Small LED Panel Wishlist

Cool Lights

Cool Lights

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Hi Everyone

We've been getting a lot of requests lately for a small panel that can fit on a camera or elsewhere. The timeframe would be later than our 600 LED panel as we have to finish that first. But, here are some key questions we would ask when starting to plan that project:

1). size and weight limits
a). aluminum or plastic (knowing aluminum is heavier but sturdier)
b). form: ring, rectangular or square
c). finish: if aluminum powder coating or anodizing knowing anodizing is probably a bit more permanent than even the best powder coating.

2). number and type of LEDs
a). color temperature (higher color temperatures equate to more lumen output thus would you live with an 8000K panel if it came with a CTO filter to take it down to 5600K.
b). throw/beam angle. Wide or narrow, spot or flood. More throw with sacrifice of softer light, etc.
c). i'm assuming we'd use 5mm type LEDs because the 1w / 3w type need such large heat sinks and that adds weight.

3). adapters. hot shoe and hot shoe to baby stand adapters? Should we make it a UFO mic light ;-)

4). power. 12VDC would be the norm to be able to operate off either a wall transformer or a battery.
a). desired life of battery and type.
b). battery inside the unit or external. (if internal realizing the weight factors)
c). battery mounts

5). accessories. are barndoors really necessary for such a light? slide in filter holder?

My personal preferences would be aluminum anodized black, square, about 4x4 or 5x5 maximum size, barndoors, hot shoe mount with stand adapter too, 7000K - 8000K with slide in CTO filter for 5600K or 3200K, external battery but allowing to run off wall power while battery was charging (although this isn't easy).

I'll add other criteria or thoughts as we think of them. Feel free to post your thoughts!
 
"My personal preferences would be aluminum anodized black, square, about 4x4 or 5x5 maximum size, barndoors, hot shoe mount with stand adapter too, 7000K - 8000K with slide in CTO filter for 5600K or 3200K, external battery but allowing to run off wall power while battery was charging (although this isn't easy)."

I love it - yes... yes... yes...

My thoughts exactly. You could be the White Knight, Richard. We're in desperate need of a good vidled-type replacement IMO.
 
Here's my ideal light:

1. Plastic. Light weight and inexpensive. It doesn't have to look fancy and I don't abuse my gear.

2. Give me as much throw as you can.

3. I want to be able to put it on a stand.

4. How about running it on 4 NiMH AA batteries? They're cheap, reliable and readily available in a pinch.

I'm thinking about something that no one else makes right now. A very useful, yet inexpensive LED light for the low-budget guys.
 
Hey Richard,
I´d like to vote for a noga-like mounting solution, doesn´t have to be as flexible, but it would be nice to be able to dial in the positioning of the light for the camera it´s used on. Nothing you do on the shoot, but rather fix once in advance...
Since I mostly use my Vidleds off camera for highlighting certain areas, barndors would be nice to have more control, )on camera i wouldn´t need them much)
And I actually like the "widescreen" design of both the Litepanels and Vidleds. I guess a rectangle lighting surface would fill the frame better...
I´d also vote for a true daylight solution, but maybe just because gelling my coolwhite Vidleds is a p.i.t.a.

All the best,

Chris
 
HorseFilms said:
Here's my ideal light:

1. Plastic. Light weight and inexpensive. It doesn't have to look fancy and I don't abuse my gear.
Click to expand...

Hehe. I can just hear it now: "that damn Cool Lights on camera light has cheap construction--all plastic..."

Seriously, I'd love to use our plastic method we use on the flos but I'm afraid it would be too big what with the extrusions that hold it all together and such. Otherwise, what you'd be talking about is a plastic molded housing of ABS or whatever.
 
Chenopup said:
I love it - yes... yes... yes...

My thoughts exactly. You could be the White Knight, Richard. We're in desperate need of a good vidled-type replacement IMO.
Click to expand...

I love riding in to save the day but I do need to get a faster horse. ;-)

Let me tell you we have gone around and around on these LEDs. So difficult to find ones that do what they claim.
 
Spartacus said:
I´d also vote for a true daylight solution, but maybe just because gelling my coolwhite Vidleds is a p.i.t.a.

