Tagged with light - Personal View Talks

High CRI >=95 led lights

Vitaliy_Kiselev — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 05:12:36 +0000

312DS Special Edition, High CRI led lights

made specially for PV, CRI 95
updated and improved from usual 312DS
Color temperature adjustable
easy to see screen and adjustment
flags
sturdy construction

Check additional details and price.

1024DS, Special Edition, High CRI led lights

made specially for PV, CRI 95
easy to see screen and adjustment
Color temperature adjustable
flags
sturdy construction

Check additional details and price.

Affordable and Effective Light Meter

shian — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:17 +0000

The Gossen Digisix is my replacement for my now completely dead vintage Gossen Luna Pro. It's small, lightweight (unlike the old GLP which was the size of Spock's old tri-corder from the TV series and was like a lead weight hanging around my neck). It's very accurate, and also measures contrast. For $169 it's the cheapest light meter you'll find out there, and works great for DSLR video work.

Can't afford those awesome $800 Sekonics? Get one of these instead.

DIY Fresnel LED lights

kronstadt — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 14:37:00 +0000

LED lights are awesome, save you a LOT of hassle on location, and are dropping in prices. At the same time the good old ARRI fresnel tungsten lighting gives you that beautiful cinematic lighting - so beautiful and easy to control that you might want to put up with all the hassle and cost that they involve.

So I thought: would it be possible to combine best of both worlds? Would it be possible to have LED lights which also work as a Fresnel lights? Then I found out that this is the newest cutting edge thing that ARRI offers in it’s L-series, and LightPanels is releasing its own early models too, and they cost tens of thousands of dollars!

I wonder if I can make it DIY?

After all it shouldn’t be that difficult. I thought of getting a 312ASZ led panel (which, correct me if I'm wrong should give me a 250W equivalent) and sticking one of those plastic Fresnel lenses that old people use to read newspapers. Like this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Magnifier-Full-Page-Magnifying-Fresnel-Lens-Sheet-XL-/320649270129?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4aa82f9371#ht_3008wt_932 or fresnel lenses for Solar cookers like this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fresnel-Lens-Over-Head-Projector-Solar-Cooker-Oven-Project-OHP-310mm-x310mm-x4mm-/150826264411?pt=UK_Gadgets&hash=item231df2275b#ht_500wt_1164

But then the question becomes, are these good enough Fresnel lenses for purposes of cinematic lighting? And how to make it so that the lens moves back and forth, so as to focus the light?

What do you think? Any advices? Any suggestions? Any links to such DIY tutorials?

Light Follow Focus for light-weight rig ?

feha — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:35:09 +0000

Is there any light weight but still quality follow focus ? I have been testing a lot of them but almost any of them weight's about or over 400 g. What's is your experience in using FF with light weight rig ?

DN2 LED big lights

Vitaliy_Kiselev — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 00:47:09 +0000

In spite of http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/847/litepanels-wants-all-import-of-led-lighting-into-us-stopped

Anyone interested in good 500-1000 LED lights?

Something like this:

For one of the models manufacturer tells that quality is same as:
http://www.flolight.com/led-lighting/microbeam-1024-high-powered-led-video-light.html
I mean CRI>=93

Please, not that this won't cheap lights as we are aimed at high quality stuff.

Panasonic Anamorphic adapter

tokyo187 — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 14:29:18 +0000

Hello again! I am wondering about the right decision in choosing an anamorphic option. There are so many, that have become rareties in some respect. There is the Panasonic AG-LA7200 16:9 Anamorphic Lens Adapter, which is average price is 1000 dollars. Than we have a Century Precision adapter, which is harder to find, but a cheaper pick-up, that seems to provide intense flares. Now we also have the endless array of anamorphic projector lenses, adapted with lens clamps and such, that some say is better, and some say not so much. These include Kowa(which do look pretty nice sporting a 2x Anamorphic, ranging from 100 bucks to over 700, Isco-Optic focusing ana proj lens, and the Sankyoscope anamorphot 1.5x including a +0.5 diopter, focus through, which I haven't found for less than 1000 dollars, and I'm not sure how much the diopter will assist me, but anyhow there are many more, which I'm sure most are aware of. I am just hoping to get a little more insight into what the best and most effective options are.

