Aputure Light Dome II & Light Dome Mini II Soft Boxes
In this episode, we have a look at the Light Dome II and Light Dome Mini II from Aputure. These are soft boxes you can use with their COB line of LED lights for video and photography. But you can also use them with any other manufacturer’s light that uses a standard Bowens mount.
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, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F8 and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders.
Links to gear used in this video:
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K - I used this to record this episode
Panasonic 12-35mm F/2.8 OIS Lens (Amazon) - Used on the Pocket 4K camera
Aputure COB 120d (Amazon)- daylight color
Aputure COB 120dII (Amazon) - key light, daylight color
Aputure COB120t (Amazon) - background light, tungsten color
Copyright 2019 by Curtis Judd
Music Copyright 2019 by Cary Judd. Used with permission.
bitLighter 2 Review: Flashlight/Torch for Video and Photo
How can you make higher contrast, more dramatic lighting for your video and photo projects? Hard light! In this episode, we demonstrate a few different dramatic lighting setups with the bitLighter 2, a very small, hard light designed for video and photography. It is super portable and renders colors well.
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 the Learn Light and Sound school including processing dialogue audio, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F8 and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders.
Links to gear used in this video:
bitLighter 2 - LED Flashlight/Torch for Video and Photography
Aputure COB120t - Key light for the talking head portions of this video
Aputure Light Dome II - Newer version of the big soft box with faster setup and gel holder
Lupo Superpanel Full Color 30 - RGBW 1x1 panel light for the funky background colors
LED GO E268C Bi-color Edge-lit LED Pad - super thin and light, making it a great soft light source for tight spaces
Vistek Canada (also ship to USA)
Sound Devices 633 Audio Recorder/Mixer
Sennheiser MKH 8050 - This is the boom mic used to record this episode
Panasonic GH5 Camera - Used for all of the product shots
Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 OIS Lens - this is the the lens I use more than any other on the GH5s
Copyright 2018 by Curtis Judd
Music Copyright 2018 by Cary Judd. Used with permission.
Barn Doors & Hard Light: Aputure Barn Doors for COB Lights
What is hard light and when would you want to use it when shooting video? What are barn doors? In this episode, we have a look at creating hard light with barn doors and when you might want to put this hard light to use to make more cinematic looking film.
Links to gear discussed and used to shoot this episode:
Aputure Barn Doors for COB120 and 300 Lights - Coming Soon
Aputure COB 120d - This is one of my main workhorse lights. Not a week passes where I don’t use it for at least one shoot. this is the daylight version.
Aputure COB 120t - When I don’t have to match existing light, I prefer to use this as my key light. Really nice, warm skin tones with it's tungsten colored light output.
Aputure COB300d - This is the big one. I don’t use this often, but when I need a lot of light, this is the instrument of choice
Aputure Fresnel Lens - This is the original focusing lens for the COB lights. If you need one right away, this’ll do the job. If you can wait a bit, Aputure announced at NAB last month that they’ll have an improved version available this year (fewer light leaks, sturdier build).
Aputure Light Dome Soft Box - When I need a nice, soft light on the face of the talent in an interview or talking head video, this goes on the COB120 key light
Black Wrap Cinefoil - this is basically black aluminum foil that you can use to further shape light and block light leaks. Super useful to have on hand.
Soft Frost Gel - subtle way to soften the light just a touch
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Iexzxu
Lupo DayLED Fresnel Light with Barn Doors - These are useful when I need hard light as well. I don’t have soft boxes for them so they’re not quite as versatile as the Aputure COBs, but really great lights with a super durable build. Comes in various sizes - 650, 1000, & 2000 - and color temps: Daylight, tungsten, or bi-color.
Blackmagic design Ursa Mini Pro Cinema Camera - used for the talking head shots in this episode
Sigma ART 24-70mm f/2.8 OS Lens (Canon EF Mount)
Panasonic GH5 - Used for some of the product shots
Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 OIS Lens - incredibly versatile lens that is on the GH5 most of the time
Copyright 2018 by Curtis Judd
Music - MzA by Cary Judd, used with permission
Light Meters, Luxi, Cinemeter II: How Accurate is Luxi and Cinemeter II?
What are light meters and why would you want one for shooting video? Don’t most cameras have good built-in light meters these days? How accurate is the Luxi (attachment for your smartphone to make it act like an incident light meter) along with the Cinemeter II app (for iOS)?
Let’s have a look!
