Originally Posted by Alice22 (Post 20332373)

Hey all

I need advice for video lighting.
For now, i have 2 kinoflo that are great, but to heavy for me. (i am a small girl :)

I also have this set:
Amazon.com : CowboyStudio 2275 Watt Digital Video Continuous Softbox Lighting Kit/Boom Set : Photographic Lighting : Electronics

And it's sucks...
I don't like the skin tons with this light.

Any ideas for good lighting that are not to heavy and good enouf for a small locations?

If you can give me links, it will be awesome.
Thanks in advance.

Originally Posted by mikesouth (Post 20332541)

If your skin tones are bad it is more likely that your cameras white balance is improperly set. If the lights change color temp during operation then yes I would blame the lights but I find that unlikely. If you are not using your camera in manual mode that is the FIRST thing you need to learn to do. Set the white balance using an 18% grey card then set the aperture for the depth of field you want then adjust your shutter speed and the distance from your lights to the subject (or the light intensity if its adjustable, but beware that almost certainly changes your white balance.) to get the proper exposure.
.

Originally Posted by Alice22 (Post 20332373)

Any ideas for good lighting that are not to heavy and good enouf for a small locations?

Originally Posted by DeanCapture (Post 20332597)

I have some of these and I like them a lot:
MicroBeam 1024 : High Powered LED Video Light - LED - FloLight LLC

They're LED lights and probably less heavy and more manageable for a smaller person. Plus they're pretty bright too so would be good for small locations. They're supposed to be 5500K but they're more like 7500K according to my color meter...and a hint of magenta. But if you do custom WB, you'll be fine. I bought mine from the manufacturer and I notice that they're out of stock but you may be able to find these at B&H or some other distributor. Or go with another brand that is similar :thumbsup

Originally Posted by Alice22 (Post 20332592)

I use camera in manual mode with custom WB.
Still don't like the result... (with the second, heavy lighting the result are much better).
I also heard from others that was not happy with this kit.

Originally Posted by mikesouth (Post 20332541)

If your skin tones are bad it is more likely that your cameras white balance is improperly set. If the lights change color temp during operation then yes I would blame the lights but I find that unlikely. If you are not using your camera in manual mode that is the FIRST thing you need to learn to do. Set the white balance using an 18% grey card then set the aperture for the depth of field you want then adjust your shutter speed and the distance from your lights to the subject (or the light intensity if its adjustable, but beware that almost certainly changes your white balance.) to get the proper exposure.


If the problem is that there isnt enough dynamic range you may want to look at a different camera.

the softboxes may also be giving you results that you dont want, learn when to use them and when not to

Remember there is NO substitute for education.....you cant fix a problem if you dont know what it is by buying a new camera/lights/lens etc.

Originally Posted by Alice22 (Post 20332624)

Yep, muddy.

I am good at photo lighting, but terrible with the video.
I just can't understand how to use a lot of lights in a small location? In this case, i just can shoot from one angle, and the video will be absolutely boring. (other way, i will catch the lighting with the camera)
I like shooting from different perspectives, and it's not possible when i have lights set on every corner.

I believe that in a static location (studio), it's all easy to set a great looking lighting, but have no idea how to do it on location.

Originally Posted by JayAllan (Post 20332625)

Originally Posted by JayAllan (Post 20332625)

Alice those cowboy light suck because they have a low CRI Value.

High CRI LED Lighting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This means that even at 5600k they don't have a full bandwidth of white light so you get muddy images no matter what. The light is daylight balanced but the quality is very low. The lights that Dean mentioned are great. They have a high CRI value (93) and are quite lightweight.

What Kino's do you have? If they a 4ft banks then they are quite unwieldy. You should also look at the Kino Diva lights. They are amazing quality and are more compact and also dimmable. And they travel well and can be abused a bit.

Kino Flo Diva-Lite 401 Fixture DIV-401-120 B&H Photo Video

Originally Posted by Cherry7 (Post 20332899)

Softy Lite, lighting for digital video

These are good lights for filming with professional fittings.

Originally Posted by Grapesoda (Post 20332912)

a white ceiling is you friend :thumbsup I typically bounce a light into the ceiling to bring ambient up than set a key and side fill ....

Originally Posted by Alice22 (Post 20333494)

Those looks nice as addition lights, to add to main lights, right?
Or do you use them as a main light?