spotlight as video light?

[VideoEnthusiast]

I'm a photographer-turning-videographer. I don't have the money to buy a whole new set of lights, so I'm interested in hacking together my own video lights.

I'm thinking that a spotlight would be a perfect candidate for a video light. They are bright and generally have a built-in battery that would allow me to do shorter shoots away from power. I'm thinking I would add a means of threading a translucent or reflective umbrella onto the spotlight, to soften the light. I can correct the color temperature using filters.

So, I'm looking for advice. Is this doable? Can you use a spotlight continuously for 15+ minutes?

Would HID be better or halogen? Any recommendations of good spotlights for something like this?

Considerations (so far):
--color temperature consistency
--brightness and consistency of brightness
--battery life
--charging time
--ability to run while plugged in

Thanks! I'm really interested to hear your thoughts.

 

[Patriot]

:welcome:

Any 35W, 4300-5500K HID light with diffuser and li-ion battery.

http://www.polarion-store.com/pd-polarion-u2-abyss-diving-light2.cfm

http://www.batteryjunction.com/titanium-l35.html

http://www.magnalight.com/pc-316-31-rechargeable-hid-handheld-light.aspx

 

[VideoEnthusiast]

Thanks for the links. Several of these are more expensive than video lights would be. I'm still interested in them though, as they might provide more flexibility than an off-the-shelf video light. Is there anything that might also work closer to the $100 range?

Also, any thoughts on how long I can safely keep an HID spotlight on?

 

[Egsise]

I have a flashlight with warm white(2600-3700K) led and diffuser lens that I have tried to use as video light.
My photographing skill are just basic, and for videos even less...

Anyway, the flashlight has 3 modes:
~40 lumens runtime 8 hours
~120 lumens runtime 3hours
~300 lumens runtime 45 minutes

With the diffuser the light smooths out nicely, and for indoor shots the 300 lumens helped nicely.
"get that torch out of my face" comments if I got closer than 5ft to people...

Runs with 18650 Li-ion
Dimensions: 14 CM x 3.4 CM x 2.7 CM
Weight: 4.1 oz