Is anyone getting good results from LEDs?

Josh Donnelly · May 23, 2007

Hey everybody. My brother and I are about to dive into a low-light short film shoot at an old underground fort out here in the NW using our trusty XL-2. It's a ghost story, and the main light source during most of the film is going to be the protagonist's flashlight. We've never had to deal with a totally dark location before (scary!) so we've been experimenting with low-watt fill ideas. We're pleasantly suprised at how well a few of our white consumer LED lights are holding up. Given some soft diffusion and good camera settings, we're getting some decent test video.

So anyway, are there any professional solutions worth looking at for someone that still wants to be able to pay his actors? I noticed that B&H has some pricey LED lights, but if there's anything else out there that will do the trick, I'd like to know about it.

Thanks!

Josh D

Chris Keth · May 23, 2007

They exist but they are awfully pricey. I would get some from somewhere online and wire them up yourself. You could just put them on a piece of corrugated plastic card and it would be very lightweight.

Joe Turrentine · May 24, 2007

They do have them for sale, but as was said, very pricey, 900 dollar range. Here is a link for a 50w one for almost 1000 bucks.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/4616...or_50_Watt.html

Then again, 50 watts goes a long way in the dark. I hope you are remembering to over expose to reduce digital noise. I've never used the xl 2 in the dark, but you always need to shoot some serious test footage before you jump into anything. I've worked with a DP who uses a LED light setup but that was because he could run it off a battery. Pricewise, you would probably better off spending 150 for a bunch of 500w flood lights. My two cents.

Josh Donnelly · May 24, 2007

Then again, 50 watts goes a long way in the dark. I hope you are remembering to over expose to reduce digital noise. I've never used the xl 2 in the dark, but you always need to shoot some serious test footage before you jump into anything.

Yep. Our last project was shot in a decommissioned warship, so we're used to "dim". ;)

Nate (Donnelly, also registered here) is supposed to capture some more tests tonight. If you guys would like to see how well the LEDs work, I'll have him upload an .mp4 or something.

Josh

Chris Keth · May 24, 2007

Personally, I would just spend a bit of money on some china balls and lightbulbs. If battery powered is a requirement, that's easy to do with 12V bulbs and a car battery.