Thank you Kindly, -Trev

good portable LED light kit

Alexauwa — Sun, 12 Jan 2014 10:58:43 +0000

Hi everyone,

I am using a gh3 for my recording.

I am looking for a solide light kit with led. One Main light like led panel and two additional lights as spots that can be focused.

Right now I have planed: 2 x dedolight DLED 4.0 1 x limelite mosaic 30 x 30 cm daylight led panel

You got ans experience?

Thanks Alex

312A, 312AS, 312ASZ Lishuai LED Light

Vitaliy_Kiselev — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 16:33:25 +0000

Again, old, well known, very good quality light, but we did not have separate topic on it as I see.

312AS led light (also option to get two lights in the pack)

Very good and popular light with adjustable color temperature.

Available at:

http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/717/special-deals-lighting-fresnels-evfs-monitors

Pixel Sonnon DL-912, LED light with advanced radio sync

Vitaliy_Kiselev — Sat, 19 Oct 2013 11:55:20 +0000

Allows to adjust other light from group wirelessly from one unit.

Price - from $57 shipped

Available - http://www.ebay.com/sch/?_nkw=Pixel%20Sonnon%20DL-912

Cheap and Good Lighting Idea

stoney — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 02:44:03 +0000

While reviewing a LED light, I learned the LED light isn't really good with a barn door. When a barn door is narrowed, the LED light gave rows of lights with discrete light strength. Looking weird and unpleasant.

Fresnel light can give more natural looking focused light. No discrete rows of light. Look at this aliexpress deal. It comes with a softbox, too. Awesome!!! It looks heavy, but I already have portable Z96 and CL-LED256. This is primarily for indoor studio work.

http://www.aliexpress.com/product-fm/465889231-300W-500W-Fresnel-Tungsten-Light-As-Arri-Softbox-wholesalers.html

There are plenty of reviews about it or its likes, and most buyers seem happy with made-in-china Fresnel light.

I hope we can get a group discount. I'd get it if we can get close to $200. But I'm not a good negotiator... Can someone help please?

Only 2 itmes left: Selling a lot of unused gear from film shoot

matt_gh2 — Mon, 16 Sep 2013 15:59:19 +0000

EDIT: Only 2 items left. The Fotga quick release block clamp for follow focus is still available, and the Rosco 730011 Polarizing Sheet 17" x 20" is still available. Thanks.

I bought a lot of gear for current film shoot that our DP didn't use. These items have only been used indoors once or twice to test when I received them. All were bought new by myself and are in perfect condition. Pricing includes free shipping for everything in US.

Olympus 17mm f/1.8 - $395

312 AS led lights (I have 2 of these) - $129 for 1, or $250 for both (these are same ones as on personal-view deals, that's where I purchased them, and they come with case, batteries, chargers, etc)

Fotga DP500ii Follow Focus with 2 Hard Stops - $119 (this is the same one as on personal-view deals, that's where I purchased)

Fotga DP500ii Quick-release Slide Block Clamp for follow focus 15mm Rail Rod Rig - $25 (this works with the above Fotga follow focus)

Cinevate CIADAS000K17 Follow Focus Lens Gear Ring - $25 (this also works with the above Fotga follow focus)

Seetec 5.6" Monitor with 1280x800 panel resolution (this is the same one on personal-view deals, that's where I purchased from, and it comes with Mini HDMI Cable, Hotshoe mount, Sun Hood, Sony Battery plate). - $179

Sony NP-F770 battery (I have 2 of these) - $49 for 1 or $80 for 2. (These batteries work with the above Seetec monitor)

Glide Gear SYL3000 Elite Camera Stabilizer Kit - $69

Rosco 730011 Polarizing Sheet 17" x 20". - $29

Cinematorgaphy tutorial: Lighting and Framing Tips

Vitaliy_Kiselev — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 09:29:15 +0000

This is earlear videos from LightsFilmSchool.

