LED-35 Dimmable LED On Camera Light vs Litepanels Micro LED on Camera Light at DVinfo.net

Reggie Noble · October 28th, 2009, 04:13 PM

Hey guys,

So, I'm torn between the Bescor-35 dimmable light and the Litepnels Micro LED on-camera lights.

Bescor-35 Dimmable Light - Bescor | LED-35D Dimmable LED On Camera Light | LED35D | B&H
Litepanels Micro - Litepanels | LPMICRO Micro LED on Camera Light | LP MICRO | B&H

The Bescor is $160 and the Litepanels is $280

I want a light that is dimmable: Both lights are Dimmable
I want a light that uses AA batteries or camcorder batteries: Both do

I want to use it mainly for interviews, weddings, and other events.

I heard lots of things about the Litepanels leds, but I haven't really heard much of the Besbor lights. Anyone have any personal experience with the Bescor lights?

Taky Cheung · October 29th, 2009, 12:01 AM

Here's my experience using LP Micro and at weddings

The light is weak. Not powerful enough. Have to use the 1/4 color temperature filter. Makes the light even weaker.
Overall built is flimsy. The dimmer switch is already broken.
The battery compartment always has a tendency to push the batteries out causing disconnect.
I am using high rate AA rechargable batteries. Even so, I can get about 40-50 minutes of usage per charge. Then I found out I have to carry a lot of spare AA batteries (and recharge them the night before) and keep replacing them at the 3 to 4 hours reception. It's very unusable. Worst is, while I change the batteries, I was holding 4 new batteries in one hand, try to replace 4 used batteries, with holding the light in other hand while having to press the battery compartment so they batteries won't pop out. Imagine what it's like doing all that while the reception is still going on.
During the end of battery life, the lights start to flicker. It got so bad the flickering will be recorded to video. It makes the footage unusable because of the flickering on the object.
The LP Micro isn't very bright. It casts a circular spot light with a 5600 K color temperature. So after adding the color correction gel and the diffusion gel, it is not bright at all. It is comparable to the Canon VL-3 light with the 3-watt output.

Of course their new LP MicroPro has a lot of improvement over LP Micro.

Don Bloom · October 29th, 2009, 05:46 AM

Taky,
I keep saying this and maybe I should make my response a sticky. YOU HAD A BAD LITE!
PERIOD END OF STORY!

I understand you had a bad experience with the LP Micro but I know 10 other guys that have had great experiences including myself with the LP Micro.
While built from plastic, how else do you build a product to be light weight?
As for runtime on batteries, like I've said every other time you post about how bad the LP Micro is,I get 4 hours from a set of 2200 mAh rechargables, so I don't know what batteries you are using but obviously not very good ones.
Flimsy build? Well again it's plastic that's how you keep it light weight but not as flimsy as you keep saying. Mine has hit the floor too many times (don't ask) the shoe foot FINALLY broke and I simply replaced it with an adjustable shoe (1/4/20/shoe foot/adjustable) for less money than the foot by LP. As for brightness, well in the time I've been using it for an indoor event I've not had any problems. I use the diffusion and 1/4 CTO filters and it still runs at about 20W. That's the same as my Anton Bauer with a 25W bulb and softbox. Will the light throw over 8 feet or so? NO! I don't need it to. It works just fine within 8-9 feet and that's all I need for run and gun stuff.

So to be fair, I understand you dislike the LP product BUT when you tell your side of the story always make sure you let the other person know that there IS another side of the story and that your experience doesn't mean that EVERYONE has had the same experience with the product.
Hell, I had a Mercedes once-a real peice of junk. Does that mean that ALL Mercedes are junk?
Think about it!

