What LED panels to buy

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Polaroid22

Well-known member
Hey,

I am selling my ARRI 650W fresnell kit to buy some led panels. For portability reasons(hot lamps, breaking and replacing lamps, also led can use a small battery and can be dimmed within the led light itself...)
But I do not have a clue which are the best cheap litepanels out there. I was impressed with that led bank from Arri on NAB, but the price was 2000$ for 1 light. I like daylight balanced lights, I always used CTB on my ARRI's.

So I am looking to spend around 600$. What brands and models do you recommend?

Thanks!!
 
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I would look into the Aladdin Flex-Lite or if you have a wee bit more cash to spend the new Aladdin Bi-Flex when it comes later this year. These must be the most portable solution with great CRI.

 
The light output of those Aladdin Flex-Lite does seem a bit low, I do love their design, which could be usefull for numerous applicatoins. I am looking for a light output the same as a 1000W -650W light, that is dimmeble though.
That cineo Maverick and the Area 48 looks also great, but the pricepoint is a bit much though :)
 
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Good LEDs aren't cheap. I think the Litepanels Astra is about as affordable as the high-colour-quality panels get - which is about $700 for their lowest output version and $1500 for the full output version (which gives you 4x as much light - well worth it in my opinion).

Honestly, if you've only got $600 to spend, stick with your tungsten kit until you can afford to do the LEDs properly. Bad LEDs offer terrible colour quality and will really hurt your images.
 
The Lightstorm LS-1 looks pretty interesting. If the light is good I'll get one for my travel kit.

I have my eye on an Astra panel as my next purchase. I just can't swing the remote phospherous stuff right now but the Area 48 soft and Cineo Maverick look amazing.
 
Polaroid22 said:
Thanks Grug, I found a shop that rents them out. Maybe that is a solution for me :)
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I think that's a very sensible approach.

FrameFarmMedia said:
I have my eye on an Astra panel as my next purchase. I just can't swing the remote phospherous stuff right now but the Area 48 soft and Cineo Maverick look amazing.
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I have two of the Area48s and am contemplating adding a third to my kit. They're far and away the most-used lights that I own, I break them out on virtual every single shot I light these days. The output is tremendous (for the power draw) and the fact that you can run them directly off v-mounts makes them incredible useful. The colour quality is near perfect (certainly better than any HMIs, fluorescents or other LEDs that I've used). They're expensive lights, but truly worth every penny.

But from the TLCI figures I've seen, the new Astras match them for colour quality, so put them through a frame of diffusion or bounce them off a ceiling and you'll get most of the benefits the Area48 offers (for half the price). I think for anyone looking into LED panels at the moment, the Astras are well worth considering - I could have had four Astras for the price of my two Area48s!
 
Grug said:
But from the TLCI figures I've seen, the new Astras match them for colour quality, so put them through a frame of diffusion or bounce them off a ceiling and you'll get most of the benefits the Area48 offers (for half the price). I think for anyone looking into LED panels at the moment, the Astras are well worth considering - I could have had four Astras for the price of my two Area48s!
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For my market segment and the work I do the Astras make the most sense. I'm always blown away by the Area 48s but no matter how I crunch the numbers I can't make it make business sense. I keep having to remind myself this is a business or I'd go poor with wants instead of needs.

I really want to see some TLCI figures on those Apurture Lightstorm LEDs. If they are solid I could get two panels that would take up the same space when travelling as an Astra. If I'm honest with myself packing small is what I'm really looking at LEDs for. I have biax flos that serve me alright for light now but they are a pain to travel with. The search continues!
 
FrameFarmMedia said:
For my market segment and the work I do the Astras make the most sense. I'm always blown away by the Area 48s but no matter how I crunch the numbers I can't make it make business sense. I keep having to remind myself this is a business or I'd go poor with wants instead of needs.
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It's always a tricky balance. My case for the Area48s, was largely based on the fact that they're built like tanks, and the fact that remote phosphor technology should last considerably longer than conventional LEDs due to way the fixtures handle heat. So I expect the remote phosphor lights to outlast the alternatives by a considerable margin - which makes them the better investment in the long run.

It's the buy once, cry once philosophy; and it seems the smarter approach in the long run.
 
Sounds like all the suggestions are much more expensive than your $600 budget... Most of the lights listed you could afford about a quarter to one whole light with your budget :P
Even the aputure lightstorm mentioned is $500-600 and the cineo/area48's are 4-5x that price.

I'm gonna recommend the Yongnuo YN600 and YN300 lights which you could actually buy a whole kit of for your budget. They are basically $150 for the 36W 600led light after you add a stand adapter and AC adapter or $80 for the YN300II if you add an ac adapter and they come with an IR remote control that has 3-channel on/off and dimming. I use them with 1/8 minus green installed, but I often find that's too much and have been taking it out more often lately. I put them in 60x90cm or 90x90cm (~2x3' and 3x3') umbrella softboxes for quick soft light.
 
Polaroid22 said:
The light output of those Aladdin Flex-Lite does seem a bit low, I do love their design, which could be usefull for numerous applicatoins. I am looking for a light output the same as a 1000W -650W light, that is dimmeble though.
That cineo Maverick and the Area 48 looks also great, but the pricepoint is a bit much though :)
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Just to give you an idea... I had the Area 48 Soft mounted on an extension arm on a c-stand up above and a little in front of me. The light on the wall behind me to the left is another source, and the light on the right cheek is a third source.


14t0etf.png
 
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Polaroid22 said:
Hmm that small size(small light output) of the lightstorm does not suit my needs.
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1000W equivalent output is not enough? The LS2 is 1000W:


What were you getting on your tungsten fresnels, especially when gelled for daylight? The problem with LED panels is getting hard light, not so much output, because sheer output is starting to get pretty acceptable; there are of course LEDs that get hardish output, but they can have fan noise issues - roughly within your budget, there are the Alzo series - though these are obviously not panels:

Alzo High Intensity LED Video Lights
 
OldCorpse said:
1000W equivalent output is not enough? The LS2 is 1000W:


What were you getting on your tungsten fresnels, especially when gelled for daylight? The problem with LED panels is getting hard light, not so much output, because sheer output is starting to get pretty acceptable; there are of course LEDs that get hardish output, but they can have fan noise issues - roughly within your budget, there are the Alzo series - though these are obviously not panels:

Alzo High Intensity LED Video Lights
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I had a AT4053b mounted litterally right next to the Area 48, but the Area 48 doesn't make a sound... at all. Unlike the Astra.
 
you might also take a look at the HR672 series by amaran/aputure. 400w equivalant, can choose from bi color/narrow/flood, and a 2 pack runs 500bucks, claimed 85CRI
 
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