2500 lumen pocket monster for videography

[Bamboopictures]

This tiny monster comes with 1/4" 20 thread for mounting. Very useful as:
umbrella light, backlight sun-fighter, night ENG.

Nitecore Tiny Monster TM15 2450 Lumen Flashlight - YouTube
or the 3500 lumen version.
http://www.nitecore.com/productDetail.aspx?id=75

 

[Bamboopictures]

$US68 alternative to the Nightcore TM26 (USD$390)
APEX 5T6 5xCREE XM-L T6 4x18650 3000-Lumen 3-Mode LED Flashlight_SKY RAY Flashlights_Electronics Wholesale online

 

[beachbum]

Bamboopictures Bro, thanks for posting these LED lighting info. After going on board DSLRs and being able to shoot at ISO 2000, I am really downsizing my lighting kit. And these long throw LEDs are really what I am looking for : )

 

[Bamboopictures]

Bamboopictures Bro, thanks for posting these LED lighting info. After going on board DSLRs and being able to shoot at ISO 2000, I am really downsizing my lighting kit. And these long throw LEDs are really what I am looking for : )

Glad you find these useful. I bought the TM26 from SGcamerastore last week. ($550) The operational brightness is actually 1700 lumen. The 3500 lumen maximum brightness is subject to a built-in thermostat which will drop the 3500 lumen to 1700 lumen when the temperature of the unit reaches 60 degrees celsius (around 5minutes after you turn it on full blast.)
But 1700 lumen is still very nice for my purpose. (Using it with an umbrella bounce). I will not recommend using it directly on a subject as these are afterall just torchlights with typically uneven umbra-pernumbra pattern.

Also, note that the LEDs are CREE XM-L white with a debatable CRI of 85. So you really need to boost saturation in post to restore natural skin tone.

 

[beachbum]

I am not familiar with this lumens thingy. What sort of meter reading or exposure can you get with it bouncing off say a sliver umbrella from 2m?

Speaking of throw, I am definitely more interested in LED lights that is coupled with a proper parabolic reflector. Those that has a fresnel lens in front will be very nice too. Basically, LED versions of the familiar Arri lights. Do you know of any affordable ones?

 

[Bamboopictures]

I am not familiar with this lumens thingy. What sort of meter reading or exposure can you get with it bouncing off say a sliver umbrella from 2m?

Speaking of throw, I am definitely more interested in LED lights that is coupled with a proper parabolic reflector. Those that has a fresnel lens in front will be very nice too. Basically, LED versions of the familiar Arri lights. Do you know of any affordable ones?

On my GH2, I get excellent result at f4, 1/50 ISO800 with a dark-skinned model on a white brolly at 2m (bounce but, not silvered).
These made-in-hongkong LED fresnel go for $220/pc.
LED Fresnel in Cameras & Photo | eBay

You can wait for Dedo's DLED2, DLED4 series but they won't be cheap.
Arri has announced flat-backed LED fresnel and so has litepanel (Sola) and Zylight (F8).
Other good priced alternatives are found in LED architectural floods, LED worklights, LED par cans and color wash from American DJ stage lighting.

So far, I've been using eight 15W LED light corns (LEDDIG.com) in two soft boxes for most of my camera interviews. I use a LED disco ball pinspot from American DJ as a backlight.

 

[kandinsky]

Interesting info, thanks! I had the idea to experiment with a torch (single-emitter cree, approx 100 lumens) that I use on strobe mode when cycling on the road. It's quite blinding to look at, even from hundreds of metres away, which gave me the impression that it might work. Experimented with a shoot through brolly, difficult to diffuse the focused spot, too weak to bounce.

There's another mod to try with LED torches: How to Make an Ice Light with an LED Flashlight | DIY

On those ebay lights, check out this guy's review.

[video=vimeo;53476397]https://vimeo.com/53476397[/video]

"It claims to be a 1000 watt Fresnel and neither of those two things are true... It's a 100 watt LED and outputs nowhere near a 1000 watts. It's probably closer to 300 watts."

Looks like the (chinese?) manufacturers may be using 'Fresnel' as a brand name, not realising that it's supposed to be an actual feature..

(via dvxuser.com - "1000w fresnel" LED Ebay lights)

 

[beachbum]

Hi Bamboopictures bro, how long does a set of batteries for the TM26 last? Possible to power with external battery packs? How do you find the colour? Does it have the awful green tinge of typical led? Thanks

 

[Bamboopictures]

The batteries will last 2 hrs. The color rendering of the TM26 is surprisingly very good, in fact better than the LED corns in my soft box. I think I'll be switching to CREE XM-L U2s from now on.