Gary Moses · October 29th, 2009, 06:08 AM

Don, you must Taky's response with a grain of salt. He has been marketing his Comer lights every single time someone posts about an on-camera light or LED light.
With all of the claims that selling should be in the marketing area I'm pretty disappointed the Taky and Pat Hughes are allowed to post like they do. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind learning about new products, I just don't want to be bombarded with these "subtle" methods of information that are actually advertising. This is coming from a person that has owned an advertising agency for 25 years.
Gary

Taky Cheung · October 29th, 2009, 08:03 AM

I was just sharing my experience of LP Micro. I don't think I have a bad unit as mine was broken and was exchanged. It could be an early production that they fixed some of the issues later on (such as the battery compartment, battery life). I paid $340 for it. Just don't find the light sufficient to be used at weddings. Later on, I switched to the SWIT 2010 light. It works much better than LP Micro.

I didn't say all of LitePanels products are bad. They made lots of great products especially in their professional line. The MicroPro is definitely a big improvement. I'm tempted to buy one to try out too.

Michael Liebergot · October 29th, 2009, 08:07 AM

For event use this is my take on things.

While I do use the Comer1800 lights I have used or tried these self powered lights; LPMicro, Sony HVL-LBP, Torchled TL50. I have heard very good things about the new LPMicroPro but haven't tried it yet.

If it's for use as a fill light at close range 3-10 feet, then both (LP/Bescor) should work well for you. The LEDs in the LP are probably more pure in color temp, as I have heard that the Bescor is a little green in color output.

If you are shooting, lets say a wedding reception with these lights, and are shooting further away from the outside of a dance floor, the you might very well be disappointed as both lights will fall off and not really help your light image.

If you have supplemental lighting, like I use, 2 self powered lights on light stands, and rely on the on camera light for close in fill purposes then these lights might work well for you.

If you want a very light weight strong light, then you might want to step up to the larger LP MicroPro or the MicroBeam128 or 256 (these two lights will be heavier). The LPMicro has at least double the output of the LPMicro, is very lightweight but better built and still runs on AA batteries.

If size and weight are of no issue to you then I will recommend the Comer1800. It is a hefty light, but it is dimmable, can run forever on a meduim sized NP770 battery, and has some great output.

This is my take.
Just so you know I have just ordered some new off camera LED lighting, a large LED (LED600) panel and smaller LED (LED256) from Cool Light, for fill hair light use, for interviews. While the LED256 is too large for camera mounting, I am going to try on using it for off camera lighting. Since I currently use large Comer1800 for on camera use, I might be looking into a smaller LED for fill use. If I do, I can see me moving towards the LPMicro Pro. While it is over priced, as a lot of higher end equipment is; it is light weight and smaller, in bulk, than my Comer1800.
But this could easily change when something newer comes out in a few months.

Not mentioned in here was the Zylight Z90, which is a phenomenal light, but it is very expensive and not self powered.

Chris Li · October 29th, 2009, 09:09 AM

Michael,
You're in luck. Litepanels is offering a $75 rebate on the purchase of the MicroPro and a $50 rebate on the Micro until the end of the year. I'm considering the more powerful Pro but swapping out 6 AA's at a time is a nuisance.
No affiliation w/Litepanels although I do own a LP Mini.
BTW, I also own a Coollight LED 600 and my LED 256 should arrive in a week. I'm also down in Bethesda if you want to check them out sometime.

chris

Michael Liebergot · October 29th, 2009, 09:32 AM

Chris thanks for the offer. I might take you up on it and do some comparison setups with you. I' be curious as to how and waht you're using your light setups for. Most of my lighting needs is for field (event) and studio (interview/product) work.

My LED600 and LED256 should be here next week as well.

The LP offer is tempting, but with the money I just dropped on the CoolLght LEDs, money is tight. Especially since I might wind up ordering anotehr set of each. If I go this route, then I will be selling off all of my current lighting, minus the Comer1800 LED lights which I woudl currently keep. These would be Lowell Rifa44 and Rifa55 Softboxes, NRG Varalux light, and Bescor MPL-313X light. Also would be selling two of my NRG battery belts.

All of this gear is great, but if all works out, I'll be switching over to an all LED portable setup.

