LED panels (or possibly "fresnel" leds)

[Urban Skargren]

Hello!

We want to buy a couple of LED lights that can equal approx a 1000W incandescent each. Preferably they should be bicolor and have an option to run on battery.

We will use them both for narrative filmmaking and for renting out to customers who just do quick interview setups.

I have been looking at both "panels" and the newer "fresnel" type of lights, like the Light storm C120D for example.
From what I hear people say, an advantage of the "fresnel" lights are that they are more moldeable, while an advantage of the panels is that they are just quick and easy to handle, plus give a wider, softer light. We could possibly combine them with other fresnels we already have. So I'm inclined toward panels. But if someone says the opposite, I'm all ears.

What panels would you recommend in the $600 range (each light) (approx 1 ft x 1 ft ) size? One I have been looking at is this: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1408377-REG/ikan_lb10_2pt_kit_lyra_1x1_bi_color_soft.html/BI/2855/KBID/3801

I saw a review about it, and it made a good impression. Something I like is that it already has a built-in diffuser, which I think is good. Less things to handle and we usually only want soft light anyway.

One doubt I have about it if it is sturdy enough to work for being rented out many times (since it is plastic). We buy these principally to rent them out.

BTW, I saw the batteries recommended at B&H cost like $600 for two batteries, insanely expensive! Are there cheaper but still good alternatives?

Any thoughts?

[Oren Arieli]

My suggestion is to avoid the panel lights if you value controlling your light source. As a soft light, they can only be soft...and the 1x1 size means that they're not actually very soft unless further 'enlarged' via softbox or external diffusion panels. Once you do that, you also lose quite a bit of power, so you're at a disadvantage when you need sheer power.
The monoblock-style LED's come in 100, 200, and 300w variety (currently) and the most powerful ones can easily compete with a 2K tungsten with the proper modifiers. Powering the 300w means very capable batteries however, so I would limit myself to the 100 and 200w variety that can run off a single v-mount battery. The biggest advantage of these lights is that you can put almost any photographic modifier on them via their standard Bowens mount and a speedring. If you need a hard light, you've got that option as a default.
Godox has cheap plastic lights that might not stand up to the rental market, but at a fraction of the price of Aputure. If you're insisting on renting out, then go for the higher-quality Aputure, with better customer service. Also, I'd focus on daylight balanced, unless the majority of your work is done in rooms without windows. You'll get higher output, and can always use a gel to warm up the light if needed.