Links to gear discussed and used to record this session:
Luxi for All Incident Meter Dome for smartphones:
Luxi App (Free)
Cinemeter II App ($25 - iOS only)
Lastolite EzyBalance Gray Card (Foldable)
Sekonic L-308S-U (Typical basic incident light meter - Minolta is not longer in business but sold to Sony who does not make light meters)
Sekonic Speedmaster L-858D-U Light Meter (top of the line exposure meter)
Sekonic C-700-U Spectrometer (Color Meter, NOT an exposure meter)
Panasonic GH5 Hybrid Camera
Panasonic 12-35 f/2.8 OIS Lens (My go-to lens with the GH5)
Sound Devices MixPre-10T Audio Recorder
Sigma ART 24-70 f/2.8 Lens for Canon EF Mount
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2jFUlim
Sennheiser MKH 8050 Supercardioid Boom Microphone
Blackmagic Design Ursa Mini Pro Cinema Camera (This is my main camera for corporate video work)
Copyright 2017 by Curtis Judd
LED COLOR RENDERING DATABASE OF 2016
Indie Cinema Academy has posted an interesting set of color quality measurements for a bunch of LED lights available on the market. Measurements of CRI, TLCI, and others were made with an Asensetek Lighting Passport Color Spectrometer. I was pleased to see that the Aputure Light Storms did well overall, particularly the new COB 120t.
If you're in the market for LED lighting, this list is worth a look because you'll get a good idea of how well each light renders the visible spectrum of color and how natural your talent and set will appear in video.
How to Light for Close-Up Product Shots & Reviews
How do I shoot a close-up product video with a white background? Here are the basics on how I do it. The biggest secret is to soften the light by shooting it through an umbrella or similar scrim (such as the type included in a 5-in-1 reflector.)
I use a foam core poster board for the background, mounted to a table with spring clamps. My favorite light for this task is the Aputure Light Storm COB 120t which we reviewed a few weeks ago. I boom the Light Storm above the poster board with a C-stand and shoot the light through a white umbrella. This makes the light incredibly soft and prevents those distracting shadows.
Silhouette Lighting Look Quick Howto
In some of my previous microphone reviews, I’ve used silhouette shots to take the focus off of me, and naturally help viewers to focus on the sound. In this episode, we quickly run through how to achieve the silhouette look with lighting and a tiny bit of post processing in DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, or Final Cut Pro X.
Raya 7 Bulb Softbox 2 Light Kit
If you need an affordable kit for talking head style video, B&H has a great deal on this Raya 7 Bulb Softbox 2 Light Kit.
I find that I like to have 2 soft lights for most of my interview setups, one as a key, the second as a kicker. Then I'll often pull in a third hard light for the background.
Or if filming both the interviewer and interviewee, one soft light for each as a key which then double as the kicker.
You should be able to get all the light you'd need out of these.
Dracast 500 LED Panel Special Pricing
B&H Photo has special pricing on Dracast's 500 bi-color LED Panels toady. If you're in the market, these are worth considering with their 95 CRI spec (I haven't tested that but other reviewers are saying that the color is quite good). This model comes with a v-mount for Sony v-mount batteries and it can be powered via AC as well.
They look to have a pretty thoughtful design with the yoke that can be mounted vertically or horizontally to enable a good range of motion for aiming the head. Cooling is passive so no noisy fans.
It seems to me that LEDs are finally here with decent amounts of output and color that will blend decently with other sources. I have to imagine that in not too many years we'll remember back to the days when a decent LED lighting instrument ran at least $1000 USD...
Fluorescent Softbox Kit: Better Quality for Beginners
A few years ago I reviewed my ePhoto fluorescent softbox kit which is a workhorse kit for talking head and interview style shoots. The upside of that kit was that it only cost $200. Today it sells for even less. But quality and durability were not amazing on this kit. In fact, I never break the softboxes down for fear that I'll break them. When I first received it, one of the porcelain sockets was literally dangling from the head by its wires. One of the bags for the light stands was shredded. The stands are pretty flimsy. But the light worked well if you treated them with kid gloves and left them assembled and out of harm's way...
https://youtu.be/2IOHobHUMcQ
I'm really hesitant to recommend that old kit, mainly because of the lack of quality.
So for those that are willing to spend a little more, I highly recommend looking at a kit like the Impact Octacool series of flood/softbox lights. The quality is much, much higher and the light it produces is beautiful, soft, wrapping light that will flatter your talent for talking head or interview setups. The light heads are solidly built and should hold up to use on the road much better than the ePhoto kit. You still need to be careful since fluorescent bulbs are fragile, but with care, this kit should last for several years. The stands are sturdier. This is clearly a case where "you get what you pay for" applies.
The Octacool lights come in 6 or 9 bulb versions and in kits with light stands and multiple light heads. The 2 light, 6-bulb kit works great for talking head setups. I'd use one as a key light, the second as a kicker (from behind and off to one side), and use a bounce board or reflector to fill in the other side of the talent's face. Solid look without a lot of fuss.
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