44 LED video lights - Any users?

[KiiY]

Hi everyone. The recent thread on video lighting got me thinking about my own set up.

Has anybody here tried the AA battery powered 44 LED dive lights for underwater video? They were marketed as the "Fantasea 44" or the "Suprema U-beam LED" and can be found on eBay these days for very cheap.

Considering their low cost, I'm wondering if 2 of these... or maybe even 4 of them might be just the thing to replace my single Sea & Sea LX-55 (55 watt halogen) for close up shooting.

They claim 640 lux at 1 meter which sounds pretty decent. The beam (viewable through the link below) looks pretty usable.

I found a Reef Photo article which knocks them for build quality... but I'd be willing to make that trade off between build quality and price since I don't get to dive that often.
Reef Photo & Video Support Center - KnowledgeBase - Focus Lights - the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Thanks.

 

[mander1141]

What I know about underwater videography would be contained in a single drop of bilge-water.

However, LUX is the amount of light one candle illuminates in one square meter.

Comparison: 10,000 Lux would be the square meter in full sunlight during the middle of a sunny summer day.
1,000 Lux would be the same square meter on a cloudy day.

640 Lux is about half that, and if you read the specs on these lamps closely, you'll see that they give you two numbers: 640 lux during the first hour of lamp-life (useless, really, unless you plan on throwing your light away) and 240 Lux during the 3rd hour of lamp life.

Will the lamp remain at 240 lux after the 3rd hour of use on a lamp with a claimed life-expectancy of 10,000 hours? -That is why reputable companies test their products mid-life, to give the consumer a more accurate representation of what they are buying.

I'm offering no buying-decision recommendations here. I too am curious about these, since they can be had at well under 100 bucks. They're made in China, and I'm pointing out the weakness in their brightness data, which might well also make you suspicious of their depth specifications too.

I too would be interested in hearing some real-world experiences with these.

-M.

 

[mobula]

Look at this here:

Werner LED - Modulares LED Lichtsystem fr Taucher, Video, Foto, Film, TV und Beleuchtung

Looks interesting. There is acomparison with Hartenberger HIDs on Vimeo:

Halogen vs. LED on Vimeo

Unfortunately, my port is to big for the sytem.

 

[JackConnick]

My opinion is that they'd be too small. Maybe for a P&S doing close-up work...

Consider the 5 watt Big Blue 1x5 light for a much better made brighter light, or even the 15 watt 3x5 light.

I have a great deal on a close out Nocturnal Light SLX Light as well.

Jack

 

[KiiY]

Well, I decided to be a guinea pig and bought a couple of the Fantasea 44 LED lights. Just got back from a trip to Koh Phi Phi, Thailand where I used them for the first time on a single, shallow dive with poor visibility.

The good:
- Cheap! I got 2 lights for about $100 shipped from China to Japan (where I live).
- Great battery life off 5 AA batteries that are available everywhere.
- Small and lightweight. This is great if you travel by air. They are positively bouyant in water.
- No battery chargers to bring along. Less hassle and less weight for air travel.
- Makes a good flashlight when on land.

The bad:
- Cheap build quality. They're plastic. Pretty solid plastic, but still plastic. Definitely not for regular or pro use... but not bad if you only get to dive a few times a year and don't want to invest a lot of money in better stuff. If you don't drop or abuse them, I'll bet they should be fine.
- So-so brightness. Not bad, but not great. Should be fine for night dives, but very limited range in daylight -- but this is to be expected from all but super powerful lights.
- The beam is more focused than other video lights I've used, but there are no hot-spots. You have to be careful how you aim them. But more focused also means you get more light where you -do- aim them.

Overall I'm quite satisfied with them. I'm only a casual diver and these fit my needs quite nicely and the price can't be beat.

They are also light enough to go on Loc-Line type flexible arms without flopping around. And I find the Loc-Line arms a lot easier to aim underwater than the ULCS type arms. You just grab, aim and let go. No need to fiddle with clamps.