LED Video light for photography

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TLR-330

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Charles
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Hi,

Would anyone have any suggestions for a dimmable battery operated light. I am only looking for some more light at a distance of a maximum of 4-5 metres. The idea is to add some light without using a full blown flash. I can see the prices of manfrotto, metz cough cough :) I am interested in photos instead of video.

Thank you.
 
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Rotolight Neo Continuous LED Lighting with Colour Temperature Controller
 
Small cheap LED lights are useless at that distance.

Expensive LED lights ought to be used closer.

Flash beats LED in every way except being kind to people with no confidence to use it. Once you bite the bullet and learn how to use flash, it's just better in every way.
 
Phil V said:
Small cheap LED lights are useless at that distance.

Expensive LED lights ought to be used closer.

Flash beats LED in every way except being kind to people with no confidence to use it. Once you bite the bullet and learn how to use flash, it's just better in every way.
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Yep what Phil said
I've tried using LED lights for fill light on macro and close up it did work but I went back to fill flash as that gave better and more consistent results
 
try looking at a CN-160 which might fit the bill. it comes with colour removable filters and can be dimmed by turn of a wheel

kAOusaH.jpg

Just google

CN-160 cost around £25-£30


@ 12 ft away with light on top of camera. Nothing to stop the light being closer on say another tripod


View: https://youtu.be/CGVBmLECjPc
 
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the rotolight neo 2 has just been released. continuous video light that can also flash and be used HSS off camera. not cheap but very, very good.
 
Phil V said:
Small cheap LED lights are useless at that distance.

Expensive LED lights ought to be used closer.

Flash beats LED in every way except being kind to people with no confidence to use it. Once you bite the bullet and learn how to use flash, it's just better in every way.
Click to expand...
its more common to see Led arrays being used in video as he helps keep a consistent light level overruling any changes in ambient from stuff passing between light source and subject.
 
I find this kind of cheap LED light very convenient for setting up small product shots with a tripod and carefully arranged lighting and the camera on a tripod, because everything stands still for a longer exposure, but the light is too weak for the shorter exposures required to freeze inadvertent motion in people portraits, plus there is the difficulty of getting good skin tones with the rather irregular power spectrum of all but the most expensively colour calibrated photographic LEDs. Good for adding extra light for videos, however, which are of much lower resolution and therefore can take much higher ISOs without noise problems.
 
realspeed said:
try looking at a CN-160 which might fit the bill. it comes with colour removable filters and can be dimmed by turn of a wheel

kAOusaH.jpg

Just google

CN-160 cost around £25-£30


@ 12 ft away with light on top of camera. Nothing to stop the light being closer on say another tripod


View: https://youtu.be/CGVBmLECjPc
Click to expand...
What kind of EV are you getting at those distances? How will it compare with a well lit room? Outside in daylight? Dusk? Sunset?
My guess would be it won't work but I'm up for being proved wrong :)
 
Phil V said:
What kind of EV are you getting at those distances? How will it compare with a well lit room? Outside in daylight? Dusk? Sunset?
My guess would be it won't work but I'm up for being proved wrong :)
Click to expand...

Phil I sometimes use one of these as a fill light on the couple for first dance if it's a nice venue with nice lighting where I want to work with the ambient, they work pretty well for that, as long as you don't dial it up too high.
 
Phil V said:
Small cheap LED lights are useless at that distance.

Expensive LED lights ought to be used closer.

Flash beats LED in every way except being kind to people with no confidence to use it. Once you bite the bullet and learn how to use flash, it's just better in every way.
Click to expand...

The background to the question was photographing some baby swallows in a barn. I did not succeed with the first bunch (4 of them sitting side by side as I photographed wide open so only one in focus). There are more on the rafters now but they will be gone by the time I have got anything on my hands. I am just looking to add some light not to fully illuminate the scene. [I have a powerful modern Metz and a few 45s from years gone by but I did not want to blast little birds and scare them].
 
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Phil V said:
What kind of EV are you getting at those distances? How will it compare with a well lit room? Outside in daylight? Dusk? Sunset?
My guess would be it won't work but I'm up for being proved wrong :)
Click to expand...

depends on available light and distance obviously so can't give a definative EV..What exposure value is for one time of the day will be different from anotherlet alone evening etc..

The OP asked quote "
Would anyone have any suggestions for a dimmable battery operated light. I am only looking for some more light at a distance of a maximum of 4-5 metre" unquote.

There was no mention of how what or where the intended use was for except for stills photos initially , So I posted one option which he asked for at a reasonable price. It does work well given the distance required.

There are plenty of reviews on youtube to look at
 
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@realspeed is on the right idea for what I am looking to do.

Any comments between Yongnuo and Neewer or much of muchness?
 
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Phil V said:
What kind of EV are you getting at those distances? How will it compare with a well lit room? Outside in daylight? Dusk? Sunset?
My guess would be it won't work but I'm up for being proved wrong :)
Click to expand...

I think there's a fundamental problem with continuous lights for stills photography - if they're bright enough to compare with flash, then they totally dominate anywhere they're used and everyone gets blinded by them. You'd not be welcome. Regular video lights are bright enough to be seriously annoying as it is, but video is usable at much lower light levels than stills.

I think a decent LED panel is probably quite a handy device to have for some things, but the portable stuff is never going to be bright enough to compete with flash, and for most event/social photography we wouldn't want to use it if it was.
 
realspeed said:
depends on available light and distance obviously so can't give a definative EV..What exposure value is for one time of the day will be different from anotherlet alone evening etc..

The OP asked quote "
Would anyone have any suggestions for a dimmable battery operated light. I am only looking for some more light at a distance of a maximum of 4-5 metre" unquote.

There was no mention of how what or where the intended use was for except for stills photos initially , So I posted one option which he asked for at a reasonable price. It does work well given the distance required.

There are plenty of reviews on youtube to look at
Click to expand...
I asked the kind of EV I could expect from the LED light, it doesn't change depending on how bright the surroundings, only its comparative power changes.

I know what the OP asked, I gave my opinion, and I'm kinda sticking by it. LED lights have some limited uses but they can't compete with flash.
 
TLR-330 said:
The background to the question was photographing some baby swallows in a barn. I did not succeed with the first bunch (4 of them sitting side by side as I photographed wide open so only one in focus). There are more on the rafters now but they will be gone by the time I have got anything on my hands. I am just looking to add some light not to fully illuminate the scene. [I have a powerful modern Metz and a few 45s from years gone by but I did not want to blast little birds and scare them].
Click to expand...

I think a low powered flash in a suitable position would be a more practical option. It won't bother the chicks any more than a constant source bright enough to light them will.
 
Having managed to last until the first couple or so lights of the $50-100 video posted by Realspeed, when I saw that the 3rd most powerful of the lot was the Neewer CN-304 or something that did not look that powerful when its power was demonstrated, I decided to save my £20-30 for the time being. I will read the manual of the Metz flash and see where it takes me.

Thank you very much :D
 
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