Buyers’ guide
Buyers’ guide
The light fantastic
LED lighting is all the rage, perfect for still photographers and videomakers alike. Whether you want a portable unit to fix on the camera or you’re looking to equip a studio, prepare to be illuminated
Sony. Adapters are available for using them on V-Mount lights. When you go shopping for LEDs and start digging into the specs, the key stats to look out for are lux, CRI and TLCI. Lux is a unit of illuminance. The higher the lux, the brighter the light, and manufacturers often quote lux output figures at given distances. CRI and TLCI concern the quality of light. CRI (colour-rendering index) is a measurement of how accurately a light can render colours – 100 being a perfect score. Look for ratings of 95+, while for TLCI (television lighting consistency), 90+ is very good.
can be matched to the existing light. Move up the price scale somewhat and RGB units have special effects (lightning, fireworks and flashing police lights are common), and can deliver hundreds or even thousands of colours with no need for extra filters. Push the budget further and the latest units are RGBW (RGB plus white), RGBWW (plus warm white) or RGBCW (cool white). Panel lights will often be mains and battery powered, accepting Sony NP-F or the more expensive, greater- capacity V-Mount batteries. NP-F cells come in various sizes and capacities, and from third-party brands as well as
The monolight is typically not so richly featured when it comes to colour control and effects. But if you need a flexible, potent unit for stills and video, with light that can be shaped using modifiers, it’s ideal. Light panels are slim units fitted with loads of LEDs and featuring a broader light spread, with output controlled by barn doors and often softened with a diffuser. Thanks to this wider spread, panels suit video interviews and larger subjects. Cheaper panels have a fixed colour temperature (usually 5600K), but many offer a more useful working range, from 3200 to 6500K, so output
LED light can be used either on- or off-camera – and can also add a dab of fill-in light for portraits. For more professional people photography, the main options are light panels or monolights – but don’t forget ring lights for flattering effects and vlogging, as well as light tubes or wands for creative use. In appearance, the monolight LED – usually mains-powered – is similar to the flash monolight: self-contained and fitted with a single LED that gives intense light with greater throw. If you own a flash system, it makes sense to buy LED monolights with the same modifier mount.
WRITTEN BY WILL CHEUNG
THERE’S MORE CHOICE than ever when it comes to lighting a subject. Flash is still a mainstay for many, but LED continuous lighting is affordable, cool running, versatile and good for stills or video. It’s available in many shapes and sizes, from pocket-sized units to massive panels, which can be powered by battery, from the mains or both. What type of lighting you need depends on what you’re shooting. If you’re a macro photographer, a small
Nanlite › nanlite.co.uk
Nanlite’s comprehensive LED line-up includes light tubes, panels, ring lights and monolights. The Forza monolight family includes mains- and battery-powered models. The FS-60B bicolour is the latest FS model, with key features including a colour temperature range of 2700-6500K, and 70W of power giving 13,360 lux at 1m with a standard reflector. It retails at £326. For more creativity, the PavoTube series will appeal. The PavoTube 15C is a 2ft, 30W light; the 30C is a 4ft, 60W model. These RGBWW lights have ranges of 2700-7500K, integral batteries and Wi-Fi control via the Nanlink app. The PavoTube 15C retails at £218. The LitoLite 5C is a truly pocket-sized light, yet delivers 2351 lux of 5600K light at 50cm. In HSI mode, it can produce 36,000 colours, plus 15 effects including storm, police car and disco. All this for just £79.99!
Rotolight › rotolight.com
immediate, and a fully charged battery gives over 100,000 full-power bursts. The AEOS 2 Base kit, which includes the light, diffuser dome and power supply, costs £1299 – or the two-headed Ultimate kit, at £2915, includes two 95W batteries, charger, two light stands and carrying bag. Pro variants of both the Neo 3 and AEOS 2 are now available for even more power and features. The Neo 3 Pro Imagemaker kit is £649, and the AEOS 2 Pro Imagemaker kit is priced at £1799.
A serial award winner with an innovative product line- up, including the brightest camera-mountable LED light, the Neo 3, and the super-high-spec AEOS 2. A powerful RGBWW unit, the AEOS 2 has intuitive handling that can produce over 16.7 million colours and 2500 digital filters in flash and continuous light. Its working colour temperature range is an impressive 3000 to 10,000K, one of the widest around. In flash mode, which requires an extra remote trigger in addition to the vast range of colours, recycling is
Issue 104 | Photography News 53
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