Some new LED options - Bowens Mount

egproductions

egproductions

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For interviews, I typically use the westcott skylux as a key light and sometimes my Alzo 3300 through a window or when a need a really powerful room fill.

I was strongly considering buying one or two fiilex 360ex lights for hair lights or as an interview backlight (since they are so small and don't need to be gelled.) I can't get over the price though. Then I came across this guy and was wondering if anyone has used it before:

http://www.amazon.com/AW-Continuous-Portrait-Meeting-Lighting/dp/B00ZP0HFKI/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1457914939&sr=8-7&keywords=aw+50w+led

It's a little bigger/heaver than the fiilex but it looks like its probably a little more powerful with less of a power draw. It's really affordable and It also has a bowens mount which is nice.

There is also a 100w version:
http://www.amazon.com/AW-Continuous-Portrait-Meeting-Lighting/dp/B00ZP0HFKI/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1457914939&sr=8-7&keywords=aw+50w+led


Then I came across these as well. I little more expensive but has light groupings which is interesting:
http://www.amazon.com/Andoer-SL-100W-2400LUX-Studio-Continuous/dp/B00YEU8C20/ref=pd_sim_sbs_421_13?ie=UTF8&dpID=51uK1s%2BXd6L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=0NSYZ21RKJMZWHHDFDV8
http://www.amazon.com/Godox-Journalistic-Recording-Photography-MicroFiber/dp/B018NKRQ4Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1457915152&sr=1-1&keywords=godox+200w
 
I have the "Andoer" "Godox" 100watt light.

I think it's great.
I haven't had a chance to use it much yet though.
It's built well. The bowens mount is great. The remote control is great. The color is great.

BUT...
There is some fan noise. Not much - certainly fine if it's a handful of feet back from where ever you're putting a mic.
I plan on looking into putting a "whisper fan" in it just to really sweeten the package.

It's bright...but after going through my Bowens mount octo-box... well, I hoped it would have been a tad brighter. I really need to put my meter in front of it to tell you EXACTLY what the brightness is.

One reviewer said that at powers below 50% it flickers. Well I've never seen that because I've never used it below 50%. I bought it to be a BRIGHT light or a DIFFUSED light so I may never use it below 50% - but that's something I also need to test.

But HOLD THE PRESSES!
This new 200watt version you linked to - I had no idea it existed until just now. And it rates the color even better than the 100w version. AND it claims no flicker!
Now THIS LIGHT I am excited about.

Those other 2 lights you have are really great - but I don't have that kind of money to spend, so these Godox lights are worth modding to me.
$100 or so for a whisper fan - that's nothing considering the total price compared to those big boys you have.

But boy-oh-boy, the thought of putting a 200watt version of this light through my 4-foot octo-box... now THAT blows my skirt up.

Thanks for the post EggMan!
 
Video of the 200W version:


Highlights of the video are big soft balls and skin melting over exposure.

DPS, I hope you're wearing something under that skirt.

The guy says the Godox fans noise is comparable to the Jinbei light which he demonstrates here: https://youtu.be/tgkMLa8AuYE?t=5m11s

The interesting thing is I cannot find the soft ball for sale anywhere but Australia.
 
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These single large LEDS are very cool. Unfortunately they require a fan. So what is a 200 WATT LED output equivalent to tungsten?
 
Erik, they claim 100% illuminance(LUX): 12000(1m), 100% Luminous Flux: 20000
 
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I'd sure like to get my hands on one of these.

That video didn't really answer any important questions. Like - exactly how loud is the fan at what distances. What is the unfiltered light output at various distances. Does the light flicker at any setting.

These kinds of lights are bright - there's no doubt about that. And they throw better than LED panels.
The earlier attempts at this type of fixture suffered a bit in light color quality but that seems to pretty solidly be a thing of the past now with these.

Yes, they have fans. Fans that make varying degrees of noise. But that's not 'automatically' a problem. Let's look at why;

1. - If you're not capturing audio on the shot. HA! Well, no problem there. CHECK.
2. - The fan on the 100W version won't get picked up by a dialog mic 10-feet away from the light. (Maybe less even) And the light is 10-feet or further from the dialog mic on MANY occasions. CHECK.
3. - You just saved anywhere from $500 to $1,000 by getting this light instead of noise-free top-of-the-line Pro version. Do a mod or two on it and be a happy elf. CHECK.

Pretty much every cheap (but great) light that I have has needed modifying to really reach its potential. But the mods have always been cheap or even free.
If one isn't willing to put in a little effort to do some modifications - then one is left only with the choice of buying the much more expensive version. To each their own.

I have put whisper fans in all kinds of equipment over the years and it never cost more than $150.

Putting a whisper fan in one of these Godox lights for $100 or even $150 still leaves you with a vastly cheaper final product.

If I can get it silent with a whisper fan - then this new 200W model will probably be the single most useful light fixture for under $1,000 that I can possibly think of.

FWIW - I have already:
Kino DIVA clones.
Various LED Panels.
Many Tungsten floods and Fresnels.
..and the 100W version of this light.
 
When you say "whisper fan"' do mean something like a Noctua or similar quiet computer fan? They're a lot cheaper than $150.
 
My skylux has a pretty quite fan which I've unplugged because I'm very picky about noise. Knock on wood, It's been running fine for about a year with pretty consistent use (one shoot every week or two) in various temperatures including brief periods of summer 80-90 degree weather outdoors. My Alzo 3300 is very loud but I either muffle it with a bag or typically only use the light for outdoor or "through the window" use.

I still really want to get my hands on some of these affordable new generation LEDs. Even if they break down after a year or two, they are cheap enough to replace with the latest model. I'll probably buy a few and keep the best ones.
 
DvxHerb said:
When you say "whisper fan"' do mean something like a Noctua or similar quiet computer fan? They're a lot cheaper than $150.
Click to expand...

Yeah - usually a a lot cheaper.
But I wanted to err on the furthest side of caution so I could be sure not to mislead anyone about what the cost could potentially be.

The fan in the Godox lights is likely to have a third conductor that works with the onboard thermometer - and will likely prevent the light from working at all if it is replaced with a simple 2-conductor "on/off" only fan.
That's an area where the cost could become greater, and I wanted to make sure I allowed for that.
 
Be careful disconnecting a fan. The LED will likely not burn up, at least not without some heavy usage. But it is very possible the higher internal temperature will cause it to spike into magenta. It can happen slowly and subtly enough during a shoot that you don't notice until it is too late. This magenta shift is the same reason that one should never gel kinds directly on their surface but instead on the doors so that they have air circulation. The issue holds for LEDs as well.
 
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