
 
Phil Rhodes said:
That would require an LED on the order of 200-250W, which doesn't really exist in your price range, at least at any quality.
Click to expand...

True...but... the Fresnel lens on some of them increases to output dramatically (by focusing the light obviously.)
I have a Godox 200 LED light that there is a 3rd party Fresnel lens attachment for that makes it pretty darn powerful. The only downside is that the 3rd party Fresnel lens is not all that good a piece of hardware.

This is not Dracast quality hardware but I have been tossing around the 100w version quite unkindly for over a year now and it shows no signs of wear.

https://www.amazon.com/Godox-Journa...TF8&qid=1457915152&sr=1-1&keywords=godox+200w
 
No direct experience, so this is not a recommendation. Please take it for what it's worth.

I'm looking for a similar light and I've been watching for anyone with personal experience with this light --

rayzr7: http://www.rayzr7.com/
specs: http://www.rayzr7.com/specification

Obviously can't speak to build quality, haven't measured the light myself, and can't attest to the veracity of the specs.

May very well end up preordering and playing guinea pig.
 
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Been eyeing these Godox, but I'm always hemming & hawing due to lack of info.
How do you find the light /color quality on those Godox 200W's? Fan noise? Also, I can't ever decypher if the light is a 100 watt LED or a 200 watt LED. The wording in every instance of their product description that I find seems obtuse at best.


DPStewart said:
True...but... the Fresnel lens on some of them increases to output dramatically (by focusing the light obviously.)
I have a Godox 200 LED light that there is a 3rd party Fresnel lens attachment for that makes it pretty darn powerful. The only downside is that the 3rd party Fresnel lens is not all that good a piece of hardware.

This is not Dracast quality hardware but I have been tossing around the 100w version quite unkindly for over a year now and it shows no signs of wear.

https://www.amazon.com/Godox-Journa...TF8&qid=1457915152&sr=1-1&keywords=godox+200w
Click to expand...
 
What type of production are you using them for? A lot of led lights in that price range will have a + or - green tint, and their light quality isn't good enough to beat a tungsten fresnel. Try making it yourself with some hybrid literibbon or other led ribbons, and that way you can repurpose it if you so desire. Other than the arri L series I can't think of another led fresnel that can justify its cost. For me, other than literibbon I don't want any led other than a 5k equivalent, because they cost triple to 5 times the price of a fresnel and can only do bicolor.
 
True...but... the Fresnel lens on some of them increases to output dramatically (by focusing the light obviously.)
Click to expand...

Well - yes - but then a Fresnel lens does (broadly) the same job no matter what you put it on, so you're sort of back where you started.

One of the best LED fresnels I've seen is the Zylight bellows design, and they have a 200-watt version which would do broadly what's being asked for here. They are, however, in the words of Orwell's sci fi novel, double-plus uncheap.

P
 
keithlango said:
Been eyeing these Godox, but I'm always hemming & hawing due to lack of info.
How do you find the light /color quality on those Godox 200W's? Fan noise? Also, I can't ever decypher if the light is a 100 watt LED or a 200 watt LED. The wording in every instance of their product description that I find seems obtuse at best.
Click to expand...

I have both.

The 200w IS a 200w, but It isn't twice as bright as the 100w. It's a lot brighter, just not double. The 100w is very bright already.
Also the 100w version flickers when dimmed to 49% or below. That's never been a problem though because this is one of the most powerful lights I have so I'm always using it in high-requirement situations, usually heavily diffused. So it still has a very usable dimming range of 49% to 100%. I can also put a simple scrim on it if I need it dimmer than 49%.
*It should be noted that I don't think the 100w version is actually being made anymore.

The 200w version doesn't flicker when dimmed down. Also it's bigger and it's fan is quieter than the 100W. The 100w version fan is audible on mic at about 5-feet and closer. I have never put this light within 5-feet of a mic and I can't really envision an instance where I would.

The color on the 100w version is good - no significant tints and decently deep reds. The 200w version is even better. No complaints there.
 
Thanks for the info, DP. Much appreciated.

Bern, those Visions Smiths are so tempting. Just wish they were about 20% less un-cheap. I've got older cheap 1k and 2k tungsty fresnels that sit most of the time since my typical load out is daylight balanced. It's tough to justify spending $1600 to rescue $300 worth of old lights. I have a couple of 575 HMI fresnels anyhow if I need a big head daylight thru a lens. So I keep them as tungstens for the times I need that. I'd rather put that same $1600 into smaller LED units that are more travel friendly. That and more modifiers. Because, really, one can never have enough modifiers.
 
There are some decent contenders out at the mo to match a 750 - 1K tungsten. I tested bunch before and the best ones I found were the Lupos, really nice lights, with big proper fresnels lenses too. Only problem was, on the Lupo DayLed 2000 ( which had a really decent output ) it also had a pretty noisy fan. Now I do believe Lupo are working on that, so might well be resolved now. They were very fast replying to any questions I had at the time, so might be worth giving them a shout.
 
OP here

Thanks for the great responses. Both the new Moles and Dracasts fresnels are really interesting. This market is changing so fast and prices are becoming more competitive by the week. Converting existing fixtures is a really interesting concept considering the nice collection of Arris I have. Imagine the dream of the future.....just swap out the bulbs and baddabing, LED daylight from those nice and already purchased great quality tungsten fixtures.

I really like working with tungsten lighting, but outside of a totally controlled environment, they are limited by heat, power requirements, expensive bulbs which are a bit fragile with a limited life. Long live my tungsten kit; I would never ditch it, but LEDs are changing everything.

Grant
 
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