Your Favourite Lighting Gear

[Oliver Daniel]

Lighting is pretty much the most important thing for what we do. It’s what makes your images sing. 

Here’s a bunch of lights I highly recommend:

1. Falcon Eyes F7

Ridiculously awesome light for the price. Everyone should have at least one.  Super bright for a small light. Very useful. Essential. Possibly my favourite right now. 
 

2. Falcon Eyes 24TDX II 

Flex lights are expensive. Not this. Build quality is great. Super useful. Waterproof.  Put anywhere! 
 

3. Luxli Taiko 

In my opinion, better than the Arri Skypanel which is 3-4 times the price. Best colour accuracy I’ve ever seen and very easy to use. Only downside is the power unit. Feels a bit cheap and not long enough. 

4. Godox S30

I think this makes the $3k Dedolight equivalent almost obsolete. For 10% of the price? Super optics for the projection attachment. Downsides are the power goes down to 10w from 30w when using batteries.

5. Colorspike

The light pattern customisation is immense and looks way more organic than preset effects from other lights. An incredible tool. Only downsides is the carry case is a bit “meh” and diffuser is fiddly. 
 

6. Astera Titan Tubes 

These are way more expensive than other mentioned lights. They share some ideas with the Colorspike’s but on a much higher level. These things are insane and worth every penny. I don’t own them but what they can do.... wow!! Downsides... 8 tube case is very very heavy. They are expensive. 
 

What are your current favourite lights? 

[noone]

A) The Sun

B) The Moon

Seriously though I do need something cheap but ok so thanks for the thread!

[IronFilm]

2 hours ago, noone said:

A) The Sun

No joke, but when I saw the title of this thread that is what I came here to write!

Sunlight is best. 

Thus light modifiers can be the best investment, to shape what you've already got. 

[herein2020]

I like the GVM lights for video, and Godox everything for photography. All of my studio strobes and speedlights are Godox. For video I use the GVM LED panels and my new favorite lights are the GVM 150W RGB lights. No more gels and they are reasonably bright when set to white. I also have a whole kit of Yongnuo YN360s that I like to stick in odd places to add fill to a scene. They are also RGB and work great in music videos.

I use the GVM LED panels for interview type setups and the GVM 150W RGB lights for everything from music videos to commercial work. They are reasonably priced especially since you don't have to buy gels and the quality is about right for what you pay for. 

[Oliver Daniel]

5 hours ago, noone said:

A) The Sun

B) The Moon

Seriously though I do need something cheap but ok so thanks for the thread!

Godox is your friend. 

[Oliver Daniel]

2 hours ago, IronFilm said:

No joke, but when I saw the title of this thread that is what I came here to write!

Sunlight is best. 

Thus light modifiers can be the best investment, to shape what you've already got. 

At the other end of the stick, direct sunlight can be a massive pain in the ass. You can’t put a grid on it. You can rarely use it indoors. Saying that, Golden Hour is like magic. 

1 hour ago, herein2020 said:

I like the GVM lights for video, and Godox everything for photography. All of my studio strobes and speedlights are Godox. For video I use the GVM LED panels and my new favorite lights are the GVM 150W RGB lights. No more gels and they are reasonably bright when set to white. I also have a whole kit of Yongnuo YN360s that I like to stick in odd places to add fill to a scene. They are also RGB and work great in music videos.

I use the GVM LED panels for interview type setups and the GVM 150W RGB lights for everything from music videos to commercial work. They are reasonably priced especially since you don't have to buy gels and the quality is about right for what you pay for. 

GVM are mega cheap yet highly rated for their value. Glad they are working for you. 

[Tim Sewell]

Godox vl300 is blowing my mind currently!

[Geoff CB]

1) A reflector kit with diffuser/bounce.

2) Aperture 300D to simulate the sun.  

[aaa123jc]

My favourite is the Aputure 120D II and a few modifiers.

Although I mainly do event works so don’t always have the luxury of setting up lights, I use this light whenever I can. It is light and portable, but gives more than enough light unless you need to film in a very big room or have to simulate or fight against the sun.

But nowadays there are many competitively priced lights as well. So my favourite may change. 

[mjfan]

i like the nanlite forza 300 and the genaray powerhouse led lights

[mjfan]

godox vl 300 used for sale for $619 https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/802176263-USE/godox_vl300_led_video_light.html

[noone]

Does Neewer put out a cheaper Godox clone in lights like they do in flashes?    I love my Neewer flash when i want a bigger flash (I just use a little flip up flash most of the time if not using available light).

[Oliver Daniel]

11 hours ago, Tim Sewell said:

Godox vl300 is blowing my mind currently!

My only missing light is a bright 300w COB. Intrigued to check this out. 

[Oliver Daniel]

3 hours ago, noone said:

Does Neewer put out a cheaper Godox clone in lights like they do in flashes?    I love my Neewer flash when i want a bigger flash (I just use a little flip up flash most of the time if not using available light).

I’m pretty sure Neewer stuff is a re-branded collection of gear from several manufacturers, including some Godox stuff, like the SL-60. Or they are just total copies. 

[ntblowz]

I like my Aputure 120d II, definitely helped a lot on footage i shoot now, but if I have to buy lights now I probably would choose Godox as their one is quite bit cheaper than Aputure for similar performance.

 

 

Pavotube is probably my next light to invest

[Oliver Daniel]

14 hours ago, ntblowz said:

I like my Aputure 120d II, definitely helped a lot on footage i shoot now, but if I have to buy lights now I probably would choose Godox as their one is quite bit cheaper than Aputure for similar performance.

