For the past three years I've been using a set of Niterider HID video lights to film with my Sony HC-7 camcorder. During daylight I've not always been pleased with the results... the NiteRiders are not well diffused and have hot spots in them, making it difficult to evenly light close-up subjects.
At the Long Beach SCUBA Show I decided to buy a new set of L&M Sola 1200 LED lights from Scott Gietler's Bluewater Photo. Yesterday I was able to get in the water and finally test them. Here are my quick impressions.
The Solas performed very well. Light was evenly dispersed and there were no noticeable hot spots. With the subjects illuminated evenly, the results were much more pleasing. The annoying green cast always evident in prior filming when there was distance between the subject and background was not present. Colors seemed to be rendered far more naturally than with the HIDs.
I also love the fact that the Solas are very compact and I do not have to carry the heavy NiteRider battery with me. Of course that battery allowed burn times that covered at least three dives a day. The Solas have a 70 min burn time at full power, and are good for one normal dive of continuous burn. I'll experiment with the lower settings later.
In short, I'm very pleased with the test results and look forward to obtaining even more pleased HD video for my viewers in the future!
At the Long Beach SCUBA Show I decided to buy a new set of L&M Sola 1200 LED lights from Scott Gietler's Bluewater Photo. Yesterday I was able to get in the water and finally test them. Here are my quick impressions.
The Solas performed very well. Light was evenly dispersed and there were no noticeable hot spots. With the subjects illuminated evenly, the results were much more pleasing. The annoying green cast always evident in prior filming when there was distance between the subject and background was not present. Colors seemed to be rendered far more naturally than with the HIDs.
I also love the fact that the Solas are very compact and I do not have to carry the heavy NiteRider battery with me. Of course that battery allowed burn times that covered at least three dives a day. The Solas have a 70 min burn time at full power, and are good for one normal dive of continuous burn. I'll experiment with the lower settings later.
In short, I'm very pleased with the test results and look forward to obtaining even more pleased HD video for my viewers in the future!