Which flashlight for close range lighting for filming with a camcorder?

[dengdam]

stumbled upon this cool forum when i was searching for a light to go with my new camcorder sony tg1.

needless to say after reading a bunch of posts i just had to join. alot of fun and interesting stuff here.

read a bunch of posts but havent really found a way to search for exactly what i want. im looking for a light that can run around 60-90 minutes or more and run on its own battery. something small enough that i can have my camera in my pants pocket and the light in the other. not looking for something really strong i dun think. just something that will help me film while indoors with regular to poor lighting conditions mostly but can bring it out with me at night as well if possible. something to help makle things less grainy and maybe enhance the colors when im filming from like a foot away to like 5 feet away.

at first i thought i would be looking for a typical video light. probably still am but after looking at some of the custom lights some of the guys here are making im kinda intrigued. some of them will look very nice with my camcorder i think.


anyway just wanted to say hi and hope some of you guys can chime in and help me with some suggestions.

how approachable are these guys that make custom flash lights is it ok to ask them if they can make something for me. are there any custom makers in nyc. would love to check out their items if they are.

 

[nerdgineer]

Re: hello new here.

Hey, welcome dengdam,

You will find lots of fun and probably expensive things here to occupy your mind and paycheck. Given current technologies, I'm sure you will find lights that are way overkill around here, depending on how deep your pockets (in both senses of the word) are.

I'm thinking offhand that one of your issues will be finding a light with the right illumination pattern to be a video light. There are plenty of fairly small lights (e.g. Fenix P3D) that can put out a LOT of light for 60 or 90 minutes, but they will usually have reflectors which will make an undesirable hot spot in the middle of your pictures. You'll need more even and yet still efficient lighting coverage over perhaps 40 or 50 degrees of angle, and such lights are less common out of the box.

You could put diffusing material over the lens of a reflectored light but that will probably cost you 50% or more lost light (but maybe still good enough). You can take the heads off some lights, making them in effect "candles", but that spreads the light over very wide angles, again wasting much of it for purposes of video lighting.

You might find something you like at review sights like lightreviews. I think the Zebralights have an flood beam and some of them run pretty bright for a few hours.

I'm sure some of our experts out there will have more specific suggestions. Good luck...

 

[Gunner12]

Re: hello new here.

:welcome:

A good thing to do would be to post your price range, preferred batteries, preferred size, quality of the light, type of beam, and multimode or not so we can narrow down the selection.

Also remember that a LED will lack red compared to an incan or sun light, so you might want to look at lights that come with neutral white LEDs.

 

[ruriimasu]

Re: hello new here.

Hi :welcome:

I dont think you need a custom light yet, there are so many ready made lights which will suit your needs. What you need is probably a flood light and H30 (CR123 battery version or H50 (AA battery version)is probably right for you as they offer 120degree floods, 3 brightness levels and 2hr+ runtimes on the brightest level.

 

[kicken_bright]

Re: hello new here.

Perhaps this is yet another lighting solution that can be solved by a malkoff drop-in! look into something like...

m60wf
m30wf
m60w mc-e

all can be found here on this website...

http://www.malkoffdevices.com/shop2/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_14

how bullet proof/reliable does this light need to be? what kind of money r u looking to spend? If you want to spend money, this forum will definitely help with that!

 

[dengdam]

Re: hello new here.

thanks for the quick replies. been reading posts this whole time.

not really too sure how much i need to spend. im thinking 50-100? and more if its a custom. i plan on having the flashlight as my edc(keke hope im using the term right) since i carry my camcorder everywhere as well.

mostly for home video like my family doing stuff. or recording my kid play the piano. or myself drawing or painting. im guessing buying better bulbs for the house would be a much better alternative?

but also to film work being done in the house like fixing a pipe or whatever. recording what has a hole or a leak. video records of this stuff is actually kinda cool to have.

or like recording my friends doing stupid stuff as we walk home drunk late at night or something.

im thinking i can fashion a bracket for a pipe and be able to mount it to the bottom of my camera or to the side or something havent really thought about that too much about it. im guessing it should be about 6 inches or so and 1-3 inches in diameter. batteries is whatver is rechargeable lol.

about the red thing im still trying to digest the info of a Nichia 083 and the thread about High CRI and its significance.

 

[dengdam]

Re: hello new here.

just saw the checklist thingy and thought i fill it out as well. anyway main obj is to mostly to use for filming video indoors.


