Curtis Judd 5/17/20 Curtis Judd 5/17/20

Godox VL300 Daylight LED Light for Video and Photography

In today’s episode we cover the new VL300 point source LED light for video and photography from Godox. The VL300 produces an impressive amount of daylight balanced light while only consuming around 300 watts of power. You can power it via AC mains or with 2 v-mount cinema batteries. It also has a Bowens mount which accepts soft boxes, barn doors, reflectors, snoots, fresnel lenses, and even spotlight lenses from 3rd party manufacturers. Let’s take a closer look!

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, Pictureline or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

Godox VL300 LED light with Bowens mount for video and photography - B&H, Amazon
Aputure Light Dome II soft box - B&H, Pictureline, Amazon
Bowens mount softboxes - B&H
Bowens mount barn doors - B&H
Bowens mount fresnel lenses - B&H
Aputure C300D mkII LED Light with Bowens mount for video and photography - B&H, Pictureline, Amazon
Aputure 300x bi-color LED light with Bowens mount for video and photography - B&H, Pictureline, Amazon
Schoeps CMC641 supercardioid boom microphone - B&H, Sweetwater
Sound Devices 888 mixer/recorder - B&H, Sweetwater https://geni.us/zAryW4J
Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K used for the talking head and b-roll shots - B&H, Pictureline
Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 DG OS HSM Art Lens for Canon EF - B&H, Pictureline, Amazon

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Curtis Judd 4/22/20 Curtis Judd 4/22/20

Aputure LS 300x Review - Bi-color Point Source LED Light

In today’s episode we review the new Aputure Light Storm 300x bi-color single point light for video and photography. We measure the color quality using the Spectral Similarity Index and it’s output using the Sekonic C-800 spectrometer. We also show several lighting setups with the 300x and run through the new features.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, Pictureline, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Aputure LS 300x Bi-color point source LED Light - B&H Amazon Pictureline

- Aputure LS 300D II daylight point source LED light - B&H Amazon Pictureline

- Aputure Light Dome II - B&H Amazon Pictureline

- Aputure Light Dome Mini II - B&H Amazon Pictureline

- Aputure Spotlight Mount - B&H Amazon Pictureline

- Aputure Fresnel 2x - B&H Amazon Pictureline

- Aputure Barn Doors - B&H Amazon Pictureline

- Aputure Lantern - B&H Amazon Pictureline

- Aputure MC Mini LED Panel Light - B&H Amazon Pictureline

- RODE NTG3 Shotgun Microphone - B&H Amazon Sweetwater

- Sound Devices 888 Audio Recorder/Mixer - B&H Sweetwater

- Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K - B&H Pictureline

- Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 DG OS HSM Art Lens - B&H Pictureline

Get a free trial of the best music for your videos at Musicbed

Curtis Judd 2/16/20 Curtis Judd 2/16/20

Interview Lighting Samples and Lupo Actionpanel Review

In today’s episode, we demonstrate two interview lighting designs, in this case, using Lupo Superpanel 60 and Actionpanel Full Color LED lights. Then we do a mini review of the Lupo Actionpanel Full Color which is a small 8in x 8in - 20cm x 20cm - RGBW LED light panel for video and photography.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

Lupo Actionpanel Full Color - B&H
Lupo Actionpanel Dual Color - B&H
Lupo Barn Doors for Actionpanel - B&H
Lupo Diffuser for Actionpanel - B&H
Lupo V-mount Battery Plate for Actionpanel - B&H
Lupo Backpack for 1 Actionpanel - B&H
Lupo Superpanels 30 and 60 RGBW and Bi-Color Lights - B&H
Rosco 1/2 Soft Frost Diffusion Roll - B&H
Sound Blankets - Vocal Booth to Go
Aputure MC Mini LED RGB Light - B&H
CAME-TV Boltzen LED Tube Light - B&H
Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K used for interview and talking head shots- B&H
Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K used for B-Roll - B&H
Tilta Mini Matte Box to hold diffusion filters for Pocket 4K camera - B&H
Schneider Radiant Soft diffusion filters used to great a mild “glow” effect - B&H
Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 ART lens for Pocket 6K - B&H
Olympus 45mm f/1.8 Micro 4/3 Lens for Pocket 4K- B&H Amazon
Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 OIS Lens for Pocket 4K - B&H Amazon
Shure TwinPlex TL-48 Lavalier Microphone for the interview lighting demo - B&H
DPA 4017B Shotgun Microphone for the talking head shots - B&H
Sound Devices 888 Mixer/Recorder - B&H