Dave Stern · October 29th, 2009, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Moses

Don, you must Taky's response with a grain of salt. He has been marketing his Comer lights every single time someone posts about an on-camera light or LED light.
With all of the claims that selling should be in the marketing area I'm pretty disappointed the Taky and Pat Hughes are allowed to post like they do. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind learning about new products, I just don't want to be bombarded with these "subtle" methods of information that are actually advertising. This is coming from a person that has owned an advertising agency for 25 years.
Gary

I agree, it gets in the way of information exchange

Sam Young · October 30th, 2009, 09:33 AM

I'm surprised Taky didn't advertise his lights in this post, I have been searching for a good on camera light for my JVC HM100, and most posts I've clicked on features him posting a link of his light and saying how good it is. I do appreciate that he is a sponsor of this forum and helps to keep it running, but some of his advertising tactics is a bit unprofessional.

Sam Young · October 30th, 2009, 09:41 AM

deleted this post.

Taky Cheung · October 30th, 2009, 10:17 AM

Sorry guys, I will control myself :)

Sam Young · October 30th, 2009, 05:42 PM

Please take no offense in what I've said Taky, and it seems like you're not, which is great. I just think it is a bit excessive sometimes.

Reggie Noble · October 30th, 2009, 07:08 PM

Thanks for the help guys... I will do a little more research.

Jay Houser · October 30th, 2009, 09:39 PM

I have 2 Litepanels micros. Nice and light. I have had the battery pop out problem as well - when using rechargeable batteries. They are fatter - don't fit properly. Went back to alkalines- problem solved.

Also bought 2 Microbeams - heavier, all metal. The latest shipments of the 128's also exhibit a bluer cast and are reportedly brighter. Saw them today at a dealer.

For long shoots the microbeams with a large camera battery last at least a couple hours. But they are heavy.

October 28th, 2009, 04:13 PM	#1
Reggie Noble New Boot Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Toronto Posts: 5	LED-35 Dimmable LED On Camera Light vs Litepanels Micro LED on Camera Light Hey guys, So, I'm torn between the Bescor-35 dimmable light and the Litepnels Micro LED on-camera lights. Bescor-35 Dimmable Light - Bescor \| LED-35D Dimmable LED On Camera Light \| LED35D \| B&H Litepanels Micro - Litepanels \| LPMICRO Micro LED on Camera Light \| LP MICRO \| B&H The Bescor is $160 and the Litepanels is $280 I want a light that is dimmable: Both lights are Dimmable I want a light that uses AA batteries or camcorder batteries: Both do I want to use it mainly for interviews, weddings, and other events. I heard lots of things about the Litepanels leds, but I haven't really heard much of the Besbor lights. Anyone have any personal experience with the Bescor lights?

October 29th, 2009, 12:01 AM	#2
Taky Cheung Inner Circle Join Date: May 2007 Location: Los Angeles, USA Posts: 2,114	Here's my experience using LP Micro and at weddings The light is weak. Not powerful enough. Have to use the 1/4 color temperature filter. Makes the light even weaker. Overall built is flimsy. The dimmer switch is already broken. The battery compartment always has a tendency to push the batteries out causing disconnect. I am using high rate AA rechargable batteries. Even so, I can get about 40-50 minutes of usage per charge. Then I found out I have to carry a lot of spare AA batteries (and recharge them the night before) and keep replacing them at the 3 to 4 hours reception. It's very unusable. Worst is, while I change the batteries, I was holding 4 new batteries in one hand, try to replace 4 used batteries, with holding the light in other hand while having to press the battery compartment so they batteries won't pop out. Imagine what it's like doing all that while the reception is still going on. During the end of battery life, the lights start to flicker. It got so bad the flickering will be recorded to video. It makes the footage unusable because of the flickering on the object. The LP Micro isn't very bright. It casts a circular spot light with a 5600 K color temperature. So after adding the color correction gel and the diffusion gel, it is not bright at all. It is comparable to the Canon VL-3 light with the 3-watt output. Of course their new LP MicroPro has a lot of improvement over LP Micro. __________________ LA Color Pros Blog RODE Authorized Reseller . Comer LED Camera Lights . TakyBox HTML5 Menu Generator

