Constant lighting vs strobe

[gjones5252]

I have become extremely happy with all of my lenses and bodies. I have been thinking for a while about investing in lighting. The only problem is I shoot a fair amount of video as well as pictures. I have heard of people using constant lighting for photographs but I am not sure of how good it is. I have seen these 1x1.5ft or so led light boards that are amazingly bright and have a color temp dial as well. Would that be the ticket?
Anyone have any experience or brands to recommend that will help get me started?

[HurtinMinorKey]

I'd say no for LED lighting. It's ok for things like interviews, or newscasts, but the color quality is not very good. I'd never shoot portraits with LEDs. Go with tungsten.

[Dantana]

Lighting is one thing you won't find a shortage of rental opportunities for, so I'd try out a few different kits before you make a decision.

Tungsten can have a great look, but it's hot to work under for long periods of time, and you really need to know the circuit layout of whatever location you are in to keep from tripping things up.

Color corrected florescents like a good Kinoflo setup can be a great tool. I wouldn't totally count out the LEDs but HurtinMinorKey may have a good point. another reason to rent a kit from a local house and try it out.

 

[Drizzt321]

You may want to go with a good constant lighting kit for video, and then supplement it with a couple of cheap manual speedlites from someone like Yongnuo, which can also be much more portable and less power hungry.

[bycostello]

big heavy and hot but powerful Vs small light and not so powerful

[gjones5252]

Ok thank you all for your response. Does anyone have any specific models or where to start looking?
Also i should have mentioned this earlier but portability is a must. I will be using them traveling overseas most of the time.

[Lawliet]

Portable cont. light? Dedolights come to mind, ideal for location or delicate work & they are manageable in terms of power consumtion/waste heat. You can even run them off a car battery (or two for 24V). Add in a few PAR cans in case you need more punch/broad strokes or want to create soft light via reflectors. The latter tend to be cheaper to buy there then to pay the overweight luggage fees.

The most important thing to consider: You want to think in terms of cine/video lighting. The basic ideas are similar to its photographic counterpart, but the best practices are different. Any technique that relies on the massive output of strobes is out, those jobs have to be done differently.

[Normalnorm]

Ok thank you all for your response. Does anyone have any specific models or where to start looking?
Also i should have mentioned this earlier but portability is a must. I will be using them traveling overseas most of the time.

If you need light weight AND durability(relative) then LED panels or fixtures are what you need. I would start by looking at the vendors mentioned in American Cinematographer magazine and on various video blogs. As this forum is largely concerned with still imaging, continuos lighting info is scarce from experienced people. Also relevant is how large a space do you need to light?

[RickSpringfield]

Lighting is tough because for video, you could honestly want only a 1 light setup.  Or maybe 10 lights.  Or somewhere in between.  If you were doing studio pics only, there are lots of 2,3,4 lightsets that different posters have suggested ... but video is a whole different ball of wax.  Personally, I tried to do this same thing ... but what I found for me ... Studio Strobes do a great job with pictures and CFLs and HMIs do a great job for Video.  But there is a monumental price uptick to get into some of these 'good' video lights.  I can't touch the prices with a 10' pole.  Peter Hurley shoots continuous in the studio ... but he also uses those same over the moon priced lights.  Your budget, what you shoot, where you shoot, could make a huge difference in choice for this one.

[brad goda]

This is a grate topic and there are already very good answers to your question.
to add in... a mix of led or FL Kinos and tungsten like arri might be good to look into.... being you can control the color temperature differences...
led and FL great for flood and keeps set cool.... LEDs travel better... fairly sturdy.
Tungsten fresnel best for long throw and hard light look....
Also for your photography side... dont overlook mixing in strobe... again if you know color balance and have good control over continuous and flash... the mix can be a great look and not need a second set up next to video...
on film/video ads while shooting the still/graphic shots... ive just added in another HMI or hot light or added in just a little fill from my 7b s or Aucute systems...
--- one thing i gotta say is shooting under continuous light (when there is ample EV) you can motor shots with not needing to wait for strobe recycle...
good luck.

[Lawliet]

--- one thing i gotta say is shooting under continuous light (when there is ample EV) you can motor shots with not needing to wait for strobe recycle...

Just make sure the discharge lights have electronic ballasts that support a square wave/flicker free mode. Older magnetic ballasts cause flicker problems. The lack of genlock on the VDSLRs makes even filming problematic.

[brad goda]

Just make sure the discharge lights have electronic ballasts that support a square wave/flicker free mode. Older magnetic ballasts cause flicker problems. The lack of genlock on the VDSLRs makes even filming problematic.
[/quote]

DUDE! yes good point!!!... most good productions operate on FF mode but if purchasing HMI do make sure you are set to Flicker Free....just like shooting under practical lighting situations... older FL overheads do flicker too...very prominent when only a few or one FL bank is used.  If so shoot shutter slower than 1/60 ,,, 1/30 1/25 to be safe...