0) What Region/Country/State will the light be purchased in?
x____I will be mail-ordering or buying online, so this doesn't matter.
or
x____I am in North America. More precisely I am in new york city

1) Price Range: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest!
up to 250 but it better be really good. more like 100 to 180
2) Format:
x____I want a flashlight.

3) Length:
up to like 7 inches maybe pants pocket size without it poking me in the hips if i sit

4) Width:
somewhat narrow
5) What batteries do you want to use? Alkaline batteries are easier to find and less expensive but don't pack as much stored energy and are don't work well in cold temperatures. Lithium batteries have long shelf life (10+ years, great for stored emergency lights) and are not as affected by cold but must be kept dry and are more expensive. Rechargeable start expensive, but if used frequently pay off quickly.
x____I want lithium batteries. (coin cells, CR123, AAA, AA...)
or
x____I want a rechargeable system. (an investment, but best for everyday use)
6) How much light do you want? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is impossible).
____I want to read a map, or find a light switch, in a dark room. (5-10 lumens)
____I want to walk around a generally paved area. (15-20 lumens)
____I want to walk unpaved trails. (40 lumens)
____I want to do Caving or Search & Rescue operations. (60+ lumens)

7) Throw vs Flood: Which do you prefer, lights that flood an area with a wide beam, or lights that "throw" with a tightly focused beam? Place an "X" on the line below.
Throw (distance)----------------------|----------------x------Flood/close-up
but i dun wanna blind my target
8) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims (like some LED lights). but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries.
____60-120 min. (1-2 hours)

9) Durability: Generally the old phrase "you get what you pay for" is very accurate for flashlights.
____Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box.)
maybe a lil less important than this lol

8) Switch Type:
____I want a sliding switch. (Stays on until slid back.)
or
____I want a "clickie" switch. (Stays on until pressed again.)
probably clickie
9) Switch Location:
x____I don't care.
and maybe
____I want a remote control.
never saw a flash light with a remote before. im guessing i wouldnt use it much tho haha.
10) Operational Modes: Check all that apply.
x____A simple on-off is fine for me.
x____I want 2 light levels. (Brighter/short runtime and Dimmer/long runtime.)
and maybe
x____I want multiple light levels. (some lights have 5-16 light levels.)

11) Is it important whether the body is metal or plastic/composite?
x____I don't care.
____I want a metal-bodied light.
____I want a plastic/composite light.
but should be somewhat durable
12) Special Needs: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Circle any below or write in your own comment(s).
x____Red (night vision preserving) filter
x____Other filter colors (Amber, Green, Blue, _________)
x____Waterproof – how deep: _____________
x____Corrosion resistant or hard-anodized finish
maybe____"Hybrid" light (bright incandescent combined with long running LEDs)
maybe____Built-in second (or spare) lamp or filament
probably____Belt/Jacket clip
probably____Wrist/Neck Lanyard


mostly to use for filming video indoors.

 

[importculture]

Re: hello new here.

Hi I personally use a jetbeam jetII non-pro on my Tg1. It has a focusable and removeable head. It has really good throw and all flood with the head removed. I use velcro brand industrial velcro which comes in 15ft lengths in a box. plus if you choose to remove the velcro from your tg1 the sticky stuff is't like that from duct tape it won't leave any hard to remove residue on the titanium. Hope this helps

 

[dengdam]

Re: hello new here.

so i was looking over some things reviews on my camcorder and figured i need about 100-150 lux for the video to not be grainy and stuff like that. probably more to bring out good colors. mostly just guessing her tho

now i need to figure out what lights can do that well over like 10-30 inch square or something. and it would be a plus if i could light up something larger than that.

reading some reviews i can probably make do with like a 20-40 flashlight?
im willing to spend more for something that will do a better job (up to like 150-200) but im getting somewhat confused on how to choose a better one.

also i dont want it to be too strong and blind my target. my target should be comfortable in the light.

 

[dengdam]

Re: hello new here.

hey thanks for the suggestion gonna look up a review for it right away! :thumbsup: lovecpf

 

[Gunner12]

Re: hello new here.

Look for the floodier lights like the Zebralight, or a diffuser for the light.

 

[Size15's]

I changed your thread title to better reflect the topic you'd like assistance with.
Al

 

[importculture]

Re: hello new here.

hey thanks for the suggestion gonna look up a review for it right away! :thumbsup: lovecpf

You're welcome glad we could help and welcome to the forums. Hope you can find all the lighting answers you need here.