October 29th, 2009, 05:46 AM	#3
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	Taky, I keep saying this and maybe I should make my response a sticky. YOU HAD A BAD LITE! PERIOD END OF STORY! I understand you had a bad experience with the LP Micro but I know 10 other guys that have had great experiences including myself with the LP Micro. While built from plastic, how else do you build a product to be light weight? As for runtime on batteries, like I've said every other time you post about how bad the LP Micro is,I get 4 hours from a set of 2200 mAh rechargables, so I don't know what batteries you are using but obviously not very good ones. Flimsy build? Well again it's plastic that's how you keep it light weight but not as flimsy as you keep saying. Mine has hit the floor too many times (don't ask) the shoe foot FINALLY broke and I simply replaced it with an adjustable shoe (1/4/20/shoe foot/adjustable) for less money than the foot by LP. As for brightness, well in the time I've been using it for an indoor event I've not had any problems. I use the diffusion and 1/4 CTO filters and it still runs at about 20W. That's the same as my Anton Bauer with a 25W bulb and softbox. Will the light throw over 8 feet or so? NO! I don't need it to. It works just fine within 8-9 feet and that's all I need for run and gun stuff. So to be fair, I understand you dislike the LP product BUT when you tell your side of the story always make sure you let the other person know that there IS another side of the story and that your experience doesn't mean that EVERYONE has had the same experience with the product. Hell, I had a Mercedes once-a real peice of junk. Does that mean that ALL Mercedes are junk? Think about it! __________________ What do I know? I'm just a video-O-grafer. Don

October 29th, 2009, 08:03 AM	#5
Taky Cheung Inner Circle Join Date: May 2007 Location: Los Angeles, USA Posts: 2,114	I was just sharing my experience of LP Micro. I don't think I have a bad unit as mine was broken and was exchanged. It could be an early production that they fixed some of the issues later on (such as the battery compartment, battery life). I paid $340 for it. Just don't find the light sufficient to be used at weddings. Later on, I switched to the SWIT 2010 light. It works much better than LP Micro. I didn't say all of LitePanels products are bad. They made lots of great products especially in their professional line. The MicroPro is definitely a big improvement. I'm tempted to buy one to try out too. __________________ LA Color Pros Blog RODE Authorized Reseller . Comer LED Camera Lights . TakyBox HTML5 Menu Generator

October 29th, 2009, 08:07 AM	#6
Michael Liebergot Trustee Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Maryland Posts: 1,505	For event use this is my take on things. While I do use the Comer1800 lights I have used or tried these self powered lights; LPMicro, Sony HVL-LBP, Torchled TL50. I have heard very good things about the new LPMicroPro but haven't tried it yet. If it's for use as a fill light at close range 3-10 feet, then both (LP/Bescor) should work well for you. The LEDs in the LP are probably more pure in color temp, as I have heard that the Bescor is a little green in color output. If you are shooting, lets say a wedding reception with these lights, and are shooting further away from the outside of a dance floor, the you might very well be disappointed as both lights will fall off and not really help your light image. If you have supplemental lighting, like I use, 2 self powered lights on light stands, and rely on the on camera light for close in fill purposes then these lights might work well for you. If you want a very light weight strong light, then you might want to step up to the larger LP MicroPro or the MicroBeam128 or 256 (these two lights will be heavier). The LPMicro has at least double the output of the LPMicro, is very lightweight but better built and still runs on AA batteries. If size and weight are of no issue to you then I will recommend the Comer1800. It is a hefty light, but it is dimmable, can run forever on a meduim sized NP770 battery, and has some great output. This is my take. Just so you know I have just ordered some new off camera LED lighting, a large LED (LED600) panel and smaller LED (LED256) from Cool Light, for fill hair light use, for interviews. While the LED256 is too large for camera mounting, I am going to try on using it for off camera lighting. Since I currently use large Comer1800 for on camera use, I might be looking into a smaller LED for fill use. If I do, I can see me moving towards the LPMicro Pro. While it is over priced, as a lot of higher end equipment is; it is light weight and smaller, in bulk, than my Comer1800. But this could easily change when something newer comes out in a few months. Not mentioned in here was the Zylight Z90, which is a phenomenal light, but it is very expensive and not self powered. __________________ Michael www.lvpvideo.com