All the best,

Chris
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I know now why the Vidled chose to have a 8000K model after months of experimentation. Those LEDs really have a bit better performance. That 8000K seems to be the sweet spot particularly for the sharp (like 20 degree) beam angle LEDs. And you want to use sharp ones if you can to get more throw for such a light. If you can live with the filter those really are better LEDs.

But, of course it is possible to do the daylight one. Its just that I've noticed on the 15 to 25 degree LEDs there is a what I call a "discoloration fringe" around the beam. This manifests as a slightly different color brownish or greenish cast in a ring around the fringe of the beam when its shining on something. All the LEDs have it. Haven't been able to find a single one from anywhere that doesn't have that--at least with 5mm LEDs and I do think those are best to use if we can for power utilization sake as well as less heat generation. We've been spending so much time on this particular thing and its been the biggest holdup as I knew people might not like that fringe thing--I don't like it myself and I'm a pretty good judge of what people won't want.

Go up to the 1w LEDs and you do lose the fringe effect but you have a big heat sink to keep them alive and cool and there we sacrifice the weight.

When you say "noga" I assume you mean articulated arm support right? I don't think thats particularly hard to do the mountings for but I bet the manufacturing of the actual arm would be pretty tough. I know where I can get them but they aren't cheap either.
 
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Cool Lights said:
When you say "noga" I assume you mean articulated arm support right? I don't think thats particularly hard to do the mountings for but I bet the manufacturing of the actual arm would be pretty tough. I know where I can get them but they aren't cheap either.
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I was thinking more about a poor man´s noga arm, well it wouldn´t have to be "noga" like at all actually:)
I want pieces of metall with joints that tighten with normal screw knobs. This would of course limit the range of motion of the arm, but it would also be rock solid beacause of the screw knobs.
For the on-camera light I basically want to be able to move it a little up and to the front, just as you can see here under No.4.

I understand the issues considering colortemp, if you would offer easy to use and sturdy attachabble CC gels and diffusion, everything will be fine I guess...
 
I like likepanels' leds. Just rip those off, lol. Just kidding, but whatI was getting at is the size and functionality are really cool. As for noga arms, you can get cheap noga like arms if you do an ebay search for "magnetic base" for between 30-60 bucks you can score a noga articulating arm attached to a magentic base. Those are designed to be used with dial indicators, but are way cheaper. The only difference is the screw thread size.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Hydraulic-Magne...ryZ58240QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

just unscrew the base and you have an articulating arm.

some even come with a vacuum base that would be pretty damn usable in certain situations. http://cgi.ebay.com/Vaccum-Base-Ind...ryZ58240QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
 
Litepanels are the gold standard. Same shape-long rectangle, slip on gel holders, widest flood you can get, no barn doors, battery mount compatible with Panasonic or sony camera batteries, 4 pin xlr, 5600 color temp,aluminum.

Make another unit similar to a micro, small lightweight, 4 double a batterys internal, 5600.
 
I don't know about you guys, but I am using the on-camera light mainly as a fill light in tungsten situations, I really don't have that much use for a daylight (let alone 8000K) on-camera light.
I also need a light that is strong enough to be the only light source if needed, and can keep up with bright practicals.
So, if you can make an LED light that has the throw of a 50W halogen at 3200K, then I'm in! ;)
 
Richard,

As a user of both LP and VidLED lights, I'll offer my suggestions here.

1. The rectangle shape is my pick. When mounted on-camera, it allows me to choose to have a vertical or horizontal throw depending on how I mount it.

2. Make a size that is larger than the VidLED (2"x5"?) but smaller than the LP Mini (Too large for on-camera mobility).

3. Offer a Day and Indoor balanced option. I use my portable LED lights primarily for DAY fill light off-camera. I mount them on the articulating Gorrilla Pod photo tripods. I also use them indoors gelled on-camera for art gallery walk-throughs.

-andrew
 
FBAS said:
I don't know about you guys, but I am using the on-camera light mainly as a fill light in tungsten situations, I really don't have that much use for a daylight (let alone 8000K) on-camera light.
I also need a light that is strong enough to be the only light source if needed, and can keep up with bright practicals.
So, if you can make an LED light that has the throw of a 50W halogen at 3200K, then I'm in! ;)
Click to expand...



Ditto
 
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