Comments on: Comparison of four professional LED lighting instruments under $1K

By: mahesh

mahesh — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 06:51:54 +0000

Sony HVLLBPB and Comer Light (CM-LBPS1800). in your opinion which one is a better option to invest in since they more or less have the similar specs except for the price where there is a huge difference?

is the sony worth the price?
is the come as good as the sony light?

need a comparison inorder to decide which one to buy.

thanks
mahesh

By: Derek

Derek — Mon, 02 May 2011 00:16:58 +0000

What about the Dedolight LEDzilla? I can’t seem to find any reviews comparing the Lowel Blender and the LEDzilla. They are both in the exact same price range and offer completely different features. The LEDzilla offers a focusable beam (spot to flood), built in barn doors, and a 1 LED design which prevents that multi-shadow look. The Lowel Blender is a multi-LED design with the ability to change color temperature, but is not focusable and does not come with barn doors.

It’d be nice to see a full review and comparison of those two lights, since they cost the exact same and offer different features.

By: David Tames

David Tames — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 18:36:58 +0000

I have no experience with the microbeam 256 and it’s not likely that I will be playing with one anytime soon, however, check this thread out on DVinfo: http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/photon-management/237205-microbeam-256-a.html

By: David Tames

David Tames — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 18:34:43 +0000

jerome, the Blender makes a very good on-camera light, however, except for brief experimentation, I’ve not used it that way, I personally don’t like blinding subjects with a light source coming from the position of the camera, I prefer a light that is off axis, for it (a) looks better, nicer facial modeling, and (b) it’s less annoying for the subject. It usually requires a second person to help hold the light, but I usually work with someone else, so it works for me to position the light off camera.

By: jerome duran

jerome duran — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 16:30:35 +0000

hi again, please scratch that last comment, i found the answer! maybe a review of the microbeam 256?

By: jerome duran

jerome duran — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 16:18:31 +0000

hi, what a great review…do you know how well the blender works as an on-camera light?

By: Erik Holsinger

Erik Holsinger — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 17:32:38 +0000

David;

Nice review – very comprehensive and detailed. I’m about to purchase a new light kit to go with the Canon 5D Mk2 kit I’m putting together, and this was invaluable information. Thanks for taking the time to do this!

By: Jay Spain

Jay Spain — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 03:48:28 +0000

Nice review David. I found this on google rather than going to your site. I am looking for LED panels for off-camera. After working recently with Extreme Makeover Home Edition, where Litepanels are preferred I wanted to do some research for a future project. Glad I found you again.

By: matt

matt — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:42:38 +0000

I’ve worked with zylite, rosco lite pads, colortran theatrical and lite-panels lights. I also have built my own custom kit of LEDs that allow me to do quick tape up and super-flat light weight lighting. First and foremost is the issue of color correct. LEDs are by nature a non-color correct source because they must convert green spectrum LED light to white light by illuminating a phosphor coating on the diode. The chemistry required for correct bulbs is either “chance” (pick the ones that look OK throw away the rest) or expensive process control ($6 per bulb bulk Rebel Luxeon from Philips).

There are a lot of tweaks being done to correct the “purple haze” or “green funk” from LED’s but the lights do not have correct colorspace conformity to meet the increasing sensitivity of HD and large sensor formats. The color dimensions are untrue along lines that our color correct system (magenta/green) do no reflect. It is subtle stuff until the light is cold or just not good (Lite Panels are the worst). I’ve talked to Philips and Osram and they are engineering lights for architectural uses that will meet film criteria eventually.

If you are not seeing lighting variations, or haven’t noticed how pink Diva lights are, or haven’t mixed 3 sources in a shot and found each one off in a different direction then none of this matters because you are not shooting something that anyone cares how it looks or you are color blind. PS your meter will not accurately reflect an LED’s color value because it is not a spike green or pink like a fluoro.

By: A one-case lighting kit ready for travel : Kino-Eye.com

A one-case lighting kit ready for travel : Kino-Eye.com — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:05:11 +0000

[...] (more affordable than the Z90, however, not as versatile as the Zylight, back in July I posted a comparison of four LED lights summarizing the results of my [...]

By: ben

ben — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:30:57 +0000

thanks for your review, very detail

By: Sean Fitzroy

Sean Fitzroy — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 22:44:41 +0000

David, great review! Thanks!
This is a topic I’ve been very interested in, so I’ve been saving it until I had a chance to sit down and focus on the products. The Zylight sounds very compelling (as expected). I wish is was cheaper, but c’est la vie.

To Jon’s point, I’d love to see an under $500 review. After emailing a few mass marker LCD manufacturers, one of them pointed me toward a $60 panel from China. I’m sure it doesn’t use high-intensity LEDs, but it does work on batteries. I was also thinking of trying to adapt a few LED work lanterns.

I know raw LED prices are dropping at a rate much more in line with Moore’s Law than with traditional lighting. I hope the professional tools follow suit to the extent that the LEDs themselves are the primary cost, lest the consumer LED products actually overtake them through sheer economy of scale. Either way it’s a win/win for filmmakers.

By: David Tames

David Tames — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:34:58 +0000

Kim, You might still want to call. LEDs are not the catch-all solution, there are still many reasons to use lights based on other lighting technology, my favorite portable key is still the halogen Rifa-55 w/ waffle, and if I can afford the added weight in my kit, the Kino Flo Diva-Lite 400 is gorgeous, bright enough to put at a comfortable distance from the subject as well as bright enough to use as an accent or fill light in the shade outdoors. And some of the lower-cost alternatives to the Diva like the Cool Lights offer incredible value for tight budget producers.

By: Kim Romano

Kim Romano — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:54:22 +0000

David, thank you so much for this serendipitous review. Now I don’t have to call you to ask for your advice about buying lights!

By: David Tames

David Tames — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:31:42 +0000

Jon, I appreciate for your comment. In your experience, what is the color quality of the Ikan? The manufacturer states 60 lux (5.5 fc) brightness, but at what distance?

I did not include any LED lights in the under $500 price range because they are in a different category in terms of brightness and spectral characteristics, they don’t use the same high brightness daylight or tungsten matched (or color changing RGB) LEDs that more expensive units incorporate into their designs. It’s not really fair to compare side-by-side lights that are radically different in both price and design objectives, so I clustered together four lights that were in the same general ballpark in terms of price point and target market.

This is not to say that units like the LightPanels Micro ($285, powered via AA batteries or 5-12VDC source via input jack) and Ikan ($330, powered via snap on Sony L-series battery or 7.2 – 12VDC source) are not very respectable lights in their price/performance category, but they are a different kettle of fish than the four lights I compare in this post.

By: Jon Miles

Jon Miles — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:00:23 +0000

I have an IKAN LED light and I love it. B&H actually recommended to me before they even had it in stock. It comes with a case, a NP battery, the light, dimmer, filters – and great service. They were wonderful to deal with and the price was PERFECT.

I looked at all the others but ended up with an IKAN. You should review it.

By: Zak Ray

Zak Ray — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:10:55 +0000

Very comprehensive, David, thanks.