How to light a small set with only 2 lights

Color temperature & Kelvins Explained

Lighting Tutorial and samples

Head Room, Lead Room and Anticipatory Framing

Composition and Framing Tutorial

2000LM LED light

Vitaliy_Kiselev — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 08:53:57 +0000

New model, seems to be made by same company as 1400LM and 800LM lights.

Price: $99 shipped

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DSLRKIT-WALLI-LED-VIDEO-Light-2000LM-5600k-Camera-Camcorder-2x-CREE-XML-U2-/230673052779

Useful as small ring or hair light also.

LED Light with ears, hides them if scared

Vitaliy_Kiselev — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 04:54:41 +0000

Specs

Power source: DC9V-16.8V(DC Power supply adapter) or Sony F series Li-ion rechargeable battery
Power consumption: 18W
Lighting angle: approx. 60 degree
Color Temperature: 6300K(without filter or diffuser) average
Illumination: 1620-1800lm
Continuous lighting time: Approx. 3hours(using Sony NP-F750)
Dimensions: Approx. 115mm x 115mm x120mm
Weight: 400g

Comes with:

XT-1 LED Video Light
4 Filters
Small ball head
Sony NP-F750 battery
Battery charger
Power adapter

All this for only $85 shipped

http://www.ebay.com/itm/XT-1-Super-Power-LED-Video-Light-f-Camera-DV-Camcorder-6300K-1800Lux-w-battery-/261157177670

And $66 shipped only if you don't need power adapter and battery

http://www.ebay.com/itm/XT-1-Super-Power-LED-Video-Light-f-Camera-DV-Camcorder-6300K-1800Lux-/261160339899

Really cool looking light and price is good for output.

Vivitar Variable ND Test

DailyFilmFix — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:10:14 +0000

Here's a test I did today with the Vivitar NDX variable filter. I have been in post on my latest doc, "Three Days at Foster," and I've been working overtime on color correction. I used this particular filter on my Zuiko 45mm because the filter was for 37mm thread. I knew there were concerns about color cast and loss of sharpness, but a lot of what I shot was lovely anyway. The rest, I'm fixing.

So, for this test, which is probably not well done, I set up my GH1 with the reliability hack and set it to smooth with everything -2. I manually white balanced on the white door with each test after I set exposure. I pulled focus using a loupe.

To my eye, the one with the filter on it and the extra LED light does look, perhaps, a little less sharp. When I sharpened, it became a little more clear that there may be a slight loss of sharpness. But you guys look at it and tell me if my eyes need to be reset.

I ran three cameras on my doc (two GH1s and an HMC150) and was able to find an angle every time that worked. But I did not properly pay attention to color on some shots and tried to dial it in. After this test, I'm going to manually do it moving forward. Actually, I did manually balance with my video camera (the HMC150) on each interview, which did make a difference.

My main question is: now that Light Craft has a 37mm variable ND available at Adorama, based on this test, how much better would it be?

Finally, I realize that the casting and focus issues would become more pronounced as I cranked the ND down (darker), however, mine was set in the middle of the scale on the side of the filter, which I thought would be good for this test.

F&V UltraColor 95 CRI LEDs

Vitaliy_Kiselev — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 01:43:30 +0000

Ultracolor LEDs have high CRI equal to 95 to ensure better colour rendering and will be available in Z400, Z180, and Z96 models.

How to improve low light image quality from iso 12800 and 6400

apefos — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:49:22 +0000

Learn how to match C300 and FS100 low light image quality with the GH2 (on vimeo), you can download the neatvideo profiles and presets in this thread post number 10, these saved profiles and presets are updated with a new fine tweaking to get a much better results, also if you want more information go to vimeo and read the video description.