 

[Toaster]

Couple of suggestions for you:

1. Make sure the light you decide on does NOT use PWM (pulse width modulation) regulation. This will show up as flickering in your footage and is virtually impossible to remove in post.

2. A diffuser is not optional at these ranges imho. No matter how floody the beam pattern, an LED is a point source and will be uncomfortable shining in someone's face at night at close range. Also your camcorder won't have the dynamic range to accommodate very uneven lighting (hotspot, insufficient beam width, etc). Side benefit is that a diffuser masks hand movement very well which is handy if you don't have the light mounted on a tripod. Flashlight specific diffusers work great if you're not pointing the light directly at someone's face on high power. A gallon size frosted plastic milk jug or similar works even better if you can be bothered to carry one around.

3. High CRI lights don't offer any real benefit for your purpose. Selecting the proper color mode or manual color balance on your camcorder will compensate for difference between lighting sources.


As for specific suggestion. I would go with an Olight T20-T paired with a matching diffuser. It has 5 current controlled levels, is about 5 inches long with nice form factor for easy pocket carry, and fits your other requirements as well.

 

[Strauss]

Gonna add another vote for a Malkoff drop-in module. I'd suggest getting yourself a nice host light, a Surefire 6P. Then look into the warm-tinted flood version of his drop-in's, either the M60WF or the M30WF. Go for the M60WF if you want to be able to run primaries. That would be a great combo that should fit the bill....

 

[Chrontius]

I personally use a Surefire 9z with a diffuser for photography. Works great for me, 60 minute runtime.

 

[dengdam]

so i read up on the suggestions you guys gave me.

the zebralight h30
the jet beam
the surefire 6
and the olight t20

and i couldnt find a review of the surefire 9z

what would be more comfortable on kid. the floodlight a zebralight h50 or a surefire or olight with a diffuser? dont want to blind anyone or freak them out.

not too sure what those malkoff drop-ins do. they all seem to say they will blind people up close..

the zebralight seems intersting. i would probably want the h50 instead of the h30 since it lights up a wider angle? is 80 lumens too low?

the olight says on high it is 220 lumens with a diffuser how much lower will that make it?

is 220 already too high for me? the next level is only 100 with a diffuser on that might make it too low?

 

[Toaster]

what would be more comfortable on kid. the floodlight a zebralight h50 or a surefire or olight with a diffuser? dont want to blind anyone or freak them out.

A light with a diffuser is always going to be easier on the eyes than a LED inside a reflector or behind an optic. The larger the diffuser, the more comfortable it will be on the subject.

the olight says on high it is 220 lumens with a diffuser how much lower will that make it?

is 220 already too high for me? the next level is only 100 with a diffuser on that might make it too low?

220 lumens behind a diffuser at a distance of 5 feet is just barely acceptable to my eyes in a room with good lighting (classroom with lots of overhead fluorescents). In poor lighting conditions your subject can probably only handle staring into 100 lumens behind a diffuser at that distance. If you feel you need something between the 100-220 lumen settings, you can always step back to reduce light intensity and zoom in to reframe your shot. At a distance of ~1 feet you'd want to stick with the 18 or 7 lumen settings.


I feel I should point out that although you asked for a pocketable solution, you'd really be better off with a dedicated video light if you can forego that requirement. For lighting on the cheap, there's nothing better IMHO than the Sima SL-20LX. You can attach it with the bracket which attaches to the tripod mount since your TG1 doesn't have a hotshoe. It's not dimmable but you can get around that by standing back or sticking on some filters. See a video review of it here. You can pick em up cheap online from places like here or here. Might not want to carry it around but it would be nice to use around the house.

Edit: See this thread for a decent discussion on this light.

 

[dengdam]

i looked more into the jetbeam ibs feature and thought it would be very helpful since i can preset 3 modes. they go up by increments of 225 lumens / 20 since its goees up by 5% each level?

are there diffusers that go with the jetbeam?

not too sure what the differences are of the I II or III verison and the pro or non pro.


are there any other flashlight that has a feature similar to jetbeams ibs?
or have more modes that i can preset?


i looked into some video lights and they remain an option but i thought i should look into a flashlight since they are more multifunctional/purpose.

 

[Gunner12]

The I versions are AA, IIs are 1 CR123, IIIs are 18650 or 2 CR123(depending on exact model). Pro or non Pro, I'm not sure. Make sure it's the IBS version if you are getting one.

I don't remember any diffusers for them but there might be some that work. A bottlecap of the right size might also work.