There are two types of light sources for video: LEDs and boards. Both have advantages and disadvantages. What’s the best option when you’re saving? Should you choose LED ceiling light or LED panel light? I made a choice, but now, I doubt.
If the amount of ambient light is not enough, we need to bring our own lights. That’s one of the reasons why we use strobe lights. With a flash, we can create our own creative way of illuminating the subject. But this doesn’t work for videos, obviously. To do that, we need constant light.
When I was asked to film on location, I brought Profoto B10 flashing with me. Built-in model lights provide some constant light. Just enough, as long as I can keep the distance between the subject and the B10 unit within limits.
I agree, it’s not the ideal situation for video recording. I had to increase the ISO to get a good exposure. As I was asked to shoot videos more often, I decided it was time to buy something better suited for the job. While the Profoto B10 worked for a few times when I needed more light, I knew it wouldn’t be enough in the end.
LED panel with reasonable price
There are many different types of continuous lighting. Prices range from less than a hundred dollars to many thousands of dollars. I had to find something good for my work without going bankrupt. That’s why I decided to buy a few cheap LED boards to start with.
One thing is important to me. It should produce enough light to suit my needs, at least more than the sample light on my Profoto B10. On top of that, an LED panel that can change its color temperature would be beautiful – not RGB, but bi-color lighting. The plates I bought are Viltrox VL-S192T . LEDs.
It looks good: 192 LEDs that can vary color temperature from 3,300-5,600 Kelvin, with 5,300 lumens. I have read some of the reviews, and they are quite positive. But after I have used the boards a few times, I am not sure that these LED panels are the best choice.
Lower an LED panel
First of all, 5,200 second lumens sounds great, but it turns out the amount of light depends on the color temperature setting. Although it has 192 LEDs, it is divided into 96 white LEDs and 96 orange LEDs. If both are at full power, the maximum lumen output will be reached, but change the color temperature and you end up with half the LEDs at the lower wattage to achieve the required color temperature, or turn off completely.
Although the LED panel measures 28.6 cm x 19 cm, it is still a relatively small light source. If you keep it at a close distance, it can produce a reasonable quality of light, but the light attenuation will become prominent. The panel at a greater distance will resolve the light drop, but the light becomes a bit harsh.
There is another downside to this type of LED panel. If any shadows are visible behind the subject, it’s not a very good shadow. It displays a pattern due to the distribution of the LEDs. To avoid this, a diffuser needs to be placed over the LED, making the light more uniform. The downside to this is the loss of two stops of light.
I realize that this type of LED panel has a lot of disadvantages that you have to take into account. It helped me get my shots, but it felt a bit limited. Let’s make one thing clear: this is not the downside of Viltrox LED panel but about this type of LED panel. I am sure that every other brand of LED panel with similar design will show the same disadvantages. Te Viltrox is not bad, although it is a cheap plastic product. But here’s what I already know and why it’s so affordable.
Are LEDs a better choice?
The best alternative is a large daylight lamp in a large soft case, but that is not feasible if you have to carry the light with you to work. Such a large light is perfect for a static studio setup. Another alternative is a compact LED, which may be more suitable for my needs.
I saw Amaran LED Light 60 watts, 100 watts, and even 200 watts. It will require a diffuser of some sort, like an umbrella, a lantern soft boxor just a regular softbox. One thing is for sure, it will provide more flexibility in light shaping than LED panel.
However, there are some requirements for this type of lighting. It must be able to work on both batteries and a wall outlet, the amount of light it produces must be sufficient for my needs, and the light must be quiet. In other words, no loud fan noise.
I think a 100 watt or 200 watt lamp should be a good choice, especially when taking into account the light loss of the softbox or umbrella. But I have some doubts about the noise level produced by these LEDs. I have been told how fans of some LEDs can be quite noisy or even annoying.
Both LED lights and LED panels have their pros and cons. I believe both are perfectly usable, but the circumstances under which these types of lights may differ. Looking at my experience, I now see more downsides to LED panels. Or maybe it’s because I chose an inexpensive console, which means more expensive consoles will perform much better. That said, I believe LED is more suitable in many cases and it offers more possibilities with light shaping accessories.
What do you think? Are LEDs better than LED panels? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.