Aputure AL-160 LED Light

Vitaliy_Kiselev — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 20:33:34 +0000

Features:
Special LED bulb layout design, small LED light beads scatter around, and big ones concentrate on centre.
16:9 widescreen design & thin borders, light range is wider.
With 4 extensing slots on the 4 sides, you can combine the lights together to achieve some effects.
Brightness can be adjusted to your liking.
Automatic IT circuit control.
Stable color temperature & brightness.
It can be easily connected to cameras by hot shoe.
Multiple battery options (6*AA or Lithium).
Battery power indicator.

Specifications:
Color: Black
LED quantity: 160pcs
Total power: < 10W
Voltage: 5.5-9V
Color temperature: 5600K
Brightness control: Colour filters
Battery: 6 * AA batteries (not included) or NP-F550, NP-FM55H, NP-FH60 battery (not included)
Item size: 15 * 9.7 * 5cm
Total weight: 358g
Package size: 18 * 16.5 * 6.5cm
Package weight: 553g

Price: see our deals

http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/717/special-deals-led-lighting-and-lcd-1280x720-camera-monitor

Adapting PA Speaker Stands to Light Stands/Flag Stands- ideas?

silvertonesx24 — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 15:26:04 +0000

So I bought some LED lights off ebay, which came with stands so cheap it'd hard to believe how much worse they could be. They are essentially these stands.

http://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-Photography-Light-Stands-Cases/dp/B001WB02Z4/

After having my lights fall on concrete, fall in front of clients, fall on my head, I decided that I'd had enough and bought these:

http://www.amazon.com/PYLE-PRO-PSTND2-Tripod-Speaker-Stand/dp/B000E0PPG0/

The problem is that they are 35mm speaker tubes standard for speakers, and my lights take the 5/8in light stand adapter.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to convert the 35mm tubes to 5/8 in via some clamp or something of sort? I plan on trying a few things myself but if anyone has any ideas as well before I start hacking and drilling that'd be great. If so, that would be amazing as these stands are ROCK solid and I only paid $44 for the two of them.

Light Fantastic, BBC film

Vitaliy_Kiselev — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 03:12:42 +0000

Powerful car lamps or flashlights

Vitaliy_Kiselev — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 04:54:57 +0000

Aluminum casting
Total Emitters - 15
Rated Voltage - DC 10~30V
Power - 45 W
Luminous Flux - 2700 lm
Color Temperature - 6000 K

Available at:

http://dx.com/p/45w-2700lm-6000k-15-led-white-light-indicator-lamp-black-dc-10-30v-178276

You can find similar lamps on dx and ebay and can power them via big batteries (check cheap V mount solutions on ebay).

Camtree Beam Lite DIMMABLE?

katig — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 05:18:35 +0000

Anybody has some experience with this light? Dimmable ballast, Philips tubes... I never bought anything manufactured in India, can I expect any major quality issues? Price seems very good.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Beam-Lite-240-DIMMABLE-Ballast-Tubes-Reflective-Grid-studio-Stand-/271010453928

16W small led light

Vitaliy_Kiselev — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 01:27:48 +0000

Quite powerful light.

Price: $70

Available at: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Super-Power-T6A-LED-Video-Light-for-Canon-Panasonic-Camera-DV-Camcorder-/110962629197

DMX controller for LED lights

Psyco — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 10:31:30 +0000

As I have a DN2-T&D 900 LED light and I'm very interested in the LED fresnells and getting more DN2's, a DMX controller would be interesting.

I'm looking for a box with one USB connection to a computer (which software?) and several DMX outputs to hook up the lights. I know you can daisy chain the lights, but to have 2 or 3 output sockets would still be of an advantage.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

You can get any for cheap, locally or on aliexpress.com. :-)

In fact, I think that Wi-Fi must be mandatory for led or fluo modern lights.

@Vitaliy_Kiselev I had a look at aliexpress, but I didn't find a DMX controller for my DN2. The DN2 has a 5 pin connector, all controllers do seem to only have 3 pin connectors (looks like XLR plugs to me).

Any information or experience reports with DMX controllers are appreciated.

