Anyone using Sola 1200 video lights?

[jwp]

Just for reference, a 50 watt halogen light puts out around 1800 lumen, a 100 watt halogen around 3600 lumen.

I think it is more like half of that. Halogen puts out <20 lumen per watt.
This makes LED even more interesting offcourse.

Any reviews of the sola 1200 are welcome, i am thinking about buying a set for my North Sea video work.

 

[ronscuba]

I think it is more like half of that. Halogen puts out <20 lumen per watt.
This makes LED even more interesting offcourse.

Any reviews of the sola 1200 are welcome, i am thinking about buying a set for my North Sea video work.

I don't remember where I found the lumen/watt ratings, but it's out there someplace on the internet. I have 50 and 100 watt halogen lights. I also have Sartek 1500 lumen LED lights. My 50 watt halogens are much brighter. Seems to support the 50 watt halogen = 1800 lumen spec.

LED is more efficient which allows smaller batteries, they are longer lasting, more robust.

In either case, you need a lot of lumens for wide angle shooting. Especially daytime shooting. 4000 lumens will not be enough to fill a wide angle shot during the daytime in clear tropical waters. I listed the lumen ratings on halogen to point out lights that powerful have been around for a while. It's just they are now more efficient and affordable.

 

[orm]

In either case, you need a lot of lumens for wide angle shooting. Especially daytime shooting. 4000 lumens will not be enough to fill a wide angle shot during the daytime in clear tropical waters. I listed the lumen ratings on halogen to point out lights that powerful have been around for a while. It's just they are now more efficient and affordable.

I also find that the small face of these units and the intensity of their LED output creates a very directional stream that picks out particles very easily.

A friend has an old halogen 100 watt and it illuminates beautifully with a wide coverage and minimal backscatter.

I find with my SOLA600s that I can't put them on full power as you get that headlight affect with noticeable backscatter. I'm going to look into diffusing the beam more.

 

[ronscuba]

There is a very positive review of the Sola 1200 on wetpixel forum. Hopefully he posts some footage for us to see.

ORM do have the 1200 or 600 Sola ? I wonder if the 1200 and 600 have the same beam angle.

 

[orm]

600s Ron.

Yeah, I think the angle is pretty much the same. From the looks of it, there's not much going on with redirecting/spreading the beam in any way. The face of the lights are just the LEDs slightly seated.

 

[Geekhybrid]

I borrowed one of these from my LDS this weekend. I used the 1200 lumens dive light model, which I'm told is identical to the video model, except it has a blue, versus a white front bezel. I haven't yet had a chance to view the footage, but using it was a joy. It's even smaller and lighter than I imagined it would be, perfect for my small setup (Olympus E-PL1 and housing).

Info on the three models of Sola: h ttp://wetpixel.com/i.php/full/light-motion-sola-light-roundup-and-adjustable-red-power-levels/

(Sorry, can't yet use the link feature. Remove the space between h and ttp...)

 

[TSwain]

Thank you for all the info on the lights!

 

[TSwain]

I ordered 2 of the Sola 1200's and just got back from a trip to FL for some cavern & cave diving. These lights worked great! For being in total darkness most of the time they realy lit things up! Here is some video I took with them.

Cavern Dive at Ginnie Springs with the Sloa 1200 lights

 

[tangfish]

We just got done diving and testing out Light & Motion's SOLA DIVE 1200 and 600 models. I have been using the focus light for about a year now and love it. The dive lights are really quite good for a compact travel unit, and I love the ease of operation. The only thing we felt that could have been possibly improved are optional elastic bands to be used instead of or in addition to the velcro ones provided. But, that's just being nitpicky about some otherwise amazingly sturdy and ergonomic dive lights.

If anyone's interested, check out our full analysis and review of the SOLA DIVE models.

 

[TSwain]

Ok here is one more Cave dive with the sola 1200's. We are in total darkness and thes lights lit up the cave very well!

Orange Grove Cave Dive