October 29th, 2009, 06:08 AM	#4
Gary Moses Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 110	Don, you must Taky's response with a grain of salt. He has been marketing his Comer lights every single time someone posts about an on-camera light or LED light. With all of the claims that selling should be in the marketing area I'm pretty disappointed the Taky and Pat Hughes are allowed to post like they do. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind learning about new products, I just don't want to be bombarded with these "subtle" methods of information that are actually advertising. This is coming from a person that has owned an advertising agency for 25 years. Gary

October 29th, 2009, 09:32 AM	#8
Michael Liebergot Trustee Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Maryland Posts: 1,505	Chris thanks for the offer. I might take you up on it and do some comparison setups with you. I' be curious as to how and waht you're using your light setups for. Most of my lighting needs is for field (event) and studio (interview/product) work. My LED600 and LED256 should be here next week as well. The LP offer is tempting, but with the money I just dropped on the CoolLght LEDs, money is tight. Especially since I might wind up ordering anotehr set of each. If I go this route, then I will be selling off all of my current lighting, minus the Comer1800 LED lights which I woudl currently keep. These would be Lowell Rifa44 and Rifa55 Softboxes, NRG Varalux light, and Bescor MPL-313X light. Also would be selling two of my NRG battery belts. All of this gear is great, but if all works out, I'll be switching over to an all LED portable setup. __________________ Michael www.lvpvideo.com

October 30th, 2009, 09:33 AM	#10
Sam Young Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Dallas, Texas/Hong Kong Posts: 154	I'm surprised Taky didn't advertise his lights in this post, I have been searching for a good on camera light for my JVC HM100, and most posts I've clicked on features him posting a link of his light and saying how good it is. I do appreciate that he is a sponsor of this forum and helps to keep it running, but some of his advertising tactics is a bit unprofessional.

October 30th, 2009, 09:41 AM	#11
Sam Young Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Dallas, Texas/Hong Kong Posts: 154	deleted this post. Last edited by Sam Young; October 30th, 2009 at 05:42 PM.

October 30th, 2009, 10:17 AM	#12
Taky Cheung Inner Circle Join Date: May 2007 Location: Los Angeles, USA Posts: 2,114	Sorry guys, I will control myself :) __________________ LA Color Pros Blog RODE Authorized Reseller . Comer LED Camera Lights . TakyBox HTML5 Menu Generator

October 30th, 2009, 05:42 PM	#13
Sam Young Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Dallas, Texas/Hong Kong Posts: 154	Please take no offense in what I've said Taky, and it seems like you're not, which is great. I just think it is a bit excessive sometimes.

October 30th, 2009, 07:08 PM	#14
Reggie Noble New Boot Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Toronto Posts: 5	Thanks for the help guys... I will do a little more research.

October 30th, 2009, 09:39 PM	#15
Jay Houser Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: St Paul MN Posts: 41	I have 2 Litepanels micros. Nice and light. I have had the battery pop out problem as well - when using rechargeable batteries. They are fatter - don't fit properly. Went back to alkalines- problem solved. Also bought 2 Microbeams - heavier, all metal. The latest shipments of the 128's also exhibit a bluer cast and are reportedly brighter. Saw them today at a dealer. For long shoots the microbeams with a large camera battery last at least a couple hours. But they are heavy.