Flickering light in video

hedrox — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 04:56:47 +0000

Hi guys, i need your help.. i was shooting with my gh17 ,clip indoors (720@60p) and in one shot i have light flickering which little bit annoys me , i ´ ve already tried to remove it with neat video , it makes good job but i can still see the little flickering .. it was a room where lights were on and also sun was shining from the window could be this the reason or is it because of that i´m in PAL land and i was shooting 60p (50hz lights 60hz video frequency) would shooting in 50p help me ? i didn´t had any problems till now with it.. if anyone has any idea i will be glad to hear .. thank you all

Led Light, adjustable color, Yongnuo YN140

Vitaliy_Kiselev — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 09:12:35 +0000

Adjustable color temperature ranging from 3200k to 6000k
Stable light, with no stroboflash or jittering
Ultra-thin design making it portable
Use Sony or AA batteries
140 High-brightness LED lights
Power: 9W
Flash Sync speed: 1/250s
Lumen: 1000lm
Color Temperature Range: 3200-6000K
Fixed Color Temperature: L1(3200K), L2(6000K), L(4500K)
Color Rendering Index: 85%
Luminance angle: 55 degree
Weight: 258g

Price: from $45 shipped

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p3872.m570.l1313&_nkw=YN140%20LED%20&_sacat=625&_clu=2&_fcid=168&_localstpos&_stpos&gbr=1

Gels topic

kronstadt — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 09:34:18 +0000

Hi, As I keep building up my micro-budget movie kit, now the question of gels comes up.

Which gel set would you recommend? Preferably, cheap and relatively good quality. I need them to work with LED lights, Redhead 800W halogen and "As ARRI" 650W tungsten fresnel lights. eBay links would be appreciated.

Best and most basic Lighting kit for a very low budget narrative - for GH13 &GH2

kronstadt — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 10:07:22 +0000

I decided to start a thread to see what kind of lighting gear people would recommend for a narrative type of shooting (with GH13 and GH2) on a very low budget. We all know that in terms of ISO GH13 is far from Canon DSLRs, so when I was getting my GH1, I knew that I'd have to supplement with lighting gear.

There are quite some cheap lighting solutions out there ranging from worklights to cheap 800W Redheads on eBay. But then the question becomes, is 800W not an overkill for GH13 and GH2, and what is an "okey" kit that would work well with GH13 and GH2.

Hopefully, others, who are in the same kind of searches as I am, would find this thread useful, so do post your ideas and advices.

To make this fun, lets set a limit of ~ £400 ($650) for the entire kit (including all the accessories, stands, softboxes, gels, lightmeters etc).

So here is my list:

1x 800W Redhead (£29.80 from eBay) - great for floodlight or bounce light or artificial sunlight, but might be an overkill for Gh13 and Gh2, so you might want an extra dimmer for £19. Pack of 5 bulbs £11.
1x 650W "As ARRI" fresnel light from eBay £120, or with dimmer £135 (Is 650W an overkill for Gh13 and Gh2 if you can shoot up to 320 ISO without any grain? Is it not better to get a 500W or 300W instead???). Also, I heard that there are at least 5 factories in China that manufacture these knock-offs. I'm personally going to stay away from a brand called "JieTu".
That's why "As ARRI"s have mixed reviews, so you need to find an eBay seller who sells good quality and reliable "As ARRI"s. (that alone would be a good thread)
1x 300W "As ARRI" fresnel light £108.
1x Yongnuo YN-160 LED (£37.50) (+ 6600mAh batteries for Sony NP-F970 ~ £14 each. Will last ~10hours on YN160. + £5.70 for the charger.). Not the best light, but if you have a dark night scene, and don't have generators for your "As ARRI"s or permission for location, these YN160 (+ a diffuser umbrella and a long painter's pole) might save the day night. Nicely placed, it can also work as a hairlight or some other minor kind of light on set. Just remember that with YN160 every time you switch it on and off, it doesn't remember your settings and goes back to medium power - so you have to bump up the light intensity every time.
You might also want to get the bi-color LED 312 AS or ASZ that are often posted on personal-view.com for £107 ($168) for entire pack (with 2 batteries and dual charger).
Gels ~ £35 (Lee gels are good. I'm still deciding on which pack to get. See this discussion http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/comment/71411#Comment_71411)
4 light stands (£20 each) - don't go for the ultra cheap ones . See this topi http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/comment/71213. Sandbags, you can make them DIY.
a fake eBay Gorrillapod (£7) - great for holding things in weird places
a pack of bulbs for your Redhead and "As Arri"s. You never know when those bulbs will blow up, and they will blow up.
110cm - 5in1 Reflectors - £9 (it also contains a diffuser, in case you don't have a softbox, and you don't need a softbox if you can make a DIY wooden frame with a shower curtain)
33" Reflector umbrella - £3.70
50m Gaffer Duct Tape - £3.50
Metal Spring clamps and wooden clamps of all sorts and sizes - ~£10
Lightmeter ? Do we still need one for shooting digital? In 16mm world it's a must-have, but in digital...? Sekonic L-308DC is said to be designed for digital video, but quite pricey. Will a second hand Sekonic L-308S for ~£70 do the same job?

