LED Lights recommendations.

[Rodrigo Violante]

Most users here have at some point rented or own LED lights, right now I'm looking into acquiring a set of 3 Lights (I think thats a good start) and I been searching and researching and still looking for the best option out there. So far this are my findings:

Digital Sputnik DS1 or DS3.
Here I still cant find the difference between DS1 and DS3 besides the V-Mount option on the DS1 which it looks like a nice option IMHO since I dont always have a generator with me.

The iOS while now it looks limited in its functions its still so far the best one technological speaking, I still cant believe how far behind in tech some companies are. While it be cool that the iOS can handle pre-sets or effects (fire, water reflection, etc)

Any one has used this ones before?

ARRI Sky Panels
It seems this ones are in terms of quality the best ones out there, of course they lack all the nice wireless features of the DS.

Kino Lights:
They seem to have a nice starting price and I seen a lot of people talking about them.


Any suggestions?

Best

Rodrigo

 

[Vance Colvig]

Might check out Dedolight. A bigger variety than most know about, precise and robust. Not cheap but will outlast most and well designed and made.

 

[Bob Gundu]

I would check out the Litepanel Gemini's.

 

[Mark K.]

The new Litepanels Gemini and Cineo Standard 410 both look like very solid alternatives to the Skypanels, and they look rather more sensibly setup operation-wise. I'd say they're worth a look if you need full RGB panels.

If great 3200-5600k white light is your priority though, I'd still say stick to remote phosphor LEDs from BBS or Cineo. I'm yet to find anything better on skin tones.

 

[Phil Holland]

The Litepanels Gemini is my absolute favorite new light. I've been doing a lot of tests this last month or so. The Fiilex Q1000 is worth checking out if you want a hard source. I'm currently testing that one.

At the moment I'm likely going to add another 2X Geminis to my kit and call it a year.

The Digital Sputnik DS-1 and all their gear is well built and decent quality.

 

[Alexander Thomson]

The DS1, DS3, and DS6 all use the same light module, just with different techniques. DS1 is a light module + a PSU/controller all connected together. The DS3 is a set of three of the light modules, connected to one big PSU via long LEMO cables. The DS6 functions similar to the DS3, with six light modules and a bigger PSU, in one frame connected by one 30’ LEMO Cable.

Below is a copy/pasted post I made in a different forum regarding my experience owning a DS1 kit. I can’t comment on Gemini as I have only seen it at trade shows and haven’t used it on set.


I own two DS1s, and have worked with the DS3 and DS6 on occasion. Been using them for the past year. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have, but in general, I enjoy working with them. The color is easily tunable and the output is adequate. Because the DS fixtures have Wifi built in, you can use the free DS DMX app to adjust one or multiple fixtures at once. The app also plays nice with ARRI and Kino fixtures. They call this concept "Lightgrading" --- using the tuning capabilities of the light to craft the desired look on set, and I believe it. All I have to do is place the lights and rock the intensity slider back and forth on the app to get the ideal ratio.

I use the DS1s to match other fixtures on big sets, or serving as key and fill on smaller corporate shoots.

If I'm shooting corporate interviews in another state, it's easy to get it done with just the two DS1s and an ARRI 150. I usually run the lights around 70%. From 5000K to 6000K they spec 1000w equivalent, but I rate the lights at 650 to be conservative. With 90whr batteries they run for 50 minutes @ full or over 4 hours @ 1/2. (110w max draw)

For narrative work, I tend to stick with Skypanels or L7's, but the DS fixtures are great for getting light in places where it'd be a real pain in the ass to run power. Yesterday I was shooting a scene in a chop shop and the director wanted to experiment with warm, cool, and fluorescent green looks. It's an extraordinary freedom on set to be able to pull out your phone and flick between color temperatures, it helps with directors that need to /see/ it to come to a decision. It's not a party trick, I use the wifi control on every shoot and it saves time.

I'm not concerned with the CRI numbers. CRI is a tungsten-biased measurement system, and the DS fixture doesn't produce white light in a typical way. The light looks good on camera. They create light using R/G/B LEDs combined with high output white LEDs. When you don't have the 36/74 degree diffusion panel on the head, you'll see sixteen shadows, or sixty four r/g/b/w shadows, depending on throw distance. The shadow looks like an old CRT tube TV that's out of convergence. It's not great. If you're hitting silk, it's not an issue. But then you run into the low output problem. If the DS1s were 50% brighter, they'd be on every gig. I typically leave the panel installed on the 36 deg. side for key and 74 deg. on the fill. The only time I'd remove the diffusion panel is when I'm through silk or bouncing.