 

 

Pavotube is probably my next light to invest

The 120D II is very popular, however like you say there are many other competitive models, like the Forza 60, Godox VL150 and Falcon Eyes P120. 

Not tried the Pavotubes, but love the Titan Tubes.

I actually backed a Kickstarter recently for “Lumin8” 4” tubes. See what the crack is. 

[newfoundmass]

These are all cheap but I quite appreciate these lights:

* Godox SL60w (x3) 

* Yongnuo YN300 (x3)

* Pixel G1 RGB

* Aputure AL-M9 (x6) 

* Plus a bunch of clamp lights and shop lights depending on the situation. 

* I also use these cheap color LED light bulbs I found at Walmart. They come in a couple of colors (blue, red, green, yellow, purple, maybe others?) and if you're just looking to add a single color of light to the background or something, they're great and cheap! 

I was really considering investing in a bunch of Aputure lights but right now lighting is evolving so quickly and more and more are getting into the game and putting out quality lights, that I figured it'd make sense to wait and see things settle a bit before doing that. 

These aren't perfect, mind you, but they're all tremendous value. I got the Godox SL60w lights for $315, for example. I could have bought 6 of them for the price of one Aputure 120d at the time. 

The Yongnuo are great too and surprisingly powerful, if you get the daylight version. I've done interviews before using just those. I kinda wish I'd gotten the Air version though with the built in diffusion, though the decrease in output might change my mind. Still, they are great lights, especially for starting out, and I bring them everywhere since they're so small and lightweight. 

The Pixel G1 I got for free from Lunascope Film School on YouTube (plug: https://www.youtube.com/c/LunaScopeFilmSchool) and it's actually a good little light. I don't use it a ton though because I generally use the cheap Walmart bulbs for my RGB style lighting, unless I need to add some subtle color instead. I'm very frugal, ha ha. 

The Aputure AL-M9 was so incredible when it first came out. I bought a bunch of them because they're so useful. They're still great, but they show how much lighting has evolved in just a couple of years given the options available now in the same price range. I bought a cheap gel kit and used them similarly to how I used the Pixel G1. I still find tons of uses for them, and they take up so little room in my lighting case that I bring them everywhere. 

I've also started using large shop lights to light venues. They're cheap, and don't have the best color lighting, but that's nothing that custom white balance can't fix. Still trying to figure out the optimal use of them though. Lighting is probably my weakest point, so it's a work in progress!

[kye]

Unconventional choice, but my most used lights are:

1) The sun

2) Halogen work light from hardware store (for lens tests)

3) I own an Aputure AL-M9 which is super handy too

Mostly it's available lighting for me though, so the sun but also practicals at night.

[Oliver Daniel]

2 hours ago, newfoundmass said:

* I also use these cheap color LED light bulbs I found at Walmart. They come in a couple of colors (blue, red, green, yellow, purple, maybe others?) and if you're just looking to add a single color of light to the background or something, they're great and cheap! 

Whatever works!

On last weeks music video - I had practical house lamps and wanted to dim and make them flash. I picked up some very cheap smart LED bulbs, and they did the job! (So cheap that “strobe” was called “fade”). 😂

7 minutes ago, kye said:

Unconventional choice, but my most used lights are:

1) The sun

2) Halogen work light from hardware store (for lens tests)

3) I own an Aputure AL-M9 which is super handy too

Mostly it's available lighting for me though, so the sun but also practicals at night.

I once had to resort to using a torchlight light reflected against tin foil / foil wrap. Worked ok! 

If you like the M9 check out the Falcon Eyes F7! That light is insane for the money. 

[Vintage Jimothy]

On 8/15/2020 at 7:42 AM, Oliver Daniel said:

Lighting is pretty much the most important thing for what we do. It’s what makes your images sing. 

Here’s a bunch of lights I highly recommend:

1. Falcon Eyes F7

Ridiculously awesome light for the price. Everyone should have at least one.  Super bright for a small light. Very useful. Essential. Possibly my favourite right now. 
 

2. Falcon Eyes 24TDX II 

Flex lights are expensive. Not this. Build quality is great. Super useful. Waterproof.  Put anywhere! 
 

3. Luxli Taiko 

In my opinion, better than the Arri Skypanel which is 3-4 times the price. Best colour accuracy I’ve ever seen and very easy to use. Only downside is the power unit. Feels a bit cheap and not long enough. 

4. Godox S30

I think this makes the $3k Dedolight equivalent almost obsolete. For 10% of the price? Super optics for the projection attachment. Downsides are the power goes down to 10w from 30w when using batteries.

5. Colorspike

The light pattern customisation is immense and looks way more organic than preset effects from other lights. An incredible tool. Only downsides is the carry case is a bit “meh” and diffuser is fiddly. 
 

6. Astera Titan Tubes 

These are way more expensive than other mentioned lights. They share some ideas with the Colorspike’s but on a much higher level. These things are insane and worth every penny. I don’t own them but what they can do.... wow!! Downsides... 8 tube case is very very heavy. They are expensive. 
 

What are your current favourite lights? 

I had no idea until I saw this thread that Falcon Eyes had released an updated model on their RX-24TDX and RX-18TD flex lights. Have you ever been able to compare your Mark II model to the older original variants? I've been eyeing one of them for awhile now, so I'm curious if it'd be in my best interest to save up a bit more to get the new models. 

Also could you provide any more feedback on the Luxli Taiko? There's only a handful of videos on that light compared to the new Aputure P300c, and while it'll be quite awhile before I could afford buying either one, I'd love to hear input on which light would be the better option to invest in first.