So that's it - we have a kit of 4 lights + all the accessories that may be needed on a low budget narrative film shoot. Any ideas as to how this list could be improved? Any thoughts?

Silverlake

mikethelaw — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 18:44:58 +0000

Random fun test with GH2, Olympus 38mm 1.8 and Sedna AQ1 at 2am in Silverlake after a film shoot.

Graded in Colorista II

Placing a Hard Key Light

Vitaliy_Kiselev — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 03:15:03 +0000

By Art Adams

The most important thing you will ever learn about lighting is this: LIGHTING IS NOT A FORMULA. Learning about lighting, though, is a process of becoming aware, and in this first of many articles I’m going I’m going to try to increase your awareness of one specific thing per article. The more awareness you have the more easily you’ll be able to adapt your lighting to your circumstances because you’ll see, with your own eyes, what you need to do to make an image that satisfies your inner artist.

I think the best place to start is with classical key light placement. This knowledge is not something you will use verbatim as this is not a style that is in vogue at the moment. The underlying principles, however, should be of daily benefit.

In film school we all learn about the key light, fill light and backlight. We’re typically shown a setup where a key light is placed 45 degrees to one side of the camera and raised high and tilted down toward the subject at a 45 degree angle. The fill light is placed in the same position on the opposite side of the camera. The backlight, or hair light, is opposite the camera, behind the subject.

This is a great way to learn the basics of lighting as long as you can grasp what the lights do and then completely forget everything about this formula. Lighting is not about formulas, it is about seeing. Formulas can be a trap. Learn from them, but don’t rely on them.

There are almost infinite variations of this setup and other setups that deviate completely from this plan. The goal in my upcoming “Lighting Strategies” series is to open your eyes to some lighting techniques and strategies that I had to learn the hard way—because there are very few people who can communicate what they do artistically to another person. There are a lot of DPs who can tell their crew what they want, but if they had to tell another DP how they did it they’d fail miserably. I find that really frustrating, so I’m going to try to fill that void.

One of the hardest things to do is to light a face well with hard light, because hard light brings out details that not every face wants revealed: bumps, pores, imperfectly-formed noses, wrinkles… everything that can go “wrong” with a face shows up really well under hard light.

A hard light is defined as a light source that appears small in relation to the subject and casts a sharp shadow. This can be a small light up close or a big light far away. (I’ll go into soft and hard light in another article.)

I believe that the origin of the “traditional” hard key light placement came from the old studio days of the 1930s when it was most common to light from a lighting grid placed over the set. Film speeds were quite slow and the lights used were quite big, and the easiest way to power them and keep them out of the shot was to hang them. This is probably where the 45-degree downward-facing key light came from, as this angle is one of the more pleasing for hardlit faces.

I’m not going to talk about fill or backlight in this article. I’m going to focus strictly on classical methods of placing hard key lights. We’ll get to other lights, and mixing lights, in future articles.

Read the rest at: http://provideocoalition.com/index.php/aadams/story/lighting_strategies_placing_a_hard_key_light/P0/