Get a free trial of the best music for your videos at Musicbed

Curtis Judd 1/19/20 Curtis Judd 1/19/20

D&O Lighting 180W Bi-color LED Panel Light & 900Wh Battery

In today’s episode, we have a look at the D&O Lighting 180W bi-color LED panel light as well as its add-on soft box and 900Wh battery. We test the color quality and amount of light output, demonstrate how to light an interview video with the 180W, and talk about all the things you can power with the massive 900Wh battery, including lights, cameras, and audio gear.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- D&O Lighting 180W bi-color LED panel light - Amazon

- D&O 900Wh battery for lighting all sorts of things on set - D&O

- D&O 95Wh v-mount cine battery - Amazon

- D&O 190Wh v-mount cine battery - Amazon

- D&O v-mount dual battery charger - Amazon

- D&O Softbox for 180W - Coming Soon

- DPA 4017B shotgun microphone - used to record the audio for this episode - B&H

- Aputure 120DII LED Light used for slash of light on background - B&H Amazon

- Aputure Barn Doors used to create the slash of light - B&H Amazon

- Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K - B&H

- Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K - B&H

- Tilta Half Cage for BMPCC 4K/6K - B&H

- Olympus 45mm f/1.8 Micro 4/3 Lens - B&H Amazon

- Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 OIS Lens - B&H Amazon

- Sigma ART 24-70mm f/2.8 EF Mount Lens - B&H Amazon

Get a free trial of the best music for your videos at Musicbed

Curtis Judd 12/1/19 Curtis Judd 12/1/19

Kamerar D-FUSE Trapezoid Softbox for 1x1 LED Panel Lights

In today’s episode, we have a look at a new soft box from Kamerar called the D-FUSE Trapezoid. This is a larger, round version of their pop-up soft box for 1’ x 1’ LED light panels for video and photography lighting. This affordable soft box is easy to pack due to its light weight and small size when stored. It doesn’t create super, super, super soft light, but it definitely softens the edge to shadows and reduces the contrast between shadows and highlights making a nice image for headshots, talking head, or interview video.

Thanks to TACS for sponsoring this episode. See the Automatic Vintage Lens II Dark Metal edition timepiece and Don’t forget to use discount code “CurtisVip” at checkout for 30% discount through December 30, 2019.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode:

Kamerar D-FUSE Trapezoid Softbox - B&H Amazon Kamerar Direct

LUPO Superpanel Full Color 30 LED Light Panel used as a key light in this episode - B&H

Aputure MC mini RGB lights used for background lighting in this episode - B&H Amazon

RODE NTG5 Short Shotgun Microphone - B&H

Sound Devices 888 Audio Recorder/Mixer - B&H

Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K - B&H

Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K - B&H

Tilta Half Cage for BMPCC 4K/6K - B&H

Olymus 45mm f/1.8 Micro 4/3 Lens - B&H Amazon

Sigma ART 24-70mm f/2.8 EF Mount Lens - B&H Amazon

Get a free trial of the best music for your videos at Musicbed

Ethics statement: Some of the links above are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Curtis Judd 11/3/19 Curtis Judd 11/3/19

Aputure MC RGBWW LED Light for Video and Photography

In today’s episode, we look at the new Aputure MC mini RGBW LED light for video. This little light delivers a great set of features for all sorts of creative lighting for your video and photography projects. Not only can it produce any color of the spectrum with its RGB mode, but it can also be used as a tungsten balanced or daylight balanced light as well. Its tiny form factor make it easy to hide in tight spots and its wireless and USB-C PD fast charging make it convenient for a variety os situations.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode:

Aputure MC RGBW LED Light - B&H Amazon

Sound Devices 633 Mixer/Recorder - B&H

Sennheiser MKH 8050 Microphone - B&H

Aputure Light Dome II Soft Box - B&H

Aputure C120T for the slash of light on the back wall- B&H

Aputure C120DII - B&H Amazon

Anker PowerCore 26,800 USB Battery Bank - Amazon

Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K - B&H

Sigma ART 24-70mm f/2.8 EF Mount Lens - B&H Amazon

Get a free trial of the best music for your videos at Musicbed.

Ethics statement: Some of the links above are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Curtis Judd 10/27/19 Curtis Judd 10/27/19

Godox SL 200W LED Video Light Review

In today’s episode, we look at the Godox SL-200W LED video light. This is a single point light which puts out a LOT of light. I like this type of light because you can use the included reflector and barn doors to create hard light, or you can add a Bowen’s mount soft box like the Aputure Light Dome II for soft, flattering light.

Regarding the noise made by the SL-200W’s fans - I loudness normalized both of the audio clips for the Aputure 120DII and SL-200W to -17 LUFS. Then I measured the fan noise from my position with the Sennheiser MKH416 aimed at me, approximately 6 ft, just under 2m from the light. There was only a minor difference of 1dB between the two - -65dB RMS for the Aputure, -64dB RMS from the Godox. However, a frequency analysis of the Godox shows that it produces more high frequency noise than the Aputure which is potentially more difficult to clean in post because it overlaps with dialogue sound.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses at https://school.learnlightandsound.com including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode:

Godox SL-200W LED Video Light with Bowens Mount - Amazon

Sound Devices 633 Mixer/Recorder - B&H

Sennheiser MKH 416 Shotgun Microphone - B&H

Aputure Light Dome II Soft Box - B&H

Aputure C120T for the slash of light on the back wall- B&H

Aputure C120DII to demonstrate the fan noise- B&H Amazon

Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K - B&H

Sigma ART 24-70mm f/2.8 EF Mount Lens - B&H Amazon

Get a free trial of the best music for your videos at Musicbed.

Ethics statement: Some of the links above are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn a commission when you use these links.

Curtis Judd 9/11/19 Curtis Judd 9/11/19

Light This Location Short Film Challenge

There is no better way to improve your lighting skills than to get out there and light a scene. Aputure is hosting the 2019 “Light this Location” short film challenge which is a great way to improve your lighting chops and exercise your creative skills. If you’re up for the challenge, check out the details at Light This Location.

Curtis Judd 8/29/19 Curtis Judd 8/29/19

Aputure Spotlight Mount - A Leko or Spotlight for Bowens Mount Video Lights

Aputure’s COB series of LED lights for video production have been the core of my lighting kit for over 3 years now. The reason I like these lights so much is that you can do so many different things with them. They work great as a flood light, with the Light Dome II they’re create a beautiful key light for interviews or talking head shots. There’s the new Lantern which allows you to light an entire room in a natural sort of way and control where light spills with its included skirt. There are also the hard light modifiers like the Fresnel 2X which allows you to focus a circle of light into an intense beam and there are the barn doors allowing you to cut the light with hard edges. Today, Aputure released the new Spotlight Mount which is a spotlight with 3 different lenses allowing super intense beams of spotlights, a gobo holder which allows you to cast patterns or logos on your subject or on a surface behind them. And it also has a gel holder allowing you to add gels to stylize the light with cool effects.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F8 and, F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders.

Gear used and mentioned in this episode:

Aputure Spotlight Mount - B&H

Aputure Spotlight Mount 19 degree lens - B&H

Aputure Spotlight Mount 26 degree lens - B&H

Aputure Spotlight Mount 36 degree lens - B&H

Aputure Spotlight Iris - B&H

Aputure Light Dome II - B&H

Aputure Lantern - B&H

Aputure Barn Doors - B&H

Aputure Fresnel 2X - B&H

Aputure COB120DII LED light - Amazon

Aputure COB300DII LED light - B&H

Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K - B&H

Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 OIS Lens - Amazon

Get a free trial of the best music for your videos at Musicbed

Ethics statement: Some of the links above are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, or other affiliate links.

Curtis Judd 8/19/19 Curtis Judd 8/19/19

Which LED Lights for Each Situation? 5 Soft LED Lights for Video

With the massive number of LED lights available for video these days, and now that their color quality has dramatically improved from just a few years ago, when might you want to use one type of LED light versus another? In this episode, we demonstration when you might want to use a very small LED panel (e.g., 5 inch) versus a tube LED versus a medium sized panel or mat light versus a huge four foot by four foot mat LED light.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F8 and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders.

Gear used and mentioned in this episode:

Andycine Boling P1 RGB light with effects - Amazon

CAME-TV Andromeda RGB LED Slim Tube Lights - Amazon

- Remote Amazon

- 4 pack + Remote Amazon

D&O Lighting 180W - my pick for best all-around light - Amazon

Westcott Flex Cine 1x1 Mat LED Lights - Best pro level travel kit

- Amazon

- B&H

FalconEyes 120TDX 4x4 Mat LED Light - My pick for getting cinematic shots you cannot get with smaller lights

- Amazon

- With Honeycomb grid to